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Show I"AFITTE stf J IJDWDISaANA. J by ImJary Bevereux 1 WITH ILLUSTPATI0N3 BY DOM C. WILSON (At Wi fitjenrf) I CHAPTER XVI. As sho looked about her, In tho tnn- igled and shadowy forest, where tho night was already coming darkly, a new torror nroso within her, and sho sought to return by tho way sho had come, but this was only to And her stops cut oft by still denser masses ot forest growth. Even as sho stood hesitating, there came a faint cry, llko that of a child, and a rush of hopefulness hopeful-ness thrilled her at tho thought of something lnunnn being near In tho gloom and oppressive stillness. Then thcro fell upon her n freezing terror, as she suddenly recalled tho slaves telling recently of a panther's voice having been heard at night, near the settlement; and she remembered that they had likened It to the crying of a child. Trembling with fright, shn stood, glancing about In terror, wondering which way to turn, when another sound came faintly. It wus a sound she had heard before, and ono no hearer could ever forget; a short, quick bark, followed by a prolonged howl tho cry of tho timber wolf. Gathering her drupurlcs closely, sho sprang forward again, all color gono from tho dainty llttlo face, now ashen j with fear, against which tho bushes and low branches beat unmercifully. Again and again tho fiendish cry rang out, to bo succeeded by another, and then another, ns If tho first call lnd summoned n multitude of wolves to tho chase. Hut, for nil her dainty femininity, fem-ininity, sho had a man's heart for courage In tho faco of danger; and, ns sho still kept on, with clenched hands nnd panting breath, a small cabin showed In n clearing before her. A new strength enmo to her at sight of this rofugo, and sho rushed toward It, to find only an untenanted ruin, with its door fallen from tho hinges. Hut she saw upon tho floor n largo Iron ring, which Indicated tho cntrnnco I to a collar; nnd, solzlng this, sho pulled nt It with all her strength. A small section of tho floor lifted, crcnklng on rusted hinges, and dash-ifr, dash-ifr, wildly through dust nnd cobwebs tluWroso with it, sho plunged Into tho shallow oponltig, earth-walled nnd floored, tho dust filling her oyce and noatrlls, and half-choking her, an Do panted sobhlngly for breath. A fow moments later sho grow cold with an agony of apprehension, when sho heard tho hoIbo of her pursuers' ! feet upon tho flooring over her head, i and tholr snuffling at tho cracks In tho L collnr door. How long It lnsted sho j " scarcoly know, cramped as sho was In tho darkness, nchlng, throbbing ( half-swooning, with tho dreadful crea- I turcs howling and snarling nbovo hor head; how long It was before- tho bay- f Ing of beagles, faint at llrst, sounded In hor enrs. Ncaror and neoror camo tho sound, IH growing strong and clear; and thon sho heard tho shouting of voices. This brought a now fear for might not thoso como from thoso fully ns much to ho fenred as wero tho wolves? Tho island, as sho know, was sovoral miles long; and sho had always known that It held othors besides hor grand-father's grand-father's household . Sho listened tremblingly, a now BBf droad encompassing her as tho voices BSy. of tho bcnglcs now broke out closo to I tho cabin. Thon thero was a rushing sound, followod by nn uproar Indicating Indicat-ing n tlcrco struggle. At length tho combat seemed to surgo through tho cabin door, nnd n volco which sho recognized rec-ognized ns that ot black 7.obo, ono of her grnndfntlior's most trusted slaves, shouted, "Dor goes do Inst dobbll, BBC mnkln' for do woodRi Shoot him, boys BBS shoot ob'ry hldo yer can eeo!" BBy ItosoUo cnllod to htm. but hor volco BBS sounded faint nnd unnatural to hor I BBS S own cars. Thon tho door was lifted, " nnd tho blinding light of a torch flashed In her faco. "Tnko mo out; tako mo homo!" nho , crlod. raising hor nrms nppoallngly, whllo she" sobbed llko a torrllled child. A man's volco, ono sho was too ho- ! wllderon to recognlzo, nnswercd her. "Llttlo Iloso my precious llttlo Island Itoso!" A husky, Blinking volco murmured thoso words ngnlnst her ear, whoro sho felt tho pressuro of wnrm Hps. i "Ah, thank Ood. I havo theo snfo again!" Tho touch nnd tho words Btrucit sharply through her benumbed senses ; and with a cry of affright, sho struggled strug-gled to freo herself. "What Is It?" asked Laflttc. now spenklng firmly nnd quickly. "Are you hurt, child aro you Injured In any way?" "Do not do not!" tho girl commanded, com-manded, now uncovering hor face, and looking up nt him with an angry light sparkling In her eyes. "How dare von?" Drawing back n stop, Lafltto stared at her In amazement, until suddenly recalling what Nato had told him a short tlmo before, nnd realizing thot what ho had then feared was Indeed true, ho stood before her speechless, a new agony growing In his palo faco. For a moment sho mot his eyes unflinchingly. un-flinchingly. Then, dropping her own, turned from him with a shudder, ns sho said coldly, "I wish to bo taken to tho house, Captain " Sho stopped os If checked nt tho thought of uttering his name. "In n moment, mademoiselle," ho answered with the cool courtesy ho would havo shown a stranger. "Your grnndpero has been nlarmcd on your account. Ho had sent for you to como and bid mo adieu; and then, when your absenco wus discovered, It was qulto late." Sho said nothing, nor did ho, for tho space of a full minute. Then, with his fnco turned to tho darkness outside, out-side, ho resumed: "If tho day may over como when you enn think of mo with less