Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1915-09-03
CHAPTER XIII.
The Torture Chamber.


AS for the young American herself.
she had remained these hours alone In
Fhe palace OF the king.
The palace. as she now reflected.
was more nearly deserted than ever
she had seen Il. The household staff
seemed disorganized. Fright had
caught hold OF all The most conflict
Ing rumors went this way and that.
Il wonder" said Kitty Gray to her
self after a time. as she sat alone-"I
wonder"
Now, what she wondered had to do
with certain questions which she long
had had in her own mind.
"Cruciau candid car .uvan
camera chamber - torture cham
ber?'"
II SO where was that torture cham
Der? Was il under the battlemenis yon-
der, OF here in the palace itself?
Where had the old king concealed his
wealth.
She rang the bell and summoned
once more the woman of the palace
who thus far had cared for her at the
Kings behest.
"Margot" said she. talk to me.
have travelled far and am weary. am
istressed-nervous perhaps. Talk to
me-
we are all distressed. excellency,
said the woman. we know not what
there may be yonder. Perhaps this
moment the two kingdoms may be at
Tl.ss haN I DO, n
excellency more comfortablef"
She was willing enough to curry Ia
vor with a favorite Of the king.
Tell me Margot." demanded Kitty
Gray. about this country here. am n
stranger from a far country, and l
know very little OF this land and OF
it's customs. Is II an old land. this OF
'Gretzhoffen. Margot?"
more immemorially old, your excel
lency. than most people have ever
dreamed Of The first kings OF Ggetz-
hoffen date back so far In history that
almost they merge into myths. The
oldest kingdoms OF Europe are not SO
old as this little one"
Does the history OF this country
date back so far as the middle ages?'
'Oh, easily. We are very old"
smiled Margot
Those also were times OF war and
bloodshed. were they not? Why, Mar
got in those days they tortured pris-
oners. did they not?''
Not only prisoners, excellency. but
many others. II king wished news
or money, IL an official wished confes.
sion OF a crime-if a bishop desired
confession OF faith from heretic-the
torture chamber was the place to get
such results"
But not here, Margot-surely not
here?'
These very walls saw il. excellencx
yos""
but that was long ago-those places
We're all wiped out and forgotten ages
since"
Destroyed? Indeed. not. Do not
the people OF this country always pre-
serve their monuments, their museums
OF weapons, their chambers of horrorsl
DO they not take a certain pride in
that? Monarchs even Of today know
the secrets OF the old torture cham
bers in this land. and perhaps in many
another"
4 coHld not have believed IT, And
so there was such place here, in this
palace2'
Surely. ] can give warrant for ey
cry word / have told you, excelIency
The tradition is that the old torture
chamber OF Gretzhoaen was over yon
der-under the corner tower OF IN,
paiace-where the embattlements TAI
in. There is corridor which leadi
yonder down below. into the vaults
would not so there for all the world
Few OF US know the way indeed
have never been there. We folk o
Gretzhonen palace-we are wise
enough not TO ask too many question:
CT TO learn too many truths. Besides
] should die with terror TO think O
what spirits must haunt such a place
But, excellency." she concluded. lie
Us speak OF more pleasant things."