Show PI J JJL rJ 11 I 111 ELUESIAJNA I Isi BY MIARY P VEREUX Li WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY DOM C WILSON 4Qr6 190 y li1 vOffUZY t4f k > 1 44t9 CHAPTER XXIV who Had llttl0 liking for there the-re 11 beauty now took herself oft f Ih I two girls soon went down Ubrcthcr to see the Count do a1 horn feeble nnd onmcial Oi I ne3U found bing I back among the tbe1 Of Ills chaIr flrt Pt On rS the floor near the counts chair sacks which both girls saw lerellfO I I the counterparts of those I It rl ubt to Gen La R ° cll ° s house that e morn Ins and an old negroone seemed trusted In his masters liltWas D on his knees having Just shed tjlng the mouth of one of ills en master then as Lazallo and entered the room maldng a se cUon for him to desist ho hard sub uJ led to the floor apparently waiting call to bo ended and Made the f < t TI SI iselle de Oazcneau felt that her dCather was desirous that his visor vis-or Ihould leave him This they did and were half way osl the first field when Lftallo tJl arm about the shoulder of tho w ht ure beside her Ick little Hose when I found you Ito ink J pa had been crying and Ive to etn tendering about It ever since e iU you not tell mo what has been tb stblng you 7 hose lifting a pair of earnest eyes 1l jtle dark brilliant face asked fell me Lazalle have you known at It Jean long Uzilio came to a halt and her lids Owed as they dropped over her Ikling eyes from which all iiiugh jns gone Ida 1non him long Yes and no I nit t If any soul even those nearest lei can claim truthfully to know M I man I llvid for many years In sad i uncles house where Capt Jean nadw iilivfd that Is ho came and went rco a tb0r the last three years Ive now no-w a him until this morning ar Something In her tonesomething I o iter face her manner caused a sus on i to flash through Mademoiselle ver I happen to know because I have heard the eatm tale from my unrip who knew this boy at lint time The boy M now known to jou as Cant Jean Laflltc CaJt Lafittc was the amazed 1 half Incredulous exclamation Lazallo nodded Capt Jean Lafitte repeated nose do Cazeneau her voice faint with ns tonlshment And yet she added ns It trying to grasp tho wonderful fact ho told me when ho brought me to my grandpere that he had known my mother but I supposed he had met her In New Orleans Was It Capt Jean who brought you from tho Choctaws asked La zalle now surprised In turn Mademoiselle de Caze eau nodded hut seemed disinclined to enter Into details and fortune favored her In this for Laznllc said There Is Capt Jean now Ho was coming across the fields toward them apparently on his wny to Kanauhana Dut Just as they no ticed him he took a sharp turn to the left In the direction of tho tlm her where at the edge of the woods two men stood If as waiting his approach ap-proach One of I10 was Shaplra who was leaning on a long gun and his companion was Baptlstme That man with the gun Is the one from whom grnndpere rented our new plantation said Rose as the two girls walking slowly watched La littos tall figure approaching the waiting men I wonder where he lives Hes always about the fields and woods yet there Is no house for many miles except Gen La Hochos and tho one at Knnauhana Far In the depths of the wood upon whoso edgo Shaplra and Baptlstlne stood and upon tho domain of Kanau liana was the entrance to the so called Colonneh It was apparently nothing more than a ragged fissure of earth choked by vines and tangled forest growths and suggesting only the lair of a wild beast or deadly serpent But some if fo I = 111 Fan > Fa-n yi ate am fro II p J1r juw I castai stai bo I I r rls i > ft tchtj meg iy j aal Ilia dreiH hai d1LJ bin ttil Then Baratarla will defend herself i Cazeneaua mind Impelling her to itlo before realizing that she had ut da eel i the words Lazallo do you a or hate Capt Jean lualie turned so fiercely that her ill companion was startled and Vetting her query hastened to say T oa speak kindly of him yet your fl seem to hold no kindness for ri e I myself do you know I really iat him I cannot toll what to th ik about tho man fqr Zeney says cat tli not Capt Jean who killed men rea burned their ships and was a a red pirate but that these things Ii I Tee done by another man whom ft Jean was with and who Is now ige illKil I b DId Zbnoy tell you tho name of this in w man this wicked captain who llb I luch cruel things Inquired La rot 11 f with asumed carelessness and chi companion could not see tho sill s e tire In the dark eyes now staring y 1ht ahead tde Oh yes he was called Capt her tORose I Rose Was startled by a peculiar m h from Lazalle whoso faco was I I turned away But tho hardening t Ve of tho red under Up to bo seen Wile told her that sho had said elhlng to affect tho Spanish Itaty imple antly I I She could r elp feeling uneasy gu alter a sli silence added with rig lih to say something which an 1tt J give no offense Is it not rath T MJ uer that It was this very Copt in O 1ho Bought my mother over in r 111 France 0 t foe > s faco had regained much t I p2 Usual Passion and Madomol de Cazeneni feeling somewhat n I lUred sllinei1 her hand within t b rounded arm of her friend tee It d m y mother told mo ° r BHch a y iiOfla boy who ° was In the place t b them 0 Ulat nS tono this Capt we laid o he was as land ot as an ou ato5 er It r 1 t5rlou t j look was In the black that t Ire gl1uCCll sldowlso as Lazallo Os What was tho namo of