Show I 1 1 it 1 i k v 4 14 1 1 11 tit 1 1 k 41 i 1 t ill 0 14 11 k N irl A WARRIOR I 1 BOLD boid I 1 ial 01 va 1 ce by ST GEORGE author athor of little miss ns qs the spiders web miss caprice dr J anck ack s widow avido w 9 etc etc t copyright 1901 by threet and na smith new york I 1 berf aliz it it W O 0 az r 1 1 ay 1 ila 15 3 41 Z i J 4 CHAPTER I 1 in the street of the steen it all happened in quaint old ant and charlie stuart found rea son to believe that seldom in romance or history had a more singular ad erd venture befallen a pilgrim from lon don than chanced to his lot on this same day the morning nas as half spent and stuart found himself somewhat at a loss to know what he should turn to next for amusement he had idled in the markets discovering new and at features constantly had been through the various museums and picture galleries in short ex hausted the sights ot of old antwerp and was on the point of considering his exodus which would occur just as soon as he could make up his mind where his next objective point on the map of europe or the world would be then it m aas as that fortune fickle jade took the pilgrim from london by the throat as it were and radically changed the whole course of bis his exist ence once As be he stood there idly twisting hia his blonde mustache he became aware of the tact fact that someone was bearing down upon him at a swift pace som one whose quick energetic move ments reminded him irresistibly of a hawk pouncing upon its prey some oae one who held out a hand in eager greeting and seemed bubbling over with animal spirits stuart welcomed him eagerly his name was barnaby artemus wych claude barnaby and his protes elon sion that of 0 an amateur dramatic novelist it was simply astonishing the weird fancies generated in that erratic brain of his each of which exceeded all others in gorie gorle and it must be confessed some times ludicrous splendor just the man of all england I 1 wanted to see consider it a luck omen by jove to run across you in this manner I 1 in going to enlist your sympathy and operation cooperation in a little scheme I 1 have on foot my boy and you can depend upon it I 1 K on t take no tor for an answer so consider your self engaged as the second conspire con spira arf LL 1 ottov what wild hair brained scheme have you on foot at present 9 charlie I 1 ve run across the noblest theme for a startling drama that ever bobbed up in anybody s path why it actually opens an opportunity tor for tame fame and fortune to the gifted who has boldness enough to grasp the chance chana you have of course visited the steen that great castle down the street yonder once a prison of the inquisition now a museum did you take a guide with lighted flam beaus and explore the frightful dun geons under the castle each cell and corridor of which seems to exhale hideous memories of the tortures in flirted upon unfortunate prisoners in the dark ages when spanish cruelty ruled this country with an iron hand stuart replied in the pega negative tive his artist soul had feasted on the treas urea ures which lay littered about the courtyard of the onetime palace but the musty dune dungeons ons he had but hast lly ily surveyed being naturally averse to the contemplation of such horrors hor u rork oh I 1 am glad of that said artemus eagerly for ou will be better prepared to accompany me to those same dungeons now the deuce exclaimed charlie taken aback but not in the least dis concerted the other went on tell me have you heard the story or rumor that Is circulated here and there through certain circles about a modern man in the iron mask sup posed to be incarcerated in the steen dungeons 7 I 1 remember hearing some little talk about such a thing but really never pursued the subject briefly then it has long been whispered that there was recently and may still continue to be a secret prisoner confined in a lonely dungeon under yonder massive pile of ma conry a man whose face Is forever hidden behind an iron mask that li 11 secured by a padlock I 1 have reached the conclusion that this man of mys tery might be some troublesome heir to the german throne or else a son of louis napoleon think for a minute what wonderful ond erful possibilities this vista opens to the dramatist it Is quite enough to inspire the dullest mind and I 1 am resolved to explore those ancient dungeons personally as no one has ever done before with the secretly avowed purpose of learning whether I 1 may found bi rii great drama upon a truth or the mei fabric of a dutch legend and yi will accod pany me my boy out ot ol pure dure philan thropa to share in the exhilaration of success touching a suspicious package he carried under his left arm or to support me in case of exasperating failure charlie stuart could not say him nay he really had nothing on foot whereby to hill kill time and artemus was such a jolly and original dog that it were worth something to have the pleasure of his society tor for a space of time so hesitating he fell and thus sauntering down the street of the steen the two friends arrived in the shadow ol 01 the great building whose history stretched back centuries into the dim past together thy entered like other pilgrims desirous of gazing upon the art treasures which lay within those ancient walls charlie had seen all these before and cast but a casual glance around being more deeply interested in the actions of 0 his confederate an old dame with her wide cap started toward them but one glanco glance from artemus eyes seemed to bring about a decided change in her anten eions for she stood still and then backed away it was a signal victory or as arte arts mus ez expressed pressed it a howlin howling 9 euc suc cess nevertheless his companion was still fain to believe the magic of gold had more to do with the old ladys sudden blindness than the ex artion of rare hypnotic powers on the part of the proud wizard content to follow the others lead charlie soon found himself in that apartment where several tall brass candlesticks stood upon an antique table to be used in exploring tho the mysteries below artemus motioned that he should straightway possess himself of one in order that their cand es might have a proper receptacle and charlie having enlisted tor for the war come weal come woe took up the nearest of the lot which was in itself a treasure of art nervously artemus tried several keys in rapid succession muttering to himself