The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-05-20


about it, either. thou chicken-hearted
DULLES; pitch him in
The men started to obey his savage
order.
Hound of hell" 1 screamed. tor
tured beyond endurance, and strug-
Cling at my bonds.
Ortez slapped me in he face with
his gauntlet, then laying his hand upon
my shoulder said with assumed gen.
%tleness:
Calm yourself. my lear brother:
think of your unbandaged wounds:
they may bleed afresh."
Philip was conscious as the men bore
him to the edge of the we'll. but power
less to resist four stout fellows who
cast him headlong amongst the dead
and dying to mingle his groans and
blood with theirs. oh, that God should
permit men to such deeds, n grant
that men should witness them! When
Ortez led the way to the banquet hail.,
inviting all his rabble to join the feast.
The banquet hall. used as it was to
scenes OF turbulence. never perhaps
had looked upon such a throng as that.
1 occupied the head OF my own table,
strapped helpless in my seat. On either
side We're vacant chairs. OrteZ sat at
the foot. Between, the soldiery ranged
themselves as they pleased. One Of
the troopers coming in late would have
taken his place beside me, but his cap
tain stopped him:
mot there, Gardier; we hav other
and fairer guests for whom those seats
are kept
Almost as he spoke the chairs on
either side Of me were slipped away,
and after awhile as silently returned
to their places.
Sacrament of passion! In one Of them
was bound the mutilated corpse of my
queenly wife, her fingers hacked off
and her ears torn out for the gems
which had decked them. Upon my left
sat little Celia. But for one lurid stripe
of crimson across her girlish breast she
might we'll ave been asleep, SC lightly
{ death had touched her. Behind them I
saw a tall. gaunt woman, wearing a
, mans helm and carrying a pike. She
directed the men. This was a wonlan's
t hellish work.
Ortez rose with studied politeness:
/. your wife and child, d'Artin; our
charming family reunion would be in
: complete without them" And the
4 woman laughed aloud.
My brain burned; something seemed
. to strain and give way. 1 lost all sense
9 Of pain. all capacity to suffer. How
v long this lasted I know not. When the
reve!ry was at it's height. when the
wine had dulled every human instinct
:. in these rough soldiers of the church.
Ortez raised his voice above the tunult;
he knew his men We're in the hunor fol
a a diversion he was about to propose.
"Now comrades" he said, for the
browning joy of this most blessed day
now for our last sacred duty to mother
Z church."
3 He came round the table and taking
a cord from the hands Of n Of his
a mon he threw the moose over my head
With feet bound together, hands free
4 I stood amongst them, this throng OF
butchers, each with the white cross OF
. Christ in his cap, the white scarf OF
Guise upon his arm, trunk and eager
for blood.
/; Henri Francois Placide d'Artin
q whathast thou to say why we shall no
declare thy blood attained. thy name
2 ~dishonored, thy estate forfeited. VIII,
we shall not hang thee for a Hugueno
= dog, traitor to king and church
s Speak,"
I'll. All the defiance Of my race burned
4 fearless in my eyes; I felt my face fiusl
e an instant at the shame of such {
death. but replied as steadily as nigh
be-:
mot a word tn YOU. thou nfamou'
e one, thou baseborn coward, murdere
9 Of the helpless; not to you'll"
8 The cool, polite ef Ortez fel
from him like a mask. He seized tn,
l. cord with his own hand, jerking m
prone upon the floor n commenced t
drag me from the hall. A dozen willin!
hands lent aid. I clutched instinctivel,
at everything which came in my waE
u being torn from each hold by the ruth.
less Williams at the rope.
Desperate I grasped the leg of
trooper, but a avage kick in the fac
q w%renched him free, and down the stat
they started for the ope court. At tn
end of the cord came tumbling, rolling
humping down the stone steps this al
e. most ~senseless heap which was yet
!. man.
Arrived beside the well. whose grea
1e o~verhanging sweep offered a cor
T. venient scaffold. Ortez paused to loo
rt at his victim. My breath came slow.
N could hardly hea their words.
"a Think you his sense will return?"
Possibly, sire." replied the man I
ae whom this was addressed.
"Then We will wait; my swet
IN brother would weep to miss so brave
spectacle as his own hanging"
r. He sat there upon the edge Of II
st well, whence came the groans Of tt
be dying, the hot, fresh odors Of the dea,
ne and waited, fendish in the patier
ferocity of his more than mortal hat
a After a little I opened my eyes an
ne stared about me, scarcely comprehend
ing where I was or what had hal
re pened. Ortez called pom his men
In raise me. Being placed erect the cor
"a was drawn just taut enough to sustai
me standing. Now the CHASTITY woma
had seer in the hall pushed her wa
through the crowd.
r. "Her son." she Missed, and savagel
?" struck me in the mouth until blood TO
is lowed the blow. The cord Instant
lg frightened n I felt myself swim
1g across the we'll. First only a dizzine:
and a parched mouth. Then the t,
d. multuous blood surged to my throa
beating, struggling. gurgling like son
he pent-up mountain stream against tt
rocks. 1 threw both hands up to gras
the rope-heard a laugh, not a huma
tn laugh, yet it sounded SO far, so vel
nv far away, away back upon the earth.
d A gigantic merciful hand seemed
SIS take my lea within its grippe and pre-
out all pain.
ct Fiery circles swan before my eye
d! great crimson blotches fioated abo1
lis in restless cloud of flame; the
dreams dreams long delicious 6rca m