Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-06-25
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II was strange position, and have
often dreamed of 1t since. In the dark
ness about me Paris lay to all seeming
asleep. A veil, and not the veil OF night
only, was stretched between it and
me; between me, mere lad. and the
strange secrets Of great city;
stranger, grimmer, more deadly that
night than ever before or since. How
many men were watching under these
dimly seen roofs, with arms in their
hands? How many sat with murder
at henrt? How many were waking,
who at dawn would sleep forever, or
sleeping who would wake only at tie
knife's edge? These things | could not
know, any more than | could picture
how many boon companions were part
ing at that instant, just risen from the
dice, one to go blindly--the other
watching him--to his death? ] cocld
not imagine, thank Heaven for It, these
secrets, or hundreth part OF the
treachery and cruelty and greed that
lurked ut my feet, ready to burst ull
bounds at a pistol-shot II had no Sig
nifcance for me that the past day was
the 23d Of August, or that the morrow
was St. Bartholomew's feast!
No. Yet mingled with the jnbilation
which the possibility Of triumph over
our enemy raised in my breast, there
WINS certainly foreboding. The Vi
DANES hints, no less than his open
boasts, had pointed to something to
happen before morning-something
wider than the mere murder Of a single
man. The warning also which tie
Baron de Rosny had given us at the inn
occurred to me with new meaning. Aid
/ could not shake the feeling Qtf. !
fanced, as | sat in the darkness astride
Of my beam, that ! could see, closing
the narrow vista OF the street. the
heavy mass Of the Louvre, ana that the
murmur of voices and the tramp OF men
assembling came from its courts, with
now and again the stealthy challenge
Of q sentry, the restrained voice of nm
officer. Scarcely Il wayFarer passed
beneath me; SO few, indeed, that | had
no fear Of being detected from below.
And yet, unless | was mistaken, fur
tive step, a subdued whisper were borne
to me on every breeze, from every quar-
ter. And the night was full Of phan-
toms.
Perhaps all this was mere nervous
ness, the outcome Of my position. At
any rate / felt no more Of 1t when
Croisette Joined me, We had our dag
gers, and that gave me some comfort.
II we could once gain entrance to the
house opposite, we had only to beg, or
In the last resort force our way down.
stairs and out, and then to hasten with
what speed we might to Pavannes'
dwelling. Clearly 1t was question Of
time only now; whether Beers band
or we should first reach 1t. And struck
by this | whispered Marie to be quick.
He seemed to be long in coming.
lie scrambled down hand over hand
at last, and then | saw that he had not
fingered above for nothing. He had
contrived after getting out OF the win
dow to letdown the shutter, Andmore
he had at some risk heightened our
rope, and made q double line OF 1t, so
that it ran round u hinge of the shut
ter; and when he stood beside us, he
took it by one end and disengaged it..
Good, clever Marie!
"Brayo!' said softly, clnpping him
on the back. "Now they will not know
which way the birds have hown!'
So there we all were, one of us. |
confess, trembling. We slid easily
along the beam to the opposite house.
But once there in q row one behind the
other with our faces to the wall, and the
night air blowing slantwise--well am
nervous on height and gasped. The
window was good six feet above the
beam. The casement-it was unglazcd
was open, yelled by thin curtain,
and alas! protected by three horizontal
bars-s stout bars they looked.
Yet we were bound to get up and to
get in; and was preparing to rise to
nv feet on the giddy bridge as gingerly
as could, when Marie crawled quickly
over US, and swung himself up to the
narrow sill, much as | should mount
a horse on the level, He held out his
foot to me, and making on effort l
reached the same dizzy perch. Croisette
for the time remained below.
A narrow window ledge 60 feet above
the pavement, and three bars to cling
to! covered to my holdfasts, envying
even Croisette. My legs dangled airily
and the black chasm OF the street
seemed to yawn for me. Fort moment
l turned sick. recovered from that te
feel desperate. ! remembered that g
forward we must, bars or no bars. VIZ
could not regain our old prison II W.
would.
IL was equally clear that we coulc
not 90 forward If the inmates shoult
object. On that narrow perch ever
Marie was helpless. The bars OF thu
window were close together. A woman
a child, could disengage our hands, ant
then-I turned sick again. ! though
OF the cruel stones. | glued my face u
the bars, and pushing aside corner o
the curtain, looked in.
There was only one person in Tn
room-a woman, who was moyinl
about, fully dressed, late as it was. Tn