. " ; s . , ., -. ..
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAU; PORTLAND.'. CUI.'DAY KOaNIKO. OCT. . t, i:,J.
MM
B A' N N L B
5 LKI X S'
sum
. S1QK1L-5 S
- -: ' t . .
i ..- it - -
TiiE LEATHER ; FUNNEL
By A. COIf AM BOYLE
v Author of Th Hound of th Baakarvtllsa."
(Coprrlgat by S. & atcCtar OeSJSsay.l
r T frint, XJonol Daore. lived la
Mi. Avenu d Wagram. Pari.
Bio house tu that small on
v. . with tbo Iron railing and
' grass plot la front of It on tbo left-hand
Ida you ps down from tbo Are do
Trlomphe. I fancy that It bad been
there lone befor tbo avenu wu con
structed, for tho gray tile woro stained
with lichens, and tho walla woro mil
dewed and - dlocolorod ' with ao. It
looked a email houao from tho atreet,
five windows In front If I remember
right: out It deepened into a single
lon chamber at tho back. It waa hero
that. Deere had. that, singular library
of occult literature, and tho fantstto
curiosities which' served aa a hobby tar
Umaoir and en 'amusement, for his
; -'n1. ' A wealthy man of refined end
eceeentrle tastes, he hod spent much or
his life and fortune In gathering, to
gether what waa said' to bo a unique
collection of TalmudlcJ caballatlo and
magical works, many of thorn of great
raHty and value,' Hie testes leaned
tnwir the marvelous and - tbo mon
strous, and I have heard tbat hia experi
ments in tbo direction of tbo unknown
have passed all tho bounds of clvllla-
tion and decorum. To hia ,Uer LaHn. The dlnlng-room of this old
fJibl Worsted with a coat of arms,
tors, and took the tone ef the atudent i . v. . ,,nnn - ttmiA
and vlrtuooo; bat a Frenchman .whose
tastes were of tho same nature baa en
sured mo that the worst excesses of tho
black mass have been perpetrated in
that urn and lofty balk which is lined
with the shelves of his books and tho
cases of hia museum. - y -
Dacre' s appearance was enough ' to
show tbat bis deep interest in these pay-
' chlo matters .was. tntslleotual rather
than spiritual. ,.Thr waa no trace of
asceticism upon his heavy face, but
there was much mental tore la bla
huge dome-like skull, which curved up-
- ward from among his thinning locks,
i like a snowpeak above lta fringe of fir
trees. Hia knowledge waa creator than
hia wisdom, and- his powers were far
superior to bis character. Tho small
: bright eyes, burled deeply ta hia flashy
.face, twinkled with Intelligence aad an
. unabated curiosity . of life; but they
, were the eyoa of a sensualist and an
egotist. Enough of tho Been, for bo la
dead now, poor devil, dead at the very
- time that ho made sure that bo bad at
last discovered the elixir of llfo. It la
'not with hia complex character that I
- have to deal, but with tho Tory strange
and Inexplicable Incident which had
its rise in my visit to him early la the
' spring of the year lSSt.
I bad known Dacre in England, for
- Tfl wiearTBca'ltrthe Assyrian room of
-. the British museum had boon conducted
at tho time when he was endeavoring
-to - establish a - mystlo -and -esoteric
meaning In tho Babylonian tablets, and
this community, of Interests had brought
-' us together. Chance remarks had led
to dally conversation, and that to some
thing verging upon friendship. I bad
promised him that on my next visit to
Varis I would call upon him. At the
time I was fully able to fulfil my com
pact when X waa living la a cottage at
Fontalnebleau, end. as the evening trains
were inconvenient, ha asked mo to spend
the night in his house.
"I have only tbat one spars couch.'
said he, pointing to a broad sofa la his
large salon; l bops that you will man
. age to bo comfortable there."
