The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-05-22

you"
But Francois refused lightly and
laughed and fell TO singing an old peas
ant song of France which he had re-
membered lately; he got up on the
table and droned it to an imaginary
fiddle which he pretended to play after
the manner OF old Jacques Arne, who
played for dances in Vicques. And the
governor was taken with a violent
fancy for it. He reared at 1t, and sang
1t over in fragments till he had learned
It, and then he sang it and reared
again and slapped his knee; there was
droll comedy in Francois rendering
also, not to be explained--and the
count said that Francois must come to
his rooms the next night for dinner
and sing him the song again and also
listen to new one Of his own.
So Francois was taken down the
stone staircase and conducted to the
two rooms which were the governors
suite. He knew them we'll, for he had
dined many times with the count. But
tonight he was left alone few mo-
ments in the outer room, the living
room. while the governor was in the
bedroom, and he looked about keenly
with a strained attention which grew
! out of the suppressed hope of escape.
Who knew what bit of knowledge of
the castle might be vital, and who
knew how soon? He noted the swords
and pistols hanging on the wall, and
marked a light saber whose scabbard
was brightly polished as if the blade
also were kept in 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;
ten feet beyond the window 1t ended
in the roof of shed, sloping roof
where man could drop down, yes, or
even climb up with ease. A man, that
is, who had climbed when a boy as
Francois had climbed-like a cat for
certainty and lightness. But what
then, when one was in the courtyard?
1t was walled about with a stone wall
| sixteen 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-one from the
hall by which he had come, one be-
hind which he now heard the count
moving in his bedroom, and a third.
The count had gone through this last
door one night a 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. Eve
lowered it a bit. A good spacious wine
cellar and grand old wine. You will 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 dozen
mouthfuls.
Certainly you are not WE'LL" he said.
Il think the doctor should see you"
And then he nodded his head and his
small eyes cleaned with a brilliant
thought. Il know a medicine better
than Doctors" He stood up and his
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 of
wine of our Italian ancestors-yours
and mine, Beaupre'-the count
chuckied-"that 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 Gera,
dorf except to do him a pleasure, bless
him!" And then. Hold the candle
Beaupre-well, come along down--it
can do no harm and l can't manage u
light and two bottles"
So Francois followed down the twist
ed, headlong. stone staircase and found
himself. after rather a 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