Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Bm Under By FREDj Copyright, 1005. by the "Was It not your lntebtion to seek me, to beg an asylum, perhaps?" he Trent on, less sternly. "Not to beg, your majesty; to nslt, yes. But now?not that!" "Vral Dleul" muttered Charles. "There is the father over again! It Is strange this maiden, clothed almost .u *abn, nuuma ciatm such Illustrious parentage." he continued to himself ns ^ he wnlked restlessly to and fro. "It B Is more strange I ask no other proofs thnii'herself?the evidence of my eyes! Whero did you come from," he ndded aloud, pnuslug before her?"the court of Francis?" "Yes, sire." "Why did you leave the king?" "Why?because"? Her hands clinched. The gray eyes continued to probe her. "Because I hate him!" The emperor's face relaxed. A gleam of humor shone in his glance. "Hate him whom so many of your sex lore?" he replied. Through her tresses he saw her face turn red. Passionately she arose. "With your majesty's permission I will go." "Go!" he said abruptly. "Where can you go? You are somewhat quick of temper, like? Have I refused ydu aught? I could not serve your father," he continued, taking her hand and not ungently detaining her, "but I . may welcome his daughter, though net >ssltv. the ruler of kings, made me A /tpless In his belinlf." As In a flash her resentment faded. Half paternally, half severely, he surveyed her. "Sit down here," lie went on, Indl. eating n low stool. "You nre weary and need refreshment." Silently she obeyed, nnd the emperor, touching a boll, gave n low command to the servitor who appeared. In a few momenta meat, fruits nnd wine were ret befoie her, nnd Charles, with Impassive fnee, listened to her story, or nr much ns she cared to relate. When si p bad finished, for some time he offi/ed no comment. "A strange tale." he said finally. "But what will our nobles do when la dies take mere fools for knight errunts?" "He Is no t>io**o oi?c ?>pow? up Impulsively. The emperor shot a quick look at her from beneath ids lowering brows. I irer.n?be Is brave?and has prot feted uie many times." slie explained in s>:::o confusion. "And so you. knowing what you were, remained with a poor Jester, n ra?niiwimn %tUc 1* no mere fool J" clown, rather tlinn leave hi in to liis fate?" continued Charles Inexorably, recalling the words of the outsiders. Her face became paler, but she held her bead more proudly. The spirit of the Jestress sprang to her Hps. "It is only kings, sire, who fear to cling to a forlorn cause." "God alone knows the hearts of monarchal" he said somberly. Moved by his unexpected leniency and the aspect of his cheerleesness, she Immediately repented of her response. "Yon need rest," he said, "and shall I * * 4- o/vf" ha continued, placing his hand for a moment, not unkindly, on her head. "I shall give orders for your entertainment. It will be rough hospitality, but you are used to that. I am not sorry, child, you bate onr brother Francis if It has driven you to our court." - CHAPTER XXVI. HLTHOUGII the daughter of the constable received every attention commensurate with the cheer of the camp, tb| day passed but slowly. With more 01 leas Interest she viewed the diversified group of soldiers drawn by Charlea from the various countries over whtct he ruledi?the brawny troops from Flanders, the alert looking guards re cruited from the mountains of Spain the men of Frledwald, with muscl? tough as the fibers of the fir In theii native forests. Even the orient?sug gestive of many campaigns?had beei drawn upon, and the bright garbei olive skinned attendants, moving among the tents of purple or crimson blended picturesquely with the mor soU4 masses of color. the Rose ERIC S. ISHAM, of "The Strollers" BO WEN-MERRILL COMPANY For the Flemish soldiery wh ? had brought tl:e foci! and herself luto the camp the yckmg g'rl had a u h! r.:i 1 a word, but it was the men of I'rledwald who especially attracted he.* attention, nnd unconsciously she found ! erself ' picturing the land that had fostered this stalwart nnd rough so'diery. A rocky, rugged region surely, with vns! forests, unbroken brush! Yonder armorer polishing a joint of steel seemed like a survivor of that primeval epoch when the trees were roofs and the ground the universal bed.. Once or iwire she passed him. curiously noting liia great beard and giantlike limbs. Hut be minded her not, and this, perhaps, gave her courage to pause. "What sort of country Is FriedwaidV" she snld abruptly. "Wild." he answered. "Is the duke liked?" she went on. "res." i "Do you know Ids?jester?" "No." For all the Information he would volunteer the man might have been Dr. Rabelais' model for laconicism, and a moment she stood there with a slight frown. Then she gazed at him meditatively. Tap, tap, went the tiny hammer