It waa a singular bedroom, with lta
high walla of brown volumes; but thora
- could bo no more agreeable furniture to
a bookworm like myself, and there ta no
scent so pleasant to my nostrils as that
faint, aubtle reek which comes from aa
ancient book. I assured him that I
could desire no more charming chamber
and no more congenial surroundings. . I
- "If tbo fittings ars aeltber con
" venient nor conventional, they are at
least costly, said he, looking round at
bis shelves. T have expended nearly a
quarter of a million of money upon
- these objects which surround you,
- Books, weapons, gems, carvings, tap
estries. : Images there la hardly a
. thing hero which baa not lta hletory.
and it la generally one worth telling."
He was seated aa ha spoke at one aids
of the opea fireplace, and I at tho other
His reading table waa on hia right, and
tbo strong lamp above It ringed It with
a very vivid circle of golden light A
. half-rolled palimpsest lay la tho center,
and around it wer many quaint articles
of bric-a-brac. One of tbeao waa a largo
funnel, such as la need for filling wins
casks. It appeared to be mads of block
aood and to be rimmed with discolored
"That Is a curious thing."! remarked.
"What la the history of thatT"
' "Ab!" said he, "it is the very question
; which t have had occasion to. aak my
self. I would give a good deal to know.
. Take it in your hands and examine If
I did so, and found that what I bad
Imagined to be wood waa In reality
leather, though age had dried It Into aa
extreme hardnesa It was a largo fun
i, nel, and might hold a quart when full.
Tho brass rim encircled tho wide end,
'. but tbo . narrow was also tipped with
metal.
"What do yoa make of Itr aaked
. i Deere. ......... .
"I ahould imagine tbat It belonged to
some vintner or maltster la tbo middle
ages," said t 1 have seen In England
,. leathern drinking flagons of the seven
teenth century "black jacks,' aa they
were called which were of the same
color and. hardness aa this filler." '
"I daro aay the date would be about
tho same," said -Deere, "and no doubt
also, It was used for filling a vessel
with liquid. If my suspicions are cor.
rsct however, It waa a queer vintner
who used It and a very singular cask
which waa filled. Do yoa observe both.
Ing Strang at the spout and of the
. funnel T"
As, I held It to tho light I observed
that at a a pot come flvo Inches above
the bras a tip the narrow neek of tbo
leather runnel was ail haggled aad
cored, as If aoma one bad notched It
round with a blunt knife. Only at tbat
point waa there any roughening ot the
deed blsck eurfst. . .
"Borne ono.hag tried to out Off th
neck.
"Would you eat It a oat?"
"It Is torn and lacerated. It must
have taken some strength to leave these
marks on suoh tough material, what
over th instrument may have boon. But
what do you think of It? I can tell
tht you know more than yea aay."
lsere smiled and hia little eye twln
tld with knowledge,
"Have yoi included th psychology
of droama among your learned atudJeaT"
he asked.
"1 did not even know that there waa
such a psychology.
"My dear air.' that ahelf above tho
gem case la filled with volumes, from
Albertua Magnus onward, which deal
with no other subject It la a clone
In Itself."
"A aclonco of. charlatans..
- "The charlatan ta alwaya tho pioneer.
From tho astrologer eamo tho astrono
mer, from,, tbo alchamlat tho chemist
from tho mesmerist tho experimental
psychologist. Tho quack of yoaterday
la tbo professor of tomorrow. Even
such . aubtlo and elusive things aa
dreams will In time bo reduced to (re
tain and order. When that time eoraea
the. reaearcheo of tour friends In the
bookshelf yonder will no longer bo the
usement of tbo mystic, but tho
foundations of a science." ' - '
Supposing that la so, what baa the
science of dreama to do with a .large
black bra ss-rimmea -runnel t
I will tell you. Tou know that I have
an agent who la alwaya on tbo lookont
for rarities and curiosities for any col
lection. Some daya ago be hoard of a
dealer upon one of the quale who bad
acquired soma old rubbish found in a
cupboard In - an ancient house at the
back of tho Rue Mathurln, In the Qua lo
argent which prove, upon Inquiry, to
be the shield of Nicholas do la He rale,
a high official of King Louis XIV. There
can bo-no doubt that tha other articles
in the cupboard date back to tho early
days ..of the . king. Tbo inference Is,
therefore, that they were all the property
of this Nicholas d la Reynie. who was,
as I understand, the gentleman specially
concerned with the maintenance and ex
ecution of ths Draconic laws of that
epoch." f" " ' ' '.
