Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-07-08
CHAPTER l.
Two Encounters by Nigh

Hitherto, | have written with the
sword. after the fashion Of greater
men. and requiring no secretary.
nov take M the quill to set forth
correctly. certain incidents which
having been noised about, stand in
danger OF being inaccurately reported
bV some imitator Of Rrantome and
IL, lEstolle. II all the world is 80
know of this matter, let II know
thct,of rightly.
II was early ia January, in the year
1878. that I drst set out for Paris
NJ mother had died when | was
Twelve years old and my father had
followed her year later. II was his
last wish that ! his only child should
remain al the chateau. in Anjou, con-
tfnuing my studies until the end Of
nly twenty first year. He had chosen
that should learn manners as best
could al home. not as page in some
great household or as gentleman in
the retinue of some high parsonage.
De launay shall have no master
but God and the King he said. Rev
etently I had fulfilled his iniunctions,
holding my Young impulses in leash
ia assed the time in sword practice
with our old stewart. Michel, VINO had
followed my father in the wars under
Colignv. IN huntins in our little patch
* woods. reading the Latin authors
IN the 'iowery garden Of the chateau.
~ in my favorite chamber that one
at the ton Of the new tower which
had t~.en built in the reign Of Hcnri
III Ia replace the original black tower
fr-nm which tho earliest Ne LaHnay n
note got the title of Sieur de- "a Tour
npirc Al this while ! was holding
IL curb my impatient desires. So all
most resistless are the forces that
,mpei the young heart. that there
must have been A hard struggle with
IN me had had TO wait even a month
longer for the birthday which finally
set mo free to go what WAYS ] chose
l Ysoses early on that cold but sunl1i
January day, mad with eagerness Z
ho orf and away into the great world
that AT last lay open to me. POOR
old Michel was sad that l had decided
a. 20 alone. But the only servant
whom / would have taken, with me
Vas the only one 10 whom ! would
sntrust the house Of my fathers IT
nv absence old Michel himself
thought the others TOO rustic. My
feR tenants would have made awk-
vard lackeys in peace, sorry soldiers
in war.
Michel had my portmanteau fast
ened on my horse. which had been
brought out into the courtyard. and
then he stood BY me. while L took my
last breakfast in La Tournoire; and
in ny haste to be off. I would have
eaten little had he not pressed much
upon nae, reminding me how many
leagues would have 10 ride before
meeting a good inn on the Paris road
He was sad. poor old Michel, at my
going. and yet he par1ook Of some VI
my own pagerness. At last had
forced down my unwilling throat food
enough to satisfy even old MicheFs
solicitude. He girded on me the finest
OF the swords that my father had eft
placed over my violet velvet doublci
the new cloak I had bought for the
occasion. handed me my new hat with
rs showy plures, and stood asida
for me 20 pass out. In the pocket Of
enough golden crowns TO case my
I,ath for some time 10 come. | cast
one Iast look around the old hall and
irving 10 check the rapidity Of my
breath, and the rising OF the lump in
my thr, at. strobe out 10 the court
ward. lreathed the fresh air with a
new ecstasy. mounted the steaming
horse. gave Michel my hand for a
moment, and, purposely avoiding
meeting his eyes. spoke a last kind
word 10 the old man. After acknowl-
edging the fareweIls of the other serv-
ants. who stood in line trying TO look
Joyous. I started my horse with a
little Jerk OF the rein, and was borne
swiftly through the porte. over the
bridge. and out into the world. Be
hind me was me home Of my fathers
and my childhood: before me was
Paris. Ii was a fine. bracing winter
morning. and / was twenty-one.s A
good horse was under me, a sword
was al my side, there was money in
my pocket. viii ! ever feel again
as l did that morning?
Some have stupidity wondered why.
being a Huguenot born and bred, !
did not. when free TO leave La Tour
noire. 20 at once to offer my sword
10 Henri Of Navarro or to some other
leader Of our party. This is easily
answered If ] was a Huguenot, !
was also a man Of twenty-onei and
the latter much more than the former.
Paris was the center Of the world
There was the court, there were the
adventures 10 be had. there must one
go 10 see the whole of life. there
would I meet men and make con-
quests Of women. There awaited me
the pleasures Of which ! had known
only by report. there the advance
nscnt, the triumphs i'm personal guar
rsls: and. above all else. the great
love affair Of my dreams. Who that
ia man and twenty has not
slch dreams? And who that is a
man and seventy would have been
without them? Youth and folly 90
together, each sweetening the other.
The greatest fool, think, is he who
would have gone through life en-
tirelv without foliy. What then mat
t-rrT rqffgspss ~ rre7 Or yshaT mat