Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-02-11

moving in his bedroom. and third
The count had gone through this last
door one night month before. into a
dark, winding. stone staircase. and dis
appeared for three minutes, and
brought up bottle of wonderful wine.
"A fine stock they put down there
the Italians who ruled here for eight
hundred-odd years. he had said. i've
lowered it a bit A good spacious vine
cellar and grand old wine. You viii be
the better for little" And Francois
had watched him as he put the brass
key back on the chain which hung
from his belt
At this point of memory the bed
room 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 swal-
low food. or very little The fever, the
unrest burning in him, made it impos-
sible. Count Gersdorf looked at him
seriously when dinner was over; as
yet Francois, talking, laughing, sing
ing, had eaten not over half a dozen
mouthfuls.
Certainly you are not well, he said.
Il think the doctor should see you"
And then he nodded bis head and his
small eyes cleaned with brilliant
thought. Il know medicine better
than Doctors" He stood up and his
fingers We're 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 OF
wine of our Italian ancestors-yours
and mine, Beaupre"- count
chuckled-"th will cure you of your
ills for this evening at least" He slid
the key 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 pleasure, bless
himl" And then, Hold the candle
Beaupre-well, come along down--it
can do no harm and can't manage
light and two bottles"
So Francois followed down the twist
ed, headlong, stone staircase and found
himself. after rather long descent,
holding the lamp high. gazing curious
ly about the walls of a large stone
room lined with shelves, filled with
bottles.
"A show, isn't it?" the Count Won
Gersdorf demanded. Here, hold the
light on this side" and he went on
talking. "The wine is so old that /
think it must have been stocked be-
fore the time of the last lord of the
castle"
And Francois, holding the light, re-
membering the Marquis Zappi, thought
so too. The count pointed to squar,
stone in the wall which proiecte1
slightly, very slightly.
THAT is the door to a secret stock
of some sort, have always thought"
he said. Probably some wonderful
old stuff saved for the coming of age
of the heir, or a great event of that
sort. wish | could get at it," and he
stared wistfully at the massive block.
but cannot stir it, And | don't let
anyone but myself down here-not l."
ub COUNT tuIueu away ana i0ey
mounted the two stories of narrow
steps, for the governors rooms we're
on the second floor, and the staircase
ran from it between walls, Gown I'M
dergropGd. THE old chaps must have
thought lot OF their wine to have She
cellar connect directly with their own
rooms-for Battista tells me these
were always the rooms Of the Za--of
the lords OF the castle" the governor
explained.
And to Francois. considering it, the
fact seemed an odd one. And then
the governor set to work drinking
Pietro's wine, and little thought, as
he urged it on his prisoner, how much
more right to it the prisoner had than
he. 1t was a wonderful old liquid.
full Of strange dim sparkle, and of
most exquisite bouquet AS he drank
it Francois silently toasted its owner
on his return to his own again. He
took SO little as to disgust the gov
ernor. 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 ne had been for
months.