The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-08-21
0ze MINISTER
YllS n POLICE
A By HENRY MoNTJOY
NIL csyHsh. 1912. III. BoSs.Meru co-ssnn

IG1NA A00AN ~ M SG1 AA1 1888 NT-~
door opened. and his jailer appeared,
lamp in hand
a man followed the jailer. carrying a
tray on which was the prisoners sup
per n the paper, pen n ink with
that he might put in writing his COM
plants 10 the governor.
II will be back In ar our for the
lamp" said the jailer. 7.
"For the lamp" +
Ma fol, yes. Those are the regula-
tions. You don't want more than an
hour for your supper"
Heavens" said De Lussac. They
have deprived me of liberty, and they
are now going to deprive me OF light2"
II know nothing of your liberty"
said the jailer; II only know ne regu-
lationS" He want out and shut the
door.
De Lussac turned to the food on the
table. 1t consisted of, a stew. some
bread, and half a bottle OF wine. The
idea OF food reyolted him, still, he
knew that not to eat was perhaps to
fan IL a sudden call came upon his
energies. He sat down to the table
There was something humana about
the food and the wine in this inhuman
place, this nightmare Of stone.
As he sat eating, q slight sound at
tracted his attention and CHANGING on
the floor, he saw a rat. An old gray
III A&I WtIACI Aldu bllppGu' IutO the cell
through some hole in the masonry, at
food.
He glanced at II, terrified by the
thought that he would find himself
alone In the darkness with such COM
pany as this. His imagination painted
sWarms of rats running over him, per-
maps attacking him. He was about to
push mis- chair away from the table
when the rat, whose bright ayes were
now txed on him, drew closer and then
sat up on its launches like a dog.
II was begging for food, Just as a
poodle tbegs, n De Lussac stared at
II in establishment without moving.
kept Its position for q mo-
ment n then OF a sudden II turned a
complete somersault. Three times It
did this before sitting UP again to
beg. " 80 =
It was a performing rat, the pet, per-
faps the friend, of some unhappy pris-
oner now vanished, IA T,
he threw a piece Of meat from the
stew. and the rat whisked away with
IL beneath the bed. Then, unable to
eat any more, he sat with his elbows
on the table till the key sounded again
In III. lock and the Taller entered.
SWelL" said. the man as he removed
9 things, you've made small use
of your pen and paper" 1870
De Lussac started. He had, little
nope OF any appeal made to the gov
II will use them tomorrow he said
Tel me, was this~cell inhabited be-
fore I came here?"
9TH yesterday" = -
The prisoner was nberated?',
mo, Monsieur; he died.
An, ne died! Who vas he, then.
and how long was he here?" j.,
The man laughed; he was in a good
hurnor. for the liberality of De L,issac
IN paying for the pen, ink and paper,
ana tne bottle OF wine he had cracked on
the strength of the louis, warmed his
neart toward the prisoner.
NOW you are asking questions. Who
was he? Ma fol, he was the MARQUIS
de Vtverolles, and he came here before
my time. l was sorry to lose him. No
matter; tbs the way we must all GO"
h Marquis de ViveroIles. De LIs-
sac had heard Of him in his youth as
the handsomest and wittiest man in
France, who suddenly became extin-
guishad In the last years of the reign
or the grand monarch, just as Fouquet
mad become extinguished In the first
years of that illustrious reign. The
man who had graced everything that
he touched, charmed all whom he knew.
lent his wit to so many men, his heart
70 so many women, his purse to so
many friends, and his genius-to a rat.
The spirit OF the Bastile lay in that
page of unwritten history. -
Consumed by the m~ournfulness of II
and feeling In 1t a pointer Of his own
rate, DE Lussac, scarcely answering the
good night' OF his jailer, flung himself
on his bed.
After a while the absolute blackness
OF h cell was broken by a ray of light.
lThe moon q risen and a beam showed
up the bars Of the window space.
AS the light broke the darkness, q
faint sound came from the floor of the
cell. 1t was the friend Of the Marquis
de Vtverolles picking up the crumbs
that had fallen from the table. \
De Lussac, as he lay listening and
watching the beam upon the wall, in
stead Of giving himself over to despair.
continued to exercise his mind on plans
for escape. .s = :
Nothing could seem more hopeless,
yet he showed his philosophy by
clinging to hope. :
determined to leave this place. II /
can not save 1t in the body, I shall
leave IL in the spirit by dying. Well,
then, let me aim first at my bodily re-
lease. Let me be calm, strong and
watchfull. To be watchful, I must
conciliate my jailer and keep my eyes
open for any chance; to be strong I
~ ~~N ~ 0C SoAAAA = bAdoI oASCPs
Let me, then, sleep; it Is the first
steC 20 thai plan which have not yet
formed but which will come"
He turned on his side, but sleep,
which comes to children more readily
than to philosophers, held aIoof from
him for a while. Then, sullenly, the
exhaustion caused by the excitement
Eof the day fell on him like a clock. He
slept, and when he woke he found the
jailer entering his cell and daylight
shining through the high window. a
His first thoughts on awakening and
recognizing the place where he was,
were the thoughts upon which he had
fallen asleep. 49,
The jailer, used to tho vagaries of
new prisoners, was surprised at the
cheerful face of his new charge.
Well" said he, you seem t have
slept. Here Is a Jug OF water for you,
and you shall have some coffee 1 n an
hours time. We don't starve our peo-
pie here. And for dinner you can have
what you please to pay for" ."...
What l please to pay for?'' asked
De Lussac. who did not know the truth
that La Bastile "a In reality a vast
and formidable hotel, OF which the gov
ernor was the keeper.
Certainly" .E#l.
We'll, then. said De Lussac. 81 Will