Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-01-24

1t was the badge of the rebellion.
| Barra looked down upon De Lannoy,
and with sheer upon his scared and
bearded countenance, grufay interpo-
lated:
II am the man Of Charles. BY his
order I am commanded to take posses
sion Of this belfry, tear from it's roots
the Tongue of Roland"-he stopped
short moment, and then added in
tones intended to sink into the heart
OF the bellman-"and should 1 encoun-
ter resistance, I am to use my own
| discretion. Remember Levien Pyl!"
"Who was Levien Pyl?' sullenly
answered De Lannoy, sparring fo7
time, although he well knew the grew
some story.
"A man after your own black heart
"a dog of traitor with a white badge
| upon his arm'-he pointed with his
sword toward the bellman's sleeve. He
died-but unhappily. I, the man of
Charles, crushed his fingers one by one
until he swooned from loss of blood"
He laughed mockingly and threw his
steel gauntlet into De Lannoy's face.
De Lannoy took quick step behind
one of the attendants and tore from
his hands his short sword. With it he
disposed of the servant from whou
it had been snatched, and turned upon
the herald. The wou1ded attendant
fell to the mosaic pavement with a
groan. Like hungry tigers two other
fellows leaped upon tn e bellman's back
before he could make another move,
and bore him to the ground.
A leathern thong was wrapped
around De Lannoy's wrists and twist
ed taut until cruel channels were
gcuged into the unprotected skin.
"Now for the bell, men, Barra
cried, pointing upward with his sword.
"Tear out the clapper-and make short
work of it,
It. was quickly done; Roland's
tongue hung upon a coupling which
che man could readily loosen.
Barra laughed again with the old
sheer. He took the hempen rope
with which the bellman had been
wont to ring his bell, and, deftly run
mig UP the ladder in the wall, fas-
tened it to the coupling in the heart
OF Roland from which the clapper had
swung.
Then he dropped the COIL It fell
directly in De Lannoy's upturned face.
The bellman groaned in anticipation
of his fate.
Barra kindled fire in the corner of
the tower. He broke the chairs and
table, feeding their kindling into the
flames. Into the heart of the blaze he
thrust the heavy end of the bell clap
per. In silence he watched it for sew
eral moments. De Lannoy in frenzy
cursed him once. Barra only laughed
and drew the iron tongue from the
flames. The end was white with heat.
Quickly he carried the tongue to
the hempen rope, and, fastening it
through the coupling, hung it over
De Lannoy's face. It swung ten inches
above him, yet the heat turned the
bellman's cheek a livid green, and cast
into his eyes the fire of a demon. !,
Barra drew fagot from the fire and
strands caught the fame, and a tiny
rInglet of smoke foated out into the
air. Barra thrust his hands deep
into his pockets and with staring eyes
watched first the burning rope, then
the white-hot tongue of iron, then the
face of his victim. De Lannoy's teeth
were set an in wise. His jaws stood
out as from a skull. His eyebrows al
ready were burned away.
The room was dark as the blacklist
night. The two attendants huddled,
shivering, against the remotest corner
Of the tower. Their eyes were fixed
Upon the rope in CHASTITY stare. The
wave of smoke. grew heavier. Now
and then the burning strands sput-
tered their threatening warning. The,
iron tongue was trembling. 1t
lurched-once- twice-then an awful
scream of agony burst through the
tower walls, bounding from the belfry
i'll terrorizing echo, cleaving the sky OF
Client as had the Tongue of Roland.
jumped to my feet with a cry OF
fright. My face and brow were wet
with cold sweat. was trembling
from head to foot. Intuitively I
glanced to the mantelpiece for the
Tongue of Roland. 1t had fallen to-
the hearth, and the end which lay
in the smouldering fire was white with
heat.