"What thenf- .,
"I woultrask you . now to take the
funnel Into your hands once more and
to examine 'the .upper brass rim. Can
you make out any lettering upon itf
There were certainly some scratches
upon it almost obliterated by time. The
general effect waa of several letters, the
last of which bore some resemblance to
a B. - .
"You make It a BT", r! ' '
"Tea. I do." ;
"Bo do I. In fact I have ao doubt
whatever that It la a B."
".But the nobleman you ' mentioned
would have had R for hie Initial"
"Exactly! That'a the beauty of It He
owned this curious object and yet he
had acme one - else'e Initials upon It
Why dld.h do thlsr -
I csn t Imagine; can you.
"Well, I might perhaps, guess. Da
you observe something drawn- a little
further along the rim r J v
"I should say it waa a crown."" ' .
"It la undoubtedly a crown; but If you
examine it in a good light you will con
vince yourself that It is not an ordi
nary crown. It is a heraldic crown a
badg of rank, and It eonalsts of an al
ternation of four pearls and strawberry
leaves, the proper bsdge of a marqui-j.
wo may infer, therefore, that the per
son whose Initials end in B was entitled
to wear that coronet". -"Then
this common leather filler be
longed to a marquis?"
Dacre gave a peculiar smile.
"Or to soms member of tho family
f the marquis," said Tie. -"Bo much
we have clearly gathered from this en
graved rim."
"But what baa all this to do with
dream if I do not know whether It waa
from a look upon Dacre' a face, or from
some aubtle suggestion In his manner,
but a foaling of repulsion, of unreason
ing horror, cam upon ntHi I looked
at the gnarled old lump of leather
"I have more than one received im
portant Information - through my
droama," aald tar companion, la the di
dactic manner which he loved t afloat
i maxe it a rule now when I am la
doubt upon any material point to place
me ervojo in question beside me aa I
aleap, and to bop for some enlighten
ment The process does not appear to
m to b vary obscur,- though It has
not yat receiveq trie blessing of ortho
dox science.-- According to mv theorv.
any object which has bean inUmatelyl
associatM wita any supreme paroxysm
or numan amotion, whether it b joy
or pain, will retain a certain atmosphere
or association whlob- it la capable of
eomraunloatlng to a sensitive mind. By
a sensitive mind I do not mean aa ab
normal oncut such a trained and edu
cated mind aa you or I poaaeaa,"
"Tou mean, for example, that If X
slept beside that old aword upon the
wait I might dream of aome bloody In
cldent in which .that very aword took
paitr -
"An excellent example, for, as a mat
ter of fact that aword was used In
that fashion by me,' end I saw la my
sleep the death of lta owner, who per
lahed In a briak aklrmlsh, which I have
been unable to Identify, but which oc
ourred at th time of the wars of ths
Frorullsta, jf you think of It some of
our popular observances show that th
fast has already been recognised by our
ancestors, although we. In our wisdom,
have classed It among superstitions." .
f"For example T' - . ..
"Well, th placing of th bride's cake
beneath th pillow in order that th
sleeper may have pleasant dreams. That
Is on of several Instances which you
will find sat forth In a small brochure
which I am myself writing upon the
subject But to com back to ths point
I slept one night with this funnel be
side me, and had a dream which cer
tainly throws a curious light upon its
us and origin."
"What did you dream T" .
1 dreamed" He paused, and an
Intent look of Interest came over his
massive face. "By Jove, that's well
thought of." said he. "This really will
be an exceedingly Interesting expert
ment Tou are yourself a psychic sub
ject with nerves which respond readily
to any impression." j
"I hay never tested myself In tbat
direction."
