The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-08-01


80 there we all We're, one Of us, I
confess, trembling. We Slid easily
aiong the beam to the opposite house.
put once there in a row one behind
the other with our faces to the wall,
and the night air blowing slant
Wlse-well | am nervous on a height
ana gasped. The window was a good
SIX 1eet above the beam. The case
1nent-lt was unglazed-Was open,
yelled by thin curtain, and also pro-
tected by three horizontal bars-stout
bars they looked.
yet we were bound to get up and to
get IN; and l was preparing to rise 10
my feet on the giddy bridge as ginger
~ as l could, when Marie crawled
quickly over us, and swung himself to
the narrow sill, much as 1 should
mount horse on the level. He held
out his foot to me, and making an
e1fort l reached the same dizzy perch.
Crolsette for the time remained below.
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,
I'D I'D tbs IT,, black chasm OF ~ ..--i.
seen,aa 20 yawn for me. For mo-
ment 1 turned sick. I recovered from
that to feel desperate. I remembered
that go forward we must, bars or no
prison If we would.
1t was equally clear that we could
not go forward If the inmates should
object. On that narrow perch even
Marie was helpless. The bars of the
window We're close together. A wom-
an. child, could disengage our hands,
and then-I turned sick again.
thought of the cruel stones. I glued
my face to the bars. and pushing aside
corner of the curtain looked in
There was only one person in the
room-a woman, who was moving
about, fully dressed, late as it was. The
| room was mere attic, the counterpart
of that we had left. A box bed with "a
canopy roughly nailed over 1t stood in
one corner. A couple of chairs We're by
the hearth, and all seemed to speak Of
poverty and baroness Yet the woman
whom we saw was richly dressed,
though her silks and velvets We're dis
| ordered. I saw a jewel CLEAN in her
hair, and others on her hands. When
she turned her face towards us-a wild,
beautiful face, perpleXed and tear
stained-I knew her instantly for q
gentlewoman, and when she walked
| hastily to the door, and laid her hand
upon it, and seemed to listen-when she
! shook the latch and dropped her hands
| in despair and went back to the hearth,
/ made another discovery. I knew at
once, seeing her there, that we were
likely but to change one prison for an
other. Was every house in Paris then
a dungeon? And did each roof cover
Its tragedy:
Madame" I said, speaking softly,
to attract her attention. "Madame!"
She started violently, not knowing
| whence the sound came, and looked
round, at the door first. Then she
moved towards the window. and with
an affrighted gesture, drew the curtain
rapidly aside.
Our eyes met. What if she screamed
and aroused the house? What. indeed
Madame said again, speaking hur-
riedly, and striving to reassure her by
the softness Of my voice, eve implore
your help! Unless you assist us we are
| lost"
You. Who are you?" she cried
glazing at US wildly, her hand to her
head. And then she murmured to her
self: Mon Dieu! what will become OF
me?"
1--WE have been imprisoned in the
house opposite l fastened to explain
disjointedly, l am afraid. "And we
have escaped. We cannot get back il
we would. Unless you let us enter
/ your room and give us shelter
Eve shall be dashed to pieces on tbs
pavement" supplied Marie, with per-
feet calmness-n with apparent en-
! ioyment
Let you in here?" she answered
starting back in new terror; cit is
impossible
/ She reminded me of our cousin, be.
! ing, like her. pale and dark-haired. She
/ wore her hair in coronet, disordered
/ now. But though she was still beauti-
| full she was older than Kit. and lacked
her plant grace. I saw all this, and
| judging her nature, spoke out of my
despair. Madame I said, piteously
I've are boys. Croisette! Come up!'
Squeezing myself still more tightly in
1 to my corner of the ledge. I made room
cried, craftily, will you not have pity
on three boys?"
/ St. Crooks boyish face and fair hail
arrested her attention, as I had ex-
| pected. Her expression grew softer
and she murmured: Poor boy!"
I caught at the opportunity. 1--WE dc
but seek a passage through your
room, 1 said, fervently. Good heav-
ems what had we not at stake! What
if she should remain obdurate? 1--WE
! are in trouble-in despair" I painted
so. l believe, are you. We will he'll
! you If you will first save US. We are
boys, but we can fight for you
Whom am I to trust?' she ex-
claimed, with a shudder. but heaven
forbid she continued, her eyes on
| Croisette's face, that, wanting help
should refuse to give it. Come in, ii
! you WILL
| I poured out my thanks, and had
/ forced my head between the bars-at
Imminent risk of it's remaining there
1 before the words were we'll out of he,
mouth. But to enter was no easy task
after all. Croisette did, indeed, squeeze
through at last. and then by force
pulled first one and then the other OF
US after him. But only necessity and
that chasm behind could have nerveG
US, think, to go through a process sc
painful. When I stood, at length on
the floor, l seemed to be one great
abrasion from head to foot. And be-
\ fore a lady, too!
4 But what joy I felt. nevertheless
| A fig for Beers now. He had called us
boys; and we were boys. But. he
/ should yet find that we could thwart
him. It could scarcely be half an houl
after midnight; We might still be in
time. stretched myself and trod the
! level floor jubilantly. and then noticed
while doing so, that our hostess had
A retreated to the door and was cycling
A us timidly-half scared.
H advanced to her with my lowest
bpw-sadly missing my sword Mad
anne, l said, II am NJ Anne de Caylus