The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-08-17

, Tell Oh MS Wdtcn Ulal. anu CRY Duf>t
from his lips.
Ii lacked but ten minutes of the tinal
hour
Above him he beard family the sharp
barking of dogs. the hollow sound OF
meas yoi,t> A moment later there
came 10 tim an echo rs OF swiftly
trampnp feet and. after that. silence.
"Iean. he called tense.y "Ho. Jean.
Jean CroiSspt"
He rauent up the paper and ran
| from one black opening TO another.
calling the frrnchmanS name.
AS you love your Nod. Jean. as you
have hope of heaven. take this note
to Meleese." be pleaded. 'Jean-Jeau
Croisset"-
There came no answer. no movement
outside. and Howlann >tilled the beat
ing OF his heart to liS-',. Surely Crois-
set was there: He 10 I'D again at the
watch he held in h~ land. In four
minutes the shot wou.d be fired. 4
cold sweat bathed his face. He tried
to cry out again. but something rose
in his throat and choked him until his
voice was only a gasp. He sprang
back to the table and placed the note
once more under the watch. Two min
utes. One and a half. One:
With a sudden fearless cry he sprang
into the very center of his prison and
flung out his arms with his face TO
the hole next the door. This time his
voice was almost n ShOut
"Jean Croisset. there is note under
my watch on the table. After you have
killed me take it TO Meleese. If you
fail shall haunt you to your grave"
Still no sound. no CLEAN of steel
pointing at him through the black aper-
ture. Would the shot come from be-
hind?
ck-tick-tick-
He counted the beating of his watch
up to twenty. A sound stopped him
then, and he closed his eyes. and
great SILVER passed through his body.
1t was the tiny bell of his watch
tinkling off the hour of six!
Scarcely had that sound ceased to
ring in his brain when from far
through the darkness beyond the wall
of his prison there came a creaking
noise as if heavy door had been
swung slowly on it's hinges or a trap
opened. then voices. low. quick. excited
voices. the hurrying tread of feet. a
flash of light shooting through the
gloom. They were coming. After all.
it was not to be private affair. and
Jean was to do his killing as the hang
mans job is done in civilization-be
fore crowd. Howland's arms drop
ped to his side. This was more terri
BILE than the other-this seeing and
hearing of preparation. in which he
fancied that he heard the click OF
Croisset's gun as be lifted the hammer.
Instead ii was hand fumbling at
the door. There were no voices now.
only strange moaning sound that he
could not account for. In another mo-
ment it was made clear to him. The
door swung open and the white ROBBED
figure of Meleese sprang toward him
with cry that echoed through the
dungeon chambers What happened
then-the passing of white faces be-
yond the doorway. the subdued MUIR
muir Of vOices-were all lost to How
land in the knowledge that at the last
moment they had let her come to him.
that he held her in his arms and that
she was crushing her face to his breast
and sobbing things to him which he
could not understand. Once or twice
in his life he had wondered if realities
might not be dreams. and the thought
came to him now when he felt the
warmth of her hands. her face. her
hair and then the passionate pressure
of her lips on his own. He lifted his
eyes. and in the doorway he saw Jean