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Show BY mARY gEVEREUX 1 WW ILLUSTRATIONS BY DON C. WILSON (AH PexrKKt) CHAPTER I Tarls, in tho year 1700, and tho gar-der gar-der of tho Tullerles bright with tho surshlno of nn autumnal day. Two boys, seated In tho grass near a path not far from ono of tho ponds, wero pliylng with a turtlo they had captured. cap-tured. Tho humblo origin of tho elder, a lid of thirteen, was evidenced by thoso physical signs which nro usually! usu-ally! associated with pcoplo of his llasl; hut tho other, three years rourlger, horo all tho Indications of tontto birth. His slro was a baron of 'ho "nnclcn regime," whllo Plorro's father hnd been n peasant, and his widowed mother tho faithful nurse of her who had lived but two months after giving birth to tho boy Jean, whom Margot loved as her own iPlprrn. Presently thero camo along tho promenade a trio of court gallants, nttircd In tho oxtrcmo of tho prevailing prevail-ing fashion, bcrufllcd, bojowoled, and perfumed. Ono of them wns a slon-dorly slon-dorly built young man, whoso sharp features, palo-bluo oyes set closoly together, to-gether, thin lips, nnd weak chin, gave amplo proof of hLs naturo and disposition. dispo-sition. A moro striking contrast to tho younger boy could not well bo Imagined. Imag-ined. Yet tho samo blood ran in their volns, for tho new-comer was Btlenno, Jean's half-brother, who haU, for somo tlmo past, been occupying an unimportant position at court. Ho espied tho two boys beforo they noticed him, so engrossed woro they In hcadlng-off tho turtlo, whoso Instinct In-stinct scorned to tell It how to find a way to tho near-by pond. Tho three courtiers paused In tho pathway; nnd Ktlcnno, stepping julckly over tho grass, gavo tbo turtlo tur-tlo a well-directed kick that sent it iplushlng into tho water. Ho and his friends then laughed boisterously, whllo Jean and Plcrro sprang to their feet, tho former's eyes whlto with rage. "Dut you shall answer an-swer for such Insolence!" "As you please, monsieur, and when-over when-over you shall say," replied tho sous-lieutenant, sous-lieutenant, glancing past him at tho two boys, who wero now closo to ono another, directly behind Etionno. their faces filled with surprlso nnd satisfaction at seeing him thuu brought to bay. "I know you for what you nro, you Corslcan beggar," Etlenno hissed, backing off over tho grass; "nnd nover nov-er fear but that I will romembor." Then ho turned, nnd tho trio departed. depart-ed. When thoy woro gono, tho sous-lieutenant sous-lieutenant Joined tho two boys, who wero now standing by tho edgo of tho pond, searching for somo traco of their lato cnntlvo. As he approached, Jean looked up at him, and, with characteristic Impulsiveness, Impul-siveness, caught ono of his hands, whllo Plorro, with a peasnnt's dumbness, dumb-ness, gazed at him with an admiration his stupid tonguo would nover havo been nblo to express. "I lovo you for that!" oxclalmed tho younger boy, his faco aglow with enthusiasm. "Ah, but It was a flno thing to sco Etlenno balked, for oncol" "And who Is this Etlenno?" inquired in-quired tho officer, scowling, as ho looked down at tho water. "My half-brothor." "Your half-brother!" ropoatod tho questioner, his volco showing surprlso. sur-prlso. "Sacro! Your Ufa must bo a plensant one, If what I saw bo a fair samplo of his usual mood and manners." man-ners." This day was followed by many another, an-other, which nt Irregular Intervals through tho noxt two years, found tho man nnd boy together; anil n strong, loyal lovo sprang up between thoso two, so far apart in age, nnd still farther In their respectlvo natures. Seasons enmo nnd passed springs, "I am an officer, monsieur, as you can see." blazing nngrlly ns thoy mot thoso of his hnlf-brothcr. "Sneaking spoil-sport! How darod you.". cried tho boy. ""Dared!" ropcated Etionno Jcorlng-ly, Jcorlng-ly, whllo his companions