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Show fl ALICE of OLD ! VINCENNES I ::i By MAURICE THOMPSON P- "HK h. 2l ', I $&', 3; cM''h. 0. by lh DO WEN-MERRILL COMPANY T- '' CHAPTKH !. D.MlElt TUB CIIKHUV TllEII. UP to the dnys of Indiana' early statehood, prohnhly us lute ax 1825, there stood, in what is now the beautiful little city of Vlnecnnox on tlio Wnlnndi, the decaying de-caying remnant of mi old mid curiously gnarled cherry tree known as the HoiLssllloti tree, le corkier ile Monsieur ltousslllon. us the French inhuTiltntiU called It. which ns lonj,' us It lived liore fruit remarkable tor richness of tlavor nnd peculiar dark ruby depth of color. The exact spot where this noble old seedling from la belle France nourished, declined and died cannot bo certainly pointed out. for In the rapid and happy growth of Vlncennes many landmarks once notable, among them le corlsier do Monsieur Hoiisslllon, have been destroyed de-stroyed nnd the npots where they stood, once familiar to every eye in old Vlncennes, Vln-cennes, are now lost In the pleasant confusion of the new town. The old, twisted, gum embossed cherry tree survived every other distinguishing dis-tinguishing featuro of what was once the most picturesque and romantic place in Vlncennes. .lust north of it stood, in the early French days, a low, rambling cnbln surrounded by rude, verandas overgrown with grapevines. This was tile Hoiisslllon place, the most pretentious homo In all the Wabaslf country. Its owner was Guspard Hous-slllon, Hous-slllon, a successful trader with the Indians, In-dians, lie was rich, for the time and the place, lullucntial to a degree, a man of some education, who hnd brought with him to the wilderness a bundle of books and u taste for reading. read-ing. It Is not known Just when Vlncennes was first founded, but most historians make the probable date very early in the eighteenth century, somewhere between be-tween 1710 and 1730. In 1810 the Ilousslllon cherry tree wus thought by a distinguished botanical letter writer to be at least fifty years old, which would make the date of Its planting about 17(JO. Certainly, as shown by tho time stained family records upon which this story of ours Is based, It was a nourishing and wide topped tree in the early summer of 1778, its branches loaded to drooping with luscious fruit. So low did the dark red clusters bang nt one point that a tall young girl standing on. the ground easily reached the best ones and made her lips purple with their Juice while she ate them. That was long ago, measured by what has come to pass on the gentle swell of rich country from which Vln-ceuues Vln-ceuues overlooks the Wabash. The new town nourishes notably and Its appearance murks the latest limit of progress. Electric cars in Its streets, electric lights in Its beautiful homes, the roar of railway trains coming nnd going In all directions, bicycles whirling whirl-ing hither and tldtbcr, the most fashionable fash-ionable styles of eipiipagcs from brougham to pony phaeton, rnaku the days of tllutlock guns and buckskin trousers seem ages down the past, and yet we are looking back over but a llttlo more than 120 years to see Alice ltousslllon standing under a cheery tree and holding high a tempting cluster clus-ter of fruit, while a short humpbacked youth looks up with longing eyes and vainly reaches for It. The tableau Is not merely rustle; It Is primitive. "Jump!" the girl Is saying in French. "Jump, Jean; Jump high!" "Yes, that was very long ago. In tho days when women lightly braved what the strongest men would shrink from now. Alice ltousslllon wns tall, lithe, strongly knit, with nn almost perfect figure, Judging by what the muster sculptors carved for the form of Venus, and her face was comely and winning, If, not absolutely beautiful; but the time and place were vigorously indicated indi-cated by her dress, which was of coarse stuff and simply designed. Plainly she was a child of the American Amer-ican wilderness, a daughter of old Vlncennes Vln-cennes on tho Wabash In the tlmo that tried men's souls. "Jump, Jean!" she cried, her face laughing with a show of cheek dimples, dim-ples, 1111 arching of llnely sketched brows and the twinkling of large blue gray eyes. "Jump high and get them!" While she waved her sun browned hand holding tlio cherries aloft, the breeze blowing fresh from tho southwest south-west tossed her hair so that some loose strands sliono like rlmpled