Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-05-05

20 49, 49, ''NAf
against a foe springing out of the dark
upon me?
thought of the clasp-knife Van Hocck
had given me. and, stretching out my
hand, ! felt for it where | had stuck il
between the mattress and the bedstead.
| could not find it.
Pushing back the curtains SO that the
light from the lamp fell upon the edge
of the bedstead, / assured myself that ii
was not where | had left it. 1t must
have slipped through-or been drawn
out.
The latter supposition explained the
sound and movement | had heard and
seen. Yet it might have made that
sound III slipping through-its fall upon
the floor deadened by the carpet, on its
point sticking in the boards: but | fancied
the horn handle was too wide to allow Of
ITS slipping through.
To satisfy myself at once upon this
point, | leaped out Of bed, resolved to
strike a match and look under the val
ance. | stood for q m stupefied;
the box of vestas was gone from the Ia
bic where | was certain | had laid them.
They must have been taken while | lay
screened by the bed-curtains.
glanced over my shoulder.
The folds of the curtain against tho
bed were not the same rs when / pushed
them back TO the wall: one fold stood out
ac an angle; and As, slowly turning round.
looked more closely, l saw against the
dark oak panel of the wall. about the
mid-height of n man, and protruding but
an inch or so from the edge of the cur.
tain, the bright point Of a knife-blade.
Now, indeed, there was no longer any
doubt. h man who had come to rob
was there 30 murder me. Had | stopped
but another moment on the bed he might
have knitted me.
What was | to do? / had him stand
: ing there behind the curtain ut q certain
advantage.
Should spring upon him and strangle
him against the wall in she folds Of the
curtain.
1t was not a sure victory for me, and
a partial one might in the end be fatal.
The thick stuff would prevent my get
ting n firm grip of him, and his right
hand, the one that held the knife, was
free. My chance was too small, the dan
ger too great to justify that attack,
though the muscles of my arms and fin
gers were strung up TO make the tempt
ing effort.
Keeping my eye upon the curtain, I
-" t''' w Wv w u III ptd. lbGtt
to the door | must cross the room, and
inevitably be seen by the murdorous ras-
ca! IA he stood there on the inner side Of
the bed-curtain; and, arrived at the door,
| must turn the KEY twice, and the han
die as well, before he overlook me. On
the other hand he had TO ~discngage him
self from the folds OF the curtain and re-
cover the start | had Of him.
Tho chances ware nrpttV QnuaI and
determined to save myself by iight rath-
or than risk the fatal result of the I'M
equal encounter.
j made my way noiseleSsly in straight
line down the room until | got opposite
the door. then | made q rush for il across
the open space. ! got to the door, and
with furious haste CROPPED about for the
key-it was gone!
i grasped the handle, in the hope that
| might be able to tear the lock Off; the
screw had been taken out, and the knob
slid off the spindle in my hand. l was
lost.
1t astonishes me now to think with
what CELEBRITY and ndroitness 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 | was trapped. Only as |
turned my eyes back TO the place where
he stood. | perceived that the light was
dying out.
There was but a narrow row Of blue
fame above the wick; it faded away, and
all was dark.
There are degrees of darkness; this
seemed to me the last degree. l felt as
IL | was sunk in a lake of pitch.
re e. HI - N-t..
that the heavy sleeping Judge would
near me. Possibly Sir Edmund was set
awake. but | Thought of Filth. Az! be-
sides | knew that before assistance could
come, before the door could bc burst. all
would be over.
Probabl5 my zoe was already approach
ing me; mY cry would bc the signal Tor
him to spring upon me.
No. my only chance Of escape was in
maintaining silence, and keeping him III
ignorance of my position. If accident
brought us into contact, | trusted to my
physical strength and good luck to be a
match for him and his knife i'm the sub
scquent struggle. The diamond buckled
to my wrist might serve me in the fight;
l might stun the fellow with it if fortune
only favored my arm.
III WAS u uuel HtWecn us, ana any way,
l would sell my life dearly.
With this resolve, | drew away from
the door toward that part Of the room
whore, rs fancied, the carved press
stood. l kept my arms free, my body
crouched together, and every muscle
tense and ready.
| | backed a few feet from the door, and
then ! stopped, as the reflection crossed
my mind that | might be backing toward
my adversary! Then l regretted that I
had left the door, where at least l might
have stood safe from a rear attack.
l could hear nothing but the ~throbbing
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 / knew that
the murderer must DO moving.
He had his work to do, and must have
made up his mind how to do it before
putting out the light. could see moth
ing, and the silence and darkness were
horrible, with the possibility of his fall
ing upon me from behind. Yet how was
to guard against that attack, not know
ing where he was? Possibly his visual
power was stronger than mine.
| knew by the ticking OF my watch
that the bed was somewhere behind me,
and that l ought to be facing the oriel;
and as | strained my eyes TO catch any