The National tribune., 1906-10-11

after my own heart"
/ Saving my poor honesty" said I,
maybe am. But that I keep faith
with men, and honor with women,
maybe I am. my lord"
He darted glance at me-a glance
of anger.
"Is your mother dead?" said I.
"Aye, she's dead"
"Ske may thank God" said I, and I
heard him curse me softly. "Well,
what's the messenger" continued.
| I had touched. him in the raw, for
all the world knew he had broken his
mothers heart and Haunted his mis-
tresses in her house: and his airy man
ner was gone for the moment.
THE Duke offers you more than ]
would" he growled. "a halter for
you, sire. was my suggestion. But he
offers you safe-conduct across the
| frontier and million crowns"
II prefer your offer. my lord, If am
bound to one."
you refuse?"
"Of course
| IT told Michael you would" and tho
| villain, his temper restored. gave me
the sunniest of SMILES. The fact is.
| Michael doesn't understand q gentle
man.
] began to laugh.
"And you?" I asked.
II do" he said. well. well. the
halter be it,"
I'm sorry you won't live to see It,"
observed.
Has his majesty done me the honor
| to fasten particular quarrel on me?"
IT would You were few years
older, though"
"Oh, God gives years. but the devil
gives increase" laughed he. 1 can hold
my own"
How is your prisoner" asked.
"The k"
"Your prisoner"
"I forgot your wishes. sire. Well,
he is alive
He rose to his feet; initiated him.
Then, with a smile, he said:
"Apd the pretty Princess? Faith
I'll wager the next Elphherg will be
red enough, for all that Black Michael
will be called his father"
| I sprang a step toward him, clench-
ing my hand. He did not move an
inch, and his lip curled in insolent
| amusement.
| GO, while YOUR skins whole!"
muttered. He had repaid me with in
| terest my hit about his mother.
| Then came the most audacious thing
have known in my life. My friends
were some 80 yards away. Rupert
called to a groom to bring him his
| IoISe, anu ulSiillSStu lUC ItIioW WltU a
crown. The horse stood near. I stood
still, suspecting nothing. Rupert made
as though to mount; then he suddenly
| turned to me, his left hand resting on
his belt, his hand outstretched:
! "Shake hands," he said.
| I bowed and did as he had foreseen
IL put my hands behind me. Quicker
than thought his left hand darted out
at me- and small dagger flashed in
| fha air. ho ctr1tnIs n 40 of oh l.
| der-had I not swerved it had been my
heart. With a cry I staggered back.
! Without touching the stirrup. he leap
ed upon his horse and was off like an
arrow, pursued by cries and revolver
shots,-the last as useless as the first
and I sank into my chair, bleeding
profusely, as I watched the devils
brat disappear down the long avenue
My friends surrounded me, and then
tainted.
| 1 suppose that I was put to bed, and
| there lay unconscious or half conscious
for many hours; for it was night when
I awoke to my full mind, and found
Fritz beside me. I was weak and
weary, but he bade me be of good
soon heal, and that meanwhile all had
gone well, for Johann, the keeper, had
| fallen into the snare we had laid for
| him, and was even now in the house.
"And the queer thing is" pursued
Fritz. that fancy he's not altogether
sorry to find himself here. He seems
| to think that, when Black Michael has
| brought off his coup witnesses of how
it was effected-saving, of course, the
| Six themselves-will not be at a pre-
MUM"
This idea argued a shrewdness In our
captive which led me to build hopes
on his assistance. ordered him to be
brought in at once. Sapt conducted
him, and set him in a chair by my bed
| side. He was sullen and afraid; but,
| to say truth, after young Rupert's ex-
ploit we also had our fears, and If he
got as far as possible from Sapt's for
midable six-shooter, Sapt kept him as
far as he could from me. Moreover,
when he came in his hands were bound,
but that would not suffer.
need not stay to recount the safe
guards and rewards we promised the
| fellow-all of which We're honorably
observed and paid, so that he lives now
| in prosperity though where I may not
| mention); and we were the more free
| inasmuch as we soon learned that he
was rather a weak man than a wicked,
| and had acted throughout this matter
more from fear of the Duke and of his
| own brother Max than for any love
of what was done. But he had per-
suaded all of his loyalty; and though
| not in their secret councils, was yet, by
| his knowledge of their dispositions
within the castle, able to lay bare be-
| fore us the very heart of their devices.
| And here, in brief, is his story.
Below the level of the ground in the
castle, approached by a flight of stone
| steps which abutted on the end of the
| drawbridge, We're situated two small
| rooms cut out of the rock itself The
| outer of the two had no windows but
| was always lighted with candles; the
| inner had one square window, which
gave upon the moat. In this inner
room there lay always day and night,
| three of the Six; and the instructions
| of Duke Michael were that on any at
tack being made on the outer room the
three were to defend the door of 1t
so long as they could without risk to
| themselves. But SO soon as the door
should be in danger of being forced,
then Rupert Hentzau or Detchard (for
| one of these two was always there)
| should leave the others to hold it as
| long as they could and himself pass
| into the inner room, and without more
ado kill the King, who lay there, well
treated indeed, but without weapons,
and with his arms confined in fine steel
chains which did not allow him to move
his elbow more than three inches from
his shoulder. Thus, before the outer
door were stormed. the King would be
| dead. And his body? For his body
would be evidence as damning as him
self.
May SIR" said Johann, "his High
ness has thought of that. While the
two hold the outer room the one who