'Thea w shall test you tonight
Might I aak you aa a very great favor,
when you occupy that couch tonight
to sleep with this old funnel placed
by the aid of your pillow r
Th request seemed to me a grotesque
one, but I have myself, in my complex
nature, . a hunger after all which Is
blsarrs and fenteeuc. I had but th
faintest belief In Dacre a theory; yet It
amused me that th experiment ahould
be made, i Dacre, with great gravity,
drew a small stand to th head of my
"I
settee and placed the . funnel upon It
Then after a short conversation,, hs
wished me good-night and left me.
V . e e e e '
I sat for some little time smoking by
the smoldering fire, and turning over In
my mind the strangs experience which
might -lie before me. Skeptical as I
was- there was something Impress!
In the assurance of Daore's manner, and
my extraordinary surroundings, ths huge
room, with the strange and often sinis
ter objects which were hung around it
struck solemnly into my- soul Finally
I undressed, and, turning out the lamp,
f lay down. After long tossing I fell
asleep. Let me try to describe as. ac
curately as I can the scene which came
to me in my dreama , It stands out now
in my memory more clearly than any
thing which I have seen with my wak
ing yes.
There waa a room which bora th ap
pearance of a vault Four spandrels
from ths corners ran up to Join a
sharp, cup-shaped roof. The architec
ture was rough, but very strong. It
was evidently part of a great building.
Three men In black, with curloua
top-heavy black velvet hats, aat in a
Una upon a red -carpeted dale. Their
faces war very solemn and- sad. On
the left stood two long-gowned; men
with portfolios in their hands, whioh
eeemed to be stuffed with papers. Upon
th right looking toward me, was a
small woman, with blond hair and
singular light blue eyee the eyes ot a
child. She waa past her first youth,
but could not yet be called middle-aged.
Her figure waa Inclined to stoutness,
and her bearing waa proud and confi
dent Her fac was pals, but serena
It was a curloua fan; comely and yst
feline, with a subtle suggestion of cru
elty about the straight strong little
mouth and chubby Jaw. She was draped
in some sort of loose white gown. Be
side her stood a. thin, sager priest who
whispered In her ear, and continually
raised a crucifix before ber eyes. 8hs
turned her head and looked fixedly paat
the crucifix at the three men In black,
who were, I felt nsr Judges.
As I gased, ths three men stood up
and said something, but I could dis
tinguish no words, though I was aware
that It was the central on who was
speaking. They then swept out of the
room, followed by the two men with
the papers. At the same instant sev
eral rough-looking fellows in stout Jer
kins came bustling In and removed first
th red carpet nd then th boards
which formed th dale, so as to, en
tirely Clr th room. When this screen
waa removed, I aaw aoma singular arti
cles of furniture behind it On looked
Ilk a bed with wooden rollers at ach
nd, and a wlnoh handle to regulate Its
leneth. Another wss a wooden horse
Ther wer several other curious objects,
and a number of swinging cords wnicn
playsd over pulleys. It was not unliks
a modern gymnasium.
'When th room had been cleared, there
appeared a new figure upon the scene.
This ws a tall, thin person clad la
black, with a gaunt and auater- face.
The aspect of the man made me shudder.
His elothes were all shining with gfeea
and mottled with stains. He bore him
self with a slow and Impressive dig
nity, ss If he . took command of all
thlnga from the Instant of hia entrance.
