The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-23
VIII.
, Manasseh and BENJAMIN Meet.

Il.
Manasseh and Benjamin Meet.
1t was the last day of July The corn
was piled In high stacks in the fields. The
meadows were full of hay-ricks. The
/ Toroczko people FASTENED to gather In the
harvest.
1t had surprised them that suddenly
many thousands of crows and ravens
filled the valley with loud croaking. Those
who had been in the war before knew
that these were the regular companions
and heralds of armies.
THE quartermasters are here said
Aaron.
He was right. GREATNESS messengers
came running from st. Gyorgy and
brought the ominous tidings that Dur
banu's troops had passed the night be-
fore the narrow pass of the Stone" and
had occupied st. Gyorgy early In the
morning.
Their ancient enemy was upon them
This news disturbed the composure of
none. They had all been prepared for it.
| They threw down the scythes and pitch
| forks and planted bayonets upon their
guns. Every battalion of national guard
had Its appointed place The fields to-
| wards Borew were submerged by dam
ming the brook, so that surprise from
! that side was impossible. Aaron. with
| forty men, climbed up the steep path of
the moat to the Seeker Stone to repulse
| the enemy. which was expected at that
| point. Forty men against as many hum
| dreds. IL they had given IL a thought
idea of going to face death so wantonly.
A little before noon the host of defenders
was increased by fugitives from st. Gy-
orgy. For these also there were arms
enough in Toroczko The number of men
able to fight amounted now to about 900.
Manasseh was at home alone with the
women. The latter had no desire to hide
themselves under the protection of the
gether with the other women desired to
await in the old family mansion what
God had destined for them, Manassah
embraced Blanca and Anna.
Dear ones, l will leave you now"
whittier will you go?'' asked Blanca
In terror. She thought that Manasseh
would go where death could SO easily be
purchased.
Directly into the camp of the posse
comitatus."
"Alone?'
mo, not alone. Many will accompany
me. In front of me is Uriel; on my right,
Raphael; behind me Michael; on my left
Gabriel; above me, Israeli
Without weapons?'
mo. l have in my hand the treaty
of peace which they made with me, on
| our first journey hither, swearing that
they would never attack Toroczko. That
is my weapon: | will gain the victory
| without a battle"
Blanca. in pain looked into Manasseh $
| bright eyes, and In this look everything
which language could not express was
said; infinite alteration for the man and
deep despair at the thought that perhaps
she saw for the last time those eyes
beaming with love. Manasseh understood
this look.
II have tried this once before, and 1
succeeded. The leader of the WalIachians
Is an old acquaintance of mine"
This was a story invented for the sake
of calming Blanca's fears. and the pun
ishment for II did not fail to come.
Blanca pressed Manasseh's hand.
Do what you think is right. Heaven
be with you"
Manasseh could not suppress painful
sigh as he kissed Bla 1ca on the forehead.
His sister Anna could read his face. She
understood the sigh.
You need not trouble yourself on our
account, dear brother said Anna. I'VE
are in Gods care. We are prepared for
every emergency. We have considered
this and talked about it long ago; we have
made resolution. When everything we
have loved is lost when Toroczko is in
ruins, when our church is destroyed. we
Will not wait until they break into our
house; here are two pistols; each of us
will take on and point 1t at the heart OF
the other; then each will pronounce the
name of the one of whom she last thought
and that will be her last word. Go in
peace"
Grief closed Manassehs lips, so that
he could not utter a word. Silently he
he loved so much, and then the mouths of
the two pistols. He then hurriedly left
the house.
He took the road to Szentgyorgy. He
was alone, and had not even a stick in his
hand.
1t was about clock in the afternoon.
For good walker the journey to SCENT
gyorgy lasts hardly half an hour In the
neighborhood of the village Manasseh met
disorderly masses of men, who stared at
him; but when they saw that he was
unarmed, they did him no harm. His
calmness his steady. cold look had a dis
them.
were engaged; they cut slaughtered cat
tie into pieces, and cooked the meat in
the open field. AS is usual with these
people, they had no outposts.
Manasseh requested the first man who
made a good impression upon him to con-
duct him to the headquarters of the COM
mandant. The man followed him will
lingly, and said candidly that 1t was in
go far away at that season when ev-
erybody was needed at home for harvest
ing purposes. He considered himself
richly rewarded when, pointing out the
door of the mansion where the command
ant was to be found. Manasseh offered
him a cigar.
1t was one of the old lords mansions,
such as are now rarely seen in Transyl-
vania; 1t was high. venerable edifice,
with pillared projection in the center;
in the middle of the corridor floor was
the cellar door, so that the floor of the
corridor covered the entrance to the cell
lar.
Manasseh. stepping into the large hall,
told a-group of armed people who were
lettering there that he was looking for
the tribune, Diurbanu
The tribune can not be seen now, for
he is dining and that takes a long time"
said one of the doorkeepers with a mix
ture OF envy and respect
Manasseh took from his breast pocket
visiting card, bent one corner of It,
and sent 1t to the commandant. The
messenger soon returned and told the
visitor that the tribune requested him to
wait little, but that, in the meantime,
he should be bound and shut up in the
cellar until the tribune had finished his
repast and could talk to him. Manasseh
reconciled himself to this strangely hos
pitabe reception. Many houses, many
customs. 1t would have been only plav
for him to jump over the railing of the
corridor. to flee into the park, and from
there into the woods: but he had not
come hither in order to run away imme-
diately afterwards.
well, then. bind me-" he said encour-
agingly to the Wallachians They looked
at one another. as II to discover which OF
them should fulfill this dubious request
and undertake to bind this large, strong
man. When at last two of them resolved
to do 1t. there was no rope there.
We'll. then, lind one somewhere" said
1 = -.