Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-23


Marion was his wife!
The voice Of the king tainted him
from the black chaos that hid the
dungeon walls. The words struck at
him, filling his head with shooting
pain, and he tottered back and sank
to the ground to get away from them.
They followed, and that veEgeful leer
of the king was behind them, urging
them on, until they beat his face into
the sticky earth, and smothered him
into what he thought was death.
There came rest after that, long
silent rest. When Nathaniel slowly
climbed up out of the ebon shadows
! again the first consciousness that
came to him was that the word-demons
had stopped their beating against his
brain and that he no longer heard
the voice of the king. His relief was
so great that he breathed restful
sigh. Something touched him then.
| Great God! were they coming back?
Were they still there-waiting-wait
ing
1t was wonderfully familiar voice
that spoke to him.
Hello there. Nat! Want a drink?"
He gulped eagerly at the cool liquid
that touched his lips.
Neil" he whispered.
TITS ne, Nat They chucked me in
with you. Hell's hole, isn't it?''
Nathaniel sat up, Neil's strong arm
at his back. There was light in the
room now and he could see his COM
panion's face, smiling at him encour-
agingly. The sight of it was like an
elixir to him. He drank again and
new life coursed through him.
"Yes-hell of hole!" he repeated
drowsily. Sorry for you-Neil-"
and he seemed to sleep again.
Neil laughed as he wiped his com.
panion's face with a wet cloth.
"Pm used to it, Nat. Been here be-
FORE" he said. Can you get up?
There's a bench over here-not long
enough to stretch you out on or 1
would have made you bed Of it, but
it's better than this mud to sit on"
He put his arms about Nathaniel
and helped him to his feet. For few
moments the wounded man stood with
out moving.
I'm not very bad, guess" he said,
taking slow step. where is the
seat, Neil? I'm going to walk to it..
What sort of bump have got on the
head?"
Nothing much" assured Neil.
Suspicious, though" he grinned
cheerfully. Looks as though you
were running and somebody came up
and tapped you from behind"
Nathaniers strength returned to
him quickly. The pain had gone from
his head and his eyes no longer hurt
him. In the dim candle-light he could
distinguish the four walls Of the dun
geon, glistening with the water and
rotting logs. The floor was Of wet,
sticky earth which chung to his boots.
and the air that he breathed filed his
nostrils and throat with the uncom-
Portable thickness of night fog at
sea. Through 1t the candle burned in
misty halo. Near the candle, which
stood on a shelf-like table against one
of the walls, was big dish which
caught Nathaniel's eyes.
whats that?" he asked, pointing
toward it.
Grub" replied Neil. Hungry"
He went to the table and got the
plate of food. There we're chunks OF
boiled meat. unbuttered bread and
cold potatoes. For several minutes
they ate in silence. Now that Ma
thaniel was himself again Neil could
no longer keep up his forced spirits.
Both realized that they had played
their game and that it had ended in
defeat And each believed that It was
his individual power to alleviate to
some extent the others misery. To
Neil what was ahead Of them held no
mystery. A few hours more and then
death. It was only the form in
which it would come that troubled
him, that made him think. Usually
the victims of this dungeon cell were
shot Sometimes they were hanged.
But why tell Nathaniel? So he ate
his meat and bread without words,
waiting for the other to speak, as the
other waited for him. And Nathaniel,
on his part, kept to himself the secret
of Marion's fate. After they had done
with the meat and the bread and the
cold potatoes he pulled out his be-
loved pipe and filled it with the last
scraps of his tobacco, and as the
fumes of it clouded round his head.
soothing him in its old friendship, he
told of his fight with Strang and his
killing of Arbor Croche.
I'm glad for Wfnnsome's sake, IS
said Neil, after moment. "Oh. II
you'd only killed Strang!"
Nathaniel thought Of what Marion
had said to him in the forest.
Neil" he said quietly, do you
know that Winnsome loves you-not
as the little girl whom you toted
about on your shoulders-but as .
woman? Do you know that?" In the
others silence he added: when last
saw Marion she sent this message to
you-'Tell Neil that he must go. for
Winnsome's sake. Tell him that her
fate is shortly to be as cruel as mine
tell him that Winnsome loves him
and that she will escape and come to
him on the mainland" Like words
Of fire they had burned themselves in
his brain and as Nathaniel repeated
them he thought Of that other broken
heart that had sobbed out its anguish
to him in the castle chamber. Neil,