Show J I j THE ThC NET J j By B y REX BEACH 4 J REX Copyright right BEACH EACH 1912 by II I CHAPTER CATER XV TimO Tho Tim Appeal O On OD tho the iron balcony of a a. a house in tho the vicinity of the parish paish prison tho two to Sicilian girls were standing Across from them loomed the great cat decaying structure with its is little iron barred barro windows and its i. i steel ribbed doors door behind behind behind be be- hind which lay lay- their countrymen From rom inside come tho ho echo of a a great ham bain- mering as if a a. a gallows were being repeated this question queston already a a dozen outside were quiet What time tie la Is it i now flow I Olivia had treated this question queston already a dozen times I It I is i after fter 10 I hear hur nothing as asyet yet do you f Nothing r We could hear bear if it i were not for that dreadful pounding yonder in the jail jal Hush I They arc are building barrio barr eade Tho pu peasant nt girl Firl gasped and seized the iron rain railing in J n front of her hor U Madonna Madonna mia I J am dying Do you think Signore Blake Blako Bako will Wl yield to OU your appeal and turn the mob t Im Im afraid not said Vittoria Vittora faintly He CHe can caD do more than any other for ho is powerful they will i listen to him bim If Caesar should escape I am shamed through and ad trou through h to have loved such sch a man and vet ot ct to ha have e him killed like likeR R a rat in hi a hoer hoe I t pray and I know not what I r pr pray y for for my formy my thou thoughts are whirling so 0 Do you hear bear anything from the city 1 S No Nono no There Thero was a moments moment's pause I Those barricades will pot not allow alow thorn thor to enter I even vea if our wi friend does not persuade tn them to disperse I have bare e head beard there thoro is is sometimes shooting Vittoria shuddered It I ii i. terrible for tor men to become brutes brates O Oliveta eta The The time is growing late qt quavered There There was wa a another other period of silence while hilo they strained their cars for the faintest sound but bot the fresh breeze wafted nothing to them On a nei neighboring gallery two housewives es were gossiping a child was as playing on the walk beneath and his hi piping pipina laughter laugh ter ter sounded strangely 1 in incongruous From aero across the tho way rose that desultory pounding as spikes were driven home borne and beams were nailed in in place Through h a grated aperture in the prison wall wal an armed mau man peered down the street Caesar is is cunning Oh Oliveta eta broke out oat I ITo Ho 0 is not one to be easily caught He lie is brave brae too Ah Ab God how bow caun T 1 loved him and how hoW I have hated bated him Ever Eer since Maruffi's capture she bad remained in in ina a frame frane of mind scarcely rational fluctuating between a al silent sullen mood of revenge e and a sense sense of or horror at her betrayal a of the theman theman theman man man who had once possessed her whole heart It I cant can't be that you yon still care for forNo him 5 No Io o I loathe him and if ho ha esc escaped ped he be be would woud surel surely kill ki me Yet Yet sometimes wish I w h it She be began an mumbling to herself L kl she cried suddenly 4 What Wha t is this I IA A public back hack came swinging into int view its is horses at a gallop alop It I drew drow up up tip before the main gate at of the prison a man leaped forth and be began an pounding for admittance Some one spoke to him through a 3 grating What loe does docs he say queried the peasant girl Jirl I cannot bear hear Perhaps he comes to touy say uy there is i no no- no Mother of Godl God GodI I Listen From somewhere toward the heart of ot the city canto came a faint murmur It I is the th rumble of a wagon on the next street gasped sped 01 Oliveta ct wajon The sound died E away The girls Jirs stood frozen at attention with mth their senses strained Then it rose roso a again louder Soon Sou there was no tO mistaking it A whisper came upon the breeze it mounted into a lon long drawn humming which in turn grew to a steady drone dron of voices broken by waves of encoring cheering It I gathered volume rapidly and straggling straggling gling ln f figures came running into view followed by knot knots knots' and groups of fe t footed youths outha Tho The driver of the carriage car nags e r rose s on hi his box looked over hi his bis shoulder then whipped hipped his horses hores into a gallop and fled ted As ho bo did so 50 a a slowly lowly morn moving w wagon on laden len with timbers tim hers bers ber turned in from a a side street It I Wa wan wu driven diven b by a a. 8 somnolent negro nezro who finally halted his team and stared in dull dun lack aek of comprehension at at what he ho saw approaching By now ow the street stee beneath tb the two girls was half halt filled fled with th people lc it echoed to a babble of voices to the tho and tread of a a- a coming comins multitude multi mul tude and ad an instant later out of ovary every thoroughfare which fronted upon the tho grim D old prison structure streamed the tho people peRle of NoW New Orleans Seel el They are unarmed H Oliveta Oli OH veta a fingers sank into her sisters sister's lilter's wrist S Then through h the tho press came a hoc body of silent men four abreast and shoulder