Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-23

4 he ScOOpeu nanurul OF orange SAND
into his goblet and raised 1t to his
mouth, pledglng the newcomers in fan
tastic show. Then again his yelling
travesty Of mirth broke across the rush
and backfow of the tide.
One of the waiting soldiers thrust his
hand into his breast and touched the
eikon that hung from his swarthy
throat. He called softly the good saints
name to protect him from all devilries.
The sergeant laid his hand roughly
upon the ragged shoulder. mo more
fooling," said he tersely. "Get up,
dog"
The wild, aimless hands still moved
the pebbles unheedingly and the blur
red eyes roved vacantly across the
waste of waters. A fake or two OF
snow began to fall from the massed
clouds.
Impatiently the sergeant kicked at
the huddled limbs, cursing with fierce
oath their listless. inhuman swayings.
The tossing, ungoverned hands staid
themselves into rigid surprise be-
meath the stroke of the heavy boot.
Then with yell of furious pain the
man animal sprang upon his aggressor,
tearing and worrying with blind, bes-
tial ferocity at his flesh. A crimson
stain followed quick upon the leopard
like spring, smearing the coarse uni
form. The two men fell together to
earth, their strivings beating the peb-
bly, strand as a pestle beats within a
mortar. They lost themselves in an in
distinguishable whirl of striving, oath
splitting rage.
The suddenness of the fray at first
ment. Then with shout they fell up
on the twined furies Of the fight and
tore their leader from the throttling
hands Of his assailant. 1t took the
three Of them to restrain the mad
mans writings. 1t w8s not till they
had shackled him with the straps of
their bandoliers that they had him un-
der any control With linked hands
and ankles he rolled upon the sand,
shrleking his unintelllgible mouthings
in frenzy Of fighting lust.
The blasphemies Of the sergeant rose
from him like cloud as he laved his
torn limbs in the sea water
"rhe accursed brute's a manlacv'
he shouted. "Wither and blast him!
Why in the name of st. Paul and all
saints did you let me handle the hog,
you son Of perditionY' he asked fierce
| ly, turning on the spy.
"One Of the noble BIRTH" pleaded the
other. "He shams. AS there is a God
In heaven he makes pretense of this
delirium to conceal his evil dolngs
! Give me but leave to question him
with fear, and he shall tell all-7all, as
I live" e%, am,
"Do your devilmost," quoth the ser.
geant with coarse oath as he turned
again to the washing of his wound,
and into the eyes of the man stoat rose
a light Of unholy, hideous desire.
They stretched the kicking, writhing
wretch upon the shore and piled rocks
upon him, crushing his breath from
him to the bare limits of existence.
Between his bound fingers they burned
matches; beneath his mills they thrust
splinters; after each torture they piled
him with one question-a single, mo-
notonous query. Nnught did they get
save yells that might have sprung
from the ninth circle of the lost.
In his disappointment and lust for
cruelty the unsuccessful torturer sug.
gested unprintable atrocities. The sol.
diers, already sickened into half a
mutiny. cursed him into silence. Final.
ly at word from the leader they
heaved their chattering victim to his
feet, unbound his lower limbs and be.
tween them forced him across the
rocks forestward. They faded down
the trail among the pines as the even
ing closed upon them, and the snow
began to fall In earnest at last.
The great feathery fakes thickened
and swirled In the air. carpeting the
ground In swiftly piling layers. They
fell upon the pines and spruces Of the
forest till each to the topmost bough
was laden and dropping with the cling.
ing weight. They covered and wiped
out the dark trail as schoolboy
sponges his slate. The woods were
putting on their winter clothing-thick,
woolly, as the bears that lived among
them. They would not doff it till the
spring, Night and snow wrapped them
as by curtains that ran upon a single
rod.
The men tumbled along wearily,
thrusting their prisoner before them.
They cursed impartially the weather
and their quest, nor forgot to spare an
execratlon or two for their guide, who
skunk ahead, wiping now and again
the drifted snow from pine trunk to
seek the yellow blaze upon it, AS tha
darkness deepened he did this with in.
creasing difficulty, scrabbling at the
flake wrapped bolls with the nervous
energy Of despair. At every halt the
sergeant swore with growing fervor,
and the wretched craven shook with
dismal alright.
Family down the alsles Of pine came
moaning, drift borne cry. Low, deep
and full it began, then swelled and
shrilled to ravening discords of hunger
and desire. The single, first heard note
lost itselfrin a. tossing chorus of yells.
Leaplng, echoing, they smote apart the
thick silences of the snow bound for
est. With gathering, swift growing
suddenness they filed the night. From
every thicket they rose out of seeming
emptiness. The roof Of naked boughs
cast them back to earth as they rolled
! npalinp down tho arcbod avanuas of