Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-01-30

|
Ihey mean no disrespect." He mo-
tloned to the grinning crew with a
serious affection: "Now, get you gone
lelloWsI See that our wine and little
water is stored from the sun. Work
the longboat closer in on the tide"
Sazarac!' they shouted in hoarse
laughter and went to obey him.
He saw the hurt pride in her ewes.
and the old wonder at his evasion.
She turned to De Almonaster with q
pathetic little gesture of despair at
the moods Of Monsieur Sazarac. She
could not understand. She sat draw
ing figures in the sand, and when she
raised her dark eyes, to watch the tall
ngure out by the sun-wash on the
shoals, the young man saw the great
tears In them which she presently
wiped away.
| She dried her eyes with a final. res
olute little sob. Monsieur do YOU
know-well, once, he came for me
1t was on the staircase of a court
the Hotel Orleans, and very late. He
was going from me, and he had been
all ch1valry. He turned away, allow
ing Colonel Carr to boast that Sazarac
would not fight, because he wished to
spare my name. He said-ah. 1t was
silly thing for me to debut /
| dropped flower to him as he left
and another man stumbled from the
shadows and picked 1t up"
Another man" echoed De Almon-
aster.
THAT was before you had come to
me, Raoul, on the Seraphine. AS to
the other man, that was no matter. I
suppose a beggar in the courtyard
caught my camellia. I don't know-it
was silly to throw q flower to Sazarac,
| the river gameSter l was hot
With shame afterward at doing so.
But If he had caught 1t All.
WE'LL I thank Heaven he never knew
it!-after / found myself in his hands
upon the Seraphine! The ragged fell
low who caught it stared up once and
then hurried after Monsieur Sazarac.
AT the area-arch he turned. 1t APP
| peared he tried to pose as a-lover,
and then he fell over his own foot, or
something, very absurdlyT
"a ragged fellow" muttered De
| Almonaster.
Like one Of these old tattered fol-
lowers. A ghost of a man fading into
| moonlight
A shout arose from the exiles who
were dragging the longboat nearer in
the shoals. Monsieur Sazarac had
! paused halfway to them. He saw
what had hitherto been hidden by o
low spit OF sand.
Five armed boats had drawn in,
shore, coming from the distant Span
ish frigate, without doubt. They had
! crept unnoticed by the refugees on the
reef until they were fair in the break
of forest wall where there had been
the last glimpse Of the Seraphinea
snowy sail.
do you see, Monsieur de Almonas
ter?" said the chief of the exiles qut
city. ut was as I reasoned. The
schooner will be taken this night II
is what one would greatly desire. The
dons will have no quarter for Crack
ley's men.-there is no escape for them
in the river jungle. After the affair,
sfr-you are to go with Mademoiselle
and parley with the Spanish captain"
"And your" mademoiselle cried again
breathlessly and sprang upon the
sands. "You and your men cannot
stay here to diet"
Monsieur Sazarac smiled with high
serenity. 1.-THE sea is wide, Mademoi-
selle Lestron. Wide, and far Is the
way to its secret places. I have q
mind I said this once to you. o little
place in the sea-a secret place, where
a secret may be buried, Mademoiselle."
He turned to the younger man: "You
will make ready to go, Monsieur, when
the hour comes. There are two black
men Of our company who can pull the
longboat for you under flag of truce
two black serving men who
viii not find the air Of Vera Cruz con-
ducive to a fatal malady. The rest Of
us. I fear, must do without the min
istrations Of the Spanish viceroy's ply
sician as long as we can-pcssibly a
dav or so more, ere the doctor calls
for u.s."
His smile still fingered when De
Almonaster came closer, torn by a
wild bitterness which he, himself,
could not fathom. jean" he whis-
pered: 81 have not spoken. The choice
is hers between you and me-and she
might save you from Moh1llo's meni
She might plead with the viceroy that
she loved you-even LATTE OF the
black fiag!"
"That is a jest" murmured Sazarac
absently, worthy Of John Jarvis, whs
played the clown to betray me-a plea
for Lafitte's life to Murillo"
CTO BE CONTINUED)
proud Owner.