in the mighty hand, and, laughing softly, she turned. These men of Friedwald were not unpleaslng In her eyes. Twice had she approached the tent wherein lay the fool, ouly to learn that the emperor was with the duke's plaisant. "A slight relapse of fever," had said the Italian leech as he blocked the entrance nud stared at her with wicked, twinkling eyes. She need be under no apprehension, he had added, but to her quick fancy his glance said, "A maid wandering with a fool!" Appreheusloif? No. It could not be that she felt but a new sense of loneliness, of that Isolation which contact | with strange faces emphasized. What had come over her? she asked herself, she who had been so self sufficient, whose unture now seemed filled with sudden yearning and restlessness, impatience?she knew not what. She who . thought she had partaken so abundant- i |r U?v-U UU1U|IU; U1DLU1 Call ITS" | newed sources for disquietude. With welling heart she watched the sun go down, the glory of the widely radiat Ing hues give way to the pall of night. Upon her young shoulders the mantle , of darkness seemed to rest so heavily she bowed her head In her hands. "A maid aud a fool! Ah, foolish maid!" whispered the wanton breeze. The pale light of the stars pla^-*1 1 upon her, and the dews fell up"'* *n* I voluntarily shivering' with tl? cold, she i arose. As she walked by the emperor's quarters she noticed a figure silhouetted on the canvas walls. To and fro the shadow moved, shapeless, grotesque, yet eloquent of life's vexation of spirit. Turning Into her own tent, the Jestress lighted the wick of a silver lamp. A faint aroma of perfume swept through the air. It seemed to soothe her?or was It but weariness??and shortly she threw herself on the silken couch and sank to dreamless slumber. ? tti ,ht ft bright hued dome of the tent wasr ngrcrw?in?morning sun. The reflected radiance bathed her face and form. Fler heaviness of heart had taken wings. The little lamp was still burning, but the fresh fragrance of dawn had replaced the subtle odor of the oriental essence. Upon the rug a single streak of sunshine was creeping toward her. In the brazier which had warmed her tent the glowing bark and cinnamon had turned to cold, white ash. Through the girl's veins the blood | coursed rapidly. A few moments she lay In tbe rosy effulgence, restfylly conscious that danger had fled and that she was bulwarked by the emperor's favor, when a sudden thought 1 broke upon this half wakeful mood and caused her to spring, all alert, from her couch. To dress with her had I never been a matter of great duration. The hair of the Joculatrlx naturally i rippled Into such waves as were the . envy of the court ladles. Her supple I fingers adjusted garment after garment with swift precision, while her figure needed no device to lend grace to the Investment Soon, therefore, bad she left her tent, making her way through the awakening camp. In the royal kitchen the I cook was bending over his fires, while an assistant mixed a bev4 age of barley water, yolks of eggs and senna wine for Charles when be should become aroused. Those courtiers nli ready astir cast many glances In the > girl's direction as she moved toward i the tent of the fool. i But if these gallants were sedulous > | she was correspondingly indifferent. I Anxiety or loyalty?that stAnchness of i heart which braved even the ironical t eyes of the black robed master of medi Icine-drove her again to the ailing - jester's tent, and, remembering how , she had ridden into camp and into the i august emperor's favor, these fondlings r of fortune looked significantly from w one to the other. i "A jot lees fever, solicitous maid," 1 Mkl the leoch In answer to the inI qulries of the Jestrees, and she enduri, ed the glance for the news, although ? tbe former sent aer away with her face aflai&e. * . . "An the leech let her in. he'd soon have to let the patient out," spoke up a gallant. "Her eyes ure n sovereign remedy, where bolus, pills and all vile potions might fail." "If this be a sample of Francis' damsels, I care not how long we are in reachiug the Low Countries," answered a second. To this the hrst replied in kind, but soon had these gallants matters of more serious moment to divert them, for it began to be whlspeted about that Louis of Hochfels had determined to push forward. The unwonted activity in the camp ere long gave credence to the rumor. The troopers commenced looking to their weapons. Squires hurried here and there, while near the tents stood the horses, saddled and bridled, undergoing the scrutiny of the grooms. \ Some time, however, elapsed before the emperor himself appeared. Nothing in the head roll or devotional ofTer- ! ing of the morning had he overlooked. The divers dishes that followed had | been scrupulously