condemnation, con-demnation, remember nlways what I tell you now. I do not, nor can I over, blame you. And, If I can over Borvo you, you havo but ts comamnd mo, always and forever." Somo of tho slaves, who had returned re-turned from tho hunt, now sent up n Joyous shout nt sight ot their "111 Ma'm'sello" unhurt; and, rising, sho smiled rat them ns thoy gathered arouii' Ml Two ( tnem, under I.afltto's direction, direc-tion, mado a seat of their interlocked hands, nnd, hearing her between thorn, set out for tho houso, with flaring torches lighting tho way, Tho proclamation of Gov. Clal!orno resulted In Inducing Count do Cnzo-ncau Cnzo-ncau to return to his Now Orleans homo enrllcr thnn usual; and I.afltto's houso In tho city was closed, whllo a trusted negro overseer was left In chnrgo of tho blacksmith shop, with orders to say that his master had gono nway upon matters of business. It was to Orando Tcrro that I'lorro had gono, feeling that a tlmo was nenr at hand for tho Joining of Issues bo-tweou bo-tweou his confreres nnd tho government, govern-ment, nnd wishing, ns always, to sharo tho fortunes of his foster brothor. On tho westorn shoro ot Grnndo Torro, with sovernl miles of forest lying between It nnd Do Cnzonenu's houso, was tho so-called "fort" of tho Ilaratarlaus, stnndlng upon n grassy cmlncnco dotted with magnificent Uvo oaks, and terminating at a bluff not mnny foot nbovo '.ho sea. It consisted of u falr-slzcd building and sovernl smaller ones, nil of wood, onclosod within a stockado; and a fow cannon protected tho fleet now consisting of two hrlgatlncs, somo small schooners nnd sloops, nnd a laigo number of smaller craft anchored an-chored In tho hnrbor at tho rear ot tho Island. Outsldo tho stockndo woro many huts, constructed of logs, and with thatched roofs, whero woro always domiciled n smnll army of I.nfltto's rotnlncrs, whllo ho when at Grnndo Torre nnd n fow of his sub-loaders had tholr quarters Inside Shell Island, nlready montloncd, up ono of tho almost Inacccsslhlo bayous, wns his most froquont nbodo, whoro ho kept about him only a fow dovotod followers; and hero, amid lmpono-Iroblo lmpono-Iroblo forests, was conducted tho building of vessols. War bntweon tho Unltod States nnd Orent Ilrltnln had boon waging for n year or more; but It hnd not yot threatened Louisiana, nor had any proparntlons been mado nt Now Orleans Or-leans to resist an nttnek from tho oncmy. nut, In tho summer of 1813, occurrod the borrlblo munnrro at Fort Mlms, In tho Mississippi valley, occupied by somo two hundred and seventy persons, per-sons, many of them women nnd children, chil-dren, of whom nil but seventeen wero put to death by tho Creeks, ono of tho tribes which thj L'ngllRh had won over for allies. Gov. Claiborne had foreseen this threatened peril, but was powerless to avert It, for hh forces were fow and scattered, white tho Indians seemed Innumerable, In-numerable, nnd moved with wonderful activity. Hut tho governor did nil In his power to restore confldenco; nnd not long afterward Gen. Jackson ut- j tcrly d '-oyed tho Creeks nt Talladega. Talla-dega. "My may bo telling me wrongfully, wrong-fully, 1 Jean said, ns tho two sat talking In their nbodo at Grando Torre a cabin outside, but luxurious within, with-in, "but I hnvo a feeling that If I now go to tho emperor I may find tho opportunity op-portunity for serving him; nnd thnt this may provo to him tho" lovo that has nover died." "Perhaps," answered I'lorro, hesitatingly. hesi-tatingly. "Hut whnt Is It that makes you think you may bo of servlco to tho emperor and Franco?" "To say truth, 1 have no Idea that Is definite; but I feel an Irrcslstlbla Inclination In-clination to go, nnd sec If tho opportunity oppor-tunity offers." "If you should find servlco over there then whnt?" "Why," replied Jean, "then you con wind up our mntters here, and como over to Join me. Why not?" "Why not, Indeed? Thnt Is assuredly assured-ly what Iwould do, If" nnd Pierre hesitated for an Instant "I could." "And whnt can prevent?" "In bucIi a case," Pierre replied deliberately, de-liberately, "thcro would bo a valuablo enrffo to como with mo, and watchful enemies hero to blind. Then possibly, or most probably, by summer or fall, with the Kngllsh vessels patrolling tho wnters around us, tho safo getting away might not be so easy a matter." "Summer and fall aro not now," wns tho oracular declaration; "and by tho tlmo they como, It inny bo that tho Kngllsh will havo been mado to aUnt homo again, as onco before." "I don't feel nt all suro as to that," Pierre commented, ns ho rose to cover tho embers upon tho henrth. Then, turning to Jean, ho continued, as though thcro had been no interruption, interrup-tion, "I tell thee, lnd, thnt Louisiana has nlways possessed a great attraction attrac-tion for Great Britain." "Grant It," said Jean, rising nnd ctretchlng himself. "Then nil tho moro reason why, In caso they succeed In obtaining1 It, that wo should wish to Uvo somowhoro else." "Ah, but I nm not Baying that thoy will rule hero!" exclaimed Pierre, with, a showing of nngcr at thought of tho possibility suggested by Jean's words. "God forbid!" "Amen to thnt," said Jean, laughing nt tho quick chnngo In his foster-brother's foster-brother's manner nnd look; and they soon pnrtcd for tho night. It was a bright morning In May that tho "Illack Petrel," with Jean Lafltto nnd n picked crew, nnd bearing n cargo car-go of rich merchandise, snlled from Hnrntarla; and Pierre, his heart filled, with loneliness mid misgivings, snt on tho bluff, watching her sails until thoy molted nwny on tho horizon. (To bo continued.) |