Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-17


Persian told him to resume that at
titude and to. continue it, whatever
happened.
But 1t tires the hand unneces- |
sarily," whispered Raoul. If DO /
fire, l shan't be sure Of my aim.
Then shift your pistol to the other |
hand" said the Persian
81 can't shoot with my left hand.
Thereupon, the Persian made this /
queer reply, which was certainly not
calculated to throw light into the
young mans furried brain:
It's not a question OF shooting
with the right hand or the left; it's
a question of holding one Of your
hands as though you were going to
pull the trigger Of a pistol with your
arm bent. AS for the pistol itself,
when all is said, you can put that in
your pocket" And he added, Let
this be clearly understood, or l will
answer for nothing. 1t is matter OF
life and death. And now, silence and
follow mel"
The cellars of the opera are enor-
nous and they are five in number.
Raoul followed the Persian and won
dered what he would have done with
out his companion in that extraor-
binary labyrinth. They went down to
the third cellar; and their progress
was still lit by some distant lamp.
The lower they went, the more pre-
cautions the Persian seemed to take.
He kept on turning to Raoul to see If
he was holding his arm properly,
showing him how he himself carried
his hand as If always ready to fire,
though the pistol was in his pocket.
! Suddenly, a loud voice made them
/ stop. Some one above them shouted:
"AIl the door-shutters on the stage!
! them!"
Steps were heard and shadows Gid
| ed through the darkness. The Per
sian drew Raoul behind a set piece.
They saw passing before and above
them old men bent by age and the
past burden of opera-scenery. Some
could hardly drag themselves along;
others, from habit, with STOPPING
bodies and outstretched hands, looked
for doors to shut.
They were the door-shutters, the
old, worn-out scene-shifters, on whom
a charitable management had taken
pity, giving them the job Of shutting
doors above and below the stage.
They went about necessarily, from
top to bottom of the building, shut
ting the doors; and they were also
called The draft-expellers," at least
at that time, for l have little doubt
that by now they are all dead. Drafts
are very bad for the voice, wherever
they may come from.
The Persian and Raoul welcomed
this incident, which relieved them OF
inconvenient witnesses, for some OF
those door-shutters, having nothing
else to do or nowhere to lay their
heads, stayed at the opera, from Idle
ness or necessity, and spent the night
there. The two men might have stun
bled over them, waking them up and
provoking a request for explanations
For the moment, NJ. Mifroid's inquiry
saved them from any such unpleas
ant encounters.
But they were not left to enjoy
their solitude for long. Other shade:
; now came down by the same way BY
which the door-shutters had gone up
, Each of these shades carried a little
lantern and moved it about, above
below and all around, as though look
ing for something or somebody.
Hang it," muttered the Persian
81 don't know what they are looking
for, but they might easily find US.
Let us get away quick! You
hand up, sir, ready to fire!
Bend your arm .. more
that's it! Hand at the leve
of your eye, as though you were fight
ing a duel and waiting for the wor
to fret Oh, leave your pisto
in your pocket. Quick. some along
downstairs. Level OF your eye! CUES
ton of life or death! Here
this way, these stairs!" They reache
the fifth cellar. 'Oh, what a due
sir, what a duel!"
Once in the fifth cellar, the Persia
drew breath. He seemed to enjoy
rather greater sense of security tina
he had displayed when they bot
stopped in the third; but he neve
altered the attitude OF his hand. An
Raoul, remembering the Persian's oil
servation-'1 know these pistols ca
be relied upon"-was more and NOR
astonished, wondering why any on
IL should be so gratitied at being able I
rely upon a pistol which he did nc
10 intend to use!
But the Persian left him no tim
for reflection. Telling Raoul to sta
n where he was, he ran up few steI
r of the staircase which they had ju!
ia left and then returned.
d How stupid of us!" he viii
ID pered. I'VE shall soon have seen tt
end Of those men with their lantern
u 1t is the hremen going their round
r The two men waited five minute
e. longer. Then the Persian took Raol
is up the stairs again; but suddenly /
stopped him with a gesture Som
" thing moved In the darkness befoI
a them.
Flat on your stomach" whispers
the Persian
ht The two men lay fat on the floor.
IT They were only Just in time.
M shade, this time carrying no Ugh
i.,a@ oh