Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-01-13

seeming 10 say Lnat ne naU dlIcduy
judged and condemned me-. In such q
sense the men interpreted him; and
two Of them, moving the great levers
which opened the furnace doors. b
revealed the very heart of the mon
strous fire, white as the glory OF she
SUM-, glowing as a lake OF flame, a tor
rid, molten, unnamable fire, toward
which strong arms impelled me-, blows
thrust me, and naked bodies of the hui
man devils impelled me. For my part,
l turned upon them as a man upon the
brink of the most terrible death con-
ceivable. They had snatched my re-
Volver from me; | had but my strong
arms, my 1.-THE shoulders, to pit against
theirs, n with these / fought as a
wild beast at bay. Now upon my feet.
now down amrongst them, striking saw
6 blows at their u%pturned faces, 1t
is no boast to say that the very num-
bers thwarted their purpose and de-
layed the issue. And more than this, L
found another ally, one neither In their
calculations nor my own. This befrtend-
ed me beyond all hope-served me as
no human friendship could nave done.
For, in a word. it soon appeared that
they could thrust me but a little way
toward the furnace doors, and beyond
that point were impotent. The heat
OVerpowered them. Trained as they
were, they could not suffer 1t. / saw
them falling back from me one by one.
l heard them vainly crying for this
measure or for that. The furnace mas
tered them. 1t left me at last alone be-
fore It's open doors, and, staggering
to my feet, / fell ~headlong in a faint
that death might we'll have term!n-
ated.
Il cool air blowing upon my forehead
gave me back my senses, 1 know not
after what interval of time or space.
Opening my eyes, l perceived that men
were carrying me In a kind of palan-
quin through a deep passage of the
rock, and hat torches of pitch and flax
guided them as they went. The tunnel
was lofty and it's roof clean cut as
though by man and not by nature. The
men themselves were clothed in long
white blouses, and none of them APP
peared to carry arms. | addressed the
nearest Of them, and asked him where
| was. He answered me in French, not
unkindly, and with an evident desire
to be the bearer of good tidings.
1--WE are taking you to the Valley
House, monsieur-it is Herr Imroth's
order"
Are these the men who were with
him down yonder?"
Some of them, monsieur. Herr I'M
roth has spoken and they know you.
Fear nothing; they will be your
friends"
I must have fallen again into q sleep
of weakness almost Immediately; for,
when next / opened my eyes, the sun
was shining into the room where I lay
and no other than General Fordibras
stood by my bedside watching me. Then
/ understood that this was what the
Frenchman meant by the Valley House
and that here Imroth'S servants had
carried me from tba "a va of tho fproaa
II come to ask after a very foolish
man." he said with a sternness which
seemed real enough: 'it appears that
the visit was unnecessarv.'
/ sat up in bed and filled my lungs
with the sweet, fresh air Of morning.
If you know the story" I said, I'VE
shall go no further by recalling the
particulars of it. I came here to find
what you n YOU servants were do
Ing at Santa Maria, M the discovery
was attended by unpleasant conse-
quences. 1 grant you the foolishness-
do me the favor to spare me the pity"
He turned from my bedside abruptly
and walked TO the windows as though
to open them still wider.
LAS you WILL" he said: 1.-THE time
may come when neither will spare the
other anything. If you think 1t is not
yet
at shall be when you please. I am
always ready, General Fordibras.
Speak or be silent, you can add very
little to that which 1 know. But should
you choose to make a bargain with
me-"
re wheeled about not with eneer.
What dishonor Is this!" he ex-
claimed; "you come here to spy upon
me; o escape from my house like
a common ~footpad, and go up to the
mines"
THE mines. General Fordibras!"
Nowhere else. DR.. Fabos. Do YOU
think that / am deceived. You came
to this country to steal the secrets OF
which am the rightful guardian. You
think to enrich yourself. You would
return to London, to your fellows.
knaves OF Throckmorton street. and
say, there is gold in the Azores. ex-
plot 1T, buy the people out, deal with
the government of Portugal. You pry
upon my workmen openly, and but for
my stewart, Herr Imroth, you would
not be alive this morning to tell the
s.c-s.c yoG tho man with whom
/, Herbert Fordibras, the master of
these lands, shall make a bargain? 2"
/ leaned back upon the pillow and
regarded him flxedly with that look
of pity and contempt the discovery of
a lie rarely fails to earn,
THE mex thing you are to hear"
I said quietly, lis that the English
government has discovered the true
owners Of the Diamond Ship and Is
perfectly acquainted with her where
abouts."
by what right do you intervene"
he asked. Who sent you to be INV
accuser? Are o then. above Others.
d Judge OF menf Good God! do Won
not see that your very life depends
upon my clemency? At a word from
me"