The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-08-11

Brothers" said he, to the amazed
men, who still stood against the wall,
brothers, in a great cause, like ours,
we cannot be too careful. This little
scene was devised to discover what
traitors we had amongst US. 1t has sue
ceeded. You, who have proved faith
full, are quite safe"
The men looked at him as though
they could scarcely credit their senses;
then one or two began to sob, and one
man laughed.
And this spy" he questioned.
A fierce murmur ran around the room;
the men, with one accord, started to-
ward the corner, where the man lay
bound.
Kill him-kill him!" they shouted.
The president raised his hand.
Stop" cried he, "the man is mine,
mine to punish as see fit. Leave him
to me. You will accompany our brother
Vassoloff," indicating the pseudo Off
Ger, Ito a place Of refuge. From our
friends admission, We are no longer safe
here"
But"
81 have spoken" said the president.
sternly.
The conspirators turned and silently
went out. AS the man who had laughed
passed the spy he kicked him in the
face and laughed again.
Then the president was alone with
the spy. He stood looking at him for
moment, cruel smile on his white
bearded face. Presently he took from
his pocket a long fuse, placed one end
in the powder key, and wound the other
about one of the tallow candles, an inch
from the burning wick. Then he placed
the candle in front of the spy's face,
where he could almost touch it, and,
turning, went to the door. At the
threshold he paused.
Your fate will be a lesson to your
fellow SPIES" he said-and was gone.
The spy heard his steps as he went down
the passage; he counted them till they
died away in the awful silence of the
night. Then he looked at the candle.
How long would it take an inch of tall
low to burn? The police would not
come till nine. Would it last till then
He looked at the clock. Twenty min
utes past eight Would that inch of
tallow last 40 minutes? If it should not,
would being blown up be so painful?
He looked at the candle again; II
seemed to melt away before his eager
gaze. He tried to shrek, but could not
the bruise on his face. where the
man had kicked him. hurt fearfully
he became unconscious.
He dreamed of his mother, dead years
before He thought that he was
a child again and that she had taken
him on her lap, and was telling him the
old stories that he loved. 1t was sum-
mer and he could hear the reapers
singing. He laughed with happi-
ness.
He opened his eyes. The darkness of
the room frightened him, and he tried to
call his mother. The gag was still in
his mouth, and like a fash the whole
dreadful, sickenipg truth came back to
him. The hands of the clock pointed
to 20 minutes before nine, and the can
die was more than half burned. He
llhO d lCdl, q houoSes
sickened him.
Again he looked at the clock. Ten
minutes of nine. The candle seemed to
burn slower. Was there still hope?
Would the police come on time-would
they come on time? He strained his
ears to hear their coming, but there was
no sound. Good God, would they be
late3
1t was five minutes of nine. He tried
to pray. He was lost. No! At last he
could hear the soldiers approaching;
but the clock was striking nine. A
knock on the door, and the fame had
touched the fuse. He watched the spark
as it crept, like a snake, across the floor,
nearer, nearer, nearer to the key. He
tried to scream. The sound of a
door being broken open. The
footsteps of men on the passage, outside
the door, but the spark had reached the
key. A flash
A second later, when the soldiers en-
tered, they saw a sight that frightened
even them, used to fearful sights as they
were. A dead man, bound and gagged,
lay upon the floor. His face was green
with terror, his hair snow white. and
his eyes red, staring and protruding.
On the floor was the black mark where