AFTTTE BY jMCARY DEVEREUX WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY DON C. WILSON CGyyrfgAt, I9CQ, by Z/Wfe, £trc*y)7, Ccyrr/wry) C4[/ JPfgft) Paem&J CHAPTER II. Through the weeks of the late sum mer, old Tatro, the butler, had been attending the meetings held by the peasants. But, being a firm believer In the old regime, he had reported faithfully to Monsieur le Baron all that had transpired at these gather ings, telling him of the vicious speeches made by Fauchel, and of the latter’s evident determination to in fluence the peasants against the peo ple of the chateau. On a certain September morning, after one of these reports from Tatro, the baron said, “Find Margot, and send her to me.’’ When the faithful old servant had left the room his master looked out of the window toward the park; but his darkly circled eyes saw something quite different from the trees silhouet ted against the cloudless blue of the sky. They saw the pale, angry face of Tomas Fauchel, the young schoolmas ter, who, meeting the baron as he came from the magistrate's door with the pretty, sixteen-year-old daughter of the Huguenot minister clinging to his arm. had said, as he barred their way, “To-day, Monsieur le Baron, you have won, and have taken for wife her whom her dead father gave to me when he refused you, a Papist. But I warn you to beware of the day when I shall seek my revenge!” The baron, in the strength of his vigorous manhood, and in the happy dreams of his passionate love, had laughed at the melodramatic threat of his humble rival. And to-day, white-haired and lonely, he smiled disdainfully as he recalled it. But the smile died softly in a sigh that was almost a moan, as thought of the narrow mound he had looked upon the spring before, banked with violets and snowdrops, in the old churchyard by the Loire, near the cottage where he had known a brief year’s dream of happiness. i t "Is it thou, my beloved Pizarro?" But he now roused himself as Mar got entered, and bade her to be seat ed. “Margot, I have sent for thee that ( may unburden my mind somewhat as to matters which have been weigh ing heavily upon me for many months past,” he began. Margot looked at him in silent won der mingled with some alarm, as she Dould see no reason for his words, nor for the mood which seemed to inspire them. “These are troublous times,” he re sumed more calmly, and dropping the familiar manner of speech he had pre viously used; “times when but a few hours suffice to turn affairs from ap parent security into confusion and danger. I wish, therefore, to place a considerable sum of money in your care, for I feel that perhaps it may be safer with you than with me. It is all C have of my own to give Jean; and It will relieve me to know that, no matter what may come to me, or how ever Etienne may seek to rob the boy, my Jean will never know actual want." The baron was now standing by the side of his desk; and pressing the edge of a panel in the oaken wain scoting, it • flew open, disclosing a small recess, wherein were a small metal box and a number of little can vas bags. “Come here,” he said, turning to look at Margot over his shoulder. She came to his side. “See,” he explained; “you do so, and so,” showing her how to manipulate the secret spring. Then, after closing the panel, he added, “See now if you can open it.” She did so, and the panel opened again. “Ah, that is well. Now you know where the boy’s fortune is hidden, and I trust you to guard it for him. The bags contain gold coin, and the box holds a few jewels, that are his, as they were his mother’s; also some papers, for which the future may show* need, should any one seek to deprive him of his rights as my son. I shall leave it to your discretion as to when and where you will take them from their present hiding-place. Re member, Margot, I charge you sol emnly, that when I am not here, if— If I am taken away, I trust you, above all others, to protect my boy’s future, and provide for his welfare.” “That will I do with my life!** Mar got declared fervently. It was toward sunset that same day when Jean came running in to an nounce that he had seen soldiers rid ing up the winding roadway that led through the park. Bidding the boy keep out of sight until the cause of such a visit could be ascertained. Monsieur le Baron de scended to the reception-room, where the officer in command of the sol* diers soon presented himself, and de livered a letter from Couthon, in which the baron'e hospitality was re quested for the bearer and his escort. The fact was that Etienne, recently angered by his father's refusal to in crease his already liberal allowance, had, wTith characteristic villanv, let fall some insinuations impeaching the latter’s loyalty to the Revolutionary cause; and the officer, who had been ordered upon a mission which would take him several leagues beyond the chateau, was instructed to stop there upon his return, the object being that the Committee might, from the man ner in which the baron received his uninvited guests, form a better idea as to his true sentiments. Jean did not deem it wise to pre sent himself until the dinner hour should arrive, but had passed the time in questioning