Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-10-02
the vacant tun adjoining royal Ger.

am" he said, since you persist in
screaming. But don't be alarmed. In
five minutes you shall be free to
breathe through the bung-hole once
more"
He placed the cork in place as the
soldiers ran down the stairs and came
bursting into the room
Here's one of them," shouted the
officer in charge. "Where are the rest
of you? Why-it's the waiter!'
Indeed Paul Lane looked the charac.
ter to perfection at that moment as he
flung himself at the officers feet.
Spare me-spare my life!" he
pleaded
ITO the devil with your miserable
life! Where is Bulgini the leader of
the dynamiters?" cried the officer
81 do not know, monsieur" Paul
whined. "They threatened me and l
ran away through the secret panel.
All, he was terrible, that brigand Bu-
gini: his very mustaches seemed to
bristle."
From somewhere, very far away.
the very faintest knocking came, and
the faintest of cries. Paul Lane seized
the lieutenant by the arm.
They must be above in the floor
ing" he cried. "Ah, that loose plank
that sleaked. will get them mon.
sieur, | will"
Come on, mem" shouted the Of
fcer, and darted out of the cellar and
up the stairs. Paul followed leisurely.
Thus it came about that their mai
estes of Sweden, Norway, Greece and
Roumania made their appearance In
the central police station of Paris
And in short while they were re-
leased with the most abject apologies
The secret was kept, for, by miracle
Of luck, there were no reporters pres
ent.
But when the news was telegraphed
in several ciphers to the capitals of
Europe that same night and no word
came of the kaiser 1t is reported that
Bethmann-Hollweg tore his hair and
drafted dozen different letters of res
ignation. Meanwhile Servia and Mon,
tenegro dispatched an ultimatum to
Constantinople to demand certain ad-
vantages, and there was none to rat
tie the war sword on behalf Of Islam
for the Lord of the Sword was miss
ing.
And here is the dilemma that
confronted Paul as he strolled
ha ,tr
of Paris He had accomplished
his end; he had bottled up
literally, almost-the kaiser and that
babbllng reporter If he left them for
four and twenty hours war would
break out and his enterprise succeed
But then-the thought came to him
with hideous meaning as he ap-
preached the door of his residence
he had left the cork in the bunghole
Of the barrel in which Miss Nancy
lay!
He must release her To uncork the
barrel would mean that her screams
would bring aid to her He must free
her-and so the kaiser, too. The fate
of Europe rested with this obscure
Yankee girl buried inside tun. 1t
has hung on more trivial things.
1t was midnight when Paul got back
to Gabriel's, and the frightened pro-
prietor stared at him as he entered,
and throwing up his hands, vanished
like an apoplectic angel into the re-
cesses Of his house. Paul entered the
wine cellar and, as he passed through
the door, cried loudly In dismay.
There was not a tun or barrel in the
place. He saw bare cellar, with
bare. whitewashed walls and the
marks of muddy shoes around the en-.
trance-no more. He ran back at full
speed and hammered upon the door
of Monsieur Gabriel's apartment on
the first story.
open, open!" he shouted. "or
break 1t in. Open, Monsieur Gabriel!
| shall not hurt you!"
At last the bolt shot back and the
proprietor appeared, livid. shaking
with terror. He fell on his knees. He
did not recognize the waiter in this
peremptory visitor
"Ah, forgive me, forgive me-" he ex-
claimed, almost distraught Il knew
nothing of this. Oh, monsieur"
He groveled upon the floor, incapa-
BILE of further utterance. Paul raised
him, not urgently
Monsieur Gabriel, where are the
tuns that were in your cellar? he
asked
THE tuns monsieur? The tuns?"
babbled the Frenchman. "Ah, yes,
the tuns, of course, the tuns. Why,
monsieur this Is the night which falls
each quarter when the vans collect
them for shipping back to the south
of France Tomorrow my new tuns
arrive. They were all empty, mon
sieur, even the last of them, for some
body had turned the spigot and spilled
the wine"
You ass" said Paul; when were
they collected?"
Half an hour since, monsieur l
was distraught; l watched the men
like a madman; could say nothing.
My beautiful wine, all spilled. and"
Where have they gomez
ITO the Southern station, monsieur.
All tuns go thither, to be shipped back
to the wine-growers each quarter.
Doubtless all Paris Is yielding up
tuns this night. There Is special
train, monsieur which starts in the
morning and"
Paul thrust Monsieur Gabriel from
him and rushed out into the street
He hailed passing fiacre and ordered
the man to drive to the terminal sta
tion of the Southern railway, Arrived
there, he tossed the man louis and
rushed into the freight yard. There