The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-05-19

order.
Hound of hell!' I screamed, tor
tured beyond endurance, and strug-
Cling at my bonds.
Ortez slapped me in the face with
his gauntlet, then laying his hand upon
ny shoulder said with assumed gen
tleness:
Cain yourself, my dear brother:
think of your unbandaged wounds;
they may bleed afresh."
Phtllp was conscious as the men bore
him to the edge of the well, but power
less 10 resist four stout fellows who
cast him headlong amongs the dead
and dying to mingle his groans and
blood with theirs. On, that God should
permit men to such deeds, and grant
that men should witness them! When
the last body had been disposed OF,
Ortez led the way to the banquet hall,
inviting ali his rabble to join the feast.
The banquet han, used as it was to
scenes Of turbulence. never perhaps
had looked upon such a throng as hat.
l occupied the head Of my own table.
strapped helpless in my seat. On either
side were 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:
W. ~ :, NGLALEi We nave OIIl9T
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
queelly 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 Iurid stripe
OF crimson across her giriiSh breast she
might well have been asleep, SO 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 q woman's
helliSh work.
Ortez rose with studied politeness:
Your wife and child, d'Artin; u
charming family reunion would be in
complete without them," And the
omar laughed aloud.
My brain burned; something seemed
70 strain and give way. I lost all
or pain, all capacity to suffer. How
long this lasted I know not. When the
revelry 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 tumult;
he knew his men were in the hun1or for
a diversion ne was about to propose.
Nov comrades" he said. for the
GROWING joy of this most blessed day,
now for our last sacred duty to mother
church"
He came round the table and taking
a cord from the hands Of one OF his
men he threw the moose over my head.
With feet bound together, hands free,
/ 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, drunk and eager
for blood.
Henri Francois Placide d'Artin,
whathast thou to say why we shall not
declare thy blood attainted, thy name
dishonored, thy estate forfeited, why
We shall not hang thee for a Huguenot
dog, traitor to king n church?
Speak"
All the defiance Of my race burned
fearless In my eyes; I felt my face flush
an instant at he shame of such a
death, but replied as steadily as might
be:
Not a word to you. thou infamous
one, thou baseborn coward, murderer
of the helpless; not to YOU"
The cool. polite manner CT Ortez> fell
from him like a mask. He seized the
cord with his own hand, jerking me
prone upon the floor and commenced to
drag me from the hall. A dozen willing
hands len aid. 1 clutched instinctively
at everything which came in my way,
being torn from each hold by the ruth
less Williams ct the rope.
Desperate l graSped the leg of a
trooper, but a savage kick in the face
wrenched him free, Il DOWN the stair
they started for the open court. AT the
end Of the cord came tumbling, rolling,
humping down the stone steps this al
most senseless heap which was yet a
man.
Arrived beside the well. whose great
o~verhangi1g sweep offered a con-
v~enient scaffold, Ortez paused to look
at his victim. My breath came slow, l
could hardly hear their words.
Think you his senses Will retur1f?"
Possibly, sire" replied the mar to
whom this was addressed.
Then we will wait; my sweet
brother would weep to miss SO brave a
spectacle as his W hanging"
He sat there upon the edge of the
we'll, whence came the groans Of the
dying, the hot, fresh doors Of the dead,
and waited, fiendish in the patient
f~erocity of his more "a mortal hate.
After a little I opened my eyes and
stared about me, scarcely comprehend
ing where l was or what had hap
pened. Ortez called upon his men to
raise me. Being placed erect the cord
was drawn just aut enough to sustain
me standing. Now the CHASTITY woman
/ had seen In the. hall pushed her way
through the crowd.
Her son." she Kissed, and savagely
struck me IN the mouth until Diood fol-
lowed the blow. The cord instantly
frightened and I felt myself swing
across the well. First only a dizziness
and a parched mouth. Their the tu-
multuous blood surged to my throat,
beating, struggling, gurgling like some
pent-up mountain stream against the
rocks. I threw both hands up to grasp
the rope-heard a laugh, not a human
laugh, yet it sounded so far, SO very
Iaf away, away back upon the earth.
A gigantic merciful hand seemed to
take my head within its grippe and press
out all pain.
Fiery circles swan before my eyes;
great crimson blotches hoated about
IN restless clouds of fame; then
dreams, dreams, long delicious dreams.
And out Of the endless years Of
rhythmic music, the laughter Of low
voiced women, n many colored lights
came at length oblivion.
Thus the tale ended. 1t was the
same l had heard in far away Louisi
ana, told again with al the grim ear
nestness of desperate truth.
L stood in the great courtyard again.
beside the ancient well, drinking ca
gerly every inspired syllable. When
the speaker had done. he shranE back
into he darkness, and was gone.
At was as though l witnessed in nv