The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-06-06
CHAPTER EIGHT. (Continued.)

AS ""c oeoAihS hSoA o.,
half ruined barn, built against a
very tall bank. Its worm eaten
doors seemed merely balanced on
their wings. He went up , and
looked through a crack in the
wood. Inside the windowless barn
was in semidarkness, for but little
light came through the openings
stopped up with straw, especially
as the day was beginning to wane.
He was able to distinguish a heap
Of barrels, broken wine presses,
old ploughs, and scrap iron of all
kinds.
"This is certainly not where my
fair stroller turned her steps,"
thought Don Luis. "Let's look
somewhere else."
Nevertheless, he did not move.
He had noticed a noise in the
barn.
He listened and heard nothing.
But as he wanted to get to the
bottom of things he forced out a
couple of planks with his shoulder
and stepped in.
The breach which he had thus
contrived admitted a little light.
he could see enough to make his
way between two casks, over some
broken window frame, to an
empty space on the far side. .
His eyes grew accustomed to
the darkness as he went on. For
all that, he knocked his head
against something which he had
not perceived, something hanging
up above, something rather hard
which, when set in motion, swung
to and fro with a curious grating
sound.
1t was too dark to see. Don Luis
took an electric lantern from his
pocket and pressed the spring.
Damn it ALL" he swore, fall
ing back aghast.
Above. him hung a skeleton.
And the next moment he ut
tered another oath. A second
skeleton hung beside the first!
They were both fastened by
stout ropes to rings fixed in the
rafters of the barn. Their heads
dangled from the slip knots. The
one gainst which Perenna had
struck was still moving slightly
and the bones clicked together
with a gruesome sound.
He dragged forward a rickety
table, propped it up as best he
could, and climbed onto it to ex-
anime the two skeletons more
closely. They were turned toward
zach other, face to face. The first
was considerably bigger than the
second. They were obviously the
skeletons Of a man and a woman.
Even when they were not moved
by a jolt of any kind, the wind
blowing through the crevices in
the barn set them lightly swing.
ing to and fro, in a sort Of very
slow, rhythmical dance.
But what perhaps was most
impressive in this CHASTITY spec
tacle was the fact that each of
the skeleton, though deprived OF
every rag Of clothing, still wore a
gold ring, too wide now that the
flesh had disappeared, but held.
as in hooks, by the bent joints OF
the fingers.
He slipped off the rings with q
shiver of disgust, and found that
they we're wedding rings. Each
bore a date inside, the same date
II August, 1887, and two names
"Alfred-Victorine."
Husband and wife," he muir
INJURED. lis it double suicide? o,
a murder9 But how is it possible
that the two skeletons have MOI
yet been discovered2 Can one con
ceive that they have been here
since the death of old LANCER
nault, since the government ha:
taken possession of the estate and
made it impossible for anybody t(
walk inf"
He paused to reflect.
Anybody / don't know about
that, considering that / saw foot
prints in the garden, and that {
woman has been there this very
day!".
The thought of the unknown
visitor engrossed him once more
and he got down from the table
In spite of the noise which he haC
heard, it was hardly to be sup
posed that she had entered the
barn. And, after a few minutes
search, he was about to go out
when there came, from the left, &
clash Of things falling about ant
some hoops dropped to thu
ground not far from where hi
stood.