The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1891-06-04

Tor moment, tno e1Cltou BlfA bu1Scuo4
eagerly at the timely occupation Afford
ed to her by the necessity Of preparing
the materials for her rope ladder.
Among the countless cords and hing.
ings Of various colors that abounded on
every Ede It was easy for her TO supply
herself with an ample stock Of the dark
green stuff" recommended by De Morte-
mart, and she began her work at once.
This was by far the best thing that
she could have done. The steady en-
ployment quieted her overstrained
nerves, and her spirits rose with the
thought that she was herself doing some
thing to aid her own liberation. She
wisely decided to give her ladder the
simplest possible form, by knotting at
intervals into the long rope that she was
making small cross pieces Of wood, to
serve as rests for her hands and feet.
With these she supplied herself from the
spokes Of an old fashioned bedstead in
the next room to her own, and during
the long hours Of that sleepless night the
work went rapidly on.
The next day 1t went on more rapidly
still and was half hnished by nightfall;
but how could she find out what length
1t ought to be?
A thought struck her. Sitting on the
summit Of the Pit tower, over piece Of
embroidery which she had lately COM
menced, she contrived to let one Of her
balls Of silk roll as II by accident (for o
keen eye was watching her from .
neighboring turreD over the edge Of the
battlement Running out its whole
length a. 1t fell, while she held the other
end, it reached to within two or three
feet Of the ground, and thus she got the
exact measure.
By noon the next day the work was
done, and in the afternoon Princess
Madeleine went for q ride over the hills,
attended as usual by two Of the jailers
who called themselves her servants.
She was three or four miles from the
castle, and had Just pulled up her horse
after Q smart canter, when o tattered
old white bearded beggar hobbled up to
her with q whining petition for aims.
But as his eyes met hers they darted at
her Q keen, warning glance, and he
whispered in the voice Of Henri de Nor
temart:
"Is the ladder hnishedr
REFRESHING by o violent effort the
start that would have betrayed her
Madeleine answered eyes," while
throwing q small silver coin into his
outstretched hat.
"Be ready then at nightfall on the
third evening hence, when you shall
hear my guitar in the thickets," /" said
the seeming beggar, in q tone audible
only to her, and with Q clumsy gesture
of thanks he turned and hmped away
down the path.
That night Madeleine, having listened
long and warily for any sound Of move
ment in the silent case, made up her
rope ladder into . bundle, in order to
carry It to the Pit tower. But to her
indescribable dismay she found it 50
heavy that she could hardly raise II
from the ground. much less carry It up
the steep. high stair Of the tower.
But the brave girl was not easily
checked with life and freedom before
her. She dragged the rope ladder after
her along the passage and up the wind
ing stair, reaching the top Of the tower
90 utterly exhausted that she was forced
to sit down and gasp for breath. But
the moment her strength began to re-
turn she was ct work again, kmotting
the end Of her ladder to broken iron
stanchion which had once served to se-
cure o flagstaff, and then she began to
let 1t down. coil after coil, between two
great masses Of ivy, the deep shadow Of
which would even In the day time make
1t quite invisible from below,
With all her care, It made rustling
among the leaves which sounded terri.
bly, loud amid that tomb like silence.
Had any one heard itp She clinched her
teeth in desperation Is she listened, firm
lyresolved that II detected now she would
fling herself headlong from the tower
rather than see her last hope Of liberty
melt away. But all was still, and with
the slow, mechanical step Of sleep walk
er she descended the perilous stair.
But now that all was done, and moth
ing left for her but to wait, the slow
torture became all but uncomfortable.
The nearer the time Of her delivance
came the more impossible It appeared.
The rope ladder would be discovered;
Henri would be delayed by some acci.
dent; Keretsenyi would return be-
fore the time, or would perhaps sur.
prise them in the very act Of escaping,
and wreak upon them both the full fury
Of that hellish vengeance Of which she
had already seen % many fearful proofs.
Would the third evening never come?
II came at last-chill. dreaFy, dark,
with coming storm, and a. the red glare
Of the angry sunset faded amid the
gathering Of clouds that blackened over.
head, Madeleine, watching Il from the
summit Of the fatal tower felt a. II the
light Of her own life were going out
along with IL. Over earth and slSy
brooded . grim, unnatural silence,
broken only by hurrying hoof tramp
far away among the hills, e II some be-
lated traveller were In haste to reach his
home ere the storm burst. .......
Harkl was that o faint sound Of mu.
sic from the black shadowy thickets be-
low2
She held her breath to listen, and sud.
denly II came again, and this time her
quick ear caught, too plainly to be mis-
taken, the notes Of her favorits song.
Her rescuer was therel ef
But just then, as abe bent down to ~
cure - best she could the trap door that
opened from the stair on to the platform
Of the Pit tower before haEarding the
fearful descent, the approaching hoof
tramp, which had been growing louder
and nearer with every moment, came