Haines. Tho sturdy llttlo hunchback did leap with surprising activity, but tho treacherous brown bnnd wont higher, so high that the combined nltitudo of lila Jump nnd the reach of his unnaturally unnat-urally long arms was overcome. Again and again he sprang vainly Into the air comically, like a long legged, squat bodied frog. "And you brag of your agility nnd strength, Jean," she laughingly remarked, re-marked, "but you can't take cherries when they nre offered to you. What a clumsy bungler you are!" "I can climb nnd get some," ho said, with a hideously happy grin, and immediately im-mediately embraced tlio bole of the tree, np which bo began scrambling almost al-most ns fast as a squirrel. When be had mounted high enough tt ne extending 11 baud for n hold on a crotch Alice grasped his leg near tho foot and pulled hhu down, despite his clinging and struggling, until his bands clawed In tho soft earth at the tree's root, while she held his captive leg almost al-most vertically erect. It wus a show of great strength, but Alice looked quite unconscious of It, laughing merrily, the dimples deepening deepen-ing In her plump cheeks, her forearm, now bared to the elbow, gleaming white and shapely, while Its muscles rippled on account of the Jerking and kicking of Jean. All the time she was holding the cherries cher-ries high lu her other hand, shaking them by the twig to which their slender stems attached to them nnd saying In a sweetly tantalizing tone: "What makes you climb downward nfter cherries, Jean? What a foolish fellow you are. Indeed, trying to grabble grab-ble cherries out of the ground, ns you do potatoes! I'm sure I didn't suppose that you knew so little as that." Jean, the hunchback, was a muscular little deformity and a wonder of good nature. How long he might have kept up the hopeless struggle with the girl's Invincible grip would bo hard to guess. His release was caused by the approach of a third person, who wore the rolio of a Catholic priest and the countenance of n man who had lived and suffered a long time without much loss of physical phys-ical strength and endurance. This was Pere lleret, grizzly, short, compact, his face deeply lined, his mouth decidedly aslant on account of some lost teeth, nnd his eyes set deep under gray, slinggy brows. Looking at htm when his fentures were In repose a tlrst Impression might not have been favorable; but seeing him smile or hearing him speak changed everything. Ills volco was sweetness Itself, and bis smile won you on the Instant. Something Some-thing like a pervading sorrow always seemed to be close behind his eyes nnd under bis speech; yet bo wus u genial, sometimes almost Jolly, man, very prone to Join in the lighter amusements of his people. "Children, children, my children," he called out as he approached along a little pathway lending up from the direction di-rection of the church, "what aro you doing now? Hull there, Alice, will you pull Jean's leg off?" At llrst they did not hear him. they wore so nearly deafened by their own vocal discords. "Why nre you standing on your head with your feet so high In ulr, Jean"-" he added. "It's not a polite attitude in the presence of a young lady. Are you a pig, that you poke your nose lu tho dirt?" Alice now turned her bright head nnd gave Pere Itcret u look of frank welcome, which at the same time shot a beam of willful self assertion. ".My daughter, nre you trying to help Joan up tlio tree feet foremost?" the priest added, standing where he had halted Just outside of the straggling yanl fence. He had his hands on his hips and wns quietly chuckling at the scene before be-fore him, as one who, although old, sympathized with the natural and hnrmless sportlvencss of young people and would ns lief as not Join lu a prank or two. "You see what I'm doing, Father Beret," said Alice. "I am preventing "Jump high und net tlicml" n great damage to you. You will maybo lose a good many cherry pies and dumplings If I lot Jean go. lie was climbing the tree to pilfer tho fruit, so I pulled him down, you understand." "Tn, ta!" exclaimed tho good man, shaking his gray head; "wo must reason rea-son with tbo child. Lot go his leg, daughter, I will vouch for him; eh, Jean?" Alice released tho hunchback, then laughed gayly and tossed the cluster of cherries Into his hand, whereupon ho began munching them voraciously nnd talking at the same time. "I knew I could get them," ho boasted, boast-ed, "and see, I huvo them now." lie hopped around, looking llko a species of 111 formed monkey. Pere lleret cumo nnd leaned on the low fence close to Alice. Sho was almost al-most as tall us be. "Tho sun scorches today," bo said, beginning be-ginning to mop bis furrowed face with red (lowered cotton handkerchief, I "and from the look of the sky yonder," J pointing southward, "It Is going to bring on u storm. How Is Mine. Hous-I Hous-I slllon today?" "She Is complaining u -die usually does when she feels cti xj-lj well," said Alice. "Thafs whj 1 V -l to take her place at the oven and Im!..