Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-09-14
! The House of The WOlf,,,,,,3
\ by STANLEY j. WEYMAN \
THAR f,tOlanan
j. WEYMAN

their fuglemen,
The speakers courage rose no doubt
from his position at the back OF the
room, for the foremost Of the assail-
ants seemed less determined. We were
only three, and we must have gone
down, barricade and all, before a rush.
But three and three. And an argue
buse-Croisette's match burned splen-
didly-well loaded with slugs Is an ugly
weapon at f1ve PAGES, and makes nasty
wounds, besides scattering its charge
famously. This, a good many Of them,
n the leaders In particular. seemed
to recognize. We might certainly take
two or three lives: and life is valuable
TO ITS owner when plumber is afoot.
Besides most of them had common
sense enough to remember that there
were scores of MISUNDERSTANDING
heretics-to be robbed for the killing,
SO why go out of the way, they
reasoned, to cut a Catholic throat and
perhaps get into troubles Why risk
Montfaucon for q wh!m7 and offend a
man OF influence like the Vicomte de
Caylus, for nothing!
Unfortunately at this crisis their
original design was recalled to their
minds by the same voice behind crying
out: "Pavannes! Where is Pavannes?"
"Ay!' shouted the butcher, ~grasping
the idea, and at the same time splitting
" ANNAaA eaAa ~ "a AASoAA AllP
or the ak. SHOW us the hereto dog,
n go! Let us at him.
m. de Pavannes," / said coolly-but
l could not take my eyes off the shining
blade of that mans ak, 1t was so very
broad and s~harp-'is not here!"
That IS a lie! He is In that room
behind you!" the prudent gentleman
In the background called out. GIVE
him up!'
"Ay, give him up" echoed the man
Of the pole-aX almost good-humoredly,
"or it will be the worse for you. Let us
have at him and get you gomez"
This with an air OF much reason,
while a growl as Of a chained beast ran
through the crowd, mingled with cries
of "A mort les H~uguenots! Vlve Lor-
raine!'-cries which seemed to show
that all did not approve OF the induul-
gence offered us.
Beware, gentlemen, beware" 7
urged, II swear he is not here! / swear
1t, DO you hear?"
a howl of impatience and then q sud.
den movement of the crowd as though
the rush were coming warned me TO
temporize no longer. Stay! stay"
l added hastily. One minute! Hear
me! You are too many for us. VIII
you swear to let us go safe and UNI
touched, If we give o passage?"
a dozen voices shrieked assent. But
l looked at the butcher only. He seemed
to be an honest man, out OF his profess
sion.
"Ay, 1 swear It'll" he cried with a
nod.
by the Mass?"
"By the Mass"
i twitched Croisette's sleeve, and he
tore the fuse from his weopon, and
flung the gun-too heavy to be Of use
to us longer-to the ground. 1t was
done IN a moment. While the mob
swept over the barricade, and smashed
the rich furniture OF It in wanton
malice, we filed aside and nimbly
slipped under it one by one. Then we
hurried in sigle file to the end OF the
room, no one taking much notice of us.
All were pressing on, intent on their
prey. We gained the door as the
butcher struck his first blow on that
which we had guarded-on that which
we had given up. We sprang down the
stairs with bounding hearts, heard as
we reached the outer door the roar Of
many voices, but stayed not to look be-
hind-paused indeed for nothing. Fear,
to speak C%andidly, lent us wings. In
three seconds we had leapt the pros
trate gates, and We're In the street. A
cripple, with W or three dogs, a knot
Of women looking timidly yet curious
ly, n horse tethered to the strap
We saw nothing else. No one stayed
us. No one raised a hand, and In an
other minute we had turned a corner,
and were out of sight Of the house.
They will take a gentleman's word
another time" | said with q quiet smile
rs ] put up my sword.
II would Ike to see her face at this
moment" Croisette replied. You saw
Mime, d'O?"
] shook my head, not answering. 1
was not sure, and l had a queer, sick
ening dread Of the subject. If / had
seen her, i had seen-oh! 1t was too
horrible, too unnatural! Her own sis
ter! Her w brother-in-law!
] FASTENED TO change the subject.
The Pavannes," l made shift to say,
must have had five minutes start"
More" Croisette answered, IF ma
dame II he got AVA at once, If all
has gone well with them, inc they have
not been stopped in the streets, they
should be at Mirepoix's by now. They
seemed to be pretty sure that he would
take them n"
"Ahi" l sighed. What fools we were
to bring madame from that place! II
we had not meddled with her affairs
we might have reached Louis long ago
our Louis, / mean"
True" Croisette answered, softly;
but remember that then we should not
have saved the other Louis-as l trust
we have. He would still be in Palla-
v~incini's hands. Come, Anne, let us
think 1t is all for the best he added,
his face shining with a steady courage
that shamed me. ITO the rescued
Heaven will help us to be in time yeti"
'Ay, to the rescue." / replied, catch
ing his spirit. First to the right, 1
think, second to the left, first on the
right again. That was the direction
given us, was it not? The house oppo-
site a book shop with the sign Of the
Head Of Erasmus. Forward, boys! We
may do 1t yet"
But before 1 pursue our fortunes
farther let me explain. The room We
mad guarded SO jealousy was empty!
me plan had been mine and / was
proud OF 1t. For once Croisette had
fallen into his rightful place. My flight
from the gate, the vain attempt to close
the house-these were all designed to
draw the assailants to one spot. Pavan-
mes and his wife-the latter hastily dis
guised as a boy-had hidden behind
the door of the hutch by the gates
the porter's hutch, and had slipped out
ana fled In the first confusion of the at
tack.
For the as we learned af-
terWardS, who had hidden themselves
in the lower part of the house, got away
IN the same manner, though some Of
thefn-they were but few in all-were
stopped as Huguenots and killed be-
fore the day ended. 1 had the more
reason to hope that Pavannes and his
wife would get clear off, inasmuch as
l q given the dukes ring to him,
thinking 1t might serve him in a strait,
and believing that we would have little
to fear ourselves, once clear Of his
house; unless we should meet the vi
dame indeed.
We did not meet him, as 1t turned
out; but before we had traversed a
quarter of the distance we had to go
we found that fears based on reason