The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-01-16

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 ap-
erture, and reaching up, began to pay
out the rope from 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 fortifications-
! and the young man Strengthened; 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 I'M
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 boot of an owl-was waited up
ward.
Upon him at the aperture, this night
call, common to the Mount and it's en-
ytrons, acted in magical manner, and
swiftly had he stepped toward the
wheel, when an object, intervening.
stirred; started to stagger to it's feet.
At once was the young mans first i'm
polling movement arrested; but, thus
forcibly drawn from his purpose, he
did not long pause to contemplate; his
hand, drawing the soldiers sword, held
1t quickly at the hunchbacks 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 it, a 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 a 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 bunch.
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 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 hosting. But as he started
10 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 well knew, and inadvertently
though fearfully he eyed the rope, com.
ing in over the pulley at the aperture;
10 be wound around and around by
smaller wheel, attached to the larger,
Withdrawing 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.
seriousness 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 if the
other had read the thought-came the
cold touch of bare blade on his
neck; and with a sudden chill, the
brief heroic impulse passed.
More stealthily now he began to
study his companion in the wheel,
while a question, suddenly occurring,
reiterated itself in his brain. This
man-who was he? And what did he
know Of the mountebank, or his, JAG.
ques', dealings with the clown? That
his captor was no soldier Of the rock,
or belonged there, the hunchback felt
by this time assured, and growing
/ suspicion OF the others identity
brought home with new force to the
dwarf the thankless part chance, per.
haps, had assigned to him in that
nights work. And at the full realiza.
ton Of the consequences, should his
surmise prove correct-what must ul.
timately happen to himself In that
event, when unwilling cooperation at
the wheel should become known-al.
most had he again reached the des.
perate point Of calling out; but at
that moment turn in the wheel
brought to the level Of the aperture,
the car. In it, or clinging thereto,
were a number ofsfgures who, as soon
as the rope stopped, sprang noiseless.