Margot ana Tatro as to the probable meaning of this strange invasion of the chateau’s pri vacy. Then, going in to the dining room with an unusually subdued air, although his heart was fluttering with excitement, the lad's shyness evapo rated in a glad shout at sight of the officer standing before the fireplace, where burning logs made cheerful the apartment and warmed the chill even ing air. “Aha!" he cried, precipitating him self upon his father’s guest, whose arms went quickly around the boy ish form. “Is it thou, my beloved Pizarro?" “Truly it is. little Monsieur de So to ” answered Lieutenant Bonaparte, laughing as he kissed Jean’s flushed cheeks, wffiile the baron looked on with amazement, and old Tatro paused in the report he was making as to the soldier’s dinner in the outer hall, to stare with equal surprise at these demonstrations of affection be tween the stranger and his master’s son. When they were seated the officer explained to Monsieur le Baron—al though in a way not to bring In the name of Etienne—how he had come to know the boy; and Jean, now quite in his element, and entirely at ease, rattled on after a fashion that relieved' his father from any extra effort in en tertaining his guest. It was nearing ten o’clock. The of ficer and his host were seated in the drawing-room, having a game of chess, with Jean, very proud and correspond ingly sleepy, because of sitting up so long beyond his usual bed-t:me, watch ing them from a near-by divan, when Tatro, his face and voice showing the greatest alarm, rushed into the room and exclaimed, “Mon Dieu, Monsieur le Barcn! The peasants! A great crowd of them are coming up the ave nue! Hark—you can hear their shouts!’’ The chessmen and board fell to the floor as both players sprang from their chairs; and Jean, all sleepiness banished from his eyes, stood beside them. “Call my soldiers at once,” ordered Bonaparte, speaking to Tatro. “Mon sieur le Baron,” he added, turning to him, “we will do all in our power for your protection.” The dozen soldiers appeared, and were ordered to post themselves in the hall, where they stood, with ready arms, behind their commander and the baron, who were nearer the stout ly barred door, listening to the wild hubbub of voices now close to the chateau. The lieutenant waited until there was a lull in the noice; then, raising his voice, he called out, “Have a care what you do, for the baron is not with out protectors. I am an officer of the Assembly; and in its name I bid you disperse.” There was silence, as if those out side were surprised at signs of an unexpected resistance. There were more than fifty men out side; with them were some women; and Tomas Fauchel was their leader. “Monsieur le Baron, will you per mit me to arrange the defence as I see fit?” inquired the young officer, turning to his host. “Most assuredly, sir; for I have full confidence in your ability,” was the reply. “Then extinguish every light in this hall, and close all the doors leading from it, so that all here will he in darkness,” said the lieutenant, now speaking authoritatively. “And do you. Greloire,”—looking toward his sol diers—“with Murier and Leboeuf, stand here beside Monsieur le Baron. Watch that broken window, and put a ball into every head that appears there.” Greloire saluted silently, and the of ficer continued: “If Tatro will act as guide, to pilot myself and the others out through some unobserved way, we will make a detour, and treat our friends to an attack in the flank.” Some of the hurled-in torches had lit the hall for a moment; but they were quickly extinguished by the baron. A moment later the discharge of musketry outside told that the lieu tenant and his men had come upon the scene. Then the air was rent by more yells and imprecations, but with a sound in them bespeaking dismay on the part of the surprised maraud ers. A second volley rang out, and the officer’s voice was heard. “Steady, my men. Load and fire at will, or club your muskets. Teach these people a lesson—one in the name of the As sembly.” Those in the hall now saw a flam ing torch thrust through the window. It was held by Tomas Fauchel, who waved it wildly as he shouted, “Show thyself, thou craven baron, for neither man nor devil shall force me from this place until I have kept my oath, and killed thee!” The light of his torch fell upon the uplifted face—white and stern—of the baron, who said, laying his hand upon tne musket with which Leboeuf was taking aim at the half-crazed fanatic, “Do him no harm, let him live.” Fauchel, who had heard the words, answered them with a mocking laugh, and quickly extending his other hand, pulled the trigger of a pistol, as he tossed his torch into the hah and yelled, “Die, thou damnable Papist, and take to hell with thee no thanks of mine for sparing my li#e.” The baron reeled, for he was struck fairly in the forehead. But he was caught by Leboeuf. and his dead form was not laid upon the floor before Gre loire had planted a musket-ball in Fauchel's head, and tumbled him from the ladder—dead as the man he had assassinated. His fallowers, terrified by the lieu tenant’s unexpected attack, were now flying like scared sheep; and the fight