The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-11-17
pace IL s0clsf7. i have arranged !

place ID society. I have arranged !
wealthy marriage. for You.
Then he went on to tell her that
she was to marry Pierre Rideau, the
only son OF his great business rival.
within q year. His firm had been
forced into q tight position. he con
fessed. old Rideau held the trump
cards; nevertheless, Rideau was will.
Ing to make an alliance between the
two houses and thus convert enmity
into friendship. So It was all ar
ranged.
Then Helene burst into tears,
begged to be allowed to spend her life
In the convent that was so dear to
her, and finally indignantly refused to
be bartered thus. Her father went
away in a fury.
That was three weeks before, and
now the last week Of her stay at the
convent al drawing near. And NEAR
while q wonderful thing had happened,
SO wonderful Helene could hardly con
vince herself that It was true. She
was In love and she was loved.
It had come about in the strangest
way. Helene had been gathering win
tergreen In the great forests, and sud-
denly she had come upon a young
man, bent on the same errand, In the
same path. And, seeing her, he ap-
preached respectfully and asked her to
direct. him to the Point st. Charles.
since he was lost. It turned out that
he was an artist from Quebec, and was
spending the late fall there, to re-
cover his health. Helene showed him,
and when she had done so he must
needs walk back with her again.
So they met again and again, Helene
reckless now, with her departure at
hand, and he evidently falling more
and more deeply III love with her.
And then q day he had been unable
to restrain his emotions, and, falling
upon his knees, pressed her hands to
his lips and covered them with kisses,
and begged for permission to tell her
Of the sentiments In his heart.
When she had timidly hidden him
arise, and he, growing more bold, had
taken her Ii his arms and kissed her,
Helene, faiteringly, told him her
story.
why. that IL easy" he cried. Gene
with me and l will take thee on my
sledge to Montreal, and there we will
be married.
Then he made the proposition which
thrilled her with It's daring. What ties
bound her? he asked. Was not their
love the most precious thing in the
world3
And suddenly. as she recalled this.
and waited, half hoping, half dreading,
she heard the call. Then she fastened
the cord to the bed, as he had told
her, and, taking her little bag, she
flung 1t down on the soft snow. A
moment later, desperately daring,
Helene found herself swinging out into
space and down to two arms up
stretched to her.
Then, lying in his arms, ali the past
became a blank to her.
At the bend Of the road his sleigh
was waiting. Her lover placed her in
the sleigh and leaped in beside her, and
soon they were travelling merrily ovel
the frozen ground. 'a<
The forest ended; now they trav.
eled more swiftly. A delicious drowsi.
ness overeame Helene.
She awoke with a start to find that
they were entering the suburbs Of q
large city. She had not ven asked
where he was taking her until the
sleigh stopped at the door Of a man
sion, brilliantly lighted, set in q large
garden. Then her lover leaped from
his seat and the bell pealed; the door
few open and on the threshold her ia.
Their stood.
She sprang to the ground, terrified,
overcome with anguish at this treach.
cry. But, returning, her lover took her
gently in his arms once more and
kissed her.
II am Pierre Rideau," he said.