boulder to shoulder Th The crowd opened to lot lot them the through h cheering frenziedly They The wore wor an air of sober lober responsibility they carried guns and looked neither to the te right nor lu left Jet Directly beneath the waiting women thc they pa pawed ed and at their head brad marched Norvin Norin Blake and Bernie Dreu with two unknown together men to the girls Vittoria Vitoria leaned forward horror stricken trick strick en S and although h she he fried to call can she abe shedid dill did not hear her voice o abo the confusion Mon sion Oieta clutched her murmuring distractedly The avenues were jammed from curb to curb tele telegraph raph poles pole lamp posts posh trees held a a. burden of human forms w windows nd wl and housetops were filling in every direction a continuous roar beat thunderously against the prison walls The Te armed vl vigilantes I drew up before the tho main gate and nd a 1 man smote it it with wih the butt et of his shotgun un demanding en en- 0 tr trance t Th The crowd anticipating a voll vol vol- l ly IY y from within surged ed back leaving tb them n isolated A dozen tru glad fried to to eJ clear r the sidewalks next the structure but they might as well wen have hwe tried tred to t It stem m a a rising tide with their naked ha hands d. d thoy they were wel buffeted briefly then hea swallowed up In answer t to a command command the armed armr men nten scattered surrounding the tho thO building with a a. cordon coro or Of steel then the main body boy renewed Its Ia assault But the oaken carrier barrier tout stoutly reinforced withstood them gallantly and a brief colloquy oc oc- oc eure after fter which they made their theIr wa way t to a sni m small il l side aide Ilde door which h directly taped fared the two women across th the street This w wan not riot so o 0 heavily ly bu constructed as a the front vat gt and promised an u easier ler entrance en en en- trance but It I wa wu likewise locked and arid barred bIe Then some eme one spied the tho wn wagon on ona and a Its Il load of or timbers timber now hopelessly hopeless wed wedged e le ed Into the press and a rush was al maA mad ma toward It I. I A beam was warn 8 raised upon shoulders shoulder and Ind with Ith tills this us n. a a bat bat- tenc ram ra a breath breach was wu begun beun Every Ever crash was aJ the tha signal for tor a a. a shout hout from fpm the multitude and when hen the door dor finally gave e way a triumphant roar arose aroe The armed arme men swarmed ed Into tho the open In lag ing and disappeared one by b one ont al all but hut two who ho stood with their backs to thedoor tho the door door and faced aced face tho crowd warningly It I was evident nt that some sort of order prevailed fre pre pre- vale among them and that this was wa more moe than an unorganized assault Through the close cose p pecked packed ranks on and and around tho tn massive pile pie ran ra tho the won word won that an entrance had ha been effected It was telegraphed from hou housetop to house house- top Then a silence descended the more sinister rind ominous because of which had preceded It I. I Thus far tar Vittoria and her companion had seen and heard all al that occurred d for tor or their position commanded a n view vie of ot both fronts of or the tho building but now they had their ears cars alone to guide Juldo them Come Let us l leave ave now We have seen enough h. h Vittoria cried cl and ac strove to drap Oliveta from her post pot But the theIrl girl Irl would not yield she fhe did not seem to hear her eyeR were fixed with wih strained and fascinated horror upon that shattered shattered shat shat- t re aperture which showed showe like a gaping wound Her bloodless lips were whispering her fingers where the they gripped the iron railing were like claws Quickly Quickly moaned monne Vittoria We Ye did not como come to see nee ee this monstrous thing Oliveta eta 01 spare yourself In the silence her voice sounded funded so loudly and shrilly that people on tho the adjoining balcony bal bat cn cony turned curious uncomprehending races faces aces toward her her I Moment at after r moment that hush con- con then from within came camo cao a a a renewed I hollow me measured ure above It sounded the tho faint cries of terrified prIsoners pris prIs- I This died away awny after arter a time Ume and I some one said There Into the thc corridors at at last It I wont won't be long IonS now no A moment later a dull dul unmistakable reverberation re rolled rne forth like the smothered mothered sound of ot a a. a subterranean explosion ex ax- e. e It was followed by b another and another gunshots another another gunshots fired within ii brick brck walls Ais and flag paved pave court r courtyards It It shattered that sickening unending suspense which caused the pul e to flutter flut- flut ut- ut ter cr and the breath to lag the crowd gave cave Jave crow tongue tonge In a n howl of hoarse delight Then followed a peculiar shrilling chorus chorus- that hat familiar familar signal known knon as M the tho te dago whistle which which wan waa a like the thE piercing pIering cr cry of lost souls Rouls Who o kUa da do chief chien screamed creamed the tho hoodlums then puckered up their lips and piped again that mocking mock mock- In ing ng signal As the booming of ot the guns