Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-13

meHt. Inc CLOSING IN upon
him seemed in the silence to be press
ing on him. His head ached abom-
tnably and there was q wound intthe
center, Of his forehead that was warm
and sticky to his touch. Slowly it all
came back to him and he knew he
must have struck his head as he fell.
He reached out, cropping in the dark
ness in the hope OF finding the torch
uninjured. In this he was disappoint-
ed, but he made the discovery that
he "a lying beside a perpendicular
structure of masonry, which,, on rais-
Ing his hand, he found to be the sup
port.4of what felt to be a table Of
stone, low and heavily built.
Painfully he drew himself up on
to his knees and so to his feet. Again
his hands did duty for his eyes and
a little cry of horror broke from the
mans dry lips. - ss
Beneath the touch Of his sensitive
hands a form was taking shape-the
unmistakable shape Of a coffin, It
seemed to him that in the darkness
he could make put the dim outlines,
the sinister bulge OF the sides. Fever
ishly, now, he dropped to his knees
and felt for the friendly torch. Light
to him had suddenly become az neces-
sary as food to q starving man. The
WoAAS VI udE HciIlitleO ulIH III 80
that he felt that he, too, was in a
coffin; then he remembered that III
his pocket were a few wax vestas. He
struck one upon the stone sab and
gazed round him as he held the flick
ering wax above his head.
Row upon row they lay, that noble
army of dead Dartignys, the square
ends of their earthly resting places
standing out each.frqm its little niche.
On,the slab before him lay the casket
he had felt, a great CT fin upon which
a rusty cavalry sword and the moth
eaten remains Of a flag showed In
sombre pa1eantry.s
Vivian Renton was not a nervous
man, and although the hand which
held the flame trembled a little and
ows,. he felt no fear. After all, one
living man was more than a match
for. whole array of dead warriors
By III light OF the match he re.
covered, his torch. which. to his re-.
Lief, he found not to have suffered
In its fall, and he began a systematic
Investigation Of his surroundings.
He knew quite well, now, where
he was; old Henri Had shown him
prid efully, only yesterday, the chape
in the grounds Of Granville, through
the floor Of which the dead of thu
house OF parhgny had from time i'm.
memorial been lowered to their las
resting places. The old man had
by means OF q lever concealed in the
ironwork Of the railing. swung bacL
the marble slab which covered in thu
vault SO that his visitor might Eaze
into the gloom below-and, with 3
start, Vivian remembered that the
mechanism had in some name stuck
and refused to move when the care:
taker came to replace the slab.
Herr had told him that he would
have to send into Elois for the lock.
smith and the man In the vault a
he held his torch high, wondered
whether this had yet been done
Above him the oblong cut in the roof
showed darkfy;. and at one end q cir.
ner OF the partially closed slab .wa.
visible Here. then. he told himself,
was his n . OF escape,
The distance, he judged, was NO
more than ten feet, tha stone, table
reduced TO eight, and Vivian hinsel1
was but two inches short Of sdx feet
He ~unwrapped from his waist M
sashaof red silk, which to sustain III.
role 90 4 bohemian artist, he .rwore
swathed around. him In place of !
belt This sash he now twisted rope
wise and, mounting upon the stons
table, peered up through the cavity
He remembered the little Iron railine,
surroundtng the tomb above. but m.
Efforts TO lasso 9 spoke Of these VIII
the scarf proved beyond his powers
Then his eye fell upon the lid 8,
the comm and. reaching down. Il
picked up tho sword that lay unos
It. At his touch the s~abretache ,anl
hiIt fell away. but the blade itself
notched and red with rust - II Wa