In spite of bis rude appearance - and
sordid dress. It . was now his business,
his room, .his to command. Hs carried
a coll of light ropeo ever hia left fore,
arm. The lady looked him up and down
with a searching glance, but her ex
pression waa unchanged. It waa confi
dent even defiant. But It was 'very
different with the priest Hi fscs
was ghastly pale, and I aaw ths moist
ure glisten and run on hia high, slop
ing forehead. He threw up big hands
Broke. Through the Bond el Sleep and
in prayer, and he stooped etmttnually
to mutter frantlo worda In the : lady's
ear. ; ; ' . ' -
Tbo man In black now advanoed, and,
taking one of the cords from his left
arm, he bound the woman's hands to
gether. 8 he held them meekly toward
him as he did so. Then" bs took her
arm with a rough gripTahdledhr
toward the wooden horse, which waa
little higher than her waist Onto this
she wss lifted snd laid, with her back
upon lb and her face to the ceiling, while
the priest quivering with horror, hsd
rushed out of ths room. Ths woman's
lips were moving rapidly, and, though
I oould hear nothing, I knew that ahe
waa praying. Her feet hung down on
either aide of the horse, . and I aaw
that the rough varleta in attendance
had faatened corda to her anklea and
secured the other enda to iron rings In
ths atone floor. .-,
- My - heart sank within me aa X -aaw
these ominous pre pa rations, and yet I
waa held by the fascination of horror,
and I could aot take my eyes from the
strange spectacle, x man had ntrd
th room with a bucket of water In
either hand. Another, followed with a
third bucket They war laid beeld th
wooden horse. Th second man had a
wooden dipper a bowl with a straight
handle In hia other hand. Thla ha
rve to the man la "black. At the same
moment one of the varleta approached
with dark object In hia band, which
even In my dream filled m with, a
vagu feeling of familiarity. It was a
leathern filler. With horrible energy
he thrust It but X oould stand no more,
bfy hair stood on end with horror. I
writhed, X struggled, I broke through
the bonds of sleep, and burst with a
shriek Into my own life, and found
myself shivering with terror la the huge
library, with ths moonlight flooding
through ' the . window and throwing
strsnge silver and black traceries upon
the opposite wall. Oh, what a blessed
relief to feel that X was back In the
nineteenth century back out ef that
mediaeval vault Into a world where men
had human hearts within their bosoms.
I sat up on my couch, trembling In
every limb, my mind divided between
thankfulness and horror. To think tbat
sueh things were ever dona that thay
could be. done without ood striking
ths villains dead. Was It all a fan Us y,
or did It really stand for something
which had happened In th black, cruel
days- of the world's hletory f X sank
my throbbing head upon ' my shaking
hands. . And then, suddenly, my hsert
seemed to stand still la my bosom,
and I eould not even scream, so great
was my -terror. Something was ad
vancing toward me through th dark
ness of the- room. . . .
.'It Is a horror coming upon, a horror
whioh breaks a man's spirit X could
not reason; X - could not pray;
I could only alt Ilk a , f rosea
Image and glare at th dark figure
which waa eomlng down th great room.
And then It moved 'out Into th whit
lane of moonlight and J breathed one
more. It was Dacre, , and bis fac
showed that h waa ae frightened aa
myself. ' ; -- -
-"Waa' tbat you T -For Ood' sake
what's the maturr b akd la a huaky
vole. .
"Oh, Dacre, X am -glad to see you!
I have been down late belt Jt waa
dreadful."-
r"The 1 ws you wbe screamed T
"I dare aay It wag." r
"It- rang through the 'house. The
servants are all terrified." He atruck
a match and lit th lamp, T think w
may get th fire t burn up again," h
added, throwing eome. logs upon, the
embers, "Qood Ood, my dear bap,
Burst With a Shriek Into My Owa
how 'white you are I ' Tou look aa If
you-bad aeon a ghoat" -
"So-1' have several ghosts."
'- "Th leatber funnel has acted,, then?'
' "J wouldn't sleep near th fnfernal
thing for all th money you could offel
m." - ; .... -
Daor chuckled. -
"I expected that you would have a
flvely night of If-said he. "You-toc it
out of me In return, for that scream of
yours wasn't a very pleasant aound at
4 In the morning. I suppose from what
you say that you have seen the whole
dreadful business." . -
"-What dreadful business T"
"The torture of the water the Ex.
t inordinary Question,' as It waa called
In th genial daya of Le Rol BolelL
Did you stand It out to' the end?"
