Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1907-07-19
CHATTER xxi.

-.aJn streets, the darkness was enough
- savor our hope Of escaping notice with
~. HING 40 intense as to embarrass our
Ss~.stans Everything, in fact, seemed 10
our aide. and / was full OF buoy
mi condolences as / put nay revolver IN
oocl,et and, on the stroke OF midnight, |
-+ols from my lodgings. l looked up To-
80 the bank and dimly deserted three
~ sour motionless figures, whom took
70 ha sentrles guarding the treasure. Inc
st-ost itself was almost deserted, but from
49, stood I could see the Piazza
rr-owded with a throng Of people whose
eSo~ts and songs told me that the Colo
e.I,s hosnitality was being fully appre-
dated. There was dancing going on 10
ths strains Of the military band, ana ev-
wv .ign showed that our good citizens IN
+snded. in familiar phrase, to make
vailed swiftly and silently down to
sNs lefty. Yes, the boat was all right
,ao,ad n her fires, and loft her moored py
80 roma ready to be launched into tho
saIu, hlack sea In an instant. Then
S..nIlod aIons. by the harbor side. Here
mot couple Of sentries. lnnocentiy
entered into conversation with them,
oordolipU on their hard fate in being kept
on duty while pleasure was at the heim
IN the Piazza. Gently deprecntlng sucn
eycess of caution, l pointed OUT 10 'hem
49, stationary lights Of The Songstress'
sorr or dve miles out to sea, and WIN
-ssnocttul smile at the Coloners unessi-
,a.s left the seed had sown to grow In
nror.rad soil. l dared do no more, ano
had to trust for the rest to their naturai
inclination to the neglect OF outy'
When got back to the bottom OF Lip-
srtv street, I enscoaced myself IN .no
shelter OF little group OF trees winch
stood at one side of the roadway just
across the road, which ran at right an
~,as "a tha street. the wood began, and
orortsr Of an hours walk through IT'S
shodes would bring us to the Jetty where
the boat lay. My trees made perrecl
scrsen and here / stood awaiting events.
For some time nothing was audible put
an ever-increasing tumult OF JoviaIty
from the Piazza. But after about twenty
minutes I awoke to the fact that con
stant drbble of men, singly or IN pairs
had begun to flow past me from the L l,
azza. down Liberty street, across the roao
behind me, and into the wood. some ~ef'
IN uniform. others dressed In common
clothes: one or two recognized as mem
hers of Johnny Cars missing band. Inc
strong contrast between the prevailing
revelry and the stealthy, cautious air O
these nsssers-by would alone have sug
0ested that they were bent on business
putting two and two together, l had no
the least doubt that they were the fresi
dents adherents making their way dow
to the waters edge to receive Their chlei
So he was coming; the letter had don
Its work Some fifty or more must hav
come and xOrs before the stream ceased
end 1 reflected, with great satisfaction
that the Colonel was likely to have hi
hands very full In the next hour or two.
Half an hour or so passed uneventfu
iy the bonfire still blazed; the songs an
dancing we're still In fvll swing. 1t wa
close upon the fateful hour Of two, whe1
looking from my hiding place, l saw
slight figure in black coming quickly an
fearfully along the road.
I recognized the Signorina at once, q
should recognize her any day among
thousand, and as she paused nearly opp
site where I was, gently called hi
She ran to me at once.
rs 1t all riSht?" she asked, brear
lessly.
I'VE shall see In moment" said
''The attack Is coming OF It will beg
directly"
But the attack was not the next THU
we saw. We had both retrested again
the friendly shadow whence we could .
without being seen. Hardly had we ~
tied ourselves than the Signorina viii
pered to me, pointing across the road
the wood:
What's that. JackT'
l followed the line of her finger q,
made out q row of figures standing 10
tionless and still on the very edge of {
wood. 1t was too dark to distinguish
dividuals; but oven as we looked the
lent air waited to our eager ears a 10
voiced command:
Mind, not q sound till give I
word"
The President r. exclaimed the s
noriEa, In loud whisper.
Hush, or he'll hear" said I, "a
we're DONE"
Clearly nothing would happen from II
quarter till 1t was called forth by ever
In the opposite direction. The Signori
was strongly agitated; she chung to
closely, and 1 saw with alarm that
very proximity of the man she stood
such awe Of was too much for her co
posture. When I had soothed, and fl
haf-frightened, her into stiffness, agi
turned my eyes toward the Piazza.
nre had at last hickersd out and the rev
seemed on the wane. Suddenly a body
men appeared in close order, march
down the street toward the bank.
stood perhaps hundred yards from Il
building, which was, in its turn, about
hundred from the Piazza. Steadily Il
came along; no sound reached us Fl