The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1888-05-11

i'll IlcI OF 80 iTUnl the edge OF tn0 cur.
tain, the bright point of a knife-blade.
Now, indeed, there was no longer any
doubt. The man who had come to rob
was there 70 murder me. Had | stopped
but another moment on the bed he might
have knitted ME.
What was l to do? I had him stand
ing there behind the curtain at a certain
advantage.
Should I spring upon him and stranele
him against the wall in the folds of the
curtain.
1t was not a sure victory for ne, and
a partial II might In the end Es fatal.
The thick stuff WOULD prevent nv get
ting a firm grip CT linn, and his right
hand, tho ole that held the knife, was
free. My chance was too small, the dam
ger too great to justify that attack,
though the muscles of my arms and fin
gers were strung up to make the tenapt-
ing effort.
Keeping my eye upon the curtain, I
drew back to the foot OF the bed. Toget
to the door l must cross the room, and
inc vitahly be seen by the mlr,.croIs ras-
cal as he stood there on tho timer side Of
the ~bed-curtain; ard, arrived at the door,
l must turn tme key twice, and the han
die ns well, before lie overlook me. On
IiiO opiiG LiLl iiO Ilitl W llSSfiSdSo LII
self from the folds of the curtain and rS.
cover the start / had Of HIM
The chances We're pretty equal, and I
determined to save myself by flight rath-
er than risk the fatal result of the un-
equal encounter.
/ made my way noiselessly ina straight
line down the room until I got opposite
the door, then ! made a rush for it across
h open. space. l got to the door, and
with furious haste CROPPED about for the
key-it was gone.
l grasped the handle, in the hope that
l might be able to tear the lock- offs the
screw had been taken out, and the knob
slid off the spindle in my hand. I was
lost,
1t astonishes me now to think with
what celebrity and adroitness these pre-
cautions against my escape had been
made.
The man had not rushed after me.
there was no desperate pursuit of that
kind; he knew l was trapped. Only as I
turned my eyes back to the place where
he stoed, I perceived that the light was
dying out.
There was but a narrow row of blue
tame above the wick;i it faded away, and
all was dark.
There ere degrees Of darkness; this
seemed to me The last degree. I felt as
if ! was eunk in n lake Of pitch.
If I called for help, it was not certain
that the heavy Sleeping Judge would
hear me. Possibly Sir Edmund was vet
awake, but l thought of Edith, and be-
sides / knew that before assistance could
come, before tho door could be burst, all
would be over.
Probably my foe was already aprroach.
ing me; my cry would be the signal for
him to spring upon me.
No, my only chance Of escape was in
maintaining Silence. and keepinr him in
ignorance Of my position. If accident
brought us into Contact. I trusted to nv
physical strength and good luck to be a
match for him and his knife in tho sub
sequent struggle. The diamond buckled
to my wrist might serve me in the fight;
1 might stun the fellow with it if fortune
only favored NV arm.
II was a duel between lis and ANYWAY
rwould sell NV life dearly
With this resolve. I drew owav from
the door toward that part of the room
where, as [ fancied. the carved press
stood. / kent NV arms FREQ NV hodv
croucbed together. and every m,Iscla
tense and ready.
backed a few feet from the door and
then | stoned. as the reflection crossed
my mind that / MIGHT be RI
my adyersary! Then regretted that T
had left the door. where of least r misbt
have stood safe from a rear attack.
l could hear nothing but the ~throbbinr
of the blood in my temples and the quick
%tic-tac, %tic-tac, %tic-tac, %tic-tac, tic-tac of
my watch behind me, yet I knew that
the must be moving. -.
BE had his work to do, and must have
made up his mind how to do it before
putting out tho Light. / could see moth
ing, and the silence and darkness were
horrible, with the possibility of his fall
ing upon me from behind. Yethow was
! to guard against that attack, notknow-
ing where he was! Possibly his visual
power was stronger thar mine.
knew by the ticking of my watch
tiat the bed wa somewhere behind me-,
ana that l ought to De facing the oriel;
ana as strained my eyes to catch any
ays oil iiSht that might exist, ! fancied
l ueteclea a dim gray q j the black
ness before me-,possibly the curtains
masking the oriel were slightly parted.
AS l continued to stare in that direc-
tioh, became convinced that this was
the 1act, ana slight though the assurance
was, IL gave me some feeling OF security;
IN That direction l might know of my
roe approach. And, sure enough, at
that very moment the gray seam was
blocked out.
He was there, betw cen me and the
sriel. My first impulse was to end the
terrible suspense, and spring forward
upon him; but prudence checked me.
lie might be close to me or he MIGHT
DC close to the oriel-it was imnossible
for me to tell merely by the absence of a
FAINT light. If, in sprineipr forward, 7
TELL short of him, it would be ali over
with me. NV force expended in The
spring, he would have me at his mercy.
aud Il "hort death was the only kind of
sarnv I had to EXPECT. Again. what
feeble light there was must fallupon me,
as I faced it-an advantage for linn n
terrible peril for mo
resolved to back toward tho wall at
the upper end of the room and ended
still by the ticking of nv watch. / drew
back With the stoalthy caution Of y en-.
Suddenly | saw the gray scam of li"i,t
again. Had he gone to The ripht or l..rt:
| / knew not. Qnickly | stretched INV
foot out behind me: / falt somcthinr. nnsl
for the instant tLolpht I had toncEo1
the fellow. hut. MS tnr,ipg about | n,nucj
my bo,a f,.rl .a. IN.