Novelized by PORTER EMERSON BROWNE From the Play of
the Same Name by Booth Tarkington and Harry Leon Wilson
COPYRIGHT. 1910. BY AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION
I
1 XC0NT1N UED.J I
mj ti'utti
T was natural Hint Mlln. ue a-
Jctlo. entering thn room aud
there finding tliem, should nut
understand. Thus she gave a
llvtle cry of alarm, and her brother,
coming behind, strode forward swiftly.
'What is it?" he demanded.
"A stranger!" cried Mile, de Valette.
"lie's frightened Madeleine:"
De Valette turned upon Gilbert.
"So!" he said. "These are, American
manners, are they to enter a gentle-
1
mmmmm.
4
ML U
"DO YOU THINK I WANT TO COME
man's bouse unannounced to fright
en a lady ?" .'',
Gilbert turned, his shoulders squar
ed, for, wlille he was a boy he was
lu many ways a man, and he lacked
not In cither' eourago or dignity.
"Mr. de Valette," he said proudly,
"1 am Gilbert Steele. My father scut
me here by appointment."
"Whose?" queried De Valette. "It.
takes two to make an appointment."
"He sent mo for an answer to his
letter." -
"Ah, yes!" cried De Valette, bowing
low. "He wishes to know what price
I put upon my homo! May I risk the
Indelicacy of Inquiring If you have
heard that this poor house of mine
Is on the market?"
"No, sir. But my father considered
H a fair proposal.""
"By any chance," Inquired De Va
letto harshly, "could either ho or you
consider It merely as a piece of effron
teryr .
"No, sir," returned Gilbert, the color
mounting his cheeks.
"Of course you could not!" The
smothered anger In the breast of De
Valette was llndlng flame. "But 1 Imp
pen to regard It so. Tell your father,"
he went on, "that he shall not have
the last acres of Valette, And bog
him to do me this courtesy:. That If ho
shall ever have occasion to send me
another, message lql It not be. upon
The Big
.
mi
thls "subject' nor by this messenger.
Explain to him that gentlemen of
i French descent hnve curious prejudices
I against intrusion upon their house
holds. Moreover, learn this for your
! self, because a lack of knowledge In
such matters may sometimes prove
embarrassing even dangerous to you:
Our young gentlewomen are not to be
addressed or come upon In such a way
as -has been yours."
: Gilbert Steele, color yet higher, faced
the other with dignity.
I "I did not intend any offense." he
' said quietly. "I am very ignorant of
French customs. Certain of them I
could never hope to comprehend. Bo
assured that I shall never interfere
mJJ.Il any of them aain or shall L.have
is
BACK TO FIND YOU MAUKIED?'
tlio houorwiilliigly to present myself
here after today J'
Ho turned. Lightly, behind the pro
tection of his body, he dropped the
"I DID NOT INTliND ANY OFFENSE." .
rose that Madeleine had given him.
casting it upon the chimney seat. At
the door he turned and bowed. Then
he was gone. Madeleine stood watch
ing, white fingers lacing and Interlac
ing. There was in her heart that
which sho did not know, she did uot
understand. Only it hurt it hurt so
much. Her father was saying:
"Hah! That clears the air of Yan
kee riffraff."
Father o'Mara chuckled.
"Faith," ho suld, "ho Is a gallant
young rooster, that Gilbert Steele. I
know him."
Louise had come Into the room, car
rying n decanter of wine and glasses.
Madeleine saw her dimly. And now
her aunt was speaking. .
-."iiudeleine," she said, 'come, my
Day in the Modern History of Enterprise Will
' Hereafter Be Referred To As
"Tom,, as everybody calls him, will speak in the Enterprise Opera House
the evening of that date. He will tell us what we ought to do to better
the general progress of Wallowa County. Everybody in the county really
ought to come out to hear Tom. He is just such a "Blooming E" thusiast"
as we all need to have stir us up occasionally. Don't f cr c i the date
dear!"
. O'Mara, lifting his Land, said:
"Not for a minute yet."
"But," protested Mile, do Valette,
"she's to try on her wedding dress."
"After we have drunk her health,"
said O'Mara. He raised bis glass.
"My dear"
They raised their glasses then her
father, the priest, her betrothed they
raised their glasses to her. Mechanic
ally sho remembered; mechanically she
courtesied. They turned one to anoth
er, clinking their glasses.
"To the bride!" they cried, the three
together. And then her aunt had
gone. N one was looking. Suddenly
that which was within her became
greater and yet more great. It be
came greater than habit or fear or
obedience. It became the greatest
thing of all the world greater even
than that great emptiness that was
her heart. One person of all the world
sho wanted, and that one was Gilbert.
