The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-07-18

new arrival IN German, ana In voice
Of command.
"You will set out at once," he said
"and take this sealed message to the
Prince Of K, at S-p And he
drew out Of the pocket Of his. long mill
tary cloak, white with snow, large
white envelope and handed it to one of
the officers.
go, all four Of you, and place your.
selves at the disposition of the prince
Further orders will be given to each Of
you later. You must get horses and car
riage and start at once Is it understood ?
Then hasten ~
Then, turning to the host, he said in
French:
please accommodate these gentlemen
with carriage and two fresh horses.
Generals orders P'
Lux, who had remained standing at
the door during this scene, anticipated
his masters reply.
"It is well, monsieur l'officier, you
shall be accommodated as you desire"
He spoke in peculiar tone of voice
Only his master, however, noticed it.
A mad thought had been born in his
brain, something superhuman, prepos.
terous Any one who could have read it
in his mind would have been shocked,
terror stricken.
While a farmland harnessed the
horses to the carriage Lux put saddle
on Barka, an Arab horse, faithful ami.
NAL, which he loved and cared for with
his own hands
He spoke to it as he spoke to friend.
and the noble creature seemed to under.
stand When Lux mounted into the sad
die, he was trembling with Joy.
A mysterious dialogue seemed to com.
mence between the man and the horse,
which suddenly, sending the sparks fly.
ing from beneath its four feet, vanished
into the darkness like phantom.
Barka, like some great NEUROLOGICAL
creature with wings, devoured space
Her fine, nervous legs hardly seemed to
touch the earth, and Lux kept her going
at her utmost speed.
+ At length they stopped Barka was
white with foam, and Lux covered her
with his cloak. He did not feel the cold,
for the awful thought in his mind kept
his whole body warm and tingling.
"It is yonder," he said to himself in
deep voiced growl "It is there that
they are to perish. "
At this point the road made sudden
turn, and apparently came to an abrupt
end AS matter Of fact, however, it
did not terminate, but continued in a
steep, terrible slope. On the right was
dark, mysterious wood, and on the left
deep and dizzy precipice, such as are
often seen by mountain roads
Children were afraid to pass it by
The gulf Of death, as it was called, had
its legend. The old folk said that it was
within its gloomy depths the monsters
lived that ravaged the country at night.
eff my calculations are correct" said
Lux in low voice, "they will be here
in ten minutes"
border Of the wood, and strange smile
passed over his lips.
An extraordinary scene might then
have been witnessed Lux knelt down
in this solitary, accursed, haunted spot
in the nighttime and turned his face to
heaven. 1t looked like a sinner asking
forgiveness for his sins rather than one
planning an awful deed for the satisfac-
tion of his rage and hate
Not sound was to be heard in the
surrounding country. All seemed dead
or asleep, only murmur of the wind
in the pines.
Lux placed his ear to the ground, as
the Indians do in the wilderness, and,
hearing faint sound of hoofs in the
distance striking the hard road, he raised
his head His face was transfgured.
"At last / shall have my vengeance !"
he Missed.
Then he crouched down on his hands
and knees and waited.
A few seconds more and the carriage
with the four German officers would be
upon him.
He uttered terrible cry of "Vive la
France" to which Barka replied with
joyful neigh.
The carriage, which had been ap.
preaching at tremendous speed, came to
a sudden stop, as if arrested by an IRE.
sistible force, and remained there stand
ing.
Lux had not moved an inch. He was
not a man, but stone wall
He made last and supreme effort
and raised himself upon his legs. Then
with terrific heave he pushed over the
dizzy brink horses, carriage and men.
An awful noise rose on the still night
air, sound Of crashing, cursing and
horses screaming. Then there was a 81
lence, heavy, complete, tragic
The man rose and peered over the
edge into the black gulf of death. He
saw nothing. Then he sprang into his
saddle and disappeared like shadow
into the night. From the French.
When Two Generals Kiaaed.