"No, thank Qod. I wok befor It
really began." . .
"Ah! It la Juat aa well for you. 1
held out'tm the third bucket Well,
it la an old story, and they are all In
their graves now, anyhow, so what does
It matter how they got ther. I suppose
tbat you have no Idea what It was that
you have seenT" - '
"Th tortur of som criminal. She
must have . beea a terrible malefactor.
Indeed, If her crimes era In proportion
to ber penalty." . a ,
The Taming of a Yaqui Outlay in Mexico
m is W
Frem th Saa Francisco Bulletin.
O Hsrmoslllo cams a loyal Taqul
and reported to Governor Tsabel
that an Important and much
wanted Insurgent chieftain of the
tribe was In hiding In a Yaqul hut but
a few miles beyond Villa do Cerls. . Tak
ing five police, the governor made cap
tious haste to the spot They found
their quarry flown, but beside the num
ber Of women ana cnuaren reported as
lodged In the hut they discovered an
other rebel. Joss Maria Valensuela. Him
they took.
When th son of that disaffected
Taqul appeared he waa put under ar
rest ...-.
"What la. your namef demanded Gov
ernor TaabeL
SUeno. .' ' '
Again, "What Is your namsr - And
for a seoond time silence. "
Then th governor bethought him to
use oraft "I bavs taken your father."
be said, "and by this time two of my
man hav executed him at a spot not far
off. Tell m your name, and give truth
ful answers to my questions, else I will
treat you likewise."
"Tou may hang me if you like.-- an
swered the captive, "but-tell you any
thing I will not"
Th governor addressed himself to his
officers. "Tak this man whither I Bent
his father and treat him ao," he aald.
To the constables this meant, "Take him
to jail at Hermoslllo;" to the unhappy
prisoner It was sentsnoe of speedy death
en the limb, of some neighboring tree.
They were about to lead htm-in silence
away,, when h apok:
"Tou have killed my father; you may
kill me, to, If you wilt But first you
shall know whom you bav led to the
nooe and wha follow. I am th aon
of Jos Maria Yelensuela." proudly.
Th rue was succeeding.
"What bav you of armar questioned
th governor,
."Nothing." replied th captive, with
teadf aat glance. -
"But your father ha a. Where ar
they hidden."
"Tea A rtfl and two ammunition
belts, en ef them 'filled with empty
shells, ths ether filled with ahella all but
them with pawder end lead aad tools for
Life."
"Welt we have that email consola
tion." aaid Dacre, wrapping bis dressing
gown round him and crouching closer to
ths firs. "They were In proportion to
her penalty.- That Is to say. If I am cor
rect In th tody's Identity." '
"How could you possibly know her
Identity r -v
For answer Dacre took vlown an old
vellum-covered" volume from the shelf. .
"Just listen to this,' said he; "It la
In the - French of the aeventeenth cen
tury, but I will give a rough transla
tion as I go. Tou will Judgs for yourself
whether I have solved the riddle or
not"
' "The prisoner waa brought before the
grand cbambera and tournellea of par
liament sitting aa a court of justice,
charged with the murder ot Master
Dreux d'Aubray. her father, and Ot her
two brothers, MM. d'Aubray, on being
civil lieutenant and th other a coun
selor of parliament In parson It seemed
hard to believe that ahe bad really don
such wicked deeds, for -she was of a
mild appearance, and .of short stature,
with a fair skin and blue eyes. Tet
the court having found her guilty, con
demned her to the ordinary and to the
extraordinary question In order that aha
might be forced to nam her accompllosa;
reloading in a each" atidmlnutly
th Indian described th place where
they could be found. '
"Go," commanded the governor to two
of . his men, "and see. If he has told
flvs of which are empty. Tou will find
the truth he Is an honest though erring
fellow and shall live."