One thing of all the things there were
she wanted, and that, thing was to
be with him, of him, his, and to have
hira here. They were not looking.
Came to her ears dlraly as from il
limitable distance the words: .
"To a bright wedding day!"
And it was then that she fled, blind
ly, wildly, following him Gilbert. ' "
'
Deep In the underbrush? clinging to
the shadows of a fallen log, . Wolf
found Crawley, his recruit. He strode
to him.
"What are you hiding for?"
Crawley came forth shivering, Im
pelled by the heavy butt of a long5
rifle.
"1 thought there might be' British
about," ho said fearfully. "I I was
gctng to ambush them."
"You'll get all the ambushing you
want tomorrow," the other rejoined
contemptuously. '
"You you don't think there'll be a
real battle, do you, Mr. Wolf?" ven
tured the recruit quaklngly.
The other snorted.
"I don't believe you'll be able to tell
It from a real one," he returned.
"Do you think we'll all be killed?"
Wolf eyed him severely.
"Something tells me, Crawley," he
said at length, "that you're going to
be one of the survivors of this war."
There could be no doubt of the fer
vor with which the recruit replied:
"Oh, I do want to be!"
Wolf again eyed him.
"See here, my son," he said, "are
you considerable of a coward?"
"Oh. Mr. Wolf" began Crawley In
expostulation. And then: "Yesterday,
when you were making that speech In
the village, I felt dreadful patriotic
and reckless. But somehow It ain't
the snme today, when we've got to
inarch!"
"See here, Private Crawley," said
j Wolf sternly, "do you know where
we put a man that gets to shakln'
when he has shootln' to do? We stand
him out In front, right up close to the
enemy, so's he won't miss 'em."
Crawley gulped.
"Oh, I won't shake. Captain Wolf!
I promise not to shake!"
"Where's your powderhoru?" de
manded Wolf suddenly,
Crawley felt behind his back. He
said Blowly, quaklngly, "I must 'a'
forgot It"
"What!"
"I-I must V left It nt home."
"Immortal Joshaway!" exclaimed
Wolf. "Go back for it. And be sure
you're bn.ck here at sunset when the
company marches."
Crawley, more quickly than he had
moved yet, scrambled across the log
aud vanished In the enshrouding un
derbrush. Wolf watched him go, dis
gust planted deep lu his bronzed and
wrinkled visage. When he turned it
was. to face L'Acadlenne..
"Ah, Trapper Wolf." sTjo said enslly,
"your company has a rendezvous here,
eh'f"
He nodded sntlsfiodly.
"Company's full; recrultin's finish
ed." be rejoined complacently. "I tell
yon, my boys from these trails will
know how to help Andy Jackson chase
them British varmints Into the river.
You know what ws call the company
Wolfs shnrpshooters, and we're to
meet here at sunset. That's the word
sent out 'by the fallen log and the
holler tree.' "
L'Acadlenne placed her hands on her
hips, smiling a little.
"You have ' my good wish In the
fight," she said simply. "I think you
have good hearts. That Is not so fre
quent." An idea hnd come to Wolf. He
turned to her.
"Are you in any partlc'lar hurry?"
he asked.
She smiled again.
"Me?" she. said. "My hurry Is all at
en end. What is It that you want?'.'
"Do you know young Gilbert Steele?"
She shook her head.
"That won't matter," . he replied.
"He's a mighty likely young feller of
this neighborhood, and he's joined
Wolf's sharpshooters uilbeknowst to
his father, so I had to bring his rifle
here for him. He'll be here for it, but
I haven't had no chance to give him
the word that here's where the com
pany is to meet and start from, and I
want him to stay here. Now, if you'd
Just wait here and tell him for me it'd
give nie a chance to foller a darned
coward" he glanced in the direction
in which Crnwley had disappeared
"that I think Is going to desert. I
could make sure he comes back."
She nodded. Indifferently sho said:
"I will do It." ' ,
"Well, I take that kindly of you," he
acknowledged, ne handed her the ex- I
tra rifle that he carried and unslung I
the second powderhorn that lay across
his shoulder. She took them and went
to the cleft tree that stood by the log.
"I will put them here tor hliu," sho
sai'i-
' Wolf turned. " - j '
"He'll be here," he said; "a likely
lookln' young feller with pleasiu' man
ners. Jest ask him if his name's Gil
bert Steele and give 'em to him." Aud
he was gone. ,
L'Acndierme had forgotten him ere
he had vanished from sight. She stood,
amis akimbo, silent, motionless. Only
her eyes moved, and they moved not
much, ' At length she heard the bushes
rustle behind her. Sho turned.
