Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-10-19
P II.

CHAPTER II.
SHOWS HOW AN OFFICER OF THE
GUARD ALMOST MAKES A DISCOv-
cry, AND THE FIRM OF TONTI
AND COMPANY is FORMED.
There was good need of Tonti's sur
prise, for the suddenness of the ap-
partition, it's means of entrance, to-
gether with the grotesqueness of facial
expression visible, were all calculated
to startle ever the bravest of soldiers.
The figure was that of a man a little
over five feet in height, whose age
might have been anywhere between
80 and 45, clad in the black clothes
that only condemned yea on their
way to execution. His features were
small and sharp, with a look of min
gled cunning and resoluteness. In
places the skin was disfigured with
the marks of smallpox that in some
lights seemed to extend themselves
over the entire face. The scars above
and below the eyes were so plentiful
that in their healing they had appar-
emily drawn down the lower and
raised the upper lids, so as to present
the wild staring eyes of a mailman.
The mouth was large and of plebeian
shape, and the lower jaw, seeming to
hang like a half-shut door, revealed
three glistening fangs that resembled
more those of a wolf than the teeth
of a human being, while saliva dripped
necessarily from the Of the
mouth down the chin. The ears, of
unusual size originally, had been
clipped so that only the lower two
thirds remained. A scar, starting be-
tween the eyes at the root of the nose,
ran upward until it was lost in the
tangled masses of his reddish brown
hair. His eyes, which were the most
remarkable feature of all, in addition
to their stare were of that rare and
curious shade of gray which changed
in expression according to the mood
of the owner; then they seemed to
CLEAN alternately with the mad fires
of the hopeless maniac, and again with
the all-but-quenched rays of reason Of
an idiot. All of these physical pecu-
liarities were accumulated by the crea-
ture, as he stood with arms akimbo,
feet we'll apart, eyes almost starting
from their sockets, tongue p%rotruding,
and ears slowly moving up and down,
while a most diabolical grin overspread
the greater portion of his face.
"Mordioux!" cried Tonti. "What have
we here? Some gargoyle strayed from
his post on the stone of Notre
Dame; OF is it a new court jester; or
one Of the Gadarene swine that be-
came possessed of devils the good
Able Renaudot told me Of? Ha, ha!
or best of all, one of the progeny of
that hell bound Mazarin or my Lord
Colbert-hola! none of that, or out of
the window you shall go as you came,
only head first"
This last exclamation was induced
by a sudden movement Of the fantastic
creature before him. During the first
part of Tonti's speech the little man
had stood playing the idiot, but as
soon as Colbert's name was mentioned,
he suddenly changed his expression.
The gray eyes lost their look of mad
and cleaned with a light of in
tense hatred. Suddenly drawing a
small dagger from his person, he
threw it in the face of Tonti, who
stood about three PAGES off. The SOL
der had often seer that look in an
a~dversary's eye in duel and battle,
and he knew well it portended some
sudden action. Instinctively he raised
his hand to ward off the impending
danger, as he saw the movement of
the mans arm. The weapon glanced
through the air, and struck the up
lifted palm of his left hand. Instead
OF piercing it, as one would have ex-
pected from the force with which it
was thrown, it stopped with a metallic
clink and fell with blunted point tc
the floor. Quick as thought, the young
soldier sprang to his sword, seized 1t,
and came at his treacherous visitor,
who stood awaiting his approach with
out making the slightest movement.
Tonti presented the point against his
breast, exclaiming:
Nov then, my fine fellow, il you
have any such compliments TO
give me, kindly do it now, and I shall
show you in return how we spit u
chicken for roasting in my native
The mar elared at him a moment,
hen with a sudden effort reorganized
his features completely. This was as
much of a surprise to Tonti as the
lttack had been, for in an instant the
'%rotruding tongue and fangs disap-
Feared, the eyes became less promi-
lent and lost their wildness, and the
whole man was changed; even the
seemed to lose their Wilderness
Ind become more like the surround
ne skin A supplicating look came
INTO his face, and as Tonti's sword
vas dropped in his nmazement
he man fell on his knees, murmur
ne: Pardon! Pardon!"
ITO IA Continual