The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-06-26
fully to know what It was. "stand
1rnl!'. shouted loudly. STAND fru..

fully to know what It was. STAND
frnl!" 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. I went
and knelt beside Master Berthe and
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 oozsng, and he was
insensible. His face looked very long
and hin and deathlike; but, so far as
I could ascertain. the bones were. unin-
jured. and he was now breathing more
quietly. II think he will y
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 vas "Clarence!"
I did not wonder she was distraught.
I a work enough to keep my own
wits. But l wanted her help. and I re-
rouse her.
She looked past me. sh%uddering.
Heaven forgive you!" she muttered.
You have brought me to this! And
now I must die! I must die here! In
the net they have set for others Is their
own foot taken!" ~
!. She was quite beside herself with ter
ror. I saw that she was not addressing
me. n I had not time to make sense
of her wanderings. left her and went
an! Ever her brave spirit was giving
way. I felt her cold hands tremble as
I took h halbert from her. go into
the room awhile" I said softly. ''He is
not seriously hurt. I am sure. I will
guard this. II any one appears at the
window. scream"
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
he first signs Of attack. either below
me Or in the room behind, when I dis
ttnguished a strange rustling sound on
the staircase. 1t appeared to come from
a point a good Zeal below me. and prob
ably whoever a it was Just within
the doorway. l peered into the gloom.
but could see no n as yet. "Stand!"
! cried In a tone Of warning. WHO 10
that?"
The sound cas- abruptly. but 1t left
me uneasy. Gould they be going to blow
US up with gunpowder? No! I did not
think so. 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.
Iet III y SHofl tlHle the NOISE began
again. and my fears returned with it.
"stand!" I cried savagely. "or take
care OF yourself!" V@a
The answer was a flash 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
roof. I laughed. my first start over.
You will have to come q little higher
up!. I cried. tauntingly, as I smelled
the fumes. Ny 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 APP
proach, and my halbert was eve feet
long. so that I a as far as I
could see. I had had time, too, to grow
cool.
After this there was comparative
quiet for another space. Every now
and then a stone. or. more rarely, the
ball, OF an a%rquebus. would come whiz-
zing Into h Don above. But I did
not fear this. 1t was easy to keep un-
der cover. And their shouting no 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 unaware of u numbers. and.
three uninjured men at least The stair
cas- was impracticable as q point Of
assault, and the window. being only
three feet in height and 20 from the
ground. was not much better. II de-
Tended. as they expected 1t would be.
by a couple OF desperate swordsmen.
I was not much astonished, therefore,
when the rustling sound. beginning
again at the foo of the staircase. came
this time to no more formidable issue
than a hail / IN Spanish. will you sur
render?" the envoy cried.
mol" I said. roundly.
who are you?" was the next oues-
ton.
W. are English" I answered.
He went then. and there for the time
the negotiations ended. But, seeing the
dawn of hope. I was h more afraid Of
any trap or surprise. n 1 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 end. A voice
below cried loudly in English: "Hulloa!
Are you friends?"
Yes, yes" I replied joyfully 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 70
back and keep a good lookout, and she
.obeyed.
tconti.ued Next wsek.S
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Agricultural Experts From Japan.
From the San Francisco chronicle.
II. r. Magazine. a japanese expert
on Agriculture. who has heen emp1Gvod