Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-27

that there was nothing left to do but
pray, went down on his knees and
l prayed. AS for me, my blood beat so
fiercely that I had to take my heart
in both hands, lest it should burst. AT
last, We heard Erik's voice:
The two minutes are past
! Good-by, mademoiselle. Hop
grasshopper! :"
Erik" cried Christine, 10 you
swear 10 me, monster, do you swear
to me that the scorpion is the one to
Yes. TO hop at our wedding"
! "Ah, you see! You said, to hop!"
"At our wedding. ingenious child!
. The scorpion opens the ball.
But that will do, You
won't have the scorpion? Then turn
+ the grasshopper!"
Erik"
Enough"
was crying out In concert with
Christine. NJ. de Chagny was still
on his knees. praying.
Erik! have turned the scorpionI-
oh, the second through which We
passed!
Waiting! Waiting to find ourselves
in fragments, amid the roar and the
ruins,
Feeling something crack beneath
our feet, hearing an appalling hiss
through the open trap-door, hiss like
the first sound Of a rocket!
1t came softly. at first, then louder,
then very loud. But 1t was not the
hiss Of fire. 1t was more like the
hiss of water. And now it became q
gurgling sound: "Guggle! Guggle!"
We rushed to the trap-door. All our
thirst, which vanished when the ter
ror came. now returned with the lap
ping of the water.
The water rose in the cellar, above
the barrels, the powder-barrels-"Bar-
rels! Barrels! Any barrels
to sell?"-and we went down to 1t
with parched throats. It rose to our
chins, to our mouths. And we drank.
We stood on the floor OF the cellar
and drank. And we went up the stairs
again in the dark, step by step, went
up with the water
The water came out OF the cellar
with US and spread over the floor OF
the room. If this went on, the whole
house on the lake would be swamped.
The floor OF the torture-chamber had
itself become a regular little lake, in
which our feet splashed. Surely there
was water enough now! Erik must
turn off the tap!
Erik! Erik! That is water enough
for the gunpowder! Turn off the tap!
Turn off the scorpion!"
But Erik did not reply. We heard
nothing but the water rising: 1t was
halfway to our waists!
"Christine!" cried NJ. &c Chagny.
christine! The water is up to our
knees!"
But Christine did not reply. .
We heard nothing but the water ris-
ing.
No one, no one in the next room.
the scorpion!
We were all alone. in the dark. with
the dark water that seized US and
clasped us and froze US!
Erik! Erik"
. christine! Christine!"
= By this time, we had lost our foot.
I hold and were spinning round in the
n water, carried away by an Irresistible
p whirl, for the water turned with us
and dashed US against the dark mir.
9 ror. which thrust us back again; and
n our throats, raised above the whirl
0 pool, roared aloud.
l. Were We to die here, drowned in
4 the torture-chamber? l had never
: seen that. Erik, at the time OF the
rosy hours of Mazenderan, had never
shown me that, through the little in
g visible window.
Erik! Erik" I cried. II saved
your life! Remember! You
were sentenced to death! But for
l me, you would be dead now!
d Erik"
!. We whirled around in the water
t like so much wreckage. But, sudden.
|. ly. my straying hands seized the trunk
l. of the iron tree! I called NJ. de
g Chagny, and we both hung to the
e branch OF the iron tree.
r And the water rose still higher.
G "Oh! Oh! Can you remember!
Il How much space is there between
/. the branch of the tree and the dome
! shaped ceiling? Do try TO remember!
After all, the water may stop
it must find its level! There
;. think it Is stopping! No. no
oh, horrible, Swim! Swim
6 for your life!"
e Our arms became entangled in the
(. effort of swimming; We choked; we
fought in the dark water; already We
=" could hardly breathe. the dark air
t above the dark water, the air which
escaped, which we could hear escap
4? ing through some vent-hole or other
{" oh, let Us turn and turn and turn
4: until we find the air hole and then
y glue our mouths to it,"
e But / lost my strength; tried tc
lay hold Of the walls! Oh, how those
g glass walls slipped from under my
!! cropping fingers! We whirlec
@ round again! We began tc
!! sink! One last effort!
@ A last cry:
q Erik! Christine! :"
II "Guggle, guggle. guggle!" in oui
1 ears. "Guggle! Guggie!" At tho
q bottom OF the dark water. our ears
E, went. "Guggle! Guggle!"
Z And, before losing consciousness en-