Abduction -- Fiction; Americans -- Europe -- Fiction; Love stories
“Who gave the castle such an odd, uncanny name?” asked Dorothy,
under the spell of their blithesome spirits.
“Lady Jane--the young lady on your left, an' may it please you,
Miss,” said Dickey.
“Bob couldn't think of a name for the old thing, so he commissioned
me. Isn't Craneycrow delightful? Crane--that's a bird, you know, and
crow is another bird, too, you know; isn't it a joy? I'm so proud of
it,” cried Lady Jane, as she scurried up the narrow, winding stone
steps that led to the top of the tower. Dorothy followed more
sedately, the new-born smile on her lips, the excitement of a new
emotion surging over the wall of anger she had thrown up against
these people.
“I wish I could go out and explore the hills and rocks about this
place,” said Dickey, wistfully.
“Why can't you? Is it dangerous?” queried Dorothy.
“Heavens, no! Perfectly safe in that respect. Oh, I forgot; you
don't know, of course. Phil Quentin and your devoted servant are not
permitted to show their faces outside these walls.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you see, we're in America. Don't you understand? You're not
the only prisoner, Miss Garrison. Behold two bold, bad bandits as
your fellow captives. Alas! that I should have come to the cruel
prison cell!”
“I had not thought of that,” said Miss Garrison, reflectively, and
then she looked upon Dickey with a new interest. They crawled
through the trap door and out upon the stone-paved, airy crown of
the tower. She uttered an exclamation of awe and shrank back from
the sky that seemed to press down upon her. Nothing but sky--blue
sky! Then she peered over the low wall, down upon the rocks below,
and shuddered.
“Hello, Phil! Great, isn't it?” exclaimed Dickey, and Dorothy
realized that Quentin was somewhere behind her in the little
rock-bound circle among the clouds. A chill fell upon her heart, and
she would not turn toward the man whose very name brought rage to
her heart.
“Magnificent! I have been up here in the sun and the gale for half
an hour. Here are the newspapers, Lady Jane; Bob's man brought them
an hour ago. There is something in them that will interest you,
Dorothy. Pardon me, but I must go down. And don't fall off the
tower, Lady Jane.”
“Don't worry, grandfather; I'll be a good little girl and I shan't
fall off the tower, because I'm so afraid you'd find it out and beat
me and send me to bed without my supper. Won't you stay up just a
wee bit longer?”
“Now, don't coax, little girl. I must go down.”
“See you later,” Dickey called after him as he disappeared through
the narrow opening. Dorothy turned her stony face slightly, and
quick, angry eyes looked for an instant into the upturned face of
the man who was swallowed in the darkness of the trap hole almost in
the same second.
“Don't fall off the tower, Lady Jane,” came the hollow voice from
the ladders far below, and, to Dorothy's sensitive ears, there was
the most devilish mockery in the tones.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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