Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-05
CHAPTER III.
THE HOUSE IN THE Woop

men ont of their anger For mo-
!, ment they glared at me as lit they had
seen ghost Then the win e-merchant
{, clapped his hand on the table. "That
Is enough" he said, with look at
his companions. II think there can
be no mistake about that. AS damna-
BILE treason as ever heardl whispered!
I congratulate you, Sir. on your bold
ness. AS for you" he continued, turn
Ing with an ugly sheer to the landlord,
II shall know now the Company you
keep! was not aware that my wine
wet whistles to such tune!"
But If he was startled, tie innkeeper
was furious, seeing his character thus
4 taken away; and. being at no time a
man of many words, he vented his rage
exactly in the way I wished. In a
twinkling he raised such On uproar as
can scarcely be conceived With a roar
like a bulls he ran headlong at the
table, and overturned it On the top Of
me. The woman saved the lamp and
fled with it into a corner whence she
and the man from the chateau watched
the skirmish in silence; bit the pewter
cups and platters flew spinning across
the floor. while the table pinned me to
the ground among the ruins of my
I STOOL Having me at this disadvan-
tage-for at first made mo resistance
the landlord began. til belabor me
with the first thing he |snatched up,
and when I tried to defend myself
cursed me with each blow for treach-
erous rogue and a vagrant Meanwhile,
the three merchants, delighted with the
! turn things had taken, Clipped round
us laughing; and now hotnded him OIL,
now bantered me with How is that for
the Duke of Orleans?" aid "EIow now,
/ traitor?"
When I thought this had lasted
long enough-or to speak more plain
i ly, when could stand; the innkeep-
er's drubbing no longer4-I threw him
of by great effort, AMI struggled to
my feet But still, Though the blood
was trickling down my face, refrained
from drawing my sword 1 caught up
instead leg of the stbol which lay
handy, and, watching MY opportunity,
dealt the landlord a shrswd blow under
the ear which laid him out in mo-
ment on the wreck of his own table.
"Now!" I cried, brandishing my new
weapon, which fitted the hand to a
nicely, come on! Come on, If you dare
to strike a blow, you leddling, truck
ling, huckstering knavef! 4 iis for you
and your shaveling CARDINAL"
The red-faced wine-h merchant drew
his sword in one-tWo. why, you
drunken fool" he s4id wrathfully,
put that stick down, oh will spit you
like lark"
Lark in your teeth9" I cried, stag
gering as if the wine Were in my head.
another word, and L +"
He made couple of savage passes
at me, but IN twinkling his sword
few across the room.
| "Voile!" shouted, lilrching forwar;
as if had lick and not skill to thank
for It, Nov the next! Come on
come on-you white-Eivered knsves!'
And, pretending a drunken frenzy.
flung my weapon bodily amongt them
and selling the nearest, began to wres-
| tie with him
In moment they TALL threw them.
selves upon ne, and. swearing copious.
ly, bore me back to- the door, The
wlne-merchant cried breathlessly ia
the woman to oxen It'll and in twink.
ling they had mo thr bugh it and half
way across the road. The one thing
feared was knife-thrust in the Mo-
lee: but l had tn ru n that risk. ard
the men were hone st enough and
thinking me drunk, indulgert In a
trice found myself on my back in
tie dirt; with NY hes id humming: and
heard, the bars of the door fall Mostly
into their places.
II l got up and went to the door, and
to play out my part, hammered on it
frantically, crying out to them to let
me in. But the three travellers only
jeered AT me. and the landlord, with
his head bleeding, shook his fist at
ME and cursed me for a mischief
maker.
Bafled IN this retired to log
which lay in the road a few PAGES from
the house, and sat down on it to await
events. With torn clothes and bleeding
face, hatless and covered with dirt,
was in scarcely better case than my op-
ponent. 1t was raining, too, and the
dripping branches swayed over my
head. The wind was in the south
the coolest quarter. began to feel
chill and dlspirited. If my scheme
failed, | had forfeited roof and bed
to no purpose, and placed future
progress out of the question. 1t was
critical moment.
But at last that happened for which
had been looking The door swung
open few inches and a man came
nolselessly out; the door was quickly
barred behind him He stood a mo-
ment. waiting on the threshold and
peering into the gloom and seemed to
expect to be attacked. Finding him
self unmolested, however, and all quiet