again laughed uproariously. "Mais, you Impudent Im-pudent young cub, I think It woro well to cool your temper by sending you nftor your turtlo." With this ho seized Joan by tho collar, ns If to throw him into tho pond. Tho lad, muto with passion, struck out fiercely with his fists, until Etlenno, his rago making him forgot his dandyism nnd flno raiment, grasped mora firmly tho jowoled enno ho carried, and began to rain blows icn tho head nnd shoulders not so veiy far bolow his own not gceot height, whllo ho hold fast to Jean's collar with a grip whoso firmness was out of keeping with his frail and puny build. A clear, lcy-tonod volco suddonly cut tho nlr llko a flash of steel. "Pardon, monsieur; but would you not llko asslstanco?" It was tho sous-lloutonant, whoso look hnd affected Jean so oddly a short tlmo beforo. "I havo boon an unlntontional spectator spec-tator of your unmanly conduct, monsieur," mon-sieur," continued tho young ofllcor, In tho samo low, ovon tono, as ho calmly faced Etlenno; "nnd what I havo hoard and scon of Its beginning compels com-pels mo to tuko tho part of this young gentleman you havo so noodlossly abused nnd angered." "Daino! Who aro you, to daro speak to mo In such fashion? Etionno demanded furiously, his whlto Angers again gripping tho cano In a way sug-gcstlvo sug-gcstlvo of a doslro to uso It In a now qunrtor, whllo ho ndvnnccd a fow stops townrd tho sous-llcutonnnt, who stood with hlo hands still clasped bo-hind bo-hind his back, nnd a flno scorn touching touch-ing tho sovcro lino of his Hps. "I nin an olflcor, monsieur, ns you can seo," ho ropllod, his tono In hooping hoop-ing with his disdainful compoBtiro; "nnd ono who, by training ns woll as by nature, cannot but object to seo such a display of cowardlco In any man, bo ho courtlor or aluiplo cltl-ten." cltl-ten." "MIHe tonncrros!" crlod Etlenne, i Bummors, falls, nnd winters, to bo strung, llko bonds, upon tho rosary of tlmo; nnd nearer wero drawing thoso bloody days of Franco, which aro to llvo forover, with their gory huo undlmmod, nlthough tho crimson flow that stained them has been dried by tho suns of many years. In lato April of 1792, Monsieur lo Baron wns still domiciled nt his Pnrls houso, nnd early April usually found him in his I.angucdoc chateau. For two years past, Etionno tho simpering coxcomb of twonty-soven had retained his position at court; and tho atmosphoro thus brought cbp" Ms father tended to throw tho 11W. oro Into tho compnny of for-mor for-mor friends, many of whom wero deep In political Intrigues, nnd sought to claim him, nftor his dozen yenrs' nhsunco from their circles. At tho suppers nnd enrd parties which mndo unusual gayoty In his father's fa-ther's long-closed houso, Jcnn wns admitted with tho freedom of an acknowledged ac-knowledged favorite. Keen of wit, nnd sornowhnt precocious, owing to tho Intlmato companionship of Monsieur Mon-sieur lo Baron, ho absorbed tho talk going on around him, and nsslmllated It with an Intelllgonco to which his oldors gavo;;io thought. Unusually tall for his years, ho hod a Blonder', slnowy body, and limbs whoso muscles hnd been thoroughly doveloped under tho enroful tutelngo of old Tntro, tho hnron's butler, who, until mlddlo Ufa had boon a soldlor. It was ho who hnd taught Jean to rldo nnd shoot; nnd ho hnd Initiated tho Ind young ns tho latter wns Into tho Intricacies of foil and rapier practice. Affairs In Paris wero becoming moro nnd moro unsettled. Tho lawlessness law-lessness nnd brutality of tho massos grow In strength and daring, and many of tho nobles had fled from Franco, or burled themselves In tho country, nwnj from tho vlolcnco which thoy woro helpless to provont, or too loynl to ieomlngly countananco by tholr presence nnd neutrality. It was early In tho summer whon, with many misgivings ns to tho fit-turo, fit-turo, Monsieur lo Baron finally loft Paris and retired to his country place