The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-06-25

fully to know what 1t was. Stand
firnIi' I shouted loudly. STAND firm.
We are safe as yeti"
Even the uproar without seemed to
abate a little as the first fury of the
mob died down. Probably their leaders
were concerning fresh action. / went
n knelt beside Master BERTHE n
made a thorough examination OF his
wound. He had received a nasty blow
on the back of the head. from which
the blood was still oozing, and he vas
insensible. His face looked very long
n thin N d~eathlike; but. SO far as
/ could ascertain, the bones were unin-
jured, and he was now breathing more
quietly. IT think he will recover" ]
said. easing his clothes.
Anne was crouching on the other side
Of him. AS she did not answer, / looked
up at her. Her lips were moving, but
the only word I caught was "~Clarence!"
I did not wonder she was distraught.
/ had work enough to keep my own
wits. But I wanted her help. and / re-
peated loudly. Anne, Annel" trying to
rouse her.
She looked past me. shuddering.
Heaven forgive you'll" she muttered.
You ave brought me to thisi And
now I must die! I must die herel In
the net they have set for others Is their
w foot taken!"'
She was quite beside herself with ter
| ror. I saw that she was not addressing
me, and I had not time to make
OF her wanderings. I left her and went
| out to speak to the duchess. Poor wom-
AM Ever her brave spirit was giving
way. I felt her cold hands tremble as
/ o the halbert from her. Go into
the room awhile" I said softly. n -
--A 49, 49, Aan~n ryNI
guard this. II any one appears at the
window,
She went gladly, and I took her place.
having now to do double duty. I had
been there a few minutes only. listen
ing, with my soul In my ears, to detect
the first signs of attack. either below
me or in the Dom behind, when I dis
tinguished a strange rustling sound on
the staircase. IT appeared to come from
a point a good deal below me, and prob
ably whoever made 1t was just within
the doorway. I peered into the gloom,
but could see no one as yet. stand"
I cried In a tone Of warning. who Is
that?' . F.
The sound ceased abruptly, but It left
me Uneasy. Could they be going to blow
us UP with gunpowder? Mo- I did not
think 80. They would not care to ruin
| the gateway for the sake of capturing
SO small a party. And the tower was
strong. 1t would not be easy to blow
1t up.
again. and my fears returned with 1t.
stand" I cried savagely. "or take
care Of yourself!"
The answer was q fash Of bright
light, which for a second showed the
rough stone walls winding away at my
feet, a stunning report and the patter-
| ing down of half a dozen slugs from the
4 ANAN as nR.rhAI ray. AHCf etc ~ Az
You viii have to come a little higher
up" / cried, tauntingly, as I smelled
the fumes. My eyes had become so ac-
customed to the darkness that I felt
sure I could detect an assailant, how
ever warily he might make his ap-
proach, and my halbert was seven feet
long, SO that I could reach as far as !
could see. / had had time, too, to grow
o r
After this there was comparative
quiet for, another space. Every now
and then a stone, or. more rarely, the
| ball OF an arquebus, would come whiz-
zing into the room above. But I did
not fear this. 1t was easy to keep un-
der cover. And their shouting m longer
startled me. I began to see a glimpse
OF hope. 1t was plain that the towns
folk were puzzled how to come at us
without suffering great loss. They
were of u numbers, and,
as IL proved believed that we Ia
three uninjured men at least. The stair
case was impracticable as a point Of
assault, and the window, being only
three feet in height n 20 from the
ground, was not much better, IL de-
Tended. as they expected 1t would be,
by a couple OF desperate swordsmen.
I was not much astonished, therefore,
when the fustling sound, beginning
again at the foot of the staircase. came
this time to no more formidable issue
than a hail in Spanish. win you sur
render" h envoy cried.
MOI" I said. roundly.
"Who are you?" was the next ques-
ton.
I'VE are English" I answered.
He went then, and there for the time
the negotiations ended. But, seeing the
dawn of hope. / was the more afraid Of
any trap or surprise. and ] cried to the
duchess to be on her guard. For this rea-
son, too. the suspense OF the
next few minutes was almost more
trying than anything which had
gone before. But the minutes
came at last to an enc A voice
below cried loudly in English: "Hulloa!
Are you friends?" .
Yes. yes," l replied toyfully before
the words had well ceased to rebound
from the walls. for the voice and ac-
cent were Master Lindstrom's A cry
OF relief from the room. behind me
showed that there, too, the speaker was
recognized. The duchess came running
to the door, but I begged her to 20
back and keep a good lookout, and she
obeyed.
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