was ended. An hour later the silence that wrapped the chateau would have re pelled the thought of such an uproar having raged within it so recently. The dead had been laid in upper rooms, and Margot had gone to her own part of the house, leaving Jean in the drawing-room with the lieuten ant, who was now walking up and down, and now sitting on the divan, beside the passionately grieving boy, to whom he spoke words of tenderest sympathy, stroking the dark hair, or holding the burning hands in a cool clasp that was infinitely soothing. Some cf the soldiers took turns at mounting guard in the lower hall, for fear of a possible renewal of the at tack. But the peasants’ outburst was evidently spent, for the present, at least, as nothing happened to disturb the silence of the succeeding hours. (To be continued.) WHAT ATTRACTED THE CHILD. Explanation That Hurt Vanity of Opera Singer. A certain well-known opera singer who has spent the summer in New York practicing, has heretofore been highly flattered by the utter absorp tion with her powers of vocalization which seizes upon her landlady’s lit tle daughter whenever the piano is opened for the day’s exercises. What ever ma>‘ be occupying the child, as that sound strikes the air she drops everything and hurries up to the prima donna’s door, where she sits as one entranced. As she is a quiet lit tle thing and the attention most flat tering. no objection has been raised to her presence on such occasions. The disillusionment for the prima donna, however, occurred a few days since, when the child, having as usual been a rapt and attentive audience to the practicing, the performer turned at the close, and, smiling down at the little face peering in at the doorway, said in a pleased manner: ‘‘Well, little one, what do you think of it all?” Drawing a deep, long breath, the child looked her unblinkingly in the e>es as she gasped out: “Can’t you just holler!”—New York Times. Time of Penance Shortened. Abe Hummel, whose experience with divorcees is probably as large as that of any other two men in this country, tells a story of a pretty wom an who had just been freed from bonds that were very galling. In her joy at her release she declared to her friends that she would not marry again for at least two years. Just a year later her engagement to another man was announced, with the in formation that the wedding would take place in three months. “How’s this?” asked one of her friends. “How about that two-year business?” “Oh,” she replied, “I have concluded that I’m entitled to eight months off for good behavior. Same as they get in jail, you know.”—New York Times. The Great Army of Spiritualists. The number of Spiritualists in the United States and Canada is surpris ing, when the figures of the National Spiritualists’ association are studied. The various societies tributary to that central body have a membership of over 250,000, and it is estimated that more than a million and a half people in the two countries are keenly interested in Spiritualism. There are over 1,500 professional mediums—or “psychics,” as they are called in Spiritualistic circles—and over 10,000 persons are in the habit of engaging their services.—New York Press. The First Requisite. ‘‘Not long ago,” said Nat Goodwin, “I was lunching with a friend and two grass widows, neither of whom had been divorced. “One of the widows held up the wishbone of the chicken. “ ‘Let’s see which will be married first,” she said to the other grass widow. “ ‘It seems to me,’ remarked my friend grimly, ‘that you’d better see which will be unmarried first’ ”—New York Times. Why John L. Doesn’t Train. John L. Sullivan, in one of the vaudeville houses, was telling the story of his career. Someone in the audience asked him why he did not train down and take some of the flesh off his stomach. He replied: “Boys, if I could have as much fun taking off the flesh as I had patting it on 1 would gladly do it any day in ths week.” An Object of Aversion. t When de sun starts in a-shinin’ like he ■ never gwine to tire An’ his onies ambition was to set' de world on tire; When de caterpillar's crawlin’ An’ de lazy crow's a-callin’ An’ de lightnin’ bug hangs out his lan tern so's we kin admire. Den you hears a soun’ as 'stressin’ as a soun’ kin ever be, Dat locus’ bug is tunin’ up his fiddle In de tree. Dar’s a law to stop de rooster when he crows too loud at night An’ one to stop de boys dat don’ con trol delr voices right. Dar is laws pertectin’ silence F’um mos’ every kin’ o’ vi-lence. Exceptin' f’um dat no-’count bug dat comes so impolite. Dar ain’ no use o’ kickin’ at his way so very free When dat locus’ bug is tunin’ up his fiddle in de tree. —Washington Star. Badger Firemen’s Pet. The Phoenix firemen have acquired a new pet, the gift of A. J. Hansen of Kyrene. It is a badger raised from in i fancy on Mr. Hansen’s ranch at Ky rene and is as tame as a kitten and more playful than either a cat or a dog. It has dug itself a home several feet under ground near the engine house, but comes out frequently to play with the boys. Mr. Hansen says the badger was the most effective remedy he had on the ranch for the extermination of mice, gophers and other pests of that sort, but it also has a weakness for spring chicken that made it an ex pensive piece of property. His chil dren thought as much of it as any child ever did of a dog, but after 150 spring chickens had disappeared he thought it was time for the badger to be deported.