partaken of, and then only?as a man not to be hurried j from the altar or the table?hnd he emerged from his tent. Ills glance mechanically swept the camp, noting the bustle and stir, the absence of disorder, and finally rested on the glrL For a moment from his look it seemed he might have forgotten her, and she, who hod involuntarily turned to him so solicitously, on n sudden felt chilled, as confronted by a mask. His voice, when at length he spoke, wns hard, dry, matter of fact, and It was Jacqueline whom lie addressed. "You slept well?" ics, sire," she nnswered. "And have already been to tbe fool's tent, I doubt not." Tbe mask became half quizzical, half frieudlj', as her cheeks mantled beneath his regard. Was It but quiet avengement agninst a Jestress whoso tongue hnd been unsparing enough, even to him, the dn*3' before? Certes, here stood now only a rosy tuald, robbed of her spirit, or n folle, struck witless, and Charles' face softened, but immediately grew stern as his mind abruptly passed from wandering Jestress and fleeing fool to matters of more moment Under vow to the Virgin the emperor hnd announced be would not draw sword himself that day, but seated beneath a canopy of velvet overlooking the valley be so far compromised with conscience as personally to direct the preparations for the conflict. On his snblo throne, surrounded by funereal hangings, how white and furrowed, how harassed with many cares, he appeured In the glare of the morn to the young girl! Was this he who held nearly all Europe In his palm? Who between martial commands talked of holy orders, the apostolic see and the seven JffoW^Btfttudled him. new doubts and mlsglvlu^ thoughts running fast n%'ther side of c her eyes to tho hill ouJj'ltlon of mludf t, the valley. In hej crlsis lt wn8 a confused as bpj*en townrd noon word r distinct rcjt? free baron was i was aching. Soon, not far distant, the i BJB?ege of Louis of ltochfels was seen; r it the front, flashing helmets and 1 breastplates; behind, a cavalcade of la- ( dies on horseback and litters, above l which floated many flags and banners. ] Would he come on? Would he turn 1 back? Many opinions were rife. "Ob," cried a page with golden hall, "there will be no battle after all." i And truly, confronted by the nspect ???*? mnrnnilop VI iiiv vun?v.kv/i o vui had nt first hesitated. But If the dan- i gers before hlni were great those be- i hind were greater. Accordingly, leaving the cavalcade of the princess, her maids and attendants, the free baron of Hochfels, surrounded by bis own nuiiimj tfinips, difsned forward arro- i gnntty. Into the valley, beiit upon sweeping aside even the opposition of Charles himself. "Yonder's a daring knave, your majesty," with some perturbation observed the prelate who stood near the emperor's chair. "Certes, he tilts nt fame or death with a bold lance," replied Charles. "Would that Robert of Frledwald were there to cry him quits." While thus he spoke, as calm as though secluded In one of his monastery retrents, weighing the nffnlrs of state, nearer aud uenrer drew the soldiers of I.ouls of Pfalss-Urfeld?roughly calculating, n force numerically as strong us the emperor's own guard. The young girl, her face now white and drawn, watched the approaching band. Would Charles never give the signal? Imperturbable sat the mounted troopers of the emperor, awaiting the word of command. At length, when her brenth began to come fast and sharp, Charles raised his arm. In a solid, steady body his men swept onward. The girl strove to look away, but could not. Both bands, galnii\g in momentum, met with a crash. That nice symmetry of form and orderliness of movement I were succeeded by a tangle of men and horses, the bristling array of lances bad vanished, and swords and weapons #?. h- 1 * I. MM tur UUIIU IU iiauu wunuro lurew n yiujr of light mnld the jumble of troops and steeds, flags nnd banners. With sword red from carnage Louis of Hochfels drew bis men around him, hurling them against the Arm ftont of Charles' veterans. It was the crucial moment, the turning point In a struggle that could not he prolonged, but would be rather sharp, short and decisive. If his men failed at the onset all was lost. If they gained but a little ascendency now their mastery of the field became fairly assured. Great would be the reward for success; the fruits of victory?the emperor himself. And savagely the free baron cut down a stalwart trooper. His blade pierced the throat of another. "Clear the way to Charles!" he cried J exultantly. "He la our guerdon;" . . . ?X -wi *?VO. 80 terrible that rush the guard of Spain on the right and the troops of Plunders on the left begun to give way. Only the men of Priedwald stood, but ! with the breaking of the forces on eaeh side it was inevitable