The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1916-01-07
CHAPTER XIII.
The Torture Chamber.

The Torture Chamber.
AS for the. young American herself,
she had remained these hours alone in
the palace Of the king.
The palace, as she now reflected,
was more nearly deserted than ever
she had seen it. 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, al she sat aloEe-"I
Wonder!"
Now, what she wondered had to do
with certain questions which she long
had had in her own mind.
"'Cruciati candid cam mean
'camera'-schamber' - torture cham
ber?'"
If SO, where was that torture cham
Der? Was it under the battlements yon-
der, or here in the palace itself?
Where had the old king concealed his
wealth?
She rang the hell and summoned
O1lSS Ia 0iAld VI Tx PaAUSS
who thus far had cared for her at the
kings behest.
"Margot," said she, talk to me. /
have travelled far and am weary. ] am
distressed-ncrvous perhaps. Talk to
me-"
"We are all distressed, e~xcellency,"
said the 1--WE know not what
there may be yonder. Perhaps this
moment the two kingdoms may be at
war. But what "a l do to make your
excellency more comfortable?"
She vas willing enough to curry IA
vor with a favorite OF the king.
Tell me Margot," demanded Kitty
Gray. about this country here. am a
stranger from a far country, and /
know very little of this land and OF
its customs. Is it an cid land, this Of
Gretzhoffen, Margot?"
"More immomorially old, your excel
lency, than most people have ever
dreamed OF. The first kings Of Gretz-
hoffcn 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 DID,
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 a king wished news
or money, IL ar official wished confes-
sion Of a crimc-if a bishop desired
confession CT faith from a heretic-the
torture chamber was the place to get
such results"
But not here, Margot-surely not
here?"
These very walls saw it, excellency
ycs!"
But that was long ago-these places
were all wiped out and forgotten ages
since"
Destroyed? Indeed. not. Do not
the people Of this country always pre-
servo their monuments, their museums
Of weapons, their chambers of horrors?
Do they not take a certain pride in
that? Monarchs even Of today know
tho secrets Of the old torture cham.
bers in this land, and perhaps in many
another"
Il could not havo believed it! And
sosthero was such a place here, in this
p~alace?"
Surely. ! ear give warrant for cy-
cry word ! have told you, excellency.
Tbs tradition is that the old torture
chamber Of Gretzhoffen was over yon-
der-under the corner tower Of the
palace-whero the embellishments ran
in. There is a corridor which leads
ycnder, down below, into the vaults.
| would not go there for all the world.
Few OF us know the way, indeed
have mover been there. We folk OF
Grotzho1en palace-wo are wise
enough not to ask too many questions,
or to learn too many truths. Besides.
l should die with terror to think Of
what spirits must haunt such q place.
But. excellency." she concluded, let
! V spest Of moro pjsasant thines..