The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-08-18

Il
after briei. hopeless struggle, it surren-
dered at discretion. My darling had
| spoken the words that bound her life to
mine forever.
| Under the summer stars, in the hush OF
the summer night, she and were sitting
| on the balcony of their room that over
| looked the river and the purple woods
beyond; at her feet, as l loved best to sit,
| and watch the great violet eyes turn slow
| ly on me; at her feet, with her hand IN
mine again.
"And so you ran away from me, Hell
en?"
"What else could do? 1 was 90 weak
with you, Frank so weak against my
love- And, for your sake, l felt it ought
not to be. So l ran away. 1t was terri
BILE work to get Amy to start that night,
though! She was horribly cruel to me |;
she fought for you. How l loved her
when she didl But would go; and 30
We went"
"And then you thought you were
safe?'
'fSafer. Away from you was strong"
"And did you think you would be out
Of my reach long,"
She gave me smile, delicious as a Ca
ress. Then she said:
"Qui SAT-! l thought you would come,
but not so soon. Not till l should have
time to harden my heart. | knew l was
doing right, Frank. But L thought, too,
that / might never see you again. And
| then" her face told me the rest.
"Enfantl What had you to do with 1T,
right or wrong, if you loved me9 You
were NINE How could you ever think
should let you go? Let you go, who have
given me new faith, new hope, new life
made life precious to me, nOw-how could
L? Helen, my Helen, nothing can take
you from me now. You cannot take your
self from me-"
From my arms, where she had nestled,
on sudden she started
"There" she whispered, pointing to
the deserted river walk; there! Did
you not see him :"
On her face, yet wet with happy tears,
had come the haunted look once more
in her voice was the old fear, though my
arms end my love were about her. /
knew what had done this; the sight of a
man for whom 1 was beginning to feel
something of the hate that kills.
I" l saw no one, you know. And if
Alvarez Smith wants to do me mischief,
why on earth should he turn out and do
melodrama in the moonlight, threaten me
with imaginary daggers, and that sort of
thing, TO put me on my guard?"
"I saw him standing there" and she
pointed again straight before her.
"And how was he dressed?"
"In short cloak, it seemed. l saw
him throw it back when he lifted his arm. "
"And then he sappeared-where?"
"Into the shadow Of the trees"
That was perfectly possible. A couple
of strides would take any one out of
sight, who had stood even in the centre
of the broad alice.
1t Helen had really seen Alverez Smith,
he might be hidden in that shadow even
now, watching US. My blood began to
stir at this.
had been just week in the Bad when
the denouement of this story came out.
We had gone up the river one mornin g
in "heti COOP" had landed some three
miles or 80 above Lindenbad, and strolled
away, out Of sight of the boatman, along
the bank, down to which extended the
low scrub and bushwoOd Of the forest.
We sat down on sort of little crag
which Overhung the river, and from which
Helen had discovered view which she
was doing her best to sketch under an or
ganized series Of interruptions from me.
Lying there at her feet, watching her
eyes, and drinking in her voice, thinking
of that new life she had given me, and
[ that was precious to me for her sake,
was terribly near my death.
There was hardly breath of air astir
and yet, all at once, my pot hat, that was
/ tilted over my eyes to keep off the sun
glare, rolled away lazily over the turf,
clipped, so neatly and lightly that hardly
felt it, off my head.
A sharp crack and little puff of white
smoke rising above clump OF brushwood
J explained this phenomenon.
: l saw at once what it meant. / was on
, my feet, and half way across TO the cover
which sheltered my would-be assassin in
2 a couple Of bounds. Another bullet
whizzed by my ear, ard then l had
sprung into the thicket, struck by one
J lucky blow smoking revolver from the
shaking hands, and flown at the throat OF
J -Alverez Smith.
1t was well l had lost no time he go,
: no chance of using his knife.
l heard Helen scream, and then saw
} her fall lfeless on the turf where we had
: been sitting, and then l was wrestling fol
, dear life with madman. He had nc
science, but he held me like a fiend. cut
l him off his legs again and again; but hs
clung so desperately to Inc that l couldn't
drop him. Each fresh struggle brought
us nearer and nearer the edge Of the
/ little crag. l guessed what he wanted tC
do, and put all my remaining strength
into one fierce, desperate effort to fling
| him.
| This time he went down, but my foo
had slipped on the dry, short turf, and ht
managed to pull me down upon him.
l felt his arms close round me in griI
. of steel as he twisted and writhed TOWARD
the edge; heard his yell of diabolics
? triumph in my ears knew that we mus
) roll over felt the mad rush of air by me
felt shock that seemed to stun me ane
then, locked in each others arms, tn,
, water closed over us like thick dark
3 ness.
He must have struck against something
, in the fall, and have been dead or stunned
when he reached the water.
, In second | had wrenched mysel
free from that deadly grip, had risen I,
the surface, and was striking out for th
bank. Ten minutes more and l was kneel
. ing beside Helen, slowly recovering he
consciousness under the sympathizint
, care of forest keepers wife.
4
l The body of Alvarez Smith was pickle,
up next day. He had disguised himsel
so well while waiting his opportunity t
settle matters with me, as to have elude,
a detection by the Polizei-Amt, but / wa
/. able to swear unhesitatingly to his identi
ty, and did, with some pardonable salts
: | faction.
, He is believed TO have left no one to ex
g act the forfeit from Helen Wybrowe whel
. she marries me; and, supposing his bar
. gain with the original claimants to hav
been lawful one, there is an end, yO1
I see, of "Wybrowe's Will."-London 50
r ciety.
il D..ln =.