The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-11-28

moments. But the slip knot BIT
into his flesh. He ceased moving
Everything was over.
Then Don Luis Perenna, hold.
ing the other end OF the lasso
came MP to him and bound him
hand and foot with what re
manned OF the rope. The opera
ton was carefully performed.
Don Luis repeated it. time after
time, using the coils Of rope which
the cripple had brought to the
well and gagging him with a
handkerchief. And, while apply
ing himself to his work, he ex-
planned, with affected politeness
You see, sir, people always
come to grief through excessive
selfcoufidenee. They never imag-
inc that their adversaries can
have resources which they them
selves do not possess. For instance
when you got me to fall into your
trap, how could you have sup
posed, my dear sir. that a man
like myself, a man like Arsene
Lupin, hanging on the brim Of a
well, with his arms resting on the
brim and his feet against the in
ner wall, would allow himself to
drop down it like the first silly
fool that comes alongg
look here: you were fifteen
ior twenty yards away; and do
you think that | had not the
strength to leap out nor the cour-
age to face the bullets Of your
revolver, when it was a question
OF saving Florence Lcvasseur's
life and my own? Why, my poor
sir, the finest effort would have
been enough, believe me!
my reason for not making
the effort was that I had some
thing better to do, something in
Ifinitely better. / will tell you
why, that is, il you care to know.
DO you?
We'll, then, at the very first
moment, my knees and feet, prop
ped against the inner wall, had
smashed in a thick layer Of
plaster which closed up an old ex;-
cavation in the well and this I
at once perceived. i was a
stroke of luck, wasn't it? And
1t changed the whole situation.
My plan was settled at once.
While ! went on acting my little
part of the gentleman about to
tumble down an abyss, putting on
the most scared face, the most
staring eyes, the most hideous
grin, [ enlarged that excavation,
taking car to throw the chunks
of plaster in front Of me in such
a way that their fall made no
noise. When the moment came,
at the very second when my
swooning features vanished be-
fore your eyes, / simply jumped
into my retreat, thanks to a rath-
er plucky little wriggle of the
Iloins..
II was saved, because the re-
treat was dug out on the side
where you were moving and be-
cause, being dark itself, it cast no
light. All that 1 now had to do
was to wait.
II listened quietly to your
threatening speeches. I let the
things you flung down the well
go past me. And, when I thought
you had gone back to Florence,
] was preparing to leave my ref
nge, to return to the light Of day,
and to fall upon you from be-
hind, when"
Don Luis turned the cripple
over, as though he were a parcel
which he was tying up with
string, and continued:
Have you ever been to Tan
caryille, the old feudal castle in
Normandy, on the banks Of the
Seine9 Haven't you? Well, you
must know that, outside the ruins
of the keep, there is an old well
which, like many other wells Of
the period, possesses the peculiar
lity Of having two openings, one at
the top, facing the sky, and the
! other a little lower down, hol-
lowed out sideways in the wall
and leading to n of the rooms
to the keep.
! At Tancarville this second
opening is nowadays closed with
a grating. Here it was walled
up with a layer Of small stones
and plaster. And it was inst the
recollection of Tancarville that
made me stay, all. the more as
there was no hurry sipca vo,, bad