South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-05
AROmdnG Of ExFaODdindryDitnC
THE MARSHAL
@Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews
Hs5N"r The Perfect TZbUze. etc
csyrsAI TAs hssrmC a.psra

yop free first. Francois, am now
within five miles Of you"
The man on his knees by the prison
bed gasped; the letters staggered be-
fore his eyes.
Il am living on ship, and 1 will
explain how I got II when 1 see you.
in few days now, Francois. Every
night for a week. beginning with to-
night, there Will be a person watching
for you in Riders Hollow, from mid
night till day light. After that we
shall go away for two weeks so as TO
avoid giving suspicion, and then re-
peat the arrangement again every
night for a week. You do not know
Riders Hollow, and it is unnecessary
TO tell you more about it than that il
is lonely place hidden in trees, and
supposed to be haunted by ghosts Of
men on horseback; the people about
will not go there for love or money
except by broad daylight.
This is the way you are to get
there. In the wine-cellar of the
castle, which opens from the COVER
nor's -oom-in old times always the
room OF the lOrd-in that wine-cellar.
on the north wall, is a square block
of stone projecting slightly beyond the
wall. II you press the lower corner
on the left-hand side, Of the stone un-
der this. the big stone above will
swing out and show an opening large
enough for a man 70 pass. Going
through, you close the door by press
ing the same stone, and you then will
find yourself in an underground pas
sage which leads straight half a mile
through the earth TO Riders Hollow.
The passage is 500 years old and only
the family of the Zappis have ever
known Of il. 1 went through 1t once
in my boyhoOd with my Gather. and
it was in perfect condition. so / be-
with solidity-as one may believe, for
If the old Zappis wanted II at all they
wanted il in working order.
Your part will be difficult. Fran
co.'s, but / believe you can Go it.
You will have TO get the key Of the
wine-cellar, or else force the lock.
Can you do that? 1t is necessary to
do it. Francois. for we can not get
on without you, and we shall from
now live only TO set you free. I send
you something which may be useful"
Francois dropped the letter and
picked up the long loaf and tore IL
apart. There was file IN the center.
AS If a powerful tonic had been in
fused into him he felt strength and
caImnesS pour through him. He read
the letters over and over til he had
them by heart; then he concealed
them carefully, with the file. In his
mattress. After that he sat down and
concentrated his mind, with the new
force working in II. On his plan.
The governor was almost certain 10
have him down to dinner again in two
o. three days; it was a pity that while
he was there. all but on the spot, he
could not possess himself of the key
and escape. He thought over one or
two plans on that basis, but they all
shipwrecked on the fact that the
guards were accustomed to take him
back to his room at eleven, and that,
failing notice from the governor.
they would certainly come 10 find out
why If they were not called. That
would start the pursuit; he must have
the night clear. So he unwillingly
own presence in the governors room,
so near the scene of action. and
planned otherwise. With infinite
forethOught, with an eye TO every con-
tingency possible to imagine, he
planned, and when the notice came,
two days later, that the Count Won
Gersdorf wished him TO dine with
him that night Francois heart
leaped madly but exultantly. for he
was ready.
Never had the young Frenchman
been more entertaining, more winning
TO his tyraNt than tonight, but the
excitement of what was before him
made IL almost out Of the question to
eat the counts dinner. AS before,
the count prescribed old wine as a
tonic, and took Francois with him TO
get it. Tonight there were three bot
ties brought up-the count was pre-
pairing TO drink hard. And Francois
had some trouble in not drinking with
him; but he kept up his end with
singing and acting, with a dance or
two out Of the peasant repertoire
of the Jura. with mock drill of an
awkward squad at Saint-Cyr, with
clever limitations OF the few people
whom he had seen about the castle.
Battista's gruffness and mangled Ger
man words, and the shifting mixed
with grandiloquence of one of the
guards; finally he grew daring and
initiated the governors superior off,
Ger who had visited the prison six
months ago and had seen Francois
among the others. Francois. with
his body bent out and a fat waddle.
and an improvised eye-glass and a
pursy shOrt-breathed manner. spoke
OF the governor severely, putting at
him between sentences. reprOving
him, among other things, for having
prisoners dine with him.
(To be continued.)