Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-09-28
The House of The Wolf,,,,,,
BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN

selves we thought only Of these now.
And some day, ! reflected, Croisette
might remember even with pleasure
that he had, as a drowning lar
clutching at straws, stopped to a last
prayer for them.
We were placed In the middle of a
knot OF troopers who closed the line to
the right. And presently Marie touched
me. He was gazing intently at the
sentry on the roof OF the third house
from us; the farthest but one. The
mans back was to the parapet, and he
was gesticulating wildly.
He sees him." Marie muttered.
nodded almost In apathy. But this
passed away, and / started involunta-
rlly and shuddered, as a savage roar,
breaking the silence, rang along the
front of the mob like a rolling volley of
firearms. What is It? A man posted
at a window in the upper gallery had
dropped his pixies point and was level
Ing 1t at some one inside; we could see
no more.
But those in front of the window
could; they saw too much for the
vldame's precautions, as a moment
showed. He had not laid his account
with the frenzy OF a rabbie. the pas
sions of a mob which had tasted blood.
l saw the line at the farthest end WAIVER
suddenly and toss TO and fro. Then q
hundred hands went up, and confused.
angry cries rose with them. The
troopers struck about them, giving
back slowly as they did so. But their
efforts were in vain. With q scream OF
triumph q Wild torrent of people broke
through between them, leaving them
stranded: and rushed in q headlong
cataract towards the steps. Beers was
close to us at the time. "S'death!" he
cried. swearing oaths which even his
sovereign could scarce have euualed.
They will snatch him from me yet, the
hellhounds!"
He whirled his horse round and
spurred him In a dozen bounds to tho
stairs at N end Of the gallery. Then
he leaped from him, dropping the
bride recklessly, and, bounding up
three steps at a time, he ran along the
gallery. Half n dozen of the troopers
about us stayed only to fling their reins
to one of their number, and then fol-
lowed, their great boots Gathering on
the planks.
My breath came fast and short. for
felt 1t was n crisis. 1t was a race be-
tween the two parties, or rather be-
tween the vidame and the leaders of
the mob. The latter had the shorter
way TO go. But on the narrow steps
they were carried off their feet by the
press behind them and fell over and
hampered one another and lost time.
The Vidame, free from this drawback.
was some way along the gallery before
they had set foot on It.
How l ~prayed-amid q scene of the
widest uproar and excitement-thnt
the mob might be hrst! Let there be
only q short conflict between Beers
men and the people, and in the conru-
sion PaVannes might yet escape. Hone
awoke In the turmoil. Above the wells
OF the crowd a score OF deep voices
about me Numbered, "a Wolf! q Wolff"
And |, too, lost my head, and drew my
sword, and screamed at the top or my
voice, "a Caylus! n Caylus!" with the
maddest.
Thousands Of eyes besides mine were
strained on the foremost figures on
either side. They met. as II CHANGED.
precisely at the door OF the house. The
mob leader was a slender man, l saw;
q priest, apparently, though now he
was grit with unpriestly weapons. his
skirts were tucked up and his head
was bare. So much my first glance
showed me. 1t was at the second look
1T was when / saw the blood forsake
his pale, lowering face and leave IL
winter than ever, when horror sprang
along with recognition to his eyes,
when borne along by the crowd behind
- ~'' A'A' lN'AAiNIl tAill w III WUS DeTOI r.
limit was only then when his mean
figure shrank and he quailed and would
nave turned but could not, that I
recognized h coadjutor.
was silent now, my mouth aeure.
There are seconds which are minutes.
aye, and many minutes. A man mav
die, n man may come to life in suri,
q second. In one Of these, 1t seemed
TO me, those two men paused, face to
fHTns fln1HDh a., g.,
n OF them impossible. He wa be-
tween--and 1 think he knew tt-the
devil and the deep sea. Yet he seemed
TO pause, while all, even that yelling
crowd below, held their breath ire
next moment, glazing askance at enc
another like two dogs unevenly counted
he and Beers shot shoulder TO shm,i-
der into the doorway. II in another
Jot OF time would have been our or
slght. But then, In that instant. I ga
something happen. The vidame's hand
naShed up above the priests head and
the cross-hilt of his sheathed Sword
crashed down with awful force. and
stllI more awful passion, on the others
tohsure! The wretch went down like n
log, without q word, without n crv'
Amid a roar of rag from a Thousand
throats, a roar that might have shake.
the stoutest heart and blanched the
sWarthlest cheek, Beers Disappeared
within.
1t was then hat I saw the power or
n custom. Few as were
.ne troopers who had followed hlm-a
mere handful-they fell without hesita-
lon on the foremost of the crowd
VINO were already In confusion. sum,
ping and falling over their Leader
poQy, ana hurled them back nell
nell along the gallery. The thronp he
low mad no firearms and could give M
ald at the moment; the stage was mar
IoN, IN w minutes the vidame's peo-
nau swept 1t clear of the crowd and
meIe N possession of 1t. A tall fellow
1ooh up the priests body, dead or alive
/ do not know which. and nung -
IL it had been q sack of corn oSar re vs.
ran. 1t fell with a heavy thud on the
ground. | heard a piercing scream thai
rose above that backbone shrtlI
scfeam!-and the mob closed ror,nJ
and hid the thing.
If the rascals had had the wit To
make at once for the r%ight-hand stairs.
Where we stood with two or three of
Beers men who had kept their sad
dles, l think they might easily have
disposed of us, incumbered as we were
by the horses; and then they could have
attacked the handful on the gallery
both tanks. But the mob had no
leaders, and no plan Of operations.
seized, indeed, two or three Of the
troopers, and tearing them
from their horses, wreaked their pas
sion upon them horribly. But most of
the sWitzers escaped, thanks to the at
the mob paid to the houses and
what was going forward on the gall
lerles; and these, extricating them
Joined us one by one. SO that
gradually a little ring of stern faces
gathered about the stair-foot. A mo-
nents hesitation, and seeing no help
Tor 1t, we ranged ourselves with them;
and, unchecked as u%nbidden, sprang on
of the led horses.
All this passed more quickly than I
relate 1t: SO that before our feet
we're well In the stirrups a partial 81
ence, then q mightier roar of anger
once proclaimed and hailed the re-
appearance of the yidama Rigofnd