they, too, must soon be overwhelmed. Involuntarily, j as the qulek eye of the emperor detected tliis sign of impending disaster, be hnlf started from his chair. His hand sought his side. In his eyes shone a steely light. The prelato quickly crossed himself and raised his bend as If In prayer. I "The pennnce, sire," he murmured. but bis voice trembled. | Mechanically Charles replaced bis blade. "Yen, better a kingdom lost," he muttered, "than n broken vow." Yet after so many battles won In the field and diet, after titanic contests with kings in Christendom and Solyman In the east, to fall by the mockery of fate Into the grasp of n thieving mountaiu rifler? "Ambition, power, wo sow but the sand!" whispered satiety. | "Valuglory is a sleeveless errand," murmured the spirit of the flagellant. Yet he gazed half fiercely at his priestly adviser, when suddenly Ills gloomy eye brlghtenea; the inutility of ambition was forgotten; uuconsciously he clasped the arm of the Joculatrlx, who had drawn near. His grip was like a gauntlet. Even in her tense, strained mood she winced. "The fight is not yet lost!" ho exclaimed. As he spoke the figure of a knight, fully armed, who had made his way through the avenue of tents, was seen swiftly descending the hill. Upon his strong Arabian steed the rider's appearance and liearing signaled him as a , soldier apart from the rauk and file of 1 the guard. His coat of arms, that ( of the house of Frledwnlri ? ?? emblazoned upon the housings of his courser. Whence limi l~" ? attendants irnd equerries had not seen him iu the camp. Only the taciturn armorer of Frledwald looked complacently after him, stroking his great beard as one well satisfied. As this late comer approached the scene of strife the flanks of the guard were wavering yet more perilously. "A miracle, sire!" cried the prelate. "But one that partakes more of earth than heaven," retorted Charles, with ready Iron/. "Who is ie. sire?" breathlessly asked the young flrl. At her feet whimpered the blue <yed page, holding to her skirt, all life courage gone. But ere ie could answer?if be had seen fit to to A^oni below, out of the vortex, cr.ae^y,amorous shouts: "The dtue!^^5e duke!" The mntJKrot the mountain pass heard alsijKa felt at that moment a sudded Mill of premonition. The toe quittauce?could It be post,1Q end wus not far? ame redoubled; wherever his swora w ouched a trooper fell. dl But, like a wave, recovering from the <j] ecoil, the soldiers of Frledwald broke <j] ipon his doomed band with a force nanlfold augmented?broke and car- n led the flanks with it, for the assault- h, ng parties to the right nnd left were lismayed by the strength unexpectedly n nirled against the center. The bulky h flemish, the lithe Spaniard, the lofty e trooper of Frledwald. overflowed the ^ iihattered line of the marauders. "Duke Robert!" nnd "Frledwald!" B shouted the Austrian band. h "Cowards! Would you give way?" cried the free baron, striking among ( them. "Fools! Better the sword than fl the rope. Come!" But In his frenzied efforts to rally ^ his men the master of Ilochfels found t himself face to face with the leader of the already victorious troops. At the . sight of him the pretender paused. Ills J breast rose and fell with his labored breathing. Ills sword was dyed red, also his arms, his clothes. From his j fnrtdiiMiil the ldo<vl r?in down nvnr tit* beard. His eyes rolled like those of an 1 animal. He seemed something inhu- 1 man, an incarnation of baffled purpose. "If It is reprisal you want. Sir Duke, you shall have It!" he panted, 1 "Reprisal!" exclaimed Robert of 1 Frledwahl scornfully. "The best you can offer is your life." And with that they closed, Evading the strokes of his more bulky antagonist, the younger man's sword repeatedly sought the vulnerable part of the other's armor. The free baron's strength became exhausted. Ills blows rang harmlessly or struck the empty air. A sensation of pain admonished him . of his own disability. About him his | band had melted away. Doggedly had they given up their lives beneath sword, mace and pqnjard- The ground was strpwn with the slain. Riderless horses were galloping up the road. The free baron breathed yet harder. Before his eyes he seemed to see only blood. Of what avail had been his efforts? He had won the princess, but how brief had been his triumphs! With a | belief that was almost superstition he < imagined his destiny lay tlironeward. But the curse of his birth had been a ban to his efforts: the bitterness of de feat smote him. He knew be was falling; his nerveless hand loosened his blgde. < "I am sped,'.' be cried?"sped!" and released bis hold, while the tide of con- . lllct appeared abruptly to sweep away, j As lie struck the earth an ornament that he had worn about his neck became unfastened