- pies. 1 got hot and came out to catch a bit of this breeze. Oh, but you iiei-iP smile I and look greedy, Pere llerei. pies aro not fur your teeth!" "My daughter, 1 am not a glutton. I hope. 1 had meat not two hours since - some broiled young squirrels with cress, sent me by llene de Itonvllle. lie never forgets his old father." "Oh. I never forget you either, nioti P'-re. 1 thought of you today every time I spread a crust and tilled It with cherries, and when I took out a pie, all brown and hot, the rod Juice bubbling out of it so good smelling mid tempting, do you know what I said to myself?" "How could I know, my child?" "Well. 1 thought this: 'Not 11 single bite of that pie does Father lleret get.' " "Why so. my daughter?" "Ilceiuise you snld It was bad of me toirend novels, and told Mother ltousslllon ltous-slllon to hide them from me. I've had liny amount of trouble about It." "Tn. tu! ltead the good books that I gave you. They will soon kill the taste for these sjlly romances." "1 tried," said Alice. "I tried very hard, and It's no use. Your books are dull mid stupidly heavy. What do 1 enre about something that 11 queer lot of saints did hundreds of years ago In times of plague nnd famine? Saints must have been poky people, and It Is poky people who care to read about them, 1 think. I llko reading about brave, heroic men and beautiful women, wom-en, and war and love." Pere lleret looked 11 way with a curious curi-ous expression lu his face, his eyes half closed. "And I'll tell you now, Father lleret," Alice went 011 nfter n pause, "no more elnret nnd pies do you get until I can have my own sort of liooks back again to read ns I please." She stumped her moccasin shod foot with decided energy. en-ergy. The good priest broke Into u hearty laugh, und, taking off his cap of grass straw, mechanically scratched his bald head. Although, as Father lleret had said, the sun's heat was violent, causing that gentle soul to pass his bundled handkerchief with u wiping circular motion over his bnld nnd bedewed pate, the wlud wus momently freshening, freshen-ing, while up from behind the trees on the horizon beyond the river 11 cloud wus rising blue black, tumbled und grim against the sky. "Well," snld the priest, evidently try-ing try-ing linnl to exchange Ids laugh for n look of regretful resignation, "you will have your own way, iny child, und" "Then you will huvo pies galore and no end of elnret!" she Interrupted, ut the sumo time stepping to the withe tied und peg latched gate of the yard and opening it. "Come hi, you dear, good father, before tho rain shall begin, be-gin, und sit with me on the gallery" (the croolo word for veranda) "till the storm Is over." There was not a photographer's camera to be had in those days, but what if 11 tourist with one In baud could have been there to tuke a snap shot at the priest and the maiden as they walked arm In arm to that squat little veranda! The picture today would be worth its weight lu a llrst water diamond. It would Include the cabin, the cherry tree, n glimpse of the raw, wild background and a sharp portrait group of Pero Iterot, Alice and Jean tlio hunchback. Ench of us enu see them, even with closed eyes. Led by that wonderful guide, Imagination, we step hack a century and moro to look over a scene at once strangely attractive at-tractive and unspeakably forlorn. What was It Unit drew people nway from the old countries, from the cities, the villages and the vineyards of beautiful beau-tiful France, for example, to dwell in the wilderness, amid wild beasts and wilder savage Indians, with u rude cabin for u home und the exposures nnd hardships of pioneer life for their dally experience? Men JIke (jaspard ltousslllon are of a distinct stamp. Tnko htm as lie was. Pom lu France, on the banks of the Rhone near Avignon, he cumo us 11 youth to Canada, whence ho