The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1906-11-22

A great bell had begun 10 ring In ~,
chateau, aud there was a loud hnu ol
voices aud clatter OF feet upon The
stones. iIoarsc orders were shouted
and there was the sound of turning
keys. Five minutes passed.. however
and yet another Eve minutes, wlihou,
any one appearing
We'll, In have that bar out. after
nll" said the American al last rlsing
and stepping over 20 the window
Anyhow wen see what all this cater
waullnr is about" He climbed up on
his pegs as he spoke and pceped out.
Come upi" he cried excltcdly TO his
eomrade, They've got some other
game going on here, and they are all
deal too busy 10 bother their heads
about us
De Catinat clambercd up beside him.
and the two stood staring down Into
the courtyard A brazlcr had been III
at each corner, and the place was
! thronged with men. many OF whom
carried torches The main gate was
open. and carriage, which had appar.
\ emily Just driven In, WAS standing ut
a small door Immediately In front OF
their window. A man wearing a
piumed hat and cnveloped Ia u riding
coat stepped from the carriage and
then, turning round, dragged second
person out after him. There was Il
scutiie, cry, a push, and the two fig
ures vanished through the door. Az IL
closed the carriage drove away, the
torches and braziers were extlnguished.
the main gate was closed once more,
and all was as quiet as before this
sudden interruption.
"Well.n gasped De Catlnat 'Is this
another kings messenger they've gotf'
There will be lodgings for two more
here In short time" said Amos Green.
"Give me your bar again. This thing
Is giving. Ii won't take us long to
have II out" He set to work furious
ly, trying to deepen the groove In tho
stone, through which he hoped to drag
the staple Suddenly he ceased and
strained his ears.
"By thunder said he. There's
some one working on the other side"
They both stood listening. There
were the thud Of hammers, the rasping
of a saw and the clatter Of wood from
the other side of the wall,
what can they be doing? Can you
see themT
"They are too near the wall"
II think can manage" said De Catl-
nat. Il am slghter than you" He
pushed his head and neck and half Of
one shoulder through the gap between
the bars, and there he remained until
his friend thought that perhaps he had
stuck and pulled his legs TO extrlcate
him. He writhed back, however with
out any difficulty.
"They are building something" he
whispered.
''Buildlng!"
"Yes. There are -four of them. with
a lantern"
"what can they be building, thenf"
"It's a shed. think can see four
sockets In the ground, and they are
fixing four uprights into them"
well we can't get away as long as
there are four men just under our win
dow"
'Imposslbler"
"But we may as well finish our work
for all that"
The gentle scraplngs OF his iron were
drowned amid the noise which swelled
ever louder from without. The bar
loosened at the end. and he drew IL In.
The steady hammering and saving
went forward. II was early morning,
md the first cold light was beginning
to steal over the courtyard before the
work was at last finished and the work
men had left Then at last the prison.
ers dared to climb up and to see what
1t was which had been constructed dur
ing the night II gave them catch OF
the breath as they looked at It, 1t
was a scaffold. II was buttressed up
against their wall, and In the center
stood headsman's block.
81 think II Is time that we left said
Amos Green. "The window IL clear.
Let us make rush for It,"
ut Is useless ! can see line OF
armed men along the farther side OF
the yard. And here come more. See,
at the center gate"
AS he spoke the door which faced
hem opened. and singular procession
lied out First came two dozen foot
ncn. walking In pairs, all carrying
ialbards and clad in the same maroon
,olorcd llveries After them n huge
Jenrded man, with bis tunic or and
he sleeves OF his coarse shirt rolled
ip over his elbows, strobe along with
great ak over his left shoulder. Be
lind him. priest with mn open mlssal
,attered forth prayers, and In bis
hadow was a woman, clad In black, ,
Ter neck barred, and n black shawl !,
ast over her head and dropping In |,
ront OF her bowed face Within grip
4 her walked tall, thin, fierce faced .
nan, with harsh red features and
,reat jutting nose. He wore n fiat
elvet cap with a single eagle feather
astened into II by diamond clasp
which cleaned In the morning light
But bright as was his gem bis dark !.
yes were brighter still and sparkled :
rom under his bushy brows with : !,
lad brlliancy which bore with II
OF menace and Of terror.
The woman had faltered NJ the foot i
I the scaffold. but the man thrust her II
n, and two OF the followers caught Q
er by either wrist and dragged her I,
Drward. q
"Oh. Maurice. Maurice" she y
II am not III TO diel Oh, =
,rgiye inc, Maurice, as You hope for !,
,rgiveness yourself. Maurice. Mnn-
GER She stroye TO get toward him, ..
, clutch nj bis wrist at his sleeve. !,
ut he stood with his hand on BIS
word, gazing NJ her with face which ;.
'as all wreathed and coDtorted with !.
erriment She turned away and "
rev back the mantle which had .
,rouded her features u
"Ai. sire"' she cried ''sire. n you a
1uld see me nowr' y
And at the cry and nj the sight OF :,
q -.