The evening world., 1920-08-07

thirty COfftna victims thirty ume1l
Very well; but people have gone
on living all the same, normally and
peaceably. why did the outburst OF
terror suddenly take place ths
yeary'
"Maguennoc was largely respon-.
sible. Maguennoc was a fantastic,
and rather mysterious person, q mix
ture OF the wizard and the bone
setter. the healer and the charlatan.i
who had studied the stars in their
courses and whom people liked 90
consult about the most remote events
Of the past as well as the future.
Now Maguennoc announced not long
ago that 1917 would be the fateful
year"
"why?"
Intuition perhaps, presentiment,
divination, or subConscious knoWl-
edge: YOU can choose any explana-s
ton that you please As for Maguen-
noe, who did not despise the practices
Of the most antiquated magic, no
would tell you that he know IL from
the flight Of a bird or the entraAls
OF a fowl. However. his prophecy
was based on something more serious.
/ He pretended, quoting evidence col
/ lected in hts childhood among the old
people OF Sarek, that at the begin
ming u the last century, the first line
Of the inscription on the Fairies Dol
men was not yet obliterated and that
' IL formed this, which would rhyme
4 with -Four women shall be orUcified
on tree In Sareks isle, In year four
teen and three The year fourteen
and three Is the year seventeen: and
| the prediction became more impress
/ sive for Maguennoc and his friends
! OF late years, because the total num-
Der was divided into two numbers
and the war broke out in 1914. From
that day, Maguennoc grew more and
more important and more and more.
sure Of the truth OF his provisions.
For that matter, he also grew more
and more anxious; and he even an
nOunced that his death, followed by
the death OF NJ. d'Hergemont, would
give tho signal for the 'catastropl1e.
Then the year 1917 arrived and pro-
duced terror in the island. The events
were close at hand"
And stu" said Veronique. and gtlll
II was all absurd"
absurd, yes: but II oil acquired n
curiously disturbing significance on
the day when Maguennoc was able TO
compare the scraps OF prophecy en-
graved on the dolmen with the COM
) plete prophecy"
"Then he succeeded in doing SOL"
yes He discovered under the alb
hey ruins, in a heap OF stones which
! ma luIIltu u nbAN VI RAONCNNAAAH
l chamber round II, an old worn AMI
battered missal, which had a few Of
its pages in good condition. however,.
) and ono in particular, the one which
e you saw, or rather of which yOu saw
: a copy II tho do:sortod cabin. .
"a copy made by my father2'
by your father, as we're all those
2. In the cupboard in his study. NJ.
r d'Hergemont, you must relnember.
was fond OF drawing, of painting
, watercolors. He copied the tnun-
4 mated page, but of the prophecy that
accompanied the drawing he repro
, duced only the words Inscribed on the
! FARES Dolmen."
How do you account for tho re-
: ssmblanco between the crucified
i woman and myself7"
"I never saw the original, which
Maguennoc gave to n. d'Hergemont
T. and which your father kept jeaIously
II In his room But M. enlargement
n maintained that the resemblance was
there. In any case he qccentuated Il
D. In his drawing. in spite Of himself
To- remembering all that you had SUI
fered and through his fault
he said"
'Porhaps," murmured Veronidue,
D "he was also thinking OF the other
= prophecy that was once made TO Vors-
d N You will perish by the hand OF a
~ friend and your wife will be crucified.
:. SO 1 suppose the strange coincidence
, struck him and even made him
" write the initials OF my maiden name.
- ". OH at the top" And abe added.
10 And all this happened in accordancs
. with the wording of the inscription"
. They were both silent. How could
y they do other than think of that in
z. scriptiOn, OF the words written ages
n ago on the pages OF the missal and on
y, the stone OF the dolmen? II destiny
= had as yet provided only twenty-sevoll
VI victims for the thirty collins of Sarek
i were the last three not there, ready q
n complete the sacrifice, all three I'm.
n prisoned. all three captive and in thS
power OF the sacrificial murderers'
D. And II. at the top Of the knoll near thu
, Grand oak. there were as yet but three
rs crosses, would the fourth not soon b.
i prepared to receive a fourth victim3
Francois is a very long time" sait
Veronique, presently.
= She went to the edge and loolCet
=" over. The ladder had not moved anf
was still out OF reach.
"a 1.-THE others will soon be coming Il
" my door" said Stephane. II am eur.
I'd prised that they haven't been yet"
lie But they did not wish 20 confes.
N their mutual anxiety, and Veroniqu.
=, put a further question in q calm
Va voice:
IN And the treasure? The god-stoner
5e "That riddle Is hardly less obscure,
m said Stephane, land ALSO depends en-
IN tirely on the last line OF the inscrip
ton: 'The god stone which gives ~
b or DEATH What Is this god stone
" Tradition says that IL Is a miracuioul
e. stone, and according 10 NJ. d'Herge
rs mont this belief dates back 10 tn
remOtest periods. People at Sarel
l. have always had faith In the existence
I'd Of a stone capable OF working won
ne ders. In the middle ages they use
ne 10 bring puny and deformed childrea
IS and lay them on the stone for day
and nights together, after which thl
e children got up strong and healthy
re Barren women resorted 10 this remedy
On with good results, as did old men
an wounded men and all sorts OF de
ht generates. Only Il came about tina
Id the place OF pilgrimage underNVen
We changes the stone, still according 4
IS, tradition, having been moved ans
he even, according TO some, having dis