Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-02-10

ton to him. She listened with anxious
intentness as the cure addressed the
crowd. her lips compressed. her bosom
rising and falling quickly All eyes
were fixed on Father Lucien, but each,
as the priest turned to him., tried to
shrink back behind his neighbor.
They were pointing inside the sa-
loon. The cure hurried through the
doorway, Madeleine Rosny immediate
ly behind him, and LATE following
them. The saloon, though lit by an oil
lamp, was empty, as seemed to be, the
dark stable beyond it, seen through the
open doorway.
Father Lucien snatched down the
lamp and carried it hastily toward the
stable door. He raised 1t and looked
in, then turned and tried to bar Made
leine from entering. But she pushed
past him, saw, cried, wrung her hands,
and ran into the middle space between
the rows of stalls. LATE. following her,
saw her seated upon the floor, and
Hilary. covered with blood, lying
stretched out and motionless, his head
in her lap. She bent over him and
LATE never forgot the look of anguish
in her eyes. or the tension of the white
face.
Still supporting Hllary's head. she
began tearing long strips off her petit
coat, frantically, as If she hardly knew
what she was doing. Hilary's clothing
was so drenched with blood that 1t
was difficult to determine where the
wound lay. There were fivid bruises
about his mouth and cheeks, and on
his forehead. as if his assailants, after
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 9
/ nearby house went up, and a. woman
| handed out a pail, three parts full
Lafe 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 pal
| and began to 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
BILE to do more than clean it superb
cially, owing to the need for haste
Having done this Father Lucien made
! a pad and placed it in position, while
Madeleine, working with steady finger:
which gave the lie to her face, begar
to wind the strips over 1t round the
chest. All the while she worked hel
! face was agitated, and yet composed
and only the tortured eyes betrayed
what she was suffering; but when tht
wound was bound she broke down.
ct is my fault" she cried in French
sobbing despairingly. Il warned hin
and he would not hear me. and | rode
away. | 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 i
significant afterward that, wild though
her words were, and untrue, he did moi
then deny them.
Madeleine looked up and, meeting
his eyes, grew calm. LATE 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 LATE Il
enter "You and Mademoiselle Rosny
will drive to my house." he said. "a!
there is no room for me, walk. give
you the key, because my housekeepel
is gone to bed anG 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 ad
mitted of no opposition. The cure wa!
silent.
LATE drew Hilary into the bottom o.
the buggy and crouched there, sup
porting the head and the upper par