The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-07-25

striking on the panel, the hollow
sound Of which had probably at
tracted the deputy chiefs atten-
ton. And, as Weber was not COM
PEELED to take the same precau-
tions as Don Luis, and seemed to
be breaking down the panel with
out delaying to look for the
mechanism, the danger was close
at hand.
ooh, hang it all! muttered
Don Luis. "This is too silly. What
shall | dot Have a dash at themY
All, if-I had all my strength
But he was exhausted by want
of food. His legs shook beneath
him and his brain seemed to lack
its usual clearness.
The increasing violence of the
blows in the alcove drove him, in
spite of all, toward the upper exit /;
and, as he climbed the ladder, he
moved his electric lantern over the
stones of the wall and the wood Of
the trapdoor. He even tried to
lift the door with his shoulder.
But he again heard a sound Of
footsteps above his head. The men
were still there.
Then, consumed with fury and
helpless, he waited the deputy's
coming.
A crash came from below; it's
echo spread through the tunnel,
followed by a tumult Of voices.
That's it," he said to himself.
"The handouts, the lookup, the
cell Good Lord, what luck-and
what nonsense! And Marie Eau
vile, who's sure to do away with
herself. And Florence-Florence
Before extinguishing his Ian
terms, he cast It's light around him
for the last time.
At a couple Of yards 'l..>tance
from the ladder, about three quar-
tiers Of the way up and set a little
way back, there was Ii big stone
missing from the inner wall, leav-
ing a space just large enough to
crouch in.
Although the recess did not
form much of a hiding place, it
was just possible that they might
omit to inspect it. Besides, Don
Luis had no choice. At all events,
otter putting out the light, he
leaned toward the edge of the
hole, reached it, and managed to
scramble in by bending himself in
two.
Weber, Mazeroux, and their
men were coming along. Don Luis
propped himself against the back
of his hiding hole to avoid as far
as possible the glare Of the Ian
terms, of which he was beginning
to see the CLEANS. And an amaz-
ing thing. happened the stone
against which he was pushing
toppled over slowly, as though
moving on a pivot, and he fell
backward into a second cavity
situated behind it.
He quickly drew his legs after
hiin and the stone swung back as
slowly as before, not, however,
without sending down a quantity
of small stones, crumbling from
the wall and half covering his
legs.
"Well, well!" he chuckled.
"Can Providence be siding with
virtue and righteousness"
He heard Mazeroux's voice say
ing:
"Nobody! And here's the end
of the passage. Unless he ran
away as we came--look, through
the trapdoor at the top. Of this
ladder"
Weber replied:
Considering the slope by
which we've come, it's certain
that the trapdoor is on a level
with the second floor. Well, the
other little cross ought to mark
the boudoir on the second floor,
next to Don Luis bedroom. That s
what l supposed, and why | posted
three of our men there. If he s
tried to get out on that side, he s
caught"
We've only got to knock"
said Mazeroux. "Our men will
find the trapdoor and let us out.
If not, we will break it down"
More blows echoed down the
passage. Fifteen or 20 minutes
after, the trapdoor gave way, and
other voices now mingled with
Weber's and Mazeroux's.
During this time, Don Luis ex-
amined his domain and perceived
how extremely small it was. The
most that he could do was to sit
in it. 1t was a gallery, or, rather,
a sort of gut, a yard and a half