The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-10-30

known agility OF his kind. ne scratched
kicked and had managed to get the
others hand in his mouth. when. max
ing an effort TO throw on that clinging
burden. the Black Seigneur dashed
the dwarf's head violently against the
wooden support of the place. At once
all belllgerency left the hunchback,
and, releasing his hold. he sank to the
ground.
An instant the intruder regarded the
inert form; then, going to the door,
latched and locked it with a key he
found inside. Having thus In a meas
ure secured himself from immediate
interruption without-for anyone try
ing the door would conclude the wheel.
room vacant, or that the dwarf slept
there or in the store-house beyond
the Black Seigneur walked to the mp
erture, and reaching up. began to pay
out the rope from a pulley above. AS
he did so. with feet braced, he leaned
over to follow in its descent a small
car along the almost perpendicular
planking from the mouth OF the wheel.
room to the rocks. several hundred
feet below.
A sudden slackening Of the rope
assurance that the car, at the end Of
the line, had reached the loading
spot below without the fortifcations-
and the young man straightened; in
an attitude Of attention. stood listen
ing. But the stiffness. impregnated
only with a faint underbreath, the
far-away murmur Of water, or the Just
audible droning Of insects near the fig
trees on the rocks, continued un.
broken. An impatient frown gathered
on his brow; more eagerly he bent for
ward to gaze down, when through the
air distant sound-the low, melan-
choly hoot Of an owl-was waited up
ward.
Upon him at the aperture, this night
call, common to the Mount and its en-
virons, acted in magical manner, and
swiftly had he stepped toward the
wheel, when an object, intervening,
stirred; started to stagger to Its feet.
At once was the young mans first i'm
pelling movement arrested; but, thus
forcibly drawn from his purpose, he
did not long pause to contemplate; his
hand, drawing the acIdier's sword, held
it quickly at the hunchback's throat.
"a sound, and you know what to ex.
pect!"
|. With the bare point at his flesh,
Jacques, DULY hearing, vaguely com.
pretending. could, indeed, guess and
the fingers he had involuntarily raised
to push the bright blade aside, fell,
while at the same time any desire to
attempt to call out, or arouse the
guard, was replaced by an entirely diff
ferent emotion in his aching brain.
Never before had he actually felt that
sharp touch-the prelude to the final
thrust. At the sting of 1t. tremor
ran through him, while cowardice, his
besetting quality, long covered by
growl and egotism In his strength and
hideousness to terrify, alone shone
from his unprepossessing yellow fea.
lures.
"You were brave enough with the
soldiers at your beck!" went on de.
termined voice whose ironical accents
In no wise served to alleviate his
panic. when you had only mounte-
bank to deal with! But get up!" con-
temptuously. And" as the hunch-
back obeyed, his crooked legs shaking
in the support of his misshapen frame
Into the wheel with you!"
"The wheel" stammered the dwarf
"Why-what-"
ITO take a little Of your own medi-
cine! Pardi! What voluble fellow!
In with you, or"
With no more words the hunchback.
staggering, hardly knowing what he
did, entered the ancient abbot's ma
chine for hoisting. But as he started
to walk in the great wheel at the side
Of his captor. a picture of the past
the times he, himself, had forced pris
oners to the wheel, stimulating with
jeer and whip-arose mockingly be-
fore him, and the incongruous present
seemed, in contrast, like black wax
ing dream.
That it was no dream, however, and
that the awakening would never oc.
cur. he we'll knew, and malevolently
though fearfully he eyed the rope, com.
ing in over the pulley at the aperture:
to be wound around and around by
smaller wheel, attached to the larger.
and-drawing up what?
An inkling Of the sort Of merchan-
disc to be expected, under the circum
stances, could but flash through his
mind, together with a more vivid con.
sciousness Of the only course open for
him-to cry out. regardless of conse-
quences! Perhaps he might even have
done so, but at that instant-as II the
other had read the thought-came the
cold touch of a bare blade on his
neck; and with a sudden chill, the
brief heroic impulse passed.
(TO BE CONTINUEDJ