The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-08-06
CHAPTER xvIII-continued.

pTODlS VI lilG MCIlIdiI . SlII~ilSS hiioV y
edge. But seeing that his exhortation
had emboldened this ignorant man !
was ashamed to seem to hesitate.
When the hostler knocked at the door
not of 80, but of 15--and 1t present
ly opened, I went in without much
ado.
The room was a bare inn chamber.
A pallet without covering lay in one
corner, In the middle We're a couple
OF stools and on one of them a taper.
The person who had opened to US
atood cycling us attentiyely. q bluff,
weather beaten man with q thick
beard and the air of a sailor. Well"
he said, what
These gentlemen want to buy some
lace" the hostler explained.
What lace do they want?" was the
retort.
Trench lace" I answered.
You have come to the right shop,
then" the man answered briskly.
Nodding to our conductor to depart,
he carefully let him out. Then, bar
ring the door behind him. he as rap
idly strobe to the pallet and twitched
It aside, disclosing a trapdoor. He
lifted this and we saw O narrow shaft
descending into darkness. He brought
the taper and held It so as to throw
faint light into the opening. There was
no ladder, but blocks of WOO nailed
alternately against two of the sides.
at intervals OF a couple OF feet or so.
made the descent pretty easy for an
active nan The door is on this
side he said, pointing out the one.
KNOCK loudly once and softly twice.
The word Is the same"
We nodded. and while he held the
taper above we descended one by one
without much difficulty. though / adj
init that half way down the old wom-
ans words, Go on n perish" came
back disquietingly to my mind. How
over. my fool struck the bottom be-
fore | had time to digest them, and a
streak OF light which seemed to issue
from under a door forced my thoughts
the next moment into a new chan
mel. Whispering to Master Ber-
tIe 70 pause q minute. for
Of US to stand at the bottom OF the
shaft, I knocked In the fashion pre-
scribed.
The sound Of loud voices. which /
had already detected, ceased on a
sudden. and I heard shutting on the
other side Of the boards. This was
followed by silence, and then the
door was flung open and blinded for
the moment by a blaze of light /
walked mechanically forward into a
room. made out as / advanced a
group Of men standing round a rude
table. their figures thrown Into dark
relief by flares stuck In sconces on
the walls behind them. Some had
weapons In their hands, M others
had partly risen from their seats and
STOOD IN postures OF surprise. What
90 seek z" cried q threatening
woice from among them.
Lace ! answered.
What lace?'
French lace.
Then you are welcome-heartily
welcome!.o was the answer given In a
tone Of relief. but who with
your"
Master Richard Berthe. OF Lincoln
sshire," answered promptly. and at
that moment he emerged from the
A still more hearty urnu of well
hailed his name nj appearance,
and we were borne forward to the
table q 81. amid chorus OF voices. the
sNaE41sS0 fs linen who joyfuliy q UNI
looked tor help. The room~ from its
vaulted ceiling and stone floor and
the tfArns OF casks which lay here Inc
there or near the table serving for
sneatB, appeared to be- cellar. It's
dark, gloomy recesses, the fiaring
1fghtnAarf b weapons@onthe table
Eeprped meet and fitting surroundings
Tor The anxious faces which were gath
etedXabOut the board. for there was q
solastn,nx ins a,T which g &, was !, not So
Ant-suspicion n Imistrust. Almost
Mt b OF our entrance It
showedSitself. One Of the men, before.
the door had well closed behind us,
leader--he who had questioned me-
called sharply to him, bidding him
Comesbac he came back, but re-
~1uctantly; as 1T seemed TO me.
barely noticed this. FOR Master Ber-
tie. wh03was known personally to
maryland by name to al, VIA intro
ducing me 10 Two who were apparent
w k1 rhnnoo q parr,,aA