Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-10

building, turned, walked DdCk, ana ulSdppSdIeu'
Hurriedly Lepage struck match and took
the time Again he waited; again the figure
came; again he struck light and took the time.
He went through this process five times before
be felt reasonably sure that he could rely on
having ten minutes to himself if he started
the moment Sterkoff's sentry had gone round
the corner of the building.
He pulled the mattress up on the sill OF the
window and waited. There was no sound now
but of Markart's stertorous breathing But
presently the measured tramp below came,
passed, turned, and passed away. Lepage
gave last tug at the fastenings of his rope,
threw the end out of window, took the mattress
and dropped it as straight down as he could.
The next moment in spite of Sterkotf some
body had left the Palace. Why not? The run
away was aware that the King was not really
suffering from inf1uenza-he could spend an
evening in Slavna without reproach.
Il wish | knew the safest way to fall
thought Lepage, dangling at the end of his
rope 1t swayed about terribly; he waited
awhile for it to steady itself-he feared to
miss the mattress; but he could not wait long,
or that measured tramp and that dark figure
would come. There would be a sudden squirt
of light and report-and what of Lepage
them He gathered his legs up behind his knees.
took long breath-and fell. AS luck would
have it, though he landed the very edge of
the mattress, yet he did land on it, and tumbled
forward on his face, shaken, but with bones
intact. There was a numb feeling above his
knees-nothing worse than that.
He drew long breath Heavy bodies, even
mattresses, fall quickly; he must have seven
or eight minutes yet
But no. Heavy bodies, even mattresses,
falling quickly make noise. Lepage had come
down with a thud, squashing hidden air out
of the interstices of the mattress The silence
of night will give resonance to gentler sounds
than that, which was as though a giant had
squeezed his mighty sponge. Lepage, on his
numb knees, listened.
The steps came, not measured now, but run
ming. The dark figure came running round the
corner. What next? Next the challenge then
the squirt of light and the report! What of
Lepage then? Nothing, as far as Lepage and
the rest of humanity for certainty knew. OF
that nothing-actua1 or possible-Lepage did
not approve He hitched the mattress on his
back, bent nearly double and thus both
burdened and protected, made for the river.
He must have looked like turtle scurrying
to the sea- lest he should be turned over and
so left for soup in due season.
Who goes there? Haiti Haiti
The turtle scurried on; it was no moment to
stop and discuss matters.
The squirt of light, the report There was
hole in the mattress, but we'll above Lepage's
head Indeed, if hit at ALL he was not most
likely to be hit in the head-that vital portion
of him was tucked away too carefully. He
presented a broader aim, but the mattress
masked him nobly. There was another shot
the northwest corner of the mattress this time.
But the mattress was the rivers edge. The
next instant it was floating on the current
of the Krath, and Sterkof's sentry was in
dulging in some pretty practice at it. He hit
it every time, until the swift current carried
it round the bend and out of sight.
The whole thing seemed strange and rather
uncanny to the sentry. He grounded his rifle
and wiped his brow. 1t had looked like a
carpet taking walk on its own account, and
then a swim. Superior officers might be accus-
toned to such strange phenomena. The sentry