Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-16


deed"
"But now" said the huge man, softly
comes question. Word must be sent
to our partisans in the palace, and 6
signal agreed upon. Our stanchest mer
must accompany the royal carriage A
this honr what messenger can penetrate
so far IS the south doorway? Ribout is
stationed there once message is placed
III his hands, all will go we'll"
Il will send the message" said the
lady >, ~
raising his eyebrows your devotion il
great, we know. but"
Listen" exclaimed the lady, rising anC
resting her hands upon the table: "In
garnet of this house lives a youth from
the provinces as guileless and tender al
the lambs he tended there. I have me-
him twice or thrice upon the stairs.
questioned him, fearing that he NIGH
dwell too near the room in which we are
accustomed to meet He is mine If
will. He writes poems in his garnet, anC
] think he dreams Of me- He will dc
what l say. He shall take the message
to the palace"
The marquis rose from his chair and
bowed. You did not permit me to fin
ish my sentence, countess" he said az
would have said Your devotion is great
but your wit and charm are infinitely
greater"
While the conspirators were thus en-
gagged, David was polishing some lines
addressed to his amorette d'escalier He
heard timorous knock at his door, and
opened it, with a great throb, to behold
her there, painting as one In straits, with
eyes wide open and artless like a child
Monsieur, she breathed, Il come &c
you In distress. l believe you to be good
and true, and I know of no other help
How l flew through the streets amonp
mother is dying. Ny uncle is a captair
OF guards IN the palace of the king. Some
one must fly to bring him. May ]
hope"
"MademoiselIe," interrupted David, his
eyes shining with the desire to do her
service your hopes shall be my wings
Tell me how may reach him"
he lady thrust a sealed paper into his
hand. A-''
60 to the south gate-the south gate
Iuihd-and say 70 the guards there, The
falcon has left his nest They will pass
you, ana you VIII go to the south en-
trance to the palace. Repeat the words
and give this letter to the man who %O viii
reply Let him strike when he will This
~ the password, monsieur entrusted
10 me by my uncle, for now when the
country is disturbed and men plot
galhst the kings life, no one without ii
can gam entrance to the palace grounds
arter nightfall If you Will monsieur
TAKE him this letter 50 that nv mother
may see him before she closes her eyes .
Give IT me-" said David. eagerly. but
shall I let you return home through rhe
streets alone so late? L"
Ne, no-fy. Each moment is like a
precious jewel Some time" said the
lady. with eyes long and cozening. like a
gypsy $, Il will try to thank you for
your goodness"
The roet thrust the letter into his
NJ haT I5a1 ~,
Ibe lady, when be was gone. returned
to the room below
The eloquent eyebrows Of the marquis
interrOgated her
He is gone" she said. "as feet and
STUPID .l as one Of his own sheep, to de
The table shook again from the batter
OF Captain Desrolles's fist.
Sacred name,' he cried Il have left
my pistols behind l can trust no
others
Take this" said the marquis. draw
ing from beneath his cloak a shining
great weapon, Ornamented with carver
silver. There are none truer Blu;
guard tt closely for ii bears my arms
aud crest and already I am suspected
Ne, must put many leagues between
myself and Paris this night. Tomorrow
must ind me in my chateau After you
dear countess"
The marquis puned out the candle. The
lady. well cloaked. aud the two gentle
men softly descended the stairway and
flowed into the crowd that roamed alona
the narrow payements Of the Rue Cont
David sped At ne south gate Of
the kings residence r halherd was Iaid
10 his breast but he turned its poin
with the words: The falcon has left
Pass brother" said the guard "anC
70 quickly
on the south steps Of the palace they
moved 10 seize him. but again the mot
de passc charmed the watchers one
among them stepped forward and began
Let him strike but a furry among
the guards told OF surprise. A mar
Of keen look and soldlerl7 stride sud
denly pressed through them and seizet
the letter which David held IN his hand
Come with me-" he said. and let hin
inside the great hall Then he tore oper
tho letter and read Il. He heckoned =,
man uniformed ss an officer O
musketeers. who was passing. "Captair
Tetrsu. You viii have the guards al tbs
south entrance and the south gate
arrested and confined. Place men known
TO be ioyai iu their places" To DaviC
he said: Come with me"
He conducted him through a corridor
and an anteroOm into a SPACIOUS cham
Der. where a melancholy man. somberly
dressed. sat hrooding In n great. leath-
cred covered chair. To that man he said
sire l have told you that the palace
Is full Of traitors and spies as q sewer
Is Of rats. You have thought. sire, that
It was my fancy. This man penetrated to
your very door by their connivance. He
bore a letter which I have intercepted.
] have brought him here that your ma jes-
" may no longer think my zeal excess
sive
II will question him" said the king,
stirring in his choir He looked at David
4 ~
film. The poet bent his knee.
From where do you Gomez" asked
the king.
From the village of vernoy. in the
province OF Eure-e Loir, sire"
What do you follow IN Paris ?"
IL would be poet, sire"
What did you in vernoy2"
II minded my fathers flock Of sheep"
The king stirred again, and the film
lifted from his eyes.
"Ahl in the ields!"
Yes. sire"
You lived in the fields; you went out
In the cool Of the morning and lay
among the hedges In the grass. The
flock distributed itself upon the hillside
YOU drank Of the living stream; you ate
your sweet. brown bread in the shade.
and YOU listened, doubtless, to blackbirds
piping in the grove. Is not that so,
shepherdf'
III is. sire" answered David, with a
sigh; and to the bees at the flowers, and,
ma ybe. to the grape gathered singing on
the hill"
eyes. yes" said the king, impatiently
maybe TO them but surely to the black
birds. They whstled often, in the grove.
did they not?''
Nowhere, sire, 70 sweetly as in Eure-
ct Loir ! have endeavOured to express
their song in some verses that l have
written"
Can you repeat those verses?" asked
the king, eagerly "A long time ago 1
listened to the hlackbirds. 1t would be
something better than q kingdom If one
could rightly construe their song. And
at night you drove the sheep to the fold