Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-06-27

II am afraid there Is a mistake. But
say nothing to them. 1t is one OF the
town guard you have killed."
zone OF the town guard" he cried. a
light bursting in on him, and the reins
dropping from his hand. What shall
we do? We are lost. mani"
CHAPTER XIV.
What was to be done? That was the
question, and a terrible question II was.
Behind US we had the inhospitable
country. dark and dreary. the night
wind sweeping over II. In front, where
the lights twinkled and the smoke OF
the town went up, we were like to meet
with a savage reception. And it was
no time for Weighing alternatives. The
choice had to be made-made In mo-
ment. l marvel to this day al the
quickness with which 1 made 1t for
good or ILL.,
1--WE must get into the town." I cried
imperatively. "and before the alarm is
given. 1t is hopeless to fly. Master
BERTHE, and we cannot spend another
night in the fields. Quick, madam" l
continued to the duchess as she came
uD. / did not wait to hear his opinion,
for ! saw he was stunned by the catas-
trophe. We have hurt one of the town
guard through n mistake. We must get
through the gate before 1t is discoV-
eredw
/ seized her rein and fiogged up her
horse and gave her no time to ask
questions, but urged or the party at a
hard gallop until the gate was reached.
The attempt, / knew, was desperate,
for the two men who had escaped had
ridden straight for the town, but l saw
no other resource, and IT seemed to me
to be better to surrender peaceably, II
that were possible than to expose the
H.. ,fsrlf 90 gnNE h ngNlI
and hunger rs the last. And fortune
so far favored US that when we reached
the gate it was open. Probably, the
patrol having ridden through to get
help, no one had thought fit to close
It. and no one withstanding us, we
spurred our sobbing horses under the
archway and entered the street.
II was "a curious entry, and a curious
scene we came upon. l remember now
how strange 1t all looked. The houses.
leaning forward in a dozen quaint
forms. clear cut against the pale even
ing sky caused a darkness as of a
cavern In the narrow street below.
Here and there in the midst OF this
darkness hung "a lantern. which. max
ing the gloom away from II seem
deeper. lit up the things about II,
throwing into haring prominence some
barred window with a scared face peer
>
a Sinking dog, n broken flight Of steps.
Just within the gate stood a braZier full
OF glowing coal. and beside 1t a halbert
rested against the wall. l OWNED that
the watchman had run into the town
with the riders, and l drew rein in
doubt, listening and looking. l think
II we had ridden straight on then all
might have been we'll or at least we
might have been allowed to give our
selves up.
But we hesitated a moment and were
lost. No doubt. though we saw but one,
there were score of people watching
US, who took us for four men. Master
Berte and being in front. and these,
judging from the boldness Of our entry
that there were more behind, concluded
that this was n foray upon the town.
At any rate, they took instant advan-
tage of our pause. With a swift whir
an iron pot came hurting past me and,
missing the duchess by a hand s
breadth, went clanking under the gate
house. That served for a signal. In a
moment an alarm of hostile cries rose
all round us. An arrow whiZZed be-
tween my horses feet. Half a dozen
odd missiles, snatChed up by hasty
hands, came raining in on us out of the
gloom. The town seemed to be rising
as one man. A bell began to ring, and
a hundred yards in front. where the
street branChed off to right and left.
the way seemed suddenly alive from
wall to wall with lights and voices and
brandished arms, the gleam of steel and
the babel of a furious Crowd-a crowd
making down toward us with purpose
we needed no German to interpret.
1t was a horrible moment. the more
horrible that l had not expected this
fury and was unnerved as well as
70 hn oil hN- NJ I
/ had brought my companions here, and
that two were women, one was child
! quailed. How could ! protect them
There was no mistaktng the
stern meaning of those cries OF
that rage so much surprising anything
l had feared. Though / did not know
that the man we had struck down
WAS a bridegroom, and that there were
those In the crowd In whose ears the
young wife's piercing scream still rang
l yet Quailed before their yells and
curses.
AS l glanced around for a place
OF refuge my eyes lit on an open door
way close 10 me, and close to the bra
Zier and halbert. 1t was n low stone
doorway, beetle browed, with a coat
OF arms carved over 1t. l saw in ar
instant that it must lead to the tower
above us--the gatehouse-and l sprane
from my horse. fresh yell from the
houses hailing the act. l saw that
If we were to gain a moment for par
leying, we must take refuge there.
do not know how / did il, but some
how l made myself understood by the
others and got the women off theiI
horses and dragged Mistress Anne in
side, where at once we both fell in the
darkness over the lower steps of q
spiral staircase. This hlndered the
duchess, who was following, and
heard a scufiie taking place behind us
But in that confined space--the stair
case was very narrow--I could give nc
help. / could only stumble upward
dragging the fainting girl after me
until we emerged through an oper
doorway at the top into a room. What
kind of room l did not notice then
only that II was empty. Notice! II
was no time for taking notice. The
bell was changing louder and louder
outside. The mob were yelling lik e
hounds in sight OF their quarry. The
shouts, the confused cries and threats
and questions deafened me. 1 turned
to learn what was happening behind
me. The other two had not come
up.
I felt my way down again. one hand
on the central pillar, my shoulder
against the outside wall. The stair
foot was family lit by the glow from
outside, and on the bottom step I came
on some one, hurt or dead, just a dark
mass at my feet. 1t was Master Ber-
tie / gave a cry and leaped over his
body. The duchess. brave wife, was
standing before him, the halbert which
she had snatched up presented at the
doorway, and the bowling mob out
side.
Fortunately the crowd had not yet
learned how few we were, nor saw,
think, that II was but a woman who
confronted them. To rush into the low
doorway and storm the narrow wind.
ing staircase In the face of unknown
numbers was task from which the
bravest veterans might have fiinched
and the townsfolk, furious as they
We're, hung back. / took advantage o.
the pause. 1 grasped the halbert my.
self and pushed the duchess back
Drag him uni" I muttered 'If yol