continued now sing singly now In vole volley tho the maddened populace squeezed toward that narrow entrance through which h the tho avengers hn had disappeared but the they were halted haled by the guards ards and forced fored to content content con- con tent them themselves ehrs b by greeting every m shot r with wih an exultant cry r The streets In Inal all al directions were cre tossing billowing like Ike the waves aves of or the sea fea men capered and Hung flung nunS their arrn arms aloft shrieking capEre women and children wae waved their aprons and kerchiefs sobbing and spent with sobbinG ex ox- ox It was AS wild I a and grotesque scene unspeakably terrible Inhumanly ferocious Through It It the two to Sicilian girls clung to o each other fainting revolted fasci cung rated When they could summon strength the they descended to the street and ought fought their way a out of the tho bedlam bedla Norvin Blake was wis WIS not a I willing participant participant pant In the lynching although he had gone Jone to the meeting at tho the Clay statue determined to do what h i considered his duty He had f felt lt no doubt as a to the outcome of the tho mass meeting even before before be- be fore ore he saw Its i giant proportions and andeen I even ven before It I had sounded Its approval of f the first nut speakers speaker's words woree ors for he knew know how ho low deeply his I townspeople were stirred b by the astounding miscarriage of ot Justice At the rally of ot the rl committee on the thea a afternoon previous It had bad been urged to proceed with the execution at at once urge and the the- he counsel of o the more conservative had barely prevailed BlaKe BlaJe knew perhaps better etter beter than his companions companion to what hat lengths tho the rage of or a mob will wi go Jo and he confessed to a fear of ot the result sere reul Therefore although he lle marched in the vanguard of the thc storming party it was more to exercise a restraining influence and md to prevent violence 3 against unoffending In ing ng foreigners than than to take tae part In tho the demonstration As for actual h shed shed- dIn d- d In mr ng of or blood his hll instinct revolted from It I while his reason reson recognized Its Is necessity and defended It Bernie Dreux's amazing assumption of or dictatorship had har relieved him of tho duty of ot heading the tha the mob mob mob-a moba a thing for which he ic was IS profoundly profound grateful Wen When tho the main body boy of vigilantes had ha armed itself he fell cell el In bide beside his friend with arme some notion noton no- no Ion tion ton of or helping and ad protecting him But the he little man proved amply equal to the occasion He lie was wo unwaveringly grim grimand grimand and determined It I was he who faced he the tle oaken gate Jato and an demanded entrance face In n the name nam of or the tho people It was he who sU the he use uso of ot the battering ram and it was 8 he who first first fought his way through the thE breach a at t the risk rek of bullets from within Blake followed to to find him with lh hi his hla fowling fowling- piece at the head of or tho the prison and and there thera followed a delay dclay while the tho gate was wan 1 broken down dOW Meanwhile from within came the sound of or turning locks an and of or clanging steel stoel doors also abo shuffling or Of many many feet feet and cries of mortal terror which told tol that the he prisoners had bad been to shift for tor themselves In this thin extremity In truth a scene was being enacted within more terrible than that outside outside for or as the deputies deputes the tho pris pris- commanding them to save themselves them them- faYe selves If if- the they could a R frightful confusion contusion ensued Not ontY did the eleven Sicilians cry en aloud to God Cod Go but the other Inmates of or the place who ho lured feared their crimes had them Joined tn in n the tho appeal Wen Men and women omen negroes and white felons and minor evildoers e rushed to and andi lr fighting i Ilon along with th m cue nna rushe each other tearing each ech othie other r fr from m places of refuge e. e seeking new no and securer points of safety arel The They hud- hud 1151 1111 in ca lark dark rk corners cornelS they tey crept crept under bc bade hen b beneath neath stairways stairway and into barrels They They The b burrowed Into rubbish piles only to be dragged out b by the tho hair ples or the tho heels ad and to see Iee their Jealous companions seize upon these sanctuaries Terror IH Is swiftly H contagious the tho whole place became a seething e pit of dismay Some borne SOre knelt knel and Rd prayed pred while others other tramped tramp trampe upon them them they rose from their knees es to beat with bleeding nets flats upon barred barro doors and blind partitions but as their rear fear ear of or death Increased and tho the chorus of their despair mounted higher there came care another pounding nearer louder the louder the sound Bound of splitting wood and of or rending metal To t escape woo was Wal Im 10 Irn- Irn possible to remain was as madness of hid hid- ln In mv r places there was a a fearful earful scarcity The regulators came camo rushing Into th the prison proper with wih footsteps echoing loudly through the thc barren corridors Out Out- Into the |