The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-09-06

/
Course you!" cried the inn. keeper, in
a boarse voice. "You have wit, but [
t have knife. -,
! to withdraw the weapon, at the same time
| erasping my pillow to wrench it aside. But
| he had miscacuated his man. In my for
mer pictures of the Imagination, l had
thought of just what | would do under
such circumstances, and in this case did
it exactly.
The moment the knife touched my breast
nv right hand was on the arm OF the inn +.
keeper, and gliding rapidly down, was on
his wrist ere he could snatch away the
blade. My grippe was usually strong, and
nerve of suddenly awakened fear and an
ger rendered it a temporary vice.
II was not the inn. keeper who succeeded
| in wrenching aside the pillow, but myself
| AS he strove to wrench it one way did
| the other, and by sudden twitch snatched
! it from his grasp, and pushed it with my
! left hand into his face, towards which his
heavy breathing served as guide. heard
stifed curse, and could feel that he an
| grily clutched at this strange instrument OF
attack. not only with his left hand, but
with the right also, on which | had my
| hold.
NV ewes we're becoming accustomed to
the dark-as | knew his long had-and |
could see plainly enough to take instant adj
vantage Of the position. When he clutched
with his right at the pillow, | withdrew my
left hand from the latter, and concentrating
the strength of both hands on his which
held the knife wrenched away the weapon
ere he could well understand my Intention.
T had seen that | was dealing with strong
| r hot ho Gp1f not ho
onlv weapon about such villain; and |
also realized that another assailant, more
| furious in her strength than this man,
would soon be upon me, though | could
neither see nor hear her.
"D-n We - muttered the man take
the knife, but I'll"
He interrupted his own speech to thrust
his hand into his breast, having hurled the
treacherous pillow far into the darkness
Another friendly fash lit up the scene, and
I saw the butt of pistol as he was pluck
ing it from his breast At the same mo-
ment | caught the rapid glimpse of a tall
figure creeping up from the lower end OF
tie chamber, beyond the foot of my bed.
| saw that what was done by me must be
done quickly. The pistol was half released
from it's place of concealment, when leap
ed upon the inkeeper. L threw myself
DOully against the IldIll NLlCI CldSpcu tHC
pistol, and with my left hand | grasped at
with all my force against his breast. My
blow took effect. but not as intended He
had thrown up his arm when | leaped, and
it was through this that the weapon went,
passing through the flesh, and wringng
from him cry of pain. ........ ...
"Ralph y broke in voice close to US
I'VE snif1e like coward Give way to
surer hand !"
This was uttered in a voice subdued but
charged with fury, and for an instant | ex-
perienced that feeling of despair, which
seizes one when ali hope of delivcrance from
immediate death has fed This was only
/ for a moment, however, for in the intensity
of my emotions, seconds seemed as minutes,
and I could act as rapidly in proportion.--
The man essayed to return an answer, and
had already uttered the words, I'm
awake - when l Withdrew my kuife from
his arm, and wrenching the limb aside,
drove the steel into his breast. lie sank
back with a groan, and | turned in time to
confront the bag, whose peculiar eyes
shone in the darkness like those Of an en-
ragged panther. .....
The appearance of those eyes was APP
paling, and had | not been nerved by my
success in the struggle with the nnholdcr,
| think they would have struck me with
fear. They were bright with magnetic
light, and could see that the yellow ring
was the brightest of all. For an instant L
was motonless, fascinated as was by this
remarkable gaze, and in that instant
third flash of lightning lit up her savage
countenance AS she stood where she hal
ted when | turned upon her, the lightning
flashed through the window full upon her
face. 1t was horrible.
Suddenly, as the light lcaped back as it
we're, through the window, she rose to her
full height and darted upon me. The
lightning had not entirely gone out, before
| saw that she carried in her hand, not a
coarse knife, but long slender dagger
which threw back the brightness from
surface of the highest polish. In the dark
ness that followed | saw this weapon CLEAN
over her head, and her eyes rivalled in their
brilliancy the flash that had shown us to
each other. ..
10 my astonishment just as I was pre-
pairing for the attack, for it was impossible
for me to be the attacking party in this
case, she dropped her arm, and subduing
her voice to savage per>uaslveness, exclaim-
stranger, ye be bold man Live here
and we'll git rid Of the old one ~ #..
AS L look BACK On the strange scene,
am convinced that her singular action was
the result of one Of those sudden changes
which come over women of her stamp, as
they do over the savage race, she having
seen as much of me in that brief illumina-
ton as many would in lifetime. Her
companion in crime was nothing more to
her, and in the reaction of her feelings, the
man who slew him was the man of greater
power. There was no love between them,
and I was the one left, whose action, if not
appearance, was satisfactory to her fearless
nature. say l am convinced that such
was her feeling when she paused and spoke
those words to me, though leave my rqa-
dcrs to form their own opinion on the mat
ter. " Whatever may have been her
thoughts and feelings, it is certain that I
looked upon this change of movement-as
bit Of strategy, and acted accordingly. 1t
accomplished one object agreeable to me
it saved me from attempting the life of a
woman, which under those circumstances,