The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1916-03-31

with those who cared to join him,
male or female, creatures %dissolute as
himself. who had chung TO him fatuous,
ly In hope of possible reward at some
later time,
Before this ruler Count Sacblo OF
Grahofen presently bowed hunbly,
processing his friendship. giving no
token Of his treacherous orrand.
What, again, friend Sachio Of Ora.
hoifen?' TESTED Michael when he saw
him. you have become one OF CUR
most faithful subjects. is II not so'
! stll miss Count Frederick, who has
left many duties unperformed-l still
miss the young American, who should
be here to tighten the cares Of the
heavy hours, Yet you come-late our
enemy, now our friend. What can we
do for you, Sachio, to show Il graft
tude for your fai]thfulnoss?'
Nothing, your majesty save to al
low me division OF a flask, now and
then, with the greatest monarch Of
the modern days. Nothing ave to al
low me to join your majesty for a
lighter moment betiues after the du.
ties OF the Gay are done. Meantime
since ! would not weary your majesty
Il pray no more than safekeeping
within your majcsty's walls. as /
wander here and there. Tho art real
urcs Of this palace surpass any with
which ! am acquainted. As a youth,
tried TO paint, % ! sfill love the
work Of those who have done as mas
icrs what my student hand could new
or DO. May ! look at the pictures in
the EalIerios-tho statues. your maj
.sty2'
with all the heart in the world, my
dear Sarhio'' exclaimed Michael
Your discerning Judgment is valued
most highly. Make free with what
YOU like, and come to us when you
please
This carte blanche vas all that
Sachio could ask. lie accepted It liter
ally. What he purp1soi actually was to
make free with anything be saw ana
he did indeed intend TO return to
King Michael when he pleased. Thus
set free to wander as he liked IN the
palace OF GrctzhUncn. he made no
doubt whatever Of his own quick ar
rival at the hidden door OF the lost
treasure OF G~retZhoNen. As he bowed
Eiuspif out be scarce could conceal
the satisfaction On his face.
Sachio was en- alert and active soul.
His was no haphnzard intellect. apt to
accept the Gictum OF a mind less exact
than his own. He was Il soldier first,
and next a diplomat, but all the time a
model secret agent, a typical spy and
detective He now set about the bust.
ness in hand, deliberately, with preci.
sion, n~cthodicaliy, so that he need not
do any task a second time.
lie himself had sketched a rough
map Of the lower galleries as he fan.
cied them TO lia. lie calculated now
that with the aid Of this chart and his
W earlier acquaintance with these
subterrauean chambers, it would b,
easy 70 find the last door that lay be
tween him and the buried treasure O
Gretzhonen.
W fANh NN'AtNn - lARlAbt A4NNf Iadh't
must have held SqcAio did not paus,
20 ask. That souls had passed cut there
through these cold walls Of stone. that
human flesh had quivcroi here in tor.
ment anG human voices broken in
their anguish, meant naught to him.
A king had seen tit to surround his
treasures with such tcrrors in order
tn faFt4. v..u Ill s.4..N.. IL. II
buried these treasures under the very
floor OF his torture chamber so that
all might fear 10 iutrude there in their
search. Some might te deferred by
such fears-but not Sachi0 Of Grahof.
fen. He walked on calmly, urmoyed,
sure that his own persistence. his own
cunning, had defeated the purpose of
the dead king. whose methods so long
had deted the avarice and greed OF
these two kingdoms
Sachio lest little time IN the earlier
portions Of the su|bterrancan galleries.
ana satisfied himself only that he was
not being pursued. Soon he arrived
upon the lower levels. where ne did
not expect % meet disturbance. Now
came the cruX OF his search.
He made his way slowly along the
darkcned channels carved at some I'M
known day from the granite rock on
which stood the Gretzhofen castle,
tried door after door, and entered
chamber after chamber, slowly. he
thodicnlly, with no enthusiasm, but
only the air Of a man covering all pos
sible m~ischaEces in his search.
lie looked most carefully In that
portion OF the vaults where he had
found the half OF the tern parchment.
but got no further trace of the miss.
Ing portion. This gave him a certain
pause, for he had figured that the
broken coin and the broken parchment
would correlate, would focus, some
where nearly at the same point. But
the stained and widowed walls, still
damp from their recent foodmgs,
gave him but cold encouragement
whichever way he turned Any soul