—Arizona Republic. On Still Hunt for Ghost. Ghosts arc not confined to old cas tles and long-settled countries. A very tangible one was recently causing the inhabitants of Pinery. South Austra lia, some annoyance. Dressed in white and of human form, it suddenly confronted a resident, who, with his wife, was driving in a buggy. The apparition so startled the horses that they bolted. This added to the ter ror of the wife, who wanted to jump headlong out of the vehicle. The man succeeded, however, in restraining the horses and allaying the fears of his better half, and then proceeded tc look for the ghost, but did not succeed in catching it. The residents of Pin ery are now out nightly with shotguns looking for the mysterious form, as they believe the midnight prowlings of the ghost are not altogether uncon nected with the disappearance of their best poultry. • Remarkable English Will. Quite a curiosity in the register of deeds’ office at Augusta, Me., is a copy of the will of Florentius Vas sell, formerly of London. It is what is termed an exemplified copy, and is probably a facsimile of the orig inal, written artistically in the old English characters on eleven large sheets of parchment and is authenti cated under the big seal of the lord archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the prerogative court, the supreme court of probate in England. Remarkable Dietary. Paterson, N. J., has brought to view at various times no small number of eccentric persons. The latest freak in that community makes his breakfast of a cucumber, his luncheon of a car rot, a turnip or a raw potato, and eats a few nuts for supper. This devotee of a peculiar dietary never touches | flesh or fish, wears very little clothing and sleeps out of doors except when rain is falling. He looks strong and well, and asserts that he never feels an ache or a pain. Old Music Box Still Good. George H. Bennett of Norway, Me., has a unique and valuable music box, that is nearly a century old. It plays as clear and sweet as when new and the seventy reeds are in perfect con dition. It was formerly the property of Kendrick Cushman of Bethel, who left it when he went to the gold mines in ’49. He never was heard from af terward and Mr. Bennett retains the box. Will of Immense Length. The will of John Thompson, late of Galloway, Ohio, besides being the longest document of the kind ever presented to the probate court of Franklin county, is peculiar in various other ways. The will and its codicil ot even date cover twelve feet of closely typewritten matter on pages a foot wide, and is the second one of the same magnitude drawn for Mr. Thompson by the same attorney. Youth of an Empress. The youth of the Czarina of Russia was passed in a very different atmos phere from that of the magnificent Russian court. Her father’s means were very limited, and she was train ed to have as few wants as possible, says the Lady’s Realm. She had no maid to dress her and take care of her clothes, which were often made by the hands of her mother, the Prin cess Alice of Hesse. New Fuel a Success. Osmon, a new German fuel, is- made from peat. The peat used contains 90 per cent of water, of which 20 to 25 per cent is removed by means of an electric current. The peat is then further dried and passed through a machine which breaks it up and forms it into briqi\ettes or nut-shaped pieces. Osmon is free from sulphur and burns without slag or smoke. Much Labor Wasted. George E. Churchill of Fort Fair field. Maine, recently drilled a well to the depth of 250 feet without ob taining a satisfactory supply of water. Within seven rods of the same place he started another well and struck a seemingly inexhaustable supply with in eight feet of the surface. Gun Has Killed Many Foxes. J. Riley Rogers of Byfield, Mass., has in his possession a gun of the old “King’s Arm,” owned by his grandfather, the late Joseph Rogers, with which more foxes have prob ably been killed than any gun in these L-arts. Mr. Rogers himself has a rec ord with this gun of 149 foxes. Interesting Mexican Stamps. Porte de Mar stamps of Mexico have an interesting history. They are not really stamps, but merely labels applied to the envelope in interior towns to indicate the amount of post age required to carry the pieces of mail from a Mexican seaport to the point of destination. They are some times found canceled, but this is acci dental, having been done when the Mexican stamps upon the piece of mail were canceled. Conscience May Trouble Her. Busy Body, a big maltese cat who makes her home at the railway shops at Indianapolis, Ind., and is the pet of everyone from the president down to the humblest employe of the road, af ter establishing a record of killing more than 10,000 rats and mice, has, with charming feline inconsistency, adopted four tiny mice. Trees Quickly Made Into Paper. Three trees were sawed down in Elsenthal, Austria, one morning re