The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-24

plumes!" he cried.72 "tAnd drawing
nearer! Come, zJacqueline! let us
ride on!'' ::'75 73;i'5
"How?" she answered, in a lifeless
tone. 1.-The bridge will not hold"
For answer he turned his horse to it;
| proceeded slowly across. It wavered
and bent; her wideopened eyes fol-
lowed him; once she lifted her hand to
her breast, and then became conscious
he stood on the opposite bank, calling
smile was on her lips and touching her
horse sharply, she obeyed.
lis it to death he has called me ?"
she asked herself.
In her ears sounded the swash and
eddying of the current; she closed her
! eyes to keep from falling, when she
felt a hand on the bride, and in a mo-
ment had reached the opposite shore.
The jester made no motion to remount,
but remained at her horses head,
closely surveying the road they had
Travelled.
Must we go on?" she said, mechani-
ca1ly.
"Only one Of them can cross at a
time" he answered, without stirring.
1T is better to meet them here"
'Oh," she spoke up, "if the waters
would only rise a little more and car
ry away the bridge"
He glanced quickly around him,
weighing the slender chance for sue
cess if he made that last desperate
stand, and then, grasping a loose
plank, began using 1T as a lever against
one of the weakened supports OF
the bridge. Soon the beam gave way
and the structure, now held but at the
middle and one side, had already be-
gun to sag, when from around the
curve Of the highway appeared Louis
of Hochfels, and dozen of his fol.
lowers. n....... p
The free baron rode to the brim OF
the torrent, regarded the flood and the
on black Spanish barb whose glisten.
ing sides were f1ecked with foam; 8
cloak of cloth of gold fell from his
brawny shoulders; his heavy, red face
looked out from beneath a sombrero
fringed with the same metal. A CLEAN
Of recollection shone from his blood
shot eyes as they rested on the fool.
"Oh, there you are!" he shouted
with savage satisfaction. "Out of the
frying-pan into the fire! Or rather
for you escaped the fagots at Notre
Dame-out of the fire into the frying.
pan! +.
Above the tumult Of the torrent his
stentorian tones We're plainly heard
Without response, the jester inserted
the plank between the structure anc
the middle support. The other, per.
. ceiving his purpose, uttered an execra
ton that was drowned by the current
and irresolutely regarded the means o:
, communication between the two
; shores, obviously undetermined abou
trusting his great bulk to that fragile
; intermediun. Here was a temporary
check on which he had not calculated
But if he demurred about crossing
himself, the free baron did not long
} display the same inirmity of purpos.
| regarding his followers.
over with you!" he cried angril.
to them. 1.-THE highest first! Fift.
. pistoles to the first across!" And then
calling out to the fool: 'In half al
) hour, you, my fine wit-cracker, shall
; be hanging from a branch. AS for tn
3 maid, she is a witch, I am told-w
) will test her with drowning
; Tempted by their leaders offer, on
y of the troopers, a lank, muscular-look
ing fellow, at once drove the spurs int,
! his horse. Back and forth moved tn
lever in the hands Of the Jester; tn
soldier was midway on the bridge
when it sank suddenly to one side. I
t moment it acted as a dam, then bridge
5 horse and rider were swept away witt
! a crash and, carried downward will
: the driving flood. yainly the troope
sought to turn his steed toward tn
shore; the debris from the structur
: soon swept him from his saddle. Strik
: ing out strongly, he succeeded II
catching a trailing branch from a tire
: on the bank, but the torrent grippet
his body fiercely and, after desperat
struggle tore him away.
5 AS his helpless follower disappeared