drifted on the tide of adventure tills way nnd that, until ut lust he found himself, with 11 wife, nt Post Vlncennes, thut lonely picket of religion and trndo which wns to become the center of civilizing civ-ilizing energy for tho great northwestern northwest-ern territory. M. ltousslllon had no children of his own; so bis kind heart opened freely to two futherless anil motherless waifs. These were Alice, now called ltousslllon, and the bunch-back, bunch-back, Jeun. The former wus twelve years, old when he adopted tier, it child of Protestant parents, while Jeun hud been taken, when 11 mere bubo, nfter his parents hnd been killed nnd sculped by Indians. Mine. ltousslllon, n profession profes-sion invalid, whose appetite never failed und whoso motherly kindness expressed ex-pressed lU-elf most often through strains of monotonous falsetto scolding, scold-ing, wus u woman of little education und no relluement; while her husband clung tenaciously to his love of booKS, especially to tho romances most In voguo when ho took leave of Franco. M. ltousslllon had been, In u way, Alice's teacher, though not greatly Inclined In-clined to abet Futhcr Heret in ids kindly efforts to make a Catholic of tho girl, and most treacherously disposed toward tho good priest lu tho matter of his well meant attempts to prevent her from reading and rereading tho uforo-said uforo-said romances. Hut for umny weeks past (Jaspard ltousslllon hud been absent ab-sent from home, looking after ids trading trad-ing schemes wttli tho Indians, and Pere Perot, noting on the suggestion of tho proverb about the absent cut und the playing mouse hud formed uu alliance oTensIvo and defensive- with Mine, ltousslllon, In which It was strictly ntlp.ilated Unit all novels nnd minnncos were to bo forcibly taken nnd securely hidden nway from Mile. Alice; which, to the best of Mine, ltousslllon' ability, abili-ty, hud accordingly been done. Now, while the wind strengthened nnd the softly booming summer shower ouu 011 apuce, the heavy cloud lining ns It advanced nnd showing under It the dark gray sheet of the rain, Pere lleret nnd Alice sat under the clapboard clap-board roof behind the vines of the veranda ve-randa nnd discussed what was generally gener-ally uppermost in the priest's mind upon such occasions, the good of Alice's Immortal soul- a subject not absorbingly absorbing-ly interesting to her nt 1111 time. "Ah, my child," he was saying, "you nre n sweet, good girl, after nil, much better than you make yourself out to 1h. Your duty will control you. You will do It nobly nt lust, my child." True enough, Father lleret, true enough!" she responded, laughing. "Your porivptiou Is most excellent, which I will prove to you Immediately." She rose while speaking and went into the house. "I will return In a minute or two," she called bnck from a region which Pere lleret well knew was that of the pantry.' "Don't get linpatlcnt and go away !" Pere Iterot laughed softly at the preposterous pre-posterous suggestion that he would even dream of going out lu the rain, which was now roaring heavily 011 the loose iNinrd roof, and miss a cut of cherry pie -u cherry pie of Alice's mnklng! And the ltousslllon elnret, too, wus always excellent. "Ah. child," lie thought, "your old father is not going go-ing uwny." She presently returned, bearing on 11 wooden trny n ruby stained pie nnd it short, stout bottle Hanked by two glasses. "Of course I'm better than I sometimes some-times appear to be," she said almost humbly, but with mischief still In her voice nnd eyes, "nnd I shnll get to be very good when I have grown old. Tlio sweetness of my present nature Is in this pie." She set the trny on a three legged stool which she pushed close to him. "There, now," sho said, "let the rain come. You'll be happy, rain or shine, while the pie and wine last, I'll bo bound." Pere lleret fell to entlng right heartily, heart-ily, meantime handing Jean a liberal piece of the luscious pie. "It Is good, my daughter, very good, Indeed," the priest remarked with his mouth full. "Mine, ltousslllon has not neglected your culinary education." Alice tilled a glass for him. It wns Ilordentix nnd very frngrunt. The Urn-quet Urn-quet reminded him of his sunny loy-hood loy-hood In France, of Ills Journey up to Paris nnd of bis cureless, Joy brimmed youth lu the guy city. How fur uwny, how: misty, yet how thrlllingly sweet It nil was! lie sat with half closed eyes awhile, sipping