Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-09-23

security. This building and the secret
passage we have traversed were de-
! yised by thy family more than three
centuries since, and the knowledge OF
them has descended from father to son
until it has reached thee. This hiding
place and means Of escape has saved
many a worthy ancestor of thine from
hanging or burning. that he might In
course Of time come to an end more
betitting such gallant gentlemen. by
being run through with a rapier or
having his throat cut"
We passed through hallway and
came to the street door of the house.
1t vas a solid affcr and hung within
an arched stone frame. resembling very
much the door OF Dante's house in
Florence. We opened it with large
KEY which Jacopo had provided and.
standing in the doorway, looked out
upon the great square 1t lacked but
few minutes of o'clock. the hour
set for the ceremony, and already the
plaza WIS filed with surging, noisy
crowd of people.
From the main entrance of the palace
| of the seigniory platform ten feet
wide and raised about five feet from
the pavement extended out to the mid
die of the square, ut which point stood
the post and fagots.
AS gazed at the scene it seemed
strangely familiar to me. had seen
the exact picture Of 1t before in an old
woodcut of the burning of Savonarola
in 1893.
To the left of the palace upon horse
back, attxlded by a score of guards
and surrounded by the officers and Ia
dies of his court, the whole OF them
garbed with most gorgeous magnifi
cence. sat Duke CaStrucciO. He was q
short, fat man, fulfilling in almost ev-
cry particular the idea which | had
formed of Sancho PanZa as he locked
at the moment when he became gov.
ernor of his island The duke was
pointed out to me by Clan Jacopo. and,
| considering the fact that he was at
present occupying the throne to which
was rightfully entitled. it may be
imagined that l examined him with
great interest.
And now the great doors Of the seign
iory flew open. and the solemn process
sion came on the platform. First came
q dozen or more monks in the Domin
lean costume, chanting mournfu.
dirge; then the gonfalonier, bearing
the standard of justice. who was in
turn followed by six Of his officers.
Behind them walked the victim, clad
in the robes Of his order and supported
by two Of his brother friars. who. bend
ing close to him. were evidently pour
ing exhortations and consultations into
his ears
When the procession, in its march
along the platform. had come to point
| almost abreast of where we stood. !
caught glimpse of the face OF Brother
Ambrose beneath the cowl which over
shadowed it, and | noticed that he
seemed far from penitent and that his
fiery black eyes glanced anxiously here
and there among the crowd, as If in
search of some one Then all at once
he wrenched himself loose from the
two priests and sprang from the plat
form in among the crowd, whoseemed
to make way for him and to swallow
him up, for he disappeared Immediate
ly from my view.
Thereupon followed great commo'
ton, and there arose in the air the
shouts of 1000 disappointed spectators.
They surged to and fro and trampled
upon each other, and afterward heard
that dozen persons, women and chill
dren for the most part, had lost their
lives in the crush, and the officers
pushed hither and thither seeking the
monk without avail, and the crowd in
their eagerness gravitated toward the
center, left narrow lane along the
side of the square next the buildings.
Looking along this lane or opening,
suddenly perceived a man coming to-
ward me with stealthy tread, hugging
the walls as closely as possible and
| seemingly on the lookout for some
place of concealment. l knew at once
from his face that it was Brother Am
brose, though he had somehow got rid
of his Dominican robes and was
dressed like an ordinary citizen of the
town.