It was precisely aa Valeniuela'a son
had aald. ' And with tbelr prtaoner the
party faced about and rods back to Her
mosllla Next morning old Valensuela himself
was brought before Tsabel. As the
Taqul entered the governor reached out
his hand and picked up a prodigiously
thick catalogue of wares. "This." be
said, addressing the Indian. 'Is a book
of records. On Its pages are set down
all thlnga about your people. I turn to
this leaf and It tells me your name la
Jose Maria Valensuela, petty chief. Be
hold, I read: This Valensuela Is ths
owner bf a rifle and two ammunition
belts. Orie of thess belts Is filled with
empty ahella. The other la filled with
ahella, and all but five of them are
empty. Hia rifle and hia belts and
powder and lead and tools, for reloading
the empty shells Valensuela has hlddsn
In a cache six and ons half miles from"
and ths governor proceeded (as It
appeared to th prisoner) to resd from
this wonderful "book of record' th ex
act location of th hiding place. .
When hs had mad aa end ther was
atleno In th chamber. Then. "It U
enough," aald Valensuela, "you know
ail thlnga; your book of writing haa
robbed u of our secrets. Command ma
I will obey. Henceforth X am loyal to
you." . -r ,.
- Tour Latin-American love a ellmaa.
At a word from Tsabel th eon of Joss
Maria Valensuela waa brought-la from
an isolated corridor tff th jail. "Be
hold," aald the governor, . "your father!
I spared hi life because you told th
truth," '
In th few daya that followed the
governor completely won the confidence
of the Vslensuelas, father and son, eodH
rrora in old man crew the important
Information that Fallp. celebrated in
surgent Taqul leader, was In hiding
within a dosan miles ef Hermoslllo. In
a mountain hut 'This Felipe had long
a sought by th government who
after wblea she should be earrlsd la
cart ta ths Place do Grove, there to
have ber bead cut off, ber- body being
afterward burned aad- ber ashes' scat
tered ta the winds." '
"The date jof thla entry Is July Jt,
XT.
"It Is interacting." aald t "but not
eonvlaolng. Hew do you prove the two
women to be the same?" ' . . . . ,
"I an coming to that The narrative
goes on to tell of the woman's behavior
whoa questioned. "When tns executioner
approached her she recognised him by
the cords 'which he held In his hands.,
aad she at once held out her own hands,
to him, looking at him - from head to
foot without uttering a word.' How'a
thatr ., . . - ... ;
. "Tag. It wu so." - .. - ' 7 - --
fth gaaed without wincing upon the
wooden horse and rings which had
twisted ao many llmba and caused so
many shrieks of agony. When her eyes
fell upon the three palls Of water, which
were all ready for her, she said with
a smile, "All that water must have been
brought here for the purpose 6f drown
ing me, monsieur. Tou have no Idea, I
trust of making a person of my small
stature swallow It all." " , Shall I read
the details ot the torturer r -.
"No, for heaven's sake, don't" ,
''Here Is a sentence which must surely
sbow yoa that what Id ber recorded la
the very scene whioh you have gased
upon tonight: The good Abbe ' Plrot,
unable to oontemplate the agonies which
were suffered by bis penitent bad hur
ried frota the room.' Xoes that oonvlnoe
yout"
"It do ' entirely.' Ther can be no
question that It la. Indeed, th same
eVent But who, then, la this lady whose
appearance waa so attractive and whose
end waa so horrlblsT .
For answer Daor came across to me
and placed tho small lamp upon the
table which stood by my bed. Lifting
up the ill-omened filter, b turned the
brass rtfia ao that the light fell upon It
Seen la thla way, th engraving seamed,
clearer than en the night before.
"We have already, agreed that -this ,1a
the badg of a-marquis or' of a mar
quise," said he. "We have also ssttlsd
that the last letter is B." , , ,
' "It la undoubtedly ao."
"I now suggest to you tbat the other
letter from left to right ar M. M. a
small d. A. a small d, aad than th
filial B."
"Tea, X am gar that yoa ar right 1
can mak out the two amaU. d'a quit
plainly." -
"What X bav read to you tonight."
aald Dacre, is th official record of tho
trial of Marie Madaleln d'Aubray, Mar
quise do BiinvlUlers, .one of the most
famous poisoners and murderers of all
time."