and dropped to the ground. ; But once he moved, to raise himself on bis elbow. "The hazard of the die!" he muttered, ! striving to see with eyes that were growing blind. A rush of blood interrupted him, he fell back, straightenCd out and stirred no more. Mow had the din of strife ceased altogether when descending the slope appeared a cavalcade, at the head of which no* vitff OR 4 white followed by several maids and guarde by an escort of soldiers who wore tt king's own colors. A stricken proce Ion It seemed as It drew near, tli faces of the women white with fen the gny nttire and gorgeous trapping ?a mockery on that ensanguined area: Froudly proceeded the lady on tli white boree, although In her eyes shon a look of dread. It was an age who women were nccustomed to scones c bloodshed, inured to conflicts in tb lists, yet she shnddered as her palfre, picked its way across that field. A the near side of the hollow her glanc singled out a motionless figure nmoni those lying where they had fallen, i thickset man, whose face was upturn ed to the sky. One look into thos< glassy eyes, so unresponsive to lie own, and she quickly dismounted am fell on her knees beside the recumben form. She took one of the cold hand) In hers, but dropped It with a scream. "Dead!" she cried. "Dead!" The lady stared at thnt terribly re pnlslve face. For some moments sin seemed dazed; sat there dully, the on lookers forbearing to disturb her. Tliei her gaze encountered Hint of him wli< had slain the free baron, and slu sprang to her feet. On her features ar expression of bewilderment had beer followed by one of recognition. "The duke's fool!" she exclaimed wildly. "lie Is dead, and you have killed him I The fool has murdered his master!" ' "It is true he is dead," answered the other, leaning heavily 011 his sword and surveying the inanimate form, "but he was 110 master of mine." "Thnt. Madame la Trlncesse, we will also nffirm," broke in an austere voice. Behind them rode the emperor, a dark figure among those bright gowns and golden trappings, the saddlecloth and adornments of his steed somber as J&k: i aved back tnu cntaicauc, ?..? once to tUe gesture the ladies, solera and attendants withdrew to a iscreet dtotance. Bitterly the princess irveyed the monarch. Overwrought, torrent of reproaches sprung from er lips. "Why has your majesty made war on ly lord? Why have you countenanced is enemies and harbored his rourderre?" And then, drawing her figure to :s full height, her tawny hair falling n a cloud about her shoulders, "Be ure, sire, my kinsman, the king, will ;now how to avenge my wrongs!" "He cannot, madam," answered Charles coldly. "They are already ivenged." "Already avenged!" she exclaimed, vlth her gaze upon the prostrate tigire. "Yes, madam, for he who hath inlured you has paid the extreme penilty." "He who was my husband has been foully murdered!" she retorted vehemently, "What had the Duke of Friedwald done to bring upon himself your majesty's displeasure?" "Nothing," answered the emperor more gently. "Nothing! And yet he lies theredead!" "He who lies before you is not the duke, but Louis of Hochfels." "Ah," she cried excitedly, "I see you have been listening to the false fool, hla miip/lnraet" An expression of annoyance appeared on the emperor's face. He liked not to be crossed nt any time by any one. "You have well called him the false fool, madam," said Charles curtly, "for he Is no true fool." "And yet he rode with your troops." redeem his houor, madam." "His honor!'* With a scornful face she approached nearer to the monarch. "Ills honor! In God's name, what mean you?" "That the false fool, madam, is himself the Duke of Friedwald." CHAPTER XXVII. 'VrpjllE Duke of Friedwald!" 1 ? I It was not the princes! Ljjjuj who thus exclaimed, bu PVwPsH .IflcmiAllnA Chnrln* hnr spoken loudly, and, drawn Irresistibly to the scene, she had caught hla slg nltlcnnt words at the moment she rec ognlzed In his brave accouterment him whom she had known as thi duke's fool. When she had heard above the din o the fray the cries with which the new comer had been greeted, no suspicion o his Identity had crossed her mind. Sh had wondered, been puzzled nt the un expected appearance of Robert, dnk of Prledwald, but that he and the ail lng fool were one and the same wa wide from her field of speculation. I amazement she regarded the knlgb who had turned the tide of conflict and then started, noticing the colors h wore, a paltry yellow ribbon on hi kl had not understood now appeared ie plain?bis assurance In Fools' hall, his b- reckless darlnK, his skill with the ie sword. He wns h soldier, not n Jester; r, a lord, not n lord's servant. ;s Lost in 110 less wonder, the princess i. gazed from the free baron to Churles e and back again to the lifeless form. ,e Stooping, she looked steadfastly Into 11 the face as though she would rend Its >f secret. Perhaps, too, ns she studied e those features piece by pieeo she y patched together the scenes of the t past. Iier own countennnce began to e harden, ns though some part of thnt g mask of death bad fallen upon her, n and wheu she glanced once more at [. the emperor they saw she no longer e doubted. With forced self control she r turned to the emperor. 