The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-15
XVIII.
The Flight of the Ravslers.

Blanca had neither a desire to dine no
TO take supper; she prepared only te;
In her bedroom and then locked hersel
up In her solitude. in order to meditat,
upon the events of that, day of horror.
What she had seen and what she haC
experienced crowded upon her memory
IKE q feverish dream; all the events con
hicted with and yet seemed complement
airy to one another The entertainment
which had been arranged In the palace
We'd with the bloody outrages of tile
| street She found no rest even in her
bedroom. Sappho was in a particularly
| good humor that might The sound-cor.
| Quoting pipe brought to her the noise OF
the revelry in the other wing of the pal
ace. and 1t came from the part CORE
| spending with the bedroom; laughter OF
/ men mingled with the voices of scream
Ing women, clinking of glasses, huzzah-
| ing, lewd songs, the noise Of the dance
all seeming to increase in loudness as
they came successfully through the sound
| opening in the Tyre of the Sappho pic
ture-and Blanca, remembering the yelled
threat of the beautiful Cyrene wondered
whether Manasseh's voice was also in this
medley OF sounds. All at once the noise
ceased, as If suddenly cut in two; as if
some one had called to the merry COM
pany
"Silence! The master has GOMEZ
now to be heard.
Blanca listened In the silence
IL then seemed to her as If a noise ap-
preached like that which cloud pregns at
with hail stones emits from a distance:
the sullen murmuring and roaring cam
nearer and nearer Suddenly the crack
ling of hail was heard and with it groan-
Ing without cessation.
The master had come"
Blanca surmlscd what this signihed
They were hurting stones at the iron
window-shutters Of the Palace Cagliari
and trying to force the door open. Those
who had played with the fire now found
their master the storm. The wild mon
ster had come to devOur those who had
given it the taste of blood.
The embers in the fireplace were still
glowing. Blanca stood and stared into the
fire. Suddenly she heard soft noise at
the iron plate of the grate.--and the secret
door with the phoenix assembled. Blanca
knew what it was and therefore she was
not alarmed. The fire still burned, and
illuminated the whole form of the person
standing behind 1t. This was the beau
tiful Cyrene. Her flowing locks were held
together by an arrow Her whole body
was enveloped in fur cloak of blue fox
'EAtinguish your fire and let me come
in. have used all my extncteur''
I win not extinguish il I do not wish
you to come IN now
do you hear that the people are storm |
ing my palace?"
why, those are your people, who are
paid for being noisy.
THAT is true. 1 acknowledge it, Our |
own tool ha turned against us. The SOL |
diers in whom we confided, instead of |
putting down the rebellion, have taken
part in it, Robbers. criminals, have |
placed themselves at the head of the dis
turbance. But now the calamity is here
We are in the Jaws of death. Do you
hear how they strike against the door?"
II hea. it. That does not concern me-
Those who touched glasses with the MUIR
derers of Rossi may row touch heads
with them.
y swear by the triune cd that had no
knowledge of it,"
Did you not for that purpose select
this day for your ball?"
ne!'
"How?"
'fExtinguish the fire in the CRATE and
permit me and my guests to escape
through the secret passage. The flower
# Roman society is here In danger of
leath. do not intend to let my COM
'any rush through your paflors. None of
'our- domesties shall learn anything of
he matter. From your bedroom there is
way into your bathroom. If the link
,athtub be pushed aside. spiral stair
$ the cunning invention of beautiful
woman who. during her whole life was
coupled with the thought as TO how she
ouid break through the walls of her
,rison. These spiral stars read to the
.reat aqueduct which was constructed for
he purpose of supplying the fountain at
he corner of the palace. Through this
anal one can gain access to the building
( the Fontana di TreVi."
What" cried Blanca with a feeling
T exultation, which she would not slIp-
ress, Through the canal infested with |
ats. Princes and princesses, queens of |
he stage, celebrities of parliament. pop
lar orators, artists, demigods-throuSh
he sewers. with their satin shoes on; in
he paths of the rats and burglars with /
ent back and bowed heads. creeping on
heir hands and knees. That is a beau. (
full thought Of yours. Marchioness. You
ould nos conclude your ball with more '