Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-02-08
conspiracy. This was perfectly
understood.

understood.
"We are all here" said Pulaski,
raising his MASSIVE head, and his
deep voice filling the room. "He
must die. Are we all agreedW
A hoarse "Ayew came from the
group about the table.
"And We are firing upon that
matter of the future course Of the
messenger who bears death to
J him"
Another muTmnr ot sullen &C
qulescence followed.
Pulaski glanced slowly about
the board, his fierce gaze resting
upon each face in turn-louger, l
thought, on mine than on the
others.
"There are fourteen of u.s." be
SAID.
From a drawer at his end of the
table he produced a handful of
small white beans, thirteen of
which he counted upon the table in
our sight. Then from another
compartment in the same drawer,
he brought forth one black one.
and placed it with the white.
There are fourteen" he said
again.
A hat served in want of d better
receptacle, and into it the fourteen
beans were dropped. Pulaski
shook them together and passed
the hat to the man at his right
hand. 1t was too dark IN the
room to see the color of the beans
in the nat, had one wished, but the
first man looked straight ahead as
be plunged his hand within and
brought it slowly forth again,
closed tightly over the beau he had
selected. His hand remained
closed as he passed the hat to his
neighbor, and thus 1t went around
the taOlc.
A strange, odd feeling of terror
came over me as | watched the
progress of the hat along the bnard.
l am not a coward; but something
seemed to be sitting me, and l
could scarcely reiraiu from crying
out.
| felt that the black bean would
fall to me; yet know not why. |
looked aOOut upon the faces of my
companions, bat all were so grave
aud stern that | was ashamed Of
my fear.
Was |, Francola DGcret, to be a
child IN the supreme hOur of trial7
Then the hat was passed to me.
A mist rose before my eyes, aud
the dingy, stuffy room seemed to
reel in my vision; yet through ltall
l saw + Pdlask's stern, set face, his
thin lips drawn back over his while
teeth, and his eyes fairly blazing.
L gropel for the hat like blinI
person and thrust my hand within.
Perhaps occupied no more time
in drawing my lot than had the
others, butt seemed an eternity to
me.
All, yes; time is not rightly meas
ured by hours and minutes, but By
events. 1t takes ages to do some
things, though the hour glass may
tell you but a few minutes have
passed.
Before nv fingers clutched the
little bean | had been terrified by a
certain knowledge that | should
draw the fatal lot. When it was
firmly in my clasp, however. aud |
had passed the hat along the board,
that feeling lett me.
| felt relievcd-almost happy;
the terrible ordeal was over, and |
was impressed now so strongly by
feeling of exultant rellet-so
great a re eactiou from my previous
morbid fear-that was willing to
swear that had been lucky, and
that the fatal lot had fallen, or
would fall, to some other. | should
not have to die! Ab, was young
and lite vas sweet tn me then.
| sat back iu my chair, aud my
eyes followed the course of the hat
about the table, while there was al.
most a smile upon my lips. My
hand remained tightly closed over
the bean, however, and the others
did likewise. | could feel the
small, hard particle pressing
against my palm, yet | had no
feeling of fear as to its color.
Tuen the hat came back to Pa.
lsski, and almost feverishIy he
seized 1t and clutched tue remain
lug bean, turning the hat upside
down on the table. aud rapping il
g nartly to show that 1t was empty,
The noise startled us all into