1 "Doubtless It Is some brave pastime," t she said to Charles. "Will your majes3 ty deigu to explain?" "Nay," answered the emperor dryly. "Thnt thankless task I'll leave to him w who played the fool." e Uncovering, the Duke of Friedwald . approached. The excitement of the i contest over, his pallid features marked i the effects of his recent injuries, the i physical strain under which he had la, bored. Her cold eyes swept over him t haughtily, inquiringly. "For the part I have played, mnd1 am," he said, "I ask your forbearance. , If we both labored under a delusion I i have ouly regret"? "Regret!" Was it an outburst of grief or wounded pride? He flushed, but continued llrmly: "Madame la Priucesse, when flrst a marriage was proposed between us I was younger in experience if not in years than I am now, more used to the bivouac or huuters' camps than courts. And woman"?he smiled?"well, she was a vague ideal. At times she camo to me when sleeping before the huntsman's fire in the solitudes of the forest, again wns reflected from the pages of classic lore. She seemed n part of the woods and the streams, for by ancient urt had she not been turned into trees and running brooks? So she whispered in the boughs and murmured nmong the rushes. Mere Schwarmerel. Do you care to hear? 'Tis the only defense I can offer." Her contemptuous blue eyes remained fastened on him. She disdained to answer. "It was a dreamer from brake and copse who went In the disguise of a Jester to be near her, to win her for himself?and then declare his indentlty. Well may you look scornful. Love?It Is not such a romantic quality?at court! A momentarv nnsiimi. but-a deep passion-a passion stronger than rnnk, than death, than nil"? Above the face of her whoirf he addressed his glance rested upon Jacqueline, and he paused. The princess could but note, and a dorlalva caprw 8ion crept about her mouth ! ",d told you all," ho flpirre iter ytoj >?v>_ own acts. Did she remember that day, when Rhe had been queen of the chaplet, when Bhe had crowned him whom now death and dishonor had overtaken? "The rest, madam, you know?save this." And, stooping, he picked up tho ornament that had dropped from Louis of Hochfels' neck. "Here, prlucess. Is the miniature you sent me. He who used you so 111 stole It from me In prison; through It he recognized the fool for the duke; with an assassin's blow he struck me dowu." A moment he looked nt that fair painted semblance. Did it recall the past too vividly? Ills face showed no pain, only tranquillity. Ills eye was rather that of a connoisseur than a lover, lie smiled gently, then held It to her. Mechanically she let the portrait slip through her fingers, and It fell to the moistened grass near the form of him who had wedded her. Then she drew back her dress so that it might not touch the body at her feet. "Have I your majesty's permission to withdraw?" she said coldly. "If you will not accept our poor escort to the klug," answered Charles. "My ladles and myself will dispense, with so much honor, sire," she re-v turned. "Such service ns we can command is m your uisposui, luauum. ue repeated. "It Is not far dlstaut to th? chateau, sire." "As you will," said the emperor. With no further word she bowed deeply, turned and, slowly retracing her steps, mounted her horse and rodo away, followed by her maids and th? troopers of France. (to b* contttoto.] Then You Get A most unlucky mortal Is he who can't afford When spring is nt the portal And nature is restored To have that tired feeling Implanted In his breast As an cxcvise for stealing i A week from work for rest, t . With birds of spring returning 1 And sunshine In a flood, r iiic icvcr iivbhio uuiiiiuk Within your bones and blood; It makes you feel delightful, You thank the weather clerk, 8 But, oh. the thing Is frightful ? If you're tied down to work! f Care of Birds. In an English treatise on the "Hyf glene of Bird Keeping," by George e Creswell, attention Is called to the t. thoughtless practice of hanging birds e In cages Just above the level of the |. sashes of windows and to the mlstak* en kindness of hanging a cage In a corn ner of a sitting room or a kitchen near ,t the celling. In the one case the bird Is ^ subjected to drafts and will In all probe ability develop catarrh and bronchltlf, [a and In the other It lives In a vitiated 4 atmosphere.