the while in a way peculiar to him at last came a little subdued screech that announced success on the part of the chattering idiot at bis his side they were evidently in tor for it since the ponderous door opened be tore fore them charlie was not the one to hold back so he stepped beyond the portal and went down immediately the door closed and the clang of it was unlike any sound round he could ever remember hearing that creaking rusty key turned in the lock musj dvonc 1 atto I 1 tion now we are in control and the devil dungeons of the steen must yield up their ghastly secrets to a master down the venerable stairs they wended their way could those same steps have been gifted with the power of speech what strange and startling tales they might have given forth of human misery of historical person ages and deeds that would have made the he bravest cheeks pale but they v vere ere mute the dread secrets of the dim past would ever be sate safe in their keeping hark artemus uttered this word in a shrill whisper and at the same time clutched his companions arm their surroundings were so eerie that it was i not wonderful that bis his vivid tion seized upon the slightest pretext to arouse the ghosts that had lain here tor for long centuries what you hear Is only the gur gling of the river beneath our feet at the foot of the worn stone staircase we descended ts Is a trap in the solid stone through which opening man many y a wretched condemned man met his fate yea yes it was only the fretful flood you heard crying peevishly tor for more victims charlies calm manner quite re assured the other perhaps you are right but it sounded wonderfully like a human voice calling for help thus in tiers the dungeons lay each individual one seeming Bb Wo surpass its predecessors in awful associations long had they been at their task the regular routine pursued by tour 1st and guide had been done but there were other dark passages to ex alore gloomy as the river styx passages that the ordinary voyager never saw but which artemus was bound to investigate tor for it if perchance there was a grain of truth in the story he had heard surely the prison er of the iron mask must be found in such an unused quarter charlie began to feel a bit anxious he was about ready to confess that for one he had quite enough of it and only figured on how he might manage to curb this insatiate ambi tion on the part of his companion the task was taken from his hands however and in a most unexpected manner artemus was eagerly urging him on to fresh fields and pastures new while charlie held the othe othet in check tearful fearful lest they fall into some nor hor pit with rusty spikes at the bot torn tom such as they bad had discovered in one dungeon when suddenly with out warning anere came to their ears ars a sound so strange in this uncanny re gion glon so utterly out of sympathy with their surroundings that both men stood still as though paralyzed and the sound was as of a woman weeping ib IL what they found there were those who knew prince charlie well who had reason to be b lieve he had passed through somi an pleasant experience with lovely woman been deceived perhaps jilted although always gallant toward the fair sex he seemed to be ever on i his guard as though quite determined no mortal who wore petticoats should have a second opportunity to play battledore and shuttlecock with his heart but this was something entirely out of the common run and as he stood there listening to make sure there could be no mistake he felt an electric 4 thrill pervade his whole being such as he never before experienced charlie determined to go forward 4 he ile was surprised at himself for the peculiar resolution that urged him on it seemed as though he were being dragged forward by some inex arable fate whether he would or not t and the sound of sobbing still con linued stealing along the gaunt pas ri sag eways the darkness beyond was apparent apparently as fearfully dense as that which descended upon poor plague stricken egypt at the time pharaoh declined to let the children of israel go As charlie advanced he noted that the sound which had erstwhile reach ed their hearing but faintly grew more distinct thus he was present ly able to place the sobbing and still advancing he began to discern the dim outlines of a figure upon the ground A As he drew closer he saw that this was a girl in a long cloak and that she had hidden her face in her hands as though to shut out the ghostly us fig ures urea conjured up by the gloom thing was very sure when ar temus in the earlier stages of their exploration declared he heard a faint shout it had not been the gurgle of the greedy gliding under neath the crypts and corridors is as he charlie had so confidently de dared but in all probability this lost explorer calling tor for well thank god they had found her and were in a position to ren der her the assistance she craved after all it had not been such a wild goose chase aa as he had believed when yielding to the importunities ot of his adventurous comrade they advanced closer still As yet the di distresses one was not aware of their presence or the blessed 40 answer to her prayers her attitude of abandon was most effective and charlie could not but I 1 think what a charming picture she made there overwhelmed not by grief but the terror of her situation it was not intentional on artemus fa part but some sudden chill draught caused him to give a vociferous i sneeze I 1 this was instantly followed by a f of very large and very startled w eyes upon the two comrades it was of course charlie s bounden duty to immediately speak and reassure the alarmed fr aullen that they were flesh and blood like herself and not spirits of the olden martyrs who had met deaths of torture in these dungeons but tor for the life of him and perhaps for the first time in ln the course of his whole experience he could not say a word for the soft light of his waxen taper tell fell full upon the face that had until now been hidden behind the girl a hands a face that tear marked as j it was and more or less begrimed t from contact with foul walls during tier her groping in the dark electrified him with its peculiar charm of beauty and started his traitor heart to beating as tt it had not done these many moons since he had quitted the presence of another fair woman with bitterness against the whole sex rag ing ng in his bosom to be continued |