Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-03-01

He followed her eyes. Waving plumesv' he cried. And drawing nearer! Come. Jacqueline, let us ride on.''
 How" she answered in lifeless tone. The bridge will not hold" For answer he turned his horse to 1t; proceeded slowly across. It wavered and bent Her wide opened eyes fol- lowed him. Once she lifted her hand to her breast and then became con scious he stood on the opposite bank, calling her to follow. She started. A strange smile was on her lips, ands touching her horse sharply. she obeyed.
 ''Is ii. to death he has called mel" she asked herself
 In her ears sounded the swash and eddying of the current. She closed her eyes to keep from falling, when she felt a hand on the bridle, and in mo- ment had reached the opposite shore. The jester made no motion to remount. but remained at her horses head, close ly surveying the road they had travel ed
 Must we go on?" she said mechan- ically.
 "Only one of them can cross at a time," he answered, without stirring. Tt is better to meet them here" { "Oh." she spoke up, Eff the waters would only rise little more and carry away the bridge"'
 He glanced quickly around him, weighing the slender chance for sue cess if he made that last desperate stand. and then. grasping loose plank, began using it as lever against one of the weakened supports of the bridge. Soon the beam gave way and the structure now held but at the mid dle and one side. had already begun to sag when from around the curve of the highway appeared Louis of Hoch- fels and dozen of his followers.
 The free baron rode to the brim of the torrent. regarded the food and the bridge and stopped. He was mounted on black Spanish barb whose glistening sides were fecked with foam. A cloak of cloth of gold fell from his brawny shoulders; his heavy, red face looked out from be- heath sombrero fringed with the same metal. A gleam of grim recollec- ton -hone from his bloodshOt eyes as they rested on the fool.
 "Oh, there you are." he shouted. with savage satisfaction. "Out of the fry ing pan into the fire. or rather-for you escaped the fagots at Notre Dame-out of the fire into the frying pan!'
 Above the tumult of the torrent his stentorian tones were plainly heard. Without response the jester inserted the plank between the structure and the middle support. The other. per ceiving his purpose, uttered an execra- tion that was drowned by the current and irresolutely regarded the means of communication between the two shores, obviously undetermined about trusting his great bulk to that fragile intermedium. Here was Il temporary check on which he had not calculated. But if he demurred about crossing himself the free baron did not long display the same inflrmity of purpose regarding his followers. T""''''" '"'
 "Over with your be cried angrily to them. The lghtest first. Fifty pis- toles to the first acrOss!' And then. calling out to the fool: "In half an hour you, my fine wit cracker. shall be hanging from a branch. As for the maid-she is n witch. I am told-we will test her with drowning Tempted by their leaders offer, one Of the troopers. lank. muscular look ing fellow. at once drove the spurs into his horse. Back and forth moved the lever in the hands of the jester. The soldier was midway on the bridge when it sank suddenly to one side. A moment 1t acted as a dam: then bridge. horse and rider were swept away with a crash md carried downward with the driving flood Vainly the trooper sought to turn his steed toward the shore: the debris from the structure soon swept him from his saddle. Strlk. ing out strongly he succeeded in catch ing trailing branch from a tree on the bank. but the torrent gripped his body fiercely and. after a desperate struggle. tore him away.
 As his helpless follower disappeared the free baron gave brief command, and he and his troops posted rapidly down the bank The young girl breath. cd sigh of relief Her eyes were yet full of awe from the death struggle she had witnessed Fascinated. her gaze had rested on the drowning wretch-the pale face. the look of ter ror-but now she was called to reali- zation of their own situation by the abrupt departure of the squad on the opposite shore.
 They have gone" she cried in sur prise as the party vanished aihong the trees.
 'But not far" The testers ylanr was bent down the stream. See where the torrent broadens. They ex- pect |" find fording place
 Once more they set forth: hc know ing full well that the free baron and his men. accustomed to the mountain torrents. unbridled by the melting SHOWS. would in all likelihood soon find way to cross the freshet His mind misgavc him th.t hn- had looSenei the