and dreaming. The ruin lasted nearly two hours, but the sun was out again when Pere lleret took leave of his young friend. They had been having another good natured quarrel over the novels, and Mine. ltousslllon had come out on the veranda to Join In. "I've hidden every book of them," said npuliiinc, 11 stout and swarthy woman, whose pearl white teeth were her only murk; of beauty. Her voice Indicated great stubbornness. "(lood, good; you have done your very duty, madame," said Pere lleret, with Immense approval in his charming charm-ing voice. "Hut, father, you said awhile ago tbnt I should huvo my own way about this," Alice spoke up with spirit, "nnd on the strength of that remark of yours I gave you the plo and wine. You've eaten my pie and swigged the wine, and now" Pere lleret put on his straw cap, adjusting ad-justing It carefully over tho shining dome out of which had como so many thoughts of wisdom, kindness und human hu-man sympathy. This done, ho gently laid 11 bund 011 Alice's bright crown of hair nnd suld: "Bless you, my child. I will pray to tho Prince of Pei.co for you as long as I live, and I will never cease to beg tho Holy Virgin to Intercede for you nnd lead you to tin; holy church." He turned and went away, but when lie was no farther than the gate Alice called out: "Oh, Father Heret, I forgot to show you something!" She run forth to him nnd ndded in a low tone: "You know thut Mine, ltousslllon bus hidden nil the novels from inc." She wus fumbling to get something out of the loose front of her dress. "Well, Just tuke n glance at this, will you?" nnd she showed him a little leather bound volume, much cracked along the hinges of the buck. Pere Hwet frowned und went his way shaking his head, but before ho renched his llttlo hut near the church ho was laughing in spite of himself. "She's not so had, not so bad," ho thought aloud; It's only her young, Independent spirit taking tho bit for a wild run. In her sweet soul she Is us good ns she Is pure." CHAPTER II. A LETTElt J-'llOM A FA It. ALTHOUGH Fnther Beret was for many years u missionary on tho Wabash, most of the time at Vlneonnes, tho fact thut no mention of him can bo found in tho records Is not stranger than tunny other things connected with tho old town's history. IIo wns, like nearly nit the men of his calling in that day, II self effacing and modest hero, apparently ap-parently quite unaware that he deserved de-served attention. Ho . nnd Father Glbnult, whoso name Is so beautifully nnd nobly connected with tho stirring achievements of Colonel George Rogers Clark, wcro cIoso friends nnd often companions. Probably Father Glbault himself, whoso fame will never fade, would have been today as obscure as Father Beret but for tho opportunity .Continued on 6th page Rlvrn him by (Mark to fix Ida name In the Hut of heroic patriots who assisted In winning the Kreat northwest from the KiikIIsIi. Vlneennefl, even in the earliest days of Its history, Homeliow kept up communication com-munication and. coiiHlclerltiK I lie cir-cuiHHtninv,, cir-cuiHHtninv,, olow ri'latlous with New Orleans. It was innrli nonrV Detroit, but the l.oiilshitia colony stood no.U to France In the ImiiKlnatioii nnd IoiikIuk of prlesN. viiyncetint, iillflplt'H (le hols nnd i -eklex mlveiituii'i-s wljy had Latin IiIimhI In llielr voIih. l'nther Iteret llrst en me to Vlnoeiincx from New Orleans, the vo.viiko up Hie Mlxsls-Klppl, Mlxsls-Klppl, Ohio Mini Waliash In a pirogue liiHtlnK tliniuult a whole summer nnd far Into the autumn. KIimv Ids arrival the post hud cxperleiieed many vicissitudes, vicissi-tudes, and at the time in which our Btory opens the Hrltlsh Kovernnient claimed rljjht of doiiilnlon over the Croat territory drained by the Wabash, nnd, indeed, over a larj,e, Indetltiltely outlined part of the North American continent lying above Mexico, n claim Just then being vigorously questioned, flintlock In linnd. by the Anglo-American colonies. Of course the handful of French people peo-ple tit Vlliceniies, so far away from every center of Information and "Here In a letter or iou, father." wholly occupied with their trading, trapping and missionary work, were Into finding out that war existed between be-tween Knglaud and her colonies. Nor did it really matter much with them, one way or another. They felt secure In their lonely situation, and so went j on selling their trinkets, weapons, domestic do-mestic Implements, blankets nnd In- I