cently. At 9:34 a. m. they had been converted into pulp and became pa per, passed from the factory to the press, and at 10 o’clock the first printed and folded paper was issued. The entire time consumed was 145 minutes. Immense Block of Granite. The largest block of Ascutney green granite ever quarried was shipped from Windsor, Vt., last week. The stone was taken from the Nor cross quarry, and measured 15 feet in length and wms between three and four feet square. Its weight was be tween 15 and 20 tons. Hen Hatched Eggs of Eagles. A hen in Vermont has always played in hard luck, never having been al lowed by her owner to hatch out a nest of chickens. This summer she wandered away from the farm, and later was found sitting on an eagle’s nest. The eagles had been killed and this hen hatched the eggs. Poor Mary. A Portland, Me., woman was over heard on an electric car in that city recounting to her companion the tri als of a friend. “Why Mary tele phoned to a lot of her friends this morning to find out how to make a cake! You see she didn’t know hotv much soda to use.” 6eelc Noiseless Typewriter. Several inventors are now at work on a noiseless typewriter, as the sound of a large number in an office gets on one’s nerves. One man has made a rubber device to kill the noise and a second has made a glass case which incloses everything but the keyboard and the roller. Mouse Plays Banjo. Mr. H. C. Nelson of South Caribou, Maine, has a wonderful mouse which has successfully learned to play a banjo. So expert has he become in picking the strings that the cat has become charmed, and the cat and the mouse lie at ease in their domestic relations. Left Out Particulars. One town clerk in Washington coun ty, Vt., made hi3 returns to the sec retary of state without naming the man elected for representative. He simply stated in the return that an election had been held on the day named and let it go at that. Eels Clogged Mill Wheel. The water wheel at the snuff fac tory at Byfield refused to run freely the other day, and on entering the wheel pit it was found that the whee’ was entirely wound up and entanglei with eels, which had been attracted I by the lights in the mill. Cat Is Prolific. James Honod of Still River has a cat which although but 18 months old has had four litters of kittens since Oct. 5, 1903. The first littei numbered 5, second 7, third 8 and the fourth 9, making a grand total of 29. Postoffice a Family Affair. For over fifty years the postofflce In Alton, Me., has been in the hands of one family, husband, wife and sons successively, until recently, the young est son, Frank McKechnie, resigned on account of failing health. Mine Down 3,000 Feet. There is a gold mine in Australia which is 3,000 feet deep, and the vari ous tunnels are so hot that cold water has to continually be sprayed over the miners working a lode. The tem perature is usually 108. Got Her Big Check. Miss Annie W. Manchester of Bris tol, R. I., wrote to her father from Williamsport, Pa., asking him to send her a big check. He sent her one three feet long and 19 inches wide. It was for $10. Watch More Than a Century Old. A man named Tiffany of Bristol, Conn., has just received from a Win sted friend a watch formerly owned by his grandfather. It is an open face bullseye, over 125 years old and keeps good time. Late Hours and Longevity. A statistician affirms that the major ity of people who attain old age have kept late hours. Eight out of ten who reach the age of 80 have never gone to bed till after 12 at night. Tortoise 300 Years Old. One of the oldest known living anl mals on earth is a tortoise in New Zealand that weighs 970 pounds. It is known to be over 300 years old. Knows All Languages. The academy of Lincei, Italy, has awarded a prize of $2,000 to Prof. Trombetti, who is said to be master of every language spoken in the world. « , THE WORLD’S CLEARING HOUSE ; ► - Chicago is the Central Figure of Time, and the Cynosure and Cesspool of the Universe—the apt characterization of George Warrington Steevens, the Celebrated English Man of Letters, W ho Perished at | Ladysmith, cut off in his prime. “His death eclipsed the gayety of nations”—We may say with Dr. Samuel Johnson. Two million people cluster in Chicago frank and free. In the big old clumsy city sprawling ’round the inland sea, She smiles a sumptuous siren, lures you ever to her side. She’s a captivating lassie, shy and pi quant as a bride. And no matter where you wander you may not escape her spell. You’ll be homesick for old H'alsted as the murmuring ocean shell. As the storm-tossed sailor’s yearning is for his native shore You’ll be longing for Chicago and State street’s mighty roar. Clearing House of every nation under neath the sapphire sky. Ten thousand factory whistles fling their challenge fierce and high: Granary of hungry nations, famishing for meat and bread; Chatelaine of western prairies o'er the living and the dead. When you move away from State street, you are merely camping out. Leaving home and friends behind you, jest and song and boyish shout, Always roaming like Ulysses, with a tierce and hungry soul Always trailii g like a gypsy, questing for fair grs.msward goal. Take me b