The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-09-26
The House of The Wolf,,,,,,$$
By STANLEY J. WEYMAN i
By STANLEY y. WEYMAN


name, boy-I will-no, I will not kill
You. That might please you, you are
stubborn, l can see. But l will have
you stripped and dashed like the mean
est of my scullions! Now go, and a k
care!"
Impatience. hate and wild passion
famed in his face for the moment
TRANSPORTING it. Croisette came back
to us slowly, white-lipped and quiet.
Never mind" I said, bitterly. The
third time may bring luck"
Not that I felt much indignation at
the vidame's insult, or any anger with
the lad for mourning 1t; as l had felt
on that other occasion. Life and Heath
seemed to be everything on this morn
ing. Words had ceased to please and
annoy, for what are words to the sheep
in the shambles? One mans life and
one woman's happiness-outside our
selves we thought only of these now.
And some day, I reflected, Croisette
might remember even With pleasure
that he had, as a drowning man
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 g~eStiCulating wildly.
H sees him. Marie muttered.
/ nodded almost in apathy. But this
passed away, n l started involunta-
rily and ~shuddered, as a ava roar,
breaking the silence, a II 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 it at some one inside; we could see
no more.
But those in front of the Window
could; they saw too much for the
Vidame's precautions, as a moment
showed. He had not laid his account
with the frenzy of a rabble, the pas
sionS Of a moi which had tasted blood.
| saw the line at the farthest end waver
suddenly and toss to and fro. Then q
hundred hands went up. and confused,
angry cries rose with them. The
roope struck about them, giving
back slowly as they did so. But their
efforts We're in vain. With a scream of
triumph a wild torrent of people broke
through between them, leaving them
stranded; and rushed in a 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 equaled.
They will snatch him from me yet, the
~hellhounds!"
He whirled his horse round and
spurred him in a dozen bounds to the
stairs at our 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 q 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
I felt it was a crisis. 1t was a race be-
tween h 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 anG
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 p~rayed-amid q scene Of the
widest uproar and excitement-tha,
the mob might be first! Let there be
: only a short conflict between BeZer's
men and the people, and in the confu.
sion Pavannes might yet escape. Hope
l aWOke in the turmoil. Above the yell.
of the crowd a score Of deep voice.
f about me Numbered, "a Wolf! a Wolff
AAiiNA l, wy, ioSS iiJ o. sllA ulCN LII
sword, and creame at the top OF m,
voice, "a Caylus! a Caylus." with thu
maddest.
l Thousands of eyes besides mine wer,
strained on the foremost figures OF
. either side. They met, as it CHANGED
, precisely at the door Of the house. TIL,
{ mob leader was a slender man, I saw
L a priest, apparently, though now h,
2 was grit with unpriestly weapons, hi
l skirts were tucked up and his heat
2 was bare. So much my first glanc,
showed me. 1t was at the second lool
it was when I saw the blood forsak,
I his pale. lowering face and leave i
l whittier than ever, when horror spran,
t along with recognition to his eyes
; when borne along by the crowd benin,
a he saw his position and who was befo,
n hint was only then when his meaI
$ figure shrank n he quailed and woul,
have turned but could not, hat
n recognized the coadjutor.
| was silent now, my mouth agape
There are seconds which are minutes
i aye, and many minutes. A ma ma
die, a mai may come to life in sue
s. a second. In one of these, it seen,e
to me, those two men paused, face t
face; though, in fact, a pause was fo
: one of them impossible. He was be
e tWeen-and l think he knew it'll
y devil and the deep sea. Yet he SCENE
to pause, while all, even that yellin
e crowd below, held their breath. I'll
next moment, glaring askance at on
another like two dogs %unevenly couple
e he and Beers shot shoulder to shour
der into the doorway, and in anothe
jOt Of time would have been out {
q sight. But then, in that instant, I sa,
If something happen. The vidame's han
y flashed up above the priests head an
s. the cross-hilt Of his sheathed swor
It crashed down with awful force, an
6 still more awful passion, on the other
l. tonsure! The wretch went down Nke
IT log, without a word, without a or,
lie Amid a roar Of rage from q thousan
d threats, a roar that might have shake
n the stoutest heart and blanched tt
it swarthiest cheek, Beers d%isappeare
within.
d 1t was then that I saw the power
discipline custom. Few as wei
5; the troopers who had followed him
1T mere handful-they fell without hesits
st ton on the foremost of the crow
is who We're already in confusion, stun
ID bling and falling over their leader
De body, and hurled them back DC
nell along the gallery. The throng b.
low had no firearms and could give !
r. ala at the moment; the stage was ma
ld row, in two Minutes tho ri5o,,,, -.