The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-04-03

| stabbing him, had kicked him..
| Father Lucien half turned him over
and, uttering an exclamation, pointed
to the shoulder, from which fresh blood
was slowly yelling. LATE saw that
Hilary was alive; he breathed very
| family, but his face was the color of
| death, more bloodless than that of
| Madeleine. The cure began cutting
away the coat, then the lining, which
would not come with it; then the shirt.
| He looked up.
Bring some water" he said.
LATE hurried out the few curious
lumbermen scattering in panic and
scurrying before him. AS he stood
among them, shouting, window in a
nearby house Went up, ard q woman
handed out pail, three parts full
LATE took it. AS he re-entered the
shanty the crowd slowly gathered be-
| hind him again. He hurried into the
stable. The cure took strip of the
girls petticoat. dipped it in the pail
and began 10 cleanse the wound, purS-
| ing his lips and shaking his head the
while. LATE could see that the wound,
while not long, was terribly deep, and
| it was still bleeding. 1t was impoSSi-
bic to do more than clean it superb
cially, owing to the need for haste.
Having done this, Father Lucien made
q pad and placed il in position, while
Madeleine working with steady fingers
which gave the lie to her face, began
| to wind the strips over it round the
chest. All the while she worked her
face was agitated, and yet composed,
and only the tortured eyes betrayed
| what she was suffering; but when the
wound was bound she broke down.
| st is my fault" she cried in French,
sobbing despairingly. Il warned him
and he would not hear me, and / rode
away. l knew It long before and
would not believe it. / have killed
him."
The cures hand fell on her Shout
der. LATE noticed, too, and thought it
significant afterward that, wild though
her words were, and untrue, he did not
| then deny them.
Madeleine looked up and, meeting
his eyes, grew calm. Lafe stepped for
ward, bent down and gently raised Hill
ary's head from her knee. He placed
his hands beneath the shoulders, sup
porting them, while Father Lucien lift
ed the lower part of the body, and thus
they carried the stricken man through
| the shanty toward the buggy.
The cure made motion to Lafe to
| enter. "You and Mademoiselle Rosny
will drive to my house." he said. "As
there is no room for me, l walk. give
you the key, because my housekeeper
is gone to bed and must not be fright
| ened."
mo, to the Chateau" said Madeleine
Rosny. do you think he shall. go any
| where else, monsieur, when he is like
this!"
Her voice rang proudly, the tone az
mitted of no opposition. The cure was
| silent.
LATE drew Hilary into the bottom Of
the buggy and crouched there, sup
porting the head and the upper part
of his body. But Madeleine, watchful,
uttered a low cry. A little blood was
leaking through the bandage. She
fastened to the other side Of the rig
and began adjusting it, while the cure
turned toward the crowd, which was
looking on in panicky silence, broken
only by low words and mutterings.
''This is bad nights work that you
have done!" he cried. "YOu shall pay
for it, every man here, and the assas-
sins too. I know them ALL"
The man who stepped forward was
the foreman of the mill, by name Mac
Pherson, decent workman and de-
scendant Of one of Wolfe's Highland
ers who had settled along the coast
and perpetuated their names and
something Of their stanch character.
if nothing else of their race survived.
1--WE are not all guilty, Monsieur Tes-
sier," he said. II knew nothing of this
until the deed was done, or should
have used every effort to prevent it.
These people asked me to speak for
them. They say that they broke down
the stable door and saved his life when
he was about to be cut to pieces"
"His life" cried Father Lucien,
scornfully. His life hangs by thread;
and if he dies his murderers shall
hang for it. And you are guilty equal
ly." he continued, addressing the
crowd, which seemed to melt under his
burning tones. you left him lie there
and bleed to death. And listen fur
Their. You think that Monsieur Askew
brought the revenue officers to Ste.
Marie. Do / not hate Ste. Marie more
than he? Yet even / would not bring
the officers here until had used every
means to clean up the evil there. 1t
was Monsieur Morris who brought
them, for he told me So"
There was sensation at the priests
words. An excited babble broke out.
Madeleine, who had just completed
the bandaging, halted with one foot
upon the step of the buggy and turned
to the lumbermen.
Eyes, you left him to die!" she cried
in scOrn. 'Tou were afraid, and you