The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-06-12

dressed to him in writing
Mon Dieu!'' cried the unfortunate
young man, II am then imprisoned
without reason given, and / may, per-
hapss see the governor tomorrow. o,
Monsieur, beware OF what you dol An
injustice like this Is q crime. l ask,
simply, what ] have done that / should
be seized like. this and Imprisoned, and
you give me an answer which Is no an
swer. You refuse to tell me"
The man OF parchment L the desk
turned to the jailer who had now
opened the door.
said. - @E|,
Follow me- said the jailer. tq
De Lussac looked round him as
though he were looking for sympathy
or help. Then. with a gesture impos-
sible to describe, he followed the Off
Ger. In tn corridor some one touched
him on the shoulder. It was Beaure-
gard. @ Isl e
Courage, MY friend" said the big
man, your case ma Eot be so bad as
you suppose. You have always your
kinsman, tho DUO de Richeiieu, to fall
back upon" s#&~ a@ W. %."t b.n*5
That was the, last straw, and De
Lussac scarcely heard Beauregard say
ing good-by, as the lieutenant OF De
Sartines turned away bound for light
and air and freedom, leaving his
charge TO Follow the Jailer. -tsa
This parsonage, who wore the semi-
uniform of the state prisons n car
ried at his belt a heavy bunch of keys,
led the way along the corridor tillthey
reached a door, iron studded I'M made
hideous. by a lock of enormous size,
and OF such a complicated nature that
It took the jailer a full minute in
opening, yet there were locks in
the Bastile so complicated, con-
Of F1RnfaH uyith Snnhg hnF1rfHla' In 0hntpitxy
that 1t would take at least Ave minutes
to master them. y ~ |-
|. The jailer held the door open for de
Lussac to pass Though, and they as
cended a circular stone staircase. The
walls OF this place were fungus grown
and still showed stains caused by the
torches of the archers, arbaletrters. and
musketeers Of past ages; the steps
! were tread-worn by the feet of genera
tons Of prisoners, guards and j~ailers.
They passed through another corri-
dor till they reached a stairway.
1t led to another corridor, half way
down which the iailer halted, took the
bunch Of keys from his belt and opened
a door. sE@& ..' ~ r. "
De Lussac saw before him a square
stone cell lighted by q window, high
placed, and protected by heavy iron
lOars. A, bed stood In one corner, a
table in the center,Jand a chair by the
table. A pitcher OF water stood upon
the table. = .eafo, 's} +a
There was no other furniture at all.
AstHe stood for, a moment before en-
tering this place, suddenly, from away
down the. corridor came the ghost of
q voice; high pitched, cracked and
faint as though strained through some
microscopic opening. 1t was singing
the verse of a ong common in the
streets of Paris some 20 years before.
~ |--N
drew the chair from the table and sat
down.
Your supper will be brought t you
at g." said the turnkey, speaking for
the first time. Should you care to pay
you will be we'll served: you can even
have wine. What money have you?"
Il do not want wine. Bring meFpa-
per, ms and ink" .,
Paper and pens-what for?"
Il wish to write to the governor"
That's what they all say" replied
the man in a grumbling voice. Well,
IL 1t amuses you, you can have your
paper and pens, but they cost money"
De Lussac took a louis from his
pocket and gave 1t to the Jailer.
That will a You. When can I
have them?" -
AT 8 o'clock" a.. -
But / must have them at once"
Patience replied the jailer.
He, glanced round the cell In a per-
functory manner, went out, and shut
the door. With the closing of the door
came the click Of the loci and then
absolute and perfect silence.
The prisoner could not eve heal the
footsteps of his jailor retreating down
the corridor. Like the fortress Of st.
Peter and st. Paul, which still exists
to the shame of civilization. the bastile
had one supreme and browning terror.
its silence.
Silence had been built into the place
by the smasons who labored at those
walls 80 feet thick. Silence, old as the
times Of Louis XII. Silence, complete
and steadfast like this, a a person
atty, at least during the first few hours
Of ones acquaintance with It. 1t seems
to be listening and at the same time
observing N ' De Lussac, fresh from
the sounds Of the streets, and the
voices of people, sat fora little while
without moving. listening, scarcely
breathing. -, t'. 40
Then he rose to his feet and walked
up and down the cell trying to find
refuge in thought. But his thoughts
were enough to drive aSstrong man to
despair. He saw de Richelieu sitting
at his bureau engaged in his accounts.
De Richelieu would, in the course OF
the next few hours, inevitably find the
drawer open, and the infamous docu-
ment lying on the other papers. He
would know to a certainty that he-de
Lussac-had opened h drawer. found
the document and worst of all. read
II. >. j..
1t was a secret that concerned the
honor of the king, as well as De .Sar-
tines, and that meant Imprisonment
for ever for De Lussac.
Then the vision Of SoIahie Linden rose
before him; the oma who a shown
him what a fair thing life is to those
who love. - nE
God" cried the unfortunate, as he
looked around him at the mean and
sordid cell, the walls Of granite blocks
four feet square, the bed, the bare
table, the hole In the wall that went by
name Of window. .
There would be rainy winter after
moons that would creep into long win
ter nights; hot summer days would
pass over the Bastile, bringing moth
Ing here. And men would say: oh,
the Comte de NLussact LIE me see;
he died, did he not?, Or at all events,
Disappeared but that was 90 years
ago." And there would be no one to
put them right, not even the Comte
de Lussac himself, still perhaps living,
white and cid; still, perhaps, biting his
nails In No. %, corridor T.. ".'
He pushed his table under the win
dow space, mounted the table, and with
a great spring managed to jump and
aaiza the indnw harq a