The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-08-06

II
might be vital, and who knew how
soon2 Flo noted the swords and piss
tols hanging on the wall, and marked
q Wig sRAber whose scabbard was
brightly polished as II the blade also
were kept I'm good order. On the table
he saw the flint and steel with which
Count Won Gersdorf lighted his pipe; he
stepped to the window and bent out,
scanning the wall. A stone coping,
wide enough for a mans foot, but little
more, ran four feet below; 10 feet be-
yond the window Il ended In the roof OF
shed. sloping roof where man
could drop down, yes, or even climb up
with ease. A man. that iB. who had
climbed when boy as Francois had
climbed-like a cat for certainty and
was In the court yard? 1t was walled
about with q stone wall Is feet high;
these old ancestors OF Pietro, who had
built this place. had planned well to
keep Pietro's friend IN prison.
So Francois. not hopeful OF sortie
by that point, drew In his head from
the open window and took to examin-
Ing the walls OF the governors room.
There were three doors-0ne from the
hall by which he had come, one behind
which he now heard the count moving
In his bedroom, and a third. The count
had gone through this last door one
night q month before into q dark,
winding, stone staircase, and disap-
peared for three minutes. and brought
up bottle OF wonderful wine.
"a fine stock they put down there
the Italians who ruled here for 500
odd years." he had said. I've lowered
II q bit. A good spacious wine cellar
better for little" And Francois had
watched him as he put the brass key
back on the chain which hung from
his belt. #.E
At this point of memory the bedroom
door opened, and the governor came
out, in great good humor and ready to
eat and drink as became an Austrian
soldier. The dinner was brought in,
but Francois. for all his efforts to do
his part, could not swallow food, or
very little. The fever, the unrest burn
ing In him, made II impossible. Count
Gersdorf looked at him seriously when
dinner was over; e yet Francois .co. taxi Iot
over half dozen mouthfuls.
Certainly you are not well" he said.
az think the doctor should see you"
And then he nodded his head and his
small eyes cleaned with q brilliant
thought. IT know a medicine better
than Doctors" He stood UP and MS ~
fingers were working at the chain OF
keys at his belt, Francois watched
them and saw the thin, old, brass key
which he slipped off. "A bottle or
wine OF our italian ancestors--yours
and mine, Beaupre" - the count
chuckled-"that viii cure you o. your
Ills for this evening at least" He slid
the kew into the lock and said, half to
himself, my little brass friend never
leaves the belt OF Albrecht Won Gers
dorf except to do him q pleasure, bless
him!" And then, Hold the candis,
Beaupre well. come along DOWN.
can do no harm and I cant manage .
81 Francois followed down the
twisted, headlong, stone stalrcase
and found himself, after rather .
long descent, holding the lamp nsn,
gazing curiously about the walls OF
large stone room lined with Shelves
rii y snow Nov isnst it7" the Count Won
4ersdorf demanded. Here, hold the
light on this SIDE" and he went on
taIIrinpr 'Srhe wine is so old that 1
think IL must have been stocked before
the time of the last lord OF the castle.
And Francois, holding the light re.
Numbering the Marquis Zappi, thought
90 too, The count pointed to a square
stone in the wall which projected
slightly, very slightly.
@That IL the door to secret stock OF
some sort, have always thought, ne
said 'rProbably some WonderIu OH
atlIff saved for the coming OF age OF
the heir, or great event OF that sort;
wish could get at II, and ne stared
wistfully at the massive block But
I can not stir II. And don't let any
ore but myself down here--not ]" the
count turned away and they mounted
the two stories OF narrow steps, for
the governors rooms were on the sec
ond floor, and the staircase ran from Il
between walls, down underground.
| esgyha old chaps must have thought
lot of their wine to have the cellar
connect directly with their own rooms
for Battista tells me these Were al
ways the rooms OF the Za--of the
lords OF the CASTLE" the governor ex-
planned.
And to Francois. consider1ng. It, the
fact seemed an odd one. And then the
governor set to work drinking Pietro
wine. and little thought, as he urged
| II on his prisoner, how much more right
| to Il the prisoner had than he. IT was
q wonderful old liquid, full OF strange
dim sparkle, and OF most exquisite bou-
ouet. Az he drank II Francois silently
| toasted its owner on his return TO his
| own again. He took so little az to dis
gust the governor, but It put fresh life
| into him, and when at last he could
| leave the count, who was by that time
more than fairly drunk, he went up TO
| his cold prison under the roof quieter
and more at peace than he had been for
months.
CHAPTER XXI
A LOAF OF BREAD
The next morning Battista came In
| xvfRk, 40 mn which IN the OhaaryiUR