In Lnnguedoc. Jean, together with Margot, hor hoy Plorro, and a major' lty of tho servants, went witn sirs; but a fow of tho latter remained at tho Paris bouse with Etlenno, who, detesting the quiet life of I.nnguodoc, rofused flatly to go there. Another reason for his determination determina-tion lay In the fact that ho was now secretly, of courso In Hobo-splorro's Hobo-splorro's employ; n thing Monsieur lo Baron suspected, but of which ho had no absolute proof; and tho sorv-nuts sorv-nuts who stopped with tho young man f woro Hovolutlonarv In sentiment At tho beloved old country-house, where everything was moro to his taste than In any other spot on earth, Jenn forgot much of what had filled tho air of Paris with such horror. Ho and Pierre, rioting In vigorous honlth, went roaming about, hunting In tho park for small game, or, hidden away snugly In a rcmoto part of tho wood, dovoured n book of travels which told of pirates and soldiers of fortune, who had reaped many a harvest of riches upon tho Spanish main. This book was tho koy-noto of Jean's dream-world; and it had long been a pastimo of tho boys that ho should read It aloud, whllo Picrro listened list-ened with absorbed attention. Thus It waB that the exploits of Do Soto, Plzarro, Cortez, and tho minor lenders of adventurous bands wore, for theso two boys, tho Ideals of what their own careers should bo when manhood sot thorn frco to achlovo tholr ambitions. Tho gardons nhout tho plnco woro a wilderness of bloom, left very much to naturo, and cntlroly frco from tho marks of that formal sclenco that showed In tho generality of Fronch gardons tho stylo which had como Into voguo with Lo Notre, In tho time of Louis XIV. But outsldo tho park, whero tho boys wero not permitted to go, It was easy to rcallzo something of tho turmoil tur-moil that was shaking Paris, miles nway, and also tho country nearer about, whero tho pensnnts wero hold-' Ing meetings, secret nt first, but bo-coming bo-coming moro open ns the Jacobins) waxed stronger with each successlvo day. Tho principal leader nnd sponker nmong tho peasnntry wns ono Tomas Fnuchol, who had recently como fromi Paris, and who appeared, for somo reason, to havo'nn especial hatred for Monsieur lo Baron. Bnt tho latter, whose attention wns engrossed by his books nnd papers, know nothing of this, ns ho rnrely went nnroaii, ana Beomcd to grow moro reserved and' gloomy ns tho days woro on. Tho 14th of July tho anniversary of tho Fronch nation's independence camo and went; nnd, on tho night! of August 10th, tho Assembly hnvlng removed from Paris nil tho regiments suspected of being loynl to tho king, thero wns no armed forco to reslsti tho mob Hint, Insnno with blood-thirsty pnssion, broko Into tho Tullerles, butchered tho king's nttendants, nnd, took nwny, ns prisoners, tho fow who, wero still alive. Over tho chateau In Lnnguodoc,i that August night, tho samo stars that gltttorod abovo tho carnngo of Paris' shono upon a scono of peace. But Monsieur lo Bnron's henrt wns growing grow-ing heavier, and his wnkeful eyes woro fixed upon tho stnrs, as ho lay In bed looking out of tho window. A forohodlng of ovll cropt chillingly nbout him, and a noto of coming woo scorned to sigh In tho wind stirring among tho ollvo nnd pepper trees that mado a small grovo outsldo. But In his chamber boyond, Jean, unconscious and happy, slept a sleep such as could nover moro ho known on earth by tho king's llttlo son, whom, only a fow months since, tho two lads Joan nnd Plorro hnd looked nt with worshipful awo, as n being Infinitely above themselves, and ono who could by no possibility over oxporlcnco tho hard brunts of Hfo. Viowcd In tho light of such a chnngo, men seem but llttlo better than tho pieces upon a chess-board. Fato and tlmo nro Invlnclblo powers,' moving pawns Into tho knights' squares, nnd sweeping kings, queons, nnd knights Into oblivion. (To bo continued). |