Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-05-11


most on level with the surface of
which had an opening into cavity of
the well wall
The water of the well was not deep
er than to Sosia's neck: he glided into
it, feet foremost, through the opening
from the larger excavation-which had
originally intended to be well-and
placed himself in that apparently help
less position in which the three pur-
suers saw him when he screamed for
help. While in the well he could hear
perfectly all that was said above. And
he bore with heroic stoicsm outward
ly and fiendish rage lnwardly, the
scorching from Bashfort's suspended
| torch.
But when that torch was withdrawn,
and he heard Lord Genlis speak of
burying his supposed dead body, he
quickly escaped into the dry excava-
ton. After the wheel and other
weights had been cast down, Sosia re-
NAMED where he was for some time
to take off and wiring dry, as we'll as he
could, his drenched garments, not
wishing to leave any damp traces of
his future stealthy movements, and
then stole to a small cell, of whose ex-
istence Clarence Darrell knew nothing,
though Sosia was not sure of Clar-
ence's ignorance on this point, and
there put on a change of clothing,
with which his portmanteau was pro-
vided
After this he had followed the move
ments of Clarence with that stealthy
watching in which the practice and
habit of years had made Zeno Sosia
equal to a thieving cat.
But while Sosia was now gazing
down into Bashfort's kitchen, he did
not know that Clarence had discov-
cred Helen's prison, though he judged
that the young man had, and so was
wholly unaware that Clarence and Hell
en- had actually exchanged not only
glances, but even words.
Unsuspecting of the malignant eyes
glaring hate at him through the cob
webs above, Clarence continued his
hearty meal until his famished
strength was fully recruited, and when
he arose noiselessly from the table, it
was after, but not far from, midnight
''This fellow thought Clarence, as
he gazed at the sleeping ruffian, "has
twice seen me. and on both occasions
fancied that 1 was the spirit Of the
gentleman he murdered at York. From
the story heard the woman tell Hell
emf true, and I think it was-I be-
leve that am the son of Rachel Allen
stone and Robert de Lavet, and that
Claude de Lavet was my uncle. My
wonderful resemblance to Claude de
Lavet would lead me to believe this.
81 can scarcely doubt that am the
child, the infant boy, this ruffian said
in his terror Sosia forced and bribed
him to steal from Claude de Lavet. 1t
must be so, for now l remember that
once, when I was well-grown boy
and in the belief that l was Zeno So
sia's son, angered him by breaking
some retorts in his laboratory, and he
struck me in the face with his cruel
BILE tongs, and said scotfingly: There's
too much dull De Lavet blood in your
veins to let you become man of sci
ence!' Now, and never till now, do
understand what he meant
Strange, if my suspicion be true,
that events should be so shaped by
time as to nearly make my own father
! the husband of the girl loved!
'f3ut let me play a trick upon this
ruffian, by which l may learn more.
may venture to try it, for he will take
me for the phantom of the man he
murdered His companions are so
4 deep and dull in their sleep that a
cannon fired here would scarcely
awaken them, and there are four
closed doors between their room and
ihis!"
His first movement toward his in
4 tended deception was to make two
holes nearly through that door which
4 closed upon the Kitchen toward that
quarter of the house in which Helen
4 was imprisoned.
1 He made these holes very quickly
! and. The sharp point oi
his dagger, and scorched them very
| slightly with the tip of heated wire
i He then flattened a little between a
pair of pincers the two bullets which
/ he had drawn from Bashfort's pistol
and crowded these bullets into the
holes he had made.
The watchful sorcerer above won.
dered what these movements of the
young man We're for, but could not i'm
| agine, as Clarence had not uttered his
I thoughts aloud. Nor was the sorcerer
4 aware that Clarence had extracted the
4 bullets from Bashfort's pistols, Sosia
4 having arrived at his spying place
4 after Clarence had achieved that feat.
But what followed soon informed
| Sosia Of what Clarence was trying to
discover; and as the sorcerer was ig-
/ norant that Martha had told what she
knew in Clarenees hearing. or even
that she knew SO much Of the De- La
vet affair as she did, when he did pen
i citrate the desire OF the young man it
was too late for Sosia to prevent the
4 trick.
Nor was Sosia aware OF what Clar-
~ g..