The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-10-30
TIE STORY or
FRANCIS CLUDDE
ny STANLEY vrYMAs


mY UU If .H Hn HH.H doorway .Iua fU
mn aud 0'0t. lisn fH Goo luaI.r Hul Dob.
lOft D. UH. h l.W .'UUu U.HWHt IHfIU
hrwDd with % eHut Hf 1fns nuU1 Drr
&c. .Iw 'n 800 instant fHuf if iuu-I l.IU
tO thD tHu.r HHHrU u-afhc rlithHu.U..
and . swuur frUm mv hUrsu % fr.H 500
from Goo hHu-as h0lur thp B0t -Hu
chat lf we nrrU tu gain moment f.r
uarlDyine. We muJ take re.usU uUf. ]
do nut know how J dii &c. hut somehow D
iuadU myself understood hy tIpOfh.r puu
got The women uu tHpir hura"- nud ding
pod Mistress Ammo inside. vhpr. at uncr
W. both fol boz tho darkness over thy lUv
ar steps of o. spiral staircase Ths hiu
dHrud thg duchess. Who was following
and hoard % scUnlo taking place hUhiud
us But Boz that confined spty.-thD stain.
C1-u was very narrow could give uU
help . could only -tumbi, upward. drug
Fins tho iuuunR rIn after mn until we
emerged through au open doorway 90 tlo
top into q room. What Kind of room !
did uui notice then. only tlnt 90 Was
empty Noticed 10 was boo tmo for tak
iup notice Tho boil was changing louder
and louder outside The mob were yelling
like hounds Boz sight of their quarry The
shouts, the confused cries aud tHrguts and
questions drlfrnod mD ] turned tD lolrn
what was happening h.hiud me. The
other two bad NOT come up
felt my way down again, one hand on
The central pillar my shoulder against
the outside wall Tho stair foot was faint
ly DO ly thp glow from outside. and UU
the bottom step came ou Some ono. hurt
or dead. just dark mass at my feet. Do
was Master BERTHE ] gave "a cry and
leapgd over his body The duchess. brave
wife. was standing before him. tby haluurt
which sine bad suatch,d up presented OF
the doorway, and the bowling mob out.
side
Fortunately the crowd had not yet
learned bow few we were, nor saw. /
tnnk that 30 was but % woman who COM
fruutyd them. To rush into thg low door
way and storm the narrow winding stair.
case Boo The face Of unknown numbers was
task from which the brHyrst Veterans
might have niuohcd, and thU tUwusi1lk,
furious a. they wor5 hung back / took
advantage Of Tho pause. ] grhspud the
halbort myself and pushed the duchess
back Drag him up' ] mutterod. If
sou cannot manage &c. call Annu.'
But grief and hard necessity gave her
strength, and despite the noise IN front "
me heard her toll painting up with her
burden When Judged she lad reached
the room above. ], too. turned and ran up
after her posting myself iu the last anglo
Just below the room. There ] was shell
tered from missiles by the turn IN tho
staircase and was further protected by the
darkness. Now ] could hold the way with
little risk, for only one could come up 81
a time, and be would be- q brave man who
should storm the stairs In my teeth.
All this Irgmembor, was done IN kind
O. desperate frenzy in liusto and confusion,
with 10 plan or final purpose, but simply
4. q #H..H
which led me 10 do from moment to mo-
ment, what could ~ save our lives. l
did not know whether there was another
staircase 10 the tower nor whether there
were enemies above uE whether indeed
enemies might not swarm IN On Us from a
dozen entrances ! had no time 20 think
Of more than just thi--that my staircase
Of which / did know, must De held.
think had stood there about min
ute, breathing hard and listening TO the
din outside, which came 20 my ears lit
tie sUftened by the thick walls round me
so much softenUd, nt least, that / could
hear my heart beating In the midst Of it
when the duchess came back 10 the door
above. could sec her, there being Ger
tain amount Of light In the room behind
her, but she could not see me. What can
DOR she asked softly.
1 answered by question. is h
nliyef" / mutteted.
Eyes, but hurt % she answered, strug
Cling with a sob, with q 1iuttering Of thu
woman's heart she had ropres5ed so brave
Iy. Much hurt, fearl oh, why, why
did we come herei"
She did not mean IL as a reprOach, but
took it as one and braced myself more
firmly 10 meet this crisis-to save her at
least II it should be any way possible
Ii, 4 do u
thingi" babe her take my pike and stant
where was for moment. Since no en-
envy had yet made his appearance abOy,
the strength Of our position seemed tC
hold out some hope, and IL was the NOR,
essential that / should understand 1t and
know exactly what our chances were.
sprang up the stnirs into the room and
looked round, my eyes seeming to take In
everything at once. 1t was a big bare
room, with signs Of habitation only in one
corner On the side toward the town was
long, low window, through which,
score Of the diamond panes We're broken
already-tbe flare Of the besiegers torches
fell luridly on the walls and vaulted roof.
BY the dull embers Of a wood fire, over
which hung a huge black pot, Master Der
tie was lying on the boards, breathing
loudly and painfully, his head pillowed on
the duchess kerohief. Beside him sat Mis-
tress Anne, her face hidden, the child wall
ing in her lap.
a glance round assured me that there
was no other staircase, and that on thu
side toward the country the wall wa
pierced with no window bigger than
loopholo OF an arrow slit, with no opening
which even "a boy could enter For tn
present, therefore, unless the top Of tn
tower should be escaladed from the ada
. II a. II.
vide against that--we had nothing to fea
except from the staircase and the window
have mentioned. Every moment, how
ever, a missile OF shot crashed through
the latter, adding the SILVER Of fallin
glass 90 the general din. No wonder tn
child walled and the girl sank over II Ii
abject terror. Those savage yells Nigh
well make a woman blanch They carrie
more fear and dread to my heart than di
the real danger Of our position, desperat
as it was.
And yet it was SO desperate that for
moment leaned against the wall daze
and hopeless listening 10 the internal Il
multi without and within. Had Bert
been by my side to share the responsibilit
md join in the risk, / could have borne
better. might have felt then some
the Joy of battle and the stern pleasure
the one matched against the many. Br
/ was alone. How was / to save the
women and that poor child from the yel
ing crew outsidef How indeedy did nj
know the enemy's language; / could M
communicate with him, could not explall
could not even cry for quarter for Il
women.
A stone which glanced from one of d
mullions and grazed my shoulder rous'
me from this flt Of oowardioe, which,