Cnino toward her Madeleine, de Va
lette. Golden brown hair was dishev
eled.' iTer eyes were' wide. "The hem
of her white dress was torn, and to it
adhered a bit of vine a bramble.
Madeleine came forward slowly.
"Have you seen ny one pass this
way?" she asked. v
"Why?" L'Acadlenne wondered; the
wonderment was in her voice.
. Madeleine said:
"I was following some one, but he
was very far ahead and on horseback.
He rode Into the woods, and I lost
sight of him, bjit I kept following."
L'Acadlenne shrugged her lithe shoul
ders expressively. She said:
, "M. Rnoul de Valette is a difficult
man to follow, as many have found."
. "M. Raoul do Valette! 'But I am
not following him."
"Not . he?" L'Acadlenne cried, sur
prised. ,
Madeleine shook her little head the
head that was so like a lily upon Its
stem.
"Oh, no!" she said simply.
' "One so fortunate as to be betrothed
to M.'Itnoul de Valette and searching
for another man!" L'Acadlenne spoke
Blowly, curiously.
Madeleine said almost piteonsly: .
f.H.T . '
mm y v
3 ts J
)t :;r:
t' '- ..nr.)'
, U:- -S;J. -' .'
. ':.-...... - . w . , ,
iiiiiiis h .
ti.
"M. KAOUL DE VALETTE IS A DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW, All
MANY HAVE FOUND." ,
"Oh, so lar! J nave neyer "been as
far as this be
fore. It is bard
coming . through
these woods."
"Who is It?"
d e m a n ded the
other. "Who is
It ' that you fol
low?" !
"His name Is
Gilbert"-
"Gilbert Steele?"
cried L'Acadlenne
quickly.
"Do you know
him?" exclaimed
Madeleine eager
ly. "Have you
seen him?"
'I have a mes
s a g e for him
"WHO 'IS IT TITAT
" YOU FOLLOW?"
too." She was
looking 'at the
Blender little figure intently. She said
suddenly, "It might be that I eoulc
save you some little trouble if yon
tell me your message."
"It Isn't a message."
"You want to see him?" She Bald It
shrewdly, eagerly.
"Oh. yes." ' ,
L'Acadlenne went on eagerly: "You
want to look at him? You want to be
with him, near by, so that you can
talk with hlm-talk all you like? I'm
right?"
"Oh, I must!" Madeleine cried. "He
Is hurt with me," she went on, explain
ing rapidly. "He got angry with me
so suddeuly. He was offended. 1
didn't know what to do, and then they
all came. My father was so bitter
with him and spoke so harshly to Mm,
and be said that he would never come
back and went away. Don't you un
derstand? I must see him and tell
him. I don't want him to be hurt."
"Because," said L'Acadlenne slowly,
"if he Is hurt that hurts you a great
deal?"
"1 can't bear It!" cried Madeleine
plteously.
"He Is such an old friend of yours,
' ' nuve known him a long
1 mi
Be What Can Now
M
TUaaelelue snook ner neaa.
" N.' ' ' nlia a i 1.1 1 hava Irnnron him
only since since today.";
In the eyes of L'Acadlenne shone
a mocklnor crludness. She was aura
now. ' l
"And." she said.' slowly looking at
iu . . i . i ,t... a. l.
iuu puiueuc unit figure ueiuie ' uoi,
"you are betrothed to M. Raoul de Va- ,
lette!"' '
Madeleine nodded.
"Oh. yes," she said, "M. Raoul la
quite an old gentleman." ,
L'Acadlenne's mirth was unrestrain
ed. It came back to them from the
arch of the forest ; ,
"So he Is!" she cried. "So he 1st ;
He Is quite an old. gentleman, la M.
Raoul de Valette." Then In abrupt
transition: "And you, ma'm'selle, you
wish to find your Gilbert! Well, I
have not seen him." ' 5 ' : '..'
Mudeleine said slowly, gently, re
proachfully: '
"I think you might have told me.
I have lost much time." She turned
to go, but the other called to her.
A OU1U A U1U uu V buv
was," she declared. "1 did not say
that I did not know where he will be."
She waited a moment,' eying the ea
gerness on Madeleine's face, In her
eyes. At length she said,' "He Is going
to war." ' . j j
Madeleine de Valette shivered.
L'Acadlenne needed to know no more.
She pointed to the cleft In the tree.
"His company meets here. He la
coming for that gun. He Is to wait"
"When?" cried Madeleine eagerly.
' Came from the forest the call of an
OWL' i
L'Acadlenne said simply: " ' ' '
"I think your. Gilbert comes now." .
She turned, laughing a little. "M.' .
Raoul de Valette," she murmured aa
to. herself, "ia quite an old gentle- ';
man!" ...
to bb continued.1
and