Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-08-06

OIL MS guard; he remembered that
swiftly. and with shaking fingers he
opened Pietro's letter-Pietro's letter
when, yellowed and faded but distinct
yet, In the small clear writing, is guard
ed today with those other letters in the
mahogany desk in Virginia.
My dear brother Francois the let
ter began, and quick tears came again
at that word brother" which said SO
much: MY dear brother Francois
1nls Is not to tell you how l have
searched for you and forgotten
you. viii tell YOU that when I see
you. This Is to tell you how to get out
OF that house of mine which has held
you as a prisoner when You ought to
have been it's welcome guest. When
italy Is free we will do that over; but
we must get you free first. Francois,
l am now within five miles Of YOU
The man on his knees by the prison
ped gasped; the letters staggered be-
fore his eyes.
!! am living on a ship, and I will ex-
plain how l got it when I see you, in a
few days now, Francois. Every night
for a week. beginning with tonight,
there Will be a person watching for you
IN Riders Hollow, from midnight till
daylight. After that we shall go away
for two weeks SO as to avoid giving
suspicion, and then repeat h
ment again every night for a week. You
do not know Riders Hollow, and it is
unnecessary to tell you more about it
than that it is a lonely place hidden in
trees, and supposed to be haunted by
ghosts of men on horseback; the peo-
pie about will not go there for love
or money except by broad daylight.
This is the way you are to get there.
In the wine cellar of the castle, which
opens from the governors room-in old
times always the room of the lord-in
that Wine cellar, on the north wall, is
a square block Of stone projecting
slightly beyond the wall. If you press
the lower corne on the left-hand side
OF the stone under this, the big stone
above will swing and show an
opening large enough for a man to
pass. Going through, you close the
door by pressing the same stone, and
you then will find yourself in an un-
foreground passage which leads straight
a a mile through the earth to Riders
Hollow. The passage is 500 years old
n only the family Of the Zappis has
ever know of 1t. went through it once
In my boyhood with my father, and it
was In perfect condition, so I believe
that 1t will be now. 1t was built with
sol1d1ty.-as n may believe, for IL the
old Zappis wanted it at all they wanted
1T In working order.
Your part will be difficult, Francois,
but / belive you can do it. You will
have to get the key Of the wine cellar.
that? 1t is necessary to do it, Francois,
for we can not get on without you, and
we shall from now live only to set you
free. | send you something which may
be useful"
Francois dropped the letter and
picked up the long loaf and tore it
apart. There was a file in the center AS
II a powerful tonic had been Infused
into him he felt strength and calmness
pour through him. He read the letters
over and over till he had them by heart;
then he concealed them carefully, with
the file, in his mattress. After that he
sat down and concentrated his mind,
with the new force working in 1t, on
his plan.
The governor was almost certain to
have him down to dinner again in two
or three days; 1t was a pity that While
he was there, all but on the spot, he
could not possess himself Of the key
and escape. He thought over one or
two plans on that basis, but they all
.shipwrecked on the fact that the guards
were accustomed to take him back to
his room at IL, and that, failing notice
from h governor, they would certain
ly come to find out why If they were
not called. They would start the pur-
suit; he must have the night clear. So
he unwillingly let go Of the great adj
vantage Of his own presence in the
governors room, SO near the scene Of
action, and planned otherwise. With
infinite forethought, with an eye to
every contingency possible to imagine,
he planned, and when the notice came,
two days later, that the Count Won
Gersdorf wished him to dine with him
that night. Francois heart Ieaped
madly but e~xultantly, for he was
ready.
Never had the young Frenchman
been more entertaining, more winning
to his tyrant than tonight, but the ex-
element of what was before him made
1t almost out Of the question to eat
the counts dinner. As before. the
count prescribed old wine as a tonic,
and took Francois with him to get it.
brought up-the count was preparing
to drink hard. And Francois had some
trouble In not drinking with him; but
he kept up his end with singing and
acting. with q dance OF two out OF the
peasant repertoire Of the Jura, with
g mock drill of an awkward squad at
Saint Cyl, with clever limitations Of the
few people whom he had een about
the castle, Battista's gruffness and
mangled German words, and the sniff
fling mixed with grandiloquence of one
OF the guards; finally he grew daring
and initiated the governors superior
officer who had visited the prison six
among. the others. Francois. with his
body bent out. and a fat waddle, and
an improvised eye glass and q pursy
Q breathed manner, spoke OF, the
governor severely. putting at him be-
tween sentences, reproving him, among
other things. Tor having prisoners dine
with him.
s8