toxlcatlng liquors to the Indians, whom they held bound to them with a power never possessed by any other white dwellers In the wilderness. Father lteret was probably subordinate to ! Father (iilmult. At all events the hit- tor appears to have had nominal charge of Vincennes, and It can scarcely be doubted that lit left Father Beret on the Wabash while be went to live and lubor for a time at KasUaskla, beyond the plains of Illinois. , It Is a curious fact that religion and ; the power of rum and brandy worked i together successfully for a long time, j In giving the French posts almost ab- ' solute luilucncc over the wild and wiv- I age men by whom they were always surrounded. The good priests depre- j cated the trallle In liquors and tried hard to control It, but soldiers of fortune for-tune and reckless traders wcte In the majority, their Interests taking precedence preced-ence of all spiritual demands and car- rylng everything along. What could the brave missionaries do but make the ' very best of a perilous situation? Hut If the effect of rum as a buv- i erage had strong allurement for the white man, It made an absolute slave of the Italian, who never hesitated for a moment to undertake any task, no matter how hard, bear any privation, even the most terrible, or bravo tiny danger, nlthough It might demand reckless desperation, If In the end a well tilled bottle or Jug appeared as his reward. Of course the traders did not overlook over-look such a source of power. Alcoholic liquor became their Implement of almost al-most magical work In controlling the lives, labors and resources of tho Indians. In-dians. The priests, with their captivating captivat-ing story of the cross, had a large Influence In-fluence In softening savage natures nnd nvertlug many an awful danger, but, when everything else failed, rum always eamo to tho rescue of a threatened threat-ened French post. We need not wonder, then, when wo arc told that Father Iteret made no sign of distress or disapproval upon being Informed of the nrrlvnl of a boat loaded with rum, brandy or gin. It was Iteno do Itonvllle who brought tho news, the samo Heno nlroady mentioned men-tioned as having given the priest it plato of squirrels. Ho was sitting on the doorslll of Father Ueret'a hut when tho old man reached It after Ids visit at tho Itousslllou home nnd held In his hand a letter which ho nppcarcd proud to deliver. "A batteau and seven men with a cargo of liquor came during the rnln," ho said, rising ami taking olt his curious cu-rious cap, which, made of an animal's skin, had a tall Jauntily dangling from Its crown tip, "and here Is a letter for you, father. Tho batteau Is from New Orleans. Bight men started with It, but one went ashore to hunt and was i killed by an Indian." ! Father Ileret took the letter without apparent interest and said: "Thank you. my son, sit down again; tho door log Is not wetter than tho stools Inside; I will sit by you." Tho wind had driven a Hood of rain Into tho cabin through tho open door, nnd water twinkled In puddles here and there on the door's puncheons. They sat down side by side, Father lterot fingering the letter la au abseut' minded way. "There'll bo n Jolly time of It tonight," Iteno do Itonvllle remarked; "a roaring time." "Why do you say that, my son?" the priest demanded. "Tho wine and the liquor," was tho reply. "Much drinking will bo done. Tho men have all been dry here for some time, you know, and are ns thirsty as sand. They are making ready to enjoy themselves down at tho river house." "Ah, the poor souls!" sighed Father Itcrot, sis-liking as oft' whoso thoughts were wandering far away. "Why don't you read your letter, Father?" Rene added. The priest started, turned the soiled square of paper over In his hand, then thrust It Inside his robe. v "It can wait," he said. Then, changing chang-ing Ids voice: "Tho squirrels you gave mo were excellent, my son. It was good of you to think of mo," he added, laying his hand mi Rene's arm. "Oil, I'm glad If 1 have pleased you. Father Horot, for you are so kind to mo always, and to everybody. When I killed the squirrels I said to myself: These are young, Juicy and tender; Father Horot must have these,' s i I brought them along." Tho young man rose to go, for la-was la-was somehow Impressed that Father Iteret must wish opportunity to read his letter and would prefer to lie ieft alone with it. Hut the priest pulled him down again. ".Stay