Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-08-03
The House of The Wolf,,,,,,.
By STANLEY j. wEYMAN

mount n horse Oh the level. lie held
out his foot to me, and making an
effort / reached the same dizzy perch.
Croisette for the time remained below.
a narrow window ledge so feet above
tho pavement. and three bars to cling
to! | covered to my ho,dfasts, envying
wen Croisctte. My legs dangled airily.
ma the black chasm of the street
seemed to yawn for me. For q mo-
nent / turned sick. / recovered from
mat to feel desperate. l remembered
that go forward we must, bars or no
bars. We could not regain our Old
prison If we would.
1t was equally clear that we could
not go forward IL the inmates should
object. on that narrow perch eyea
Marie was helpless. The bars of the
window were close together. A wont
an, a child, could disengn ge our hands,
and then-I turned sick again. I
thought Of the truel stones. | glued
my face to the bars. and pushing aside
a corner OF the curtain, looked In.
There was only one person In the
room-a woman, who was moving
about, fully dressed. late as il was. The
room was Il mere attic, the counterpart
of that we had left. a box bed with a
canopy roughly nailed oyer IL stood in
one corner. \ couple of chairs were 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 were dis
ordered. ] saw n 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 1t. and seemed TO listen-when she
shook the latch and dropped her hands
in despair and went back to the hearth,
| made another discovery. ! knew at
once, seeing her there, that we were
likely but to change one prison for an
other. Was every house in Paris then
n dungeon? And did each root cover
its tragedy?
"Madame!" I said, speaking softly,
10 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 IL she screamed
and aroused the house What, indeed?
Madame \ said again, speaking hur-
riedly, and striving to reas2ure her by
the softness Of my voice, I'VE implorc
your help! Unless you assist us we are
lost"
You. Who are your" she cried,
glaring at us wildly, her hand to her
head. And then she murmurcd to her
self: Mon Dieu! what will become of
me?"
I'VE have been imprisoned in the
house opposite" / FASTENED to explain.
~disjointedly, l am afraid. And we
have escaped. We cannot get back If
500 ,.A,I 49, 49, - -.
your room and give us shelter"
I'VE shall be dashed to pieces on the
pavement" supplied Marie, with per-
feet calmness-nay, with apparent en-
joyment.
LET you in here?' she answered.
starting back In a new terror; 1T is
impossible"
She reminded me OF our cousin, be-
ing, like her, pale and dark-haired. She
wore her hair in a coronet, disordered
now. But though she was still beauti-
full, she was older than Kit, and lacked
her plant grace. l saw all this, and
judging her nature, / spoke out Of my
despair. Madame" / said, %piteously,
I'VE are boys. Croisette! Come up
Squeezing myself still more tightly IN
to my corner Of the ledge, / made room
for him between us. See. madame"
cried, craftily. will you not have pity
on three boys?"
st. Croix's boyish face and fair hair
arrested her attention. as l had cx-
pected. Her expression grew softer,
and she murmured: Poor boy"
/ caught at the opportunity. I'VE do
but seek n passage through your
ROOM" / said, fervently. Good heav-
ems, what had we not at stake! What
If h should remain obdurate? 1--WE
are In trouble-in despair" | painted.
so, | believe, are you. We will heln
you If you will first save us. We are
boys, but we can fight FOR you"
Whom am | to trust?" she ex-
claimed, with n shudder. But heaven
forbid" she continued, her eyes on
Croisette's face, that, wanting help
| should refuse to give it. Come in, il
you will"
! poured out my thanks, and had
forced my head between the bars-at
imminent risk of its remaining there
before the words were well out OF heI
mouth. But to enter was no easy tasl
after all. Croisette did, indeed, squeez
through at last, and then by force
pulled first n and her the other OF
us after him. SUIT only necessity anC
that chasm behind could have nervet
us, | think, to go through a process sc
painful. When / stood, at length. or
NfN iiooiI Il SINlllCu ~ ne OIle gTBill
abrasion from head to foot. And be.
fore a lady, too!
But what a joy / 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.. 1t could scarcely be half an houi
after midnight; We might still be in
time. / stretched myself and trod the
level floor j~ubilantly, and then noticed
While doing so, that our hostess ha(
retreated to the door and was eyeinl
us timidly-half scared.
| advanced to her with my loves
~bow-sadly missing my sword. Mad
anne" l said, II am M. Anne de Caylus
and these are my brothers. We are a
your service"
And H. she replied, smiling faintlS
i do not know why-''am Nine. dc
Pavannes. / gratefully accept your OF,
fers Of service"
DE Pavannes?" / exclaimed, amazed
and. o~verjoyed. Nine. de Pavannes
Why, she must be Louis kinswoman'
No doubt she could tell us where h,
was lodged, and so rid our task of hall
It's difficulty. Could anything have fal.
len Out more happily? You know ther
M. Louis de Pavannes?" l continued
eagerly.
Certainly" she added, smilins
with a rare shy sweetness this time
Very well, indeed. He is my hus.
band
CHAPTER ".
A Priest and a Woman.
~