The Washington times., 1902-09-21

scarcely any attention. Now the words
were terribly living. 1 knew every one
before it rolled off the celebrant's lips
Yet under that vivid surface knowledge
I carried on as vivid sequence oi
thought.
The priest elevated the ciborium. re-
peating.
'Ecce Agnus Del"
Then three times" Domino, nor
sum d!gnus.''
/ heard and saw with exquisite keen
ness, yet was thinking,
"If do not -et out of here he will
have to say those words over me-
He put the host in the parted mouth
of the dying, and spoke
Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi
custodiat amman tuam in vitam aeter-
nam"
1 thought how easy 1t would be to
strip the loose surplice over the sac
ristan's head. There was a swift clip
of the arm around your opponents neck
which l had learned in wrestling. that
cut the breath off and dropped him as
limp as cloth. 1t was an Indian trick
! said to myself 1t would be impossible
to use that trick on the sacristan If he
left the cell behind the deaf old priest
/ did not want to hurt him. Still, he
would have better chance to live after
l had squeezed his neck, than should
have If did not squeeze it.
The priest took out Of a silver case
a vessel of oil. and branch. He
sprinkled holy water with the branch,
upon the head, the walls, the sacristan
and me, repeating,
"Asperges me, Domino, hyssopo. ct
lavabis me. ct super nivem
dealbabor."
While / bent my head to the drops,
/ knew it was impossible to choke down
the sacristan, strip off his surplice, in
vest myself with it and get out Of the
cell before priest or turnkey looked
back. The sacrilege of such an attack
would take all the strength out of me.
The priest said the Exaudi nos, ex-
horted the insensible figure, then re-
cited the Credo and the Litany, the
sacristan responding.
Silence followed.
knew the end was approaching. My
hands were as cold as the nerveless
one which would soon receive the candle.
told myself should be fool to at
tempt 1t. There was not one chance in
a hundred. l should not squeeze hard
enough. The man would yell. II were
swift as lightning and silent as force.
they would take me in the act. 1t
was impossible. But people who cannot
10 impossible things have to perish.
The priest dipped his thumb in oil,
and with it crossed the eyes, ears, nose.
mouth, and hands of him who was leav-
struments of evil.
Then he placed lighted candle in the
stiffened fingers. and ended with
"Accipe lampadem ardentem custodi
lnctionem tuam."
I said to myself: 'T cannot do 1t.
Nobody could! 1t is impossible"
The sacristan now began to strip the
altar and pack all the sacred imple-
nents into their cases. preparing his
Dad in the center of the room.
The man was dead.
The sacristan's last office was to fix
he two lighted altar candles on the
head and foot railings of the bed. They
showed the corpse in it's appalling still
less, and stood like two angels, with
he pit between them.
The sacristan raped upon the door
o let the turnkey know it was time to
Inlock.
| drew the thick air to my lung
depths. The man who would breathe no
more was not as rigid as l stood. But
here was no use In attempting such
hing!
The turnkey opened a gap Of door
way through which he could see the
candles and the bed. He opened no
wider than the breadth of the priest,
Who stepped out as the sacristan bent
or the portables.
There was lightning In my arm as it
ook the sacristan around the neck and
ct him limp upon the stones. The tail
If the priests cassock was scarcely
through the door.
"Eh bien, sacristan." called the turn
,ey Make haste with your load l
lave this death to report. He is not so
pretty, that you must stand gazing at
lin all night"
l had the surplice over the sacris-
ans head and over mine. and backed
tut with my load. facing the room.
If my jailer had thrust his candle at
ne. if the priest had turned to speak.
the man in the cell had got his
,reath before the bolt was turned. II
ny white surplice had not appeared
he principal art of me in that black
'lace-.
1t was impossible,-but I had done it.
V.