awhile," he said, "I have not hnd a talk with you for some time." , Iteno looked a trlllo uneasy. "You will not drink nny tonight, my j son," Father Herot added. "Volt must not. Do you hear?" The young man's eyes nnd mouth at once began to have a sullen expression. expres-sion. Evidently he was not pleased nnd felt rebellious, but It was hard for him to resist Father Horot, whom ho loved, ns did every soul In tho post. Tho priest's voice was sweet and gentle, yet positive to a degree. Iteno did not sny a word. "Promise me that you will not taste liquor this night," Fnthor Horot went on, grasping tho young man's arm firmly. "Promise mo, my son; promise mo." Still Iteno was silent. The men did not look at each other, but gazed away across tho country beyond the Wabash to where a glory from the western sun flamed on the upper rim of a great cloud fragment creeping nlong the horizon. hori-zon. "Kb bleu, I must go," said Reno presently, pres-ently, getting to his foot nimbly and evading Father Herot's hand, which would hnve held lilm. "Not to tho rlvor house, my son?" said tho priest nppeallngly. "No, not there. I have another letter; one for Sl'slim' Itousslllou. it eamo by tho boat too. I go to give It to Mme. Itousslllou." Iteno do Itonvllle was a dark, weather stained young follow, neither tall nor short, wearing buckskin moccasins, trousers and tunic. Ills eyes wore dark brown, keen, quick moving, set well under heavy brows. A razor had probably prob-ably never touched his face, and his thin, curly beard crinkled over his strongly turned cheeks and chin, while his mustaches sprang out quite fiercely above his full lipped, almost sensual mouth. He looked wiry and active, a man not to bo lightly reckoned with In n trial of bodily strength nnd will power. Father Herot's face and voice changed chang-ed on tho instant. He laughed dryly and said, with a sly gleam In his eyes: "You could spend tho evening pleasantly pleas-antly with Mme. Itousslllou and Joan. Jean, you know, Is a very amusing fellow." fel-low." Reno brought forth the letter of which he had spoken nnd held It up bo-fore bo-fore Father Herot's face. "Maybe you think I haven't any letter let-ter for M'sleu' Rousslllon," ho blurted, "and maybe you aro quite certain that I am not going to the house to take tho letter." "M. Rousslllon Is absent, you know." Father Iteret suggested. "Hut cherry pies aro Just as good while he's gono ns when lie's nt homo, and I happen to know that thoro aro some particularly delicious ones In the pantry of Mme. Itousslllou. Mile. Alice gave mo a Juicy sample, but thou I dare say you do not cure to have your plo served by her hand. It would Intcrfcru with your appetite. Kb, iuy son?" Reno turned short about, wagging his head and laughing, and so with Ids back to tho priest he strode away along the wet path leading to the Rousslllon place. Father Herot gazed after him, his face relaxing to n serious expression In which a trace of sadness nnd gloom spread like an elusive twilight. IIo took out his letter, but did not glance nt It, simply holding It tightly gripped in his sinewy right hand. Then his old eyes stared vacantly, ns eyes do when their sight is east back many, ninny years Into tho past. Tho missive mis-sive was from beyond the sea ho know tho handwrltlng-a waft of tho flowers of Avignon seemed to rise out of It. as If by tho pressure of his grasp. A stoop shouldered, burly mail went by, leading n pair of gouts, a kid fob lowing. IIo was making linsto excited-ly. excited-ly. keeping the goats nt a lively trot. "Hon Jour, l'ero Horot," ho Hung out breezily, nnd walked rapidly on. I "Ah, ah; his mind Is busy with tho newly arrived cargo." thought tho old priest, returning tho salutation. "IP throat aches for llquor-the poor man.'' Then ho mail again the letter's super ncrlptlon and made a faltering move as If to break tho seal. Ills hands trembled trem-bled violently, his fnco looked gray nnd drawn. "Como on, you brutes," cried tho receding re-ceding man, Jerking tho thongs of skin byjvhlch lie led tho goats. Father Horot roso and turned into his dnmp llttlo hut. where tho light was dim on tho crttclilx hnnglng op. losito tho door against tho clay rianbcU.wlL It wnu.njbare, nnargMly, clnnlyJrobni. ArndbHoU.oii one 'ride, a shelf for'tnblonnd? two or.threo wooden irttolal constituting tl furnl; ture, wlitloMbotuoovcnlpunchcons of the floor'TwnbWed nnd clnttcred under thi prlest's'feft.. |