The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-09-08

mine!" and putting his wife gently
from him, he hurled himself toward the
stair.
Blindly / bent and kissed the red lips
still raised to mine, put away the
clinging hands-with what aching OF
the heart may be ina ined!-and fol-
lowed M. lie Comte without daring 70
look back. Down we flew. half smoth-
cred by the fumes of sulphur and
clouds Of dust, down into that black
pit which yawned to swallow us, one
flight, two-then M. lie Comte held me
back.
Wait" he said; wait" and he de-
scended cautiously some few steps. He
was back beside me in a moment.
They have made a breach he said.
Il could see the CLINT Of their torches
through 1t. But they must clear away
the debris before they can enter. We
have perhaps five minutes"
we can hold the STAIR" I said. ut
Is steep and narrow. Two swords can
keep an army back"
But once they gain entrance below
us. they can burn us out No, we must
escape, T~avernay-or make a dash for
It. Better death by the sword than by
fire."
And the women?"
For them," he said, with set teeth,
the same death as for us-it is the
only way. For me. my wife; for you.
Charlotte. Are you brave enough to
thrust your sword into her heart, my
| friend?"
A cold sweat broke out upon me,
head to foot.
God in heaven, MOI" Iscried hoarse-
ly. Not that-anything but that!"
A for me-" said my companion,
with a terrible calmness, IT prefer to
Kill my wife rather than abandon her
to the mercies Of Goujon. Come,
T~ayernay. be a man! You love her
Love her! oh. God!" I groaned.
Come! We have but a moment.
They are almost through" and. in
deed, ! could hear the frantic blows
with which h debris was being swept
aside, could see the reflection of the
torches' glare. BY q supreme effort I
controlled the trembling which shook
me.
Very well, monsieur" I said, as
calmly as I could, Il am ready. What
Is 1t you propose?"
could see his white face, poised like
a phantom's in the air before me.
Spoken like a mani" he said and
gripped my hand. What I propose is
this-we will hold this stair until they
find they cannot carry 1t by assault;
then, as they prepare their fire, we
VIII ascend to the platform, bid the
is that?"
l, too, heard the blood curdling sound
which rose suddenly In one corner of
the room. 1t was a sort Of snarling
whine, which rose and fell and rose
again, mixed with a hideous painting
which never stopped. There was some
thing bestial about i~t-something APP
nAItn0 nhtInnan-yn e,Hat 49,. 1.-ll
produce q sound like that?
Cautiously we approached the cor
ner, sword In hand. Whatever 1t was,
however formidable, we must have It
out-we could run no risk of being TAX
en- in the rear. The great, draped bed
doomed through the darkness, sinister
and threatening. The sounds came
from within 1.-THE thing had taken
refuge there. AS l stared with smart
Ing eyes, l fancied / could see the cur
tains culver, as though the thing be-
! them was trembling with eager
ness to spring upon us.
"A light! We nus have a light"
cried M. lie Comte, stamping his feet
in an agony of impatience. Gods
blood! What is it. Tavernay?"
Gripping my teeth to restrain their
chattering, / advanced to the bed and,
jerked down the rotting curtains. They
fell In a suffocating shower of dust,
yet even then / could see nothing Of
what lay behind. But the noise ceased.
Then suddenly beside me rose a
phantom, which, even as / drew back
my arm to strike. seized my wrist and
held 1t in a grip Of steel.
Not so fast, monsieur" said a
hoarse voice.
"Pasdeloup! Was 1t you, them"
But Pasdeloup had already turned
to his master.
ut haze m y4-A AE
simply.
"a rope. A rope. But where did
you get 1t, Pasdeloup?"
From the bed. Oh, I had trouble
enough loosening those knots! They
had been frightened by I know no what
weight! The people who lay in that
bed were giants! And at the end. I
thought 1t would be too late. But 1t is
not--it Is not! Come-there Is yet a.
chance!"
He started for the stair, and at he
same instant there came from below
a crash of falling stone and a chorus
of exultant yells.
They have broken through" said
M. lie Comte. They will be upon us in
a moment. Tavernay, to you I confide
my wife, and to you, Pasdeloup! Has
ten! Hasten! / will keep them back"
and he took his station at the stair
head.
Without a word P~asdeloup threw the
ro~e to me, sprang to the corner
wk~-e the bed stood, and with a single
jerk ripped off n of the heavy posts.
, tipped with iron; then, pushing his
master aside, roughly and yet tenderly
he seized for himself the post of dan,
ger, from which there could be no re-
treat.
go. m~essieures," he cried. $50
quickly! There is yet time!"
We stood uncertain. It seemed such
a cowardly thing to run away, leaving
this a to face the frenzied mob
to abandon him. to permit him to lay
down his life for us-such q cowardly
thing!
He glanced around to see us still
standing there.
mot gone!" he cried ~furiously.
Body of God! Are we all to die, then
and the women, too? Fools! Cow
ards!"
HE Is right" said M. lie Comte.
hoarsely. H is right, Tavernay-it is
c~owardice holds us here! We must go,
IL we would save the women. Pasde-
loup." he said. Il thank thee. / honor
thee. Thou art a better man than II"
go, monsieur, go!" urged Pasde-
loup. Il am paying my debt. NV life
has been yours, any time these 20
years. 1t is nothing. Co."
Without a word NJ. lie Comte turned
and started up the stair. followed
him, my eyes blurred with tears, And
as we went, we heard a rush Of feet
4 hahin6 M than n ohnr,,o 80 -