The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-04-20
OUR STORY TELLER.
THE CAVERN.

In the dark evenings of autumn, the
Count st. Valery, accompanied by his
wife and the faithful nurse of Their
children, Marie, left the chateau by q
side door, heavily laden, and made Their
way through wooden valley to an old
deserted quarry. There they drew away
heaps of furze and brushwood, and
crept into hole in the rock which led
to narrow passage, expanding at length
into lofty cavern, which communicated
with another, still larger.
They deposited their loads and re-
turned, closing the entrance carefully to
the chateau. Thus they labored most OF
the nights in the darkest time of the
French Revolution, when no ones life
was safe from day to day, and when
bands of men roamed about the country,
burning farms and the houses of the
gentry, dragging to prison all whom they
had any cause to hate, excepting such as
met with a speedy death at their hands.
The servants had been dismissed from
the chateau except Marie and Andre,
the faithful gardener. Stores of useful
things, ready for an evil day, had long
been collected there; and the count
hoped to conceal his family in the
cavern till better days should dawn on
unhappy France.
Lose no timew cried he, one night
to his wife. "The farm on the hill is in
flames. Our turn will be next"
Rosanne and Claude, the two little
daughters of the St. Valerys, were
reused from their beds, and Marie led
them through the dark night toward the
wood
"Come saidl' the countess to her hus-
band.
az will follow you in few moments"
replied he. 81 must leave all as if the
chateau had been long deserted"
I will not leave youl" said she; " we
must come together"
Her husband insisted, and she hurried
after her children.
The count tried to give deserted air
to the one or two rooms lately occupied.
To his great horror a flash of light
streamed in through the chinks of O
closed window-shutier. lie extipguished
his own light. Then through narrow
passage window he discerned men with
torches climbing the lofty wall of the
courtyard.
He made his way to the postern-gate,
by which he should have departed in a
few minutes. He heard voices of men
without.
All egress was thus cut off. All he
could do was to get out of a window,
which was closed behind him, into a
bower-garden, and there to conceal him.
self in large clump of laurels and
rhododendrons.
"No one is in the castlel" shouted
voices, after a while. "The rats have
escaped; let us set fire to the rat-hole p'
So the wretchess set fire to the hangings
in the different rooms and to the stair
cases, and flames soon issued from the
window and lighted up the little flower
garden.
ave will see if the rats have really
escaped. Now / will tell you why
brought this dog from Chateau Penthil
in Poitou; St. Valery is on his collar
He belonged to the owner of this house
who probably gave him to Citizen
Penthil. He will find out any rats who
may be concealed near the chateau"
said the leader of the gang.
Little Charmette, Rosanne's dog, who
had been brought to his former home
was let loose. He soon found out hi:
old master, who was dragged from his
hiding-place and carried off to the prison
at Nantes.
A countrywomen with a basket OF
eggs and chickens often came to the
prison to sell such things to those of its
inmates who could afford to buy them
She gave little presents of farm pro-
duce to the sentinels at the gate of the
chief entrance.
One day woman answering her de
scription was seen wandering about the
corridors. She had lost her way in
going from the room of some prisoner,
who had money, to another. A turnkey
recognized her as the usual visitant tc
the prison, permitted to sell things tc
the captives within, and he unlocked q
postern and let her out into the street.
But woman in a dress exactly like
hers had long before this gone down the
great staircase, having sold her eggs anc
chickens and received in return a fail
sum of money from her customers il
the prison.
The first countrywoman was Madame
st, Valery. The second was not a wo
man at all, but the Count St. Valery
who had been supplied with the femal,
dress by his wife, who had worn it ovel
her.
By different routes they found thei
way to the cavern, where the two chill
dren received them with the widest de
light, and where they lived for length
of time in safety with them and with thu
two faithful servants. 1t was Andre
the old gardener, who had found out thai
his master was imprisoned at Nantes