I sat In alienee, overwhelmed at th
extraordinary hature of the Incident
and at the completeness of" the proof
with which Dacre had exposed tits real
meaning. In a vague way I remembered
aome details of -the woman' career, her
unbridled debauchery, tbo cold-blooded
and protracted torture of ber sick fa
thert the murder of her brothers for mo
tives of petty gain. I recollected also
that th bravery of ber wnd had done
something to atone for- th horror of he
life, aad that all Paris bad aympathlsed
with her last moments, and blessed her
as a martyr within a few days of the
time when they had cursed "her aa a
murderess. ' One objection, and one
only, occurred to my mind. '
"How cams her Initials and ber badge
of rank upon the filler? . Surely they
did not carry their mediaeval homage
to the nobility to the -point of decorat
ing lnatrumenta of tortur with their
tltlear . . " '
'1 wag puxiledLwlth th same point"
said Dacre, "but It admits of a simple
explanation. The case excited extraor
dinary interest at th time, and noth
ing eould be more natural than that
La Reynie, the bead of the police, should
retain this filler as a grim souvenir. It
was not often that a marchlonese of
France underwent the ' extraordinary
question. That he ahould engrave her
initials upon it for the Information of
others was surely a very ordinary pro
ceeding upon his part" :
"And thlsr I aaked. pointing- to the
marka upon th leathern neck.
"She waa a cruel tigress," said Dacre,
as he turned away. "I think It Is evi
dent that Ilk other tlgreases her teeth
wer both strong and sharp,"
"Lave la a Feg. by Hester Caldwell
Oakley. In Ths Journal's banner short
story aeriea, will be published next Bun
day. '
wished to win him over for th sake of
the reputation be bor aa th pick of
th unpadded chiefs, an Indian of re
markable integrity, patrioUo seal and
distinguished among his people aa
counselor against capital crimes, his ad
vice to his comrades being to commit
robbery only for th purpose of getting
arms and ammunition, and never to
ahed blood when It eould bs avoided.
Taking with htm th usual squad of
II vo or six constables. Governor xsaoei
surrounded Felipe In his but and cap
tured hlra without striking a blow. Now
mark the man. In the jallyard at Her
mostllo a score or more of Yaquis, under
arrest for capital crimes, were brought
out to be confronted by their captive
chief. Though himself in bonds and
without knowledge ef what his own fat
would be. Felipe addressed them hotly.
upbraiding them for their murders and
declhrlng that If .the power ware hia he
would give them the rope for their (de
serts.
This unlqus - happening put an Idea
Into Tsabel's head. He had Fallp
brought to him, in private, and laid the
whole Taqul problem before him, as
man to maa. "Tou," he said, "are an
honest man, though ' mistaken.- I re.
apeet you for the nam you .bear among
your own people. Her is my proposal;
Renouno your opposition to th govern
ment and Stand with me In thla hard
taak ef reconciling your people and the
law." If you will do thla I pledge you
that Innocent' Taqula shall be protected
and wicked on punished, ss you your
self shall decree, l will put you st the
head ef a Taqul jury, and you and they
shall Judge all captured Tenuis. charged
with crimes, and th verdfet'of that
jury shall stand."
Than spaa tn oaptiv chief: "I like
th way you talk, saner, - Grant me
until tomorrow to decide. 'If I must
give my answer now, hang me now."
That was two years ago, and Isabel
and Felipe to thla day keep their paot
'juag Felipe,, it la; and everywhere
en Journeys of Jurisprudence he accom
panies th governor, to Judge Jila own
people as to whether they be good or
bed. Over the Taqul Jury at Hermoslllo,
composed ef chief a-whoa allegiance the
government,!)! won, h preside; and
sometimes tns sentence Is death and
someUnsa the verdict la acquittal. -
. i . . .. ,
V.
1
!' 1
V.