Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-09-28
CHAPTER XXI.

CdAP1Eh AA11.
The night came on, fair and still, clear
nd starlit; but there was no moon and
sbn+side the immediate neighborhood of the
main streets, the darkness was enough
h favor our hope of escaping notice with
All being so intense as to embarrass our
Footsteps. Everything, in fact, seemed to
h. On our side, and l was full Of buoy
4 M condolences as I put my revolver in
~ nocket and on the stroke Of midnight,
s+ole from my lodgings. l looked up to-
ward the bank and dimly deserted three
IT, four notionless figures, whom l took
% ne sentries guarding the treasure. The
atrce- itself was almost deserted, but from
~.here I stood l could see the Piazza
crowded with a throng of people. whose
sbourg and songs told me that the Colo
rors hospitality was being fully appre-
Mcia+sd. There was dancing going on to
tho strains of the military band, and eV-
erv sign showed that our good citizens in
tonde3, in familiar phrase, to make a
high, of It.
81 walked swiftly and silently down to
tba ie.ty. Yes, the boat was all right
hooked to her fires, and left her moored by
b. rome ready to be launched into the
balm black sea in an instant. linen L
#s-roIled along, by the harbor side. Here
IN -,e+ couple of sentries. 1nnocently
In entered into conversation with them,
condo1jng on their hard fate in being kept
4on duty while pleasure was at the helm
h. ~be Piazza. Gently deprecating sucn
8o-cass Of caution, | pointed out to them
#-ho stationary lights of The SonsStress'
#four or FIVE miles out to sea, ana WIN
#rasDectful smile at the Colonels uneasl-
NrAss left the seed had sown to grow IN
n nrenared soil. I dared do no more, ana
&5ad to trust for the rest to their natural
8;nclination to the neglect of duty.
When | got back to the bottom OF LID
o.+r straat 7 ensconced myself in the
i xbo,+er 81 little group of trees which
s+ood Of one side of the roadway. just
across rhe road, which ran at right an
gIes TO the street, the wood began ana
Il quarter of an hours walk through lrs
shades would bring US to the Jetty Wnere
4 the boat lay. My trees made a perfect
4screan and here | stood awaiting events
4 For some time nothing was audible out
an ever-increasing tumult OF 1oVlallty
from +bA Piazza. But after about twenty
n minutes 7 awoke to the fact that a con-
vtan+ dribble of men, singly or IN pairs,
8bad begun to flow past me from the II
Il azz9 down Liberty street, across the foao
*,behiud me, and into the wood. some were
in Uniform. others dressed IN common
clothes. one or two [ recognized as mem
hers Of Johnny Cars missing band. Ihe
strong contrast between the prevailing
ravairv and the stealthy, cautious air or
those D9ssprs-by would alone have sug-
rested that they we're bent on business;
nnrripg two and two together, | had not
the least doubt that they were the Presl-
dents adherents making their way down
10 the waters edge TO receive their chler.
So he was coming; the letter had done
its work! Some fifty or more must have
\ come and gone before the stream ceased,
and I reflected, with great satisfaction,
that the Colonel was likely to have his
hands very full in the next hour or two
Half an hour or so passed uneventtul-
,y the bonfire still blazed; the songs and
dancing we're still in full swing. 1t was
4 close upon the fateful hour of two, when,
looking from my hiding place, L saw
slight figure in black coming quickly and
fearfully along the road.
recognized the Signorina at once, as
Il should recognize her any day among
thousand, and as she paused nearly oppo-
site where I was, l gently called her
name and showed myself for a moment.
She ran to me at once.
rs it all right?" she asked, breath
i IessIr.
We shall see in a moment" said L.
q The attack Is coming off it will begin
directly"
But the attack was not the next thing
we saw. We had both retreated again to
he friendly shadow whence we could see
without being seen. Hardly had we set
4 led ourselves than the Signorina whis-
pered to me, pointing across the road to
The wood
What's that. JACKIE"
I followed the line of her finger and
made out a row of figures standing mo-
4 uoDesS and still on the very edge of the
wood. 1t was too dark to distinguish in
i diyidualS; but even as we looked the 81
lent air waited to our eager ears a low
voiced command:
Mind, not sound till 1 give the
i word"
The President' exclaimed the Sig
\ norma in a loud whisper.
Hush, or he'll hear" said I. land
4 we're done"
! Clearly nothing would happen from that
quarter till it was called forth by events
4 IN the opposite direction. The Signorina
was strongly agitated; she chung to me
4 closely, and I saw with alarm that the
4 very proximity of the man she stood in
i such awe of was too much for her COM
\ NoSore When l had soothed, and I fear
4 aa.r-trishtened, her into stiffness, | again
i turned my eyes toward the Piazza. The
"r' had at last fickered out and the revels
q seemed on the wane. Suddenly a body of
men appeared in close order. marching
Il down the street toward the bank. We
STOOD perhaps hundred yards from that
Il 'W.d.0g. which was, in its turn, about two
i hundred from the Piazza. Steadily they
4 came along; no sound reached us from
i he wood
I1'S is getting interesting" I said.
IA>Ee Il be trouble soon
rs near as l could see, the Colonel's
81 .,i-l.. Tor Suph If was No dOuht did not