this Ia r elful boy rtit I Tea do not know my mother ought to ICY = mention It toia1le laughed Shall i tell you ttInet I T0I11 How can you possibly know years before an Indian had Imparted its secret to Lafitte and Shapiros deceased de-ceased uncle the former owner of Kanauhana had been one of Bara tarlas most faithful agents Gen La Roche and Lafitto had held a long consultation during which the latter had told his host of the recent visit from the English officers of their proposition and of Beluches do rarture for Now Orleans for the purpose pur-pose of laying the Baratarlan offer before tho governor La Roche like Lafitto wondered at Beluches unexplained failure to 10 turn Ho also expressed surprise that In the face of such an unusual and Important Im-portant event ho had not been sent for by the governor with whom his relations both personal and official were very close and who he felt assured as-sured would not decide the matter upon his own responsibility i must KO to the city this after morning at the lal I noon tomorrow est the general had said when the consultation was ended and the clock on the innntol of his study had by chiming twelve caused Lafitto to rise saying that he must go over to Kanau hana and see Count do Cazeneau Ho was back within an hour but saw nothing of Mademoiselle de Ca7P ncau until all were seated at dinner was giving a when OIl11g Stewart lively account young of something that had while he was occurred that forenoon 1 I In u n considerable The story created I and Lafitte noticing the laughter of manner softened look and gracious toward himself ascribed the Island Hose the fearless cribed them as well as glances with which sho met his eyes to an entirely wrong cause have made him very would They being so like those I ho had happy formerly known had it not befiu for for another man belief that love the her feeling and attitude tempering was now toward himself just as the real etude love was giv hopeless It of his own ity toward Lainllc a gentleness bearing ing his accorded never before had tleness he despite her cool and which girl tho brought a of his advances reception cheeks and color to her brighter thrill strange awakened In her heart a of hope defense of of Zeneys Tho effect In surprising Lafitte and Iazallos = formation that io Wilt fho boy whom I her mother knew had uKen In con I nellon with lw former admiration for him greatly slaken Roses recent prejudices au2 iu omanl I vomanly incon sistency she felt hurt because he wall vnaMp to realize this alteration In her feeling From pain hc soon passed to anger the exact source or iiiitare of which she could scarcely have ana lyzed 1 But Its Immediate effect was that she entered Into a seeming flirta tion with the young Kentuckian who was only too pleased to respond I All this furnished a new nnd singu lar Illustration of loves blindness these four playing at cross purposes and wilfully misunderstanding one another xvhllo beaming upon them from the head of the table was den La Roche his eyes and heart filled with unsuspected admiration and love for the beautiful Spanish girl whoso far as could be Inferred from appear ances regarded him simply as her friend and banker Just as dinner was over a mud bespattered negro and horse appeared before the outer door tho former bearing a letter from Gov Clalborno to Gen la Roche urging his Immediate Immedi-ate presence In New Orleans Why you black scoundrel limn dered the general his face oblaztt with wrath after lie had read tho letter and glanced nraln at Its date this Is five days old and should have reached reach-ed me four days ago Tim frightened messenger looked woefully at his left arm which was In a sling nnd explained that a short distance from New Orleans down by the little Hajou dOr his horse had fallen and broken a leg while he himself him-self pitching over tho animals head hnd been stunned and lay until found by some negroes living In a cabin near by who had bandaged his arm and shot his horse Come Inside with me while I make ready to start said La Roche to Lafitte after ordering his horse to bo saddled I want a few words with you youVheu When in his own room he handed the letter to Iafitto and fuming about lit a cigar while giving Instructions to his valet In a most impatient manner man-ner that bespoke mental disturbance disturb-ance apcThe The governor hall written him that having received from an unexpected quarter a proposal promising valu nbln support for the defense of New Orleans he had called a meeting of olliclals and prominent men of the city at which hcthe generalwas urged to be present I see said Lafitte after perusing the letter that the conference was to have taken place two evenings ago Yesdamn It replied La Roche rousing from his abstraction But I doubt If Clatborno takes any decisive de-cisive action before I can get to him You think then that there can be no doubt of Baratarlas offer meeting meet-ing with favor How can there be waR the dogmatically dog-matically put question Clalborno will not be so foollshso lacking In foresight at such a time as this But now showing a little anxiety even should he refuse you will not go over to the British The flash of Lafittes eyes would havo been sufficient answer to this But he said quietly In such case I shall remain neutral And If the British attack Bara tarla suggested La Roche Then Baratarla will defend herself her-self To bo continued |