The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-11-29
FEI'I'ERED BY Fate
A Thrilling Virginia Romance.
BY EMMA s. soUTHWORTH.
Copyright 1888, by Laird h Lea.
CHAPTER XXXI.-Continued.

OhAf1 LEN hAAAls-SOutluuSu'
How his eyes cleaned as he glared
down upon the man who hunted him so
long, and whom his knife had failed to
kill. His breath came hard as though
excitement reigned within, and his hand
unconsciously sought the weapon in his
pocket.
At this instant, however, the right
hand of the detective suddenly shot up
ward and clutched the throat of the SOL
dier. and at the same time he threw HIM
self upwards.
The two of them went over with o
crash, locked in deadly embrace, and
upon the floor there ensued a terrible
struggle. Each man put forth his best
efforts, and, had the detective been fully
well, he would have had but little diff
Guilty in mastering the other, for he was
man of wonderful physique, but the re-
cent cowardly blow received from this
self-same man had weakened his frame
considerably, so that he had all he could
do to equal the fierce endeavors made by
Capt. Grant to overcome them.
They managed in some unaccountable
manner to gain their feet, and, like a
couple of giants, swayed to and fro, as
if they were two, reeds bending In the
breeze.
All at once they went to the floor with
a great crash, and such was the force OF
their fall that they were separated, each
being hurled in On opposite direction. -
When Capt. Grant managed to gain
his knees, it was only to hear sharp
snap.
The door had, moved by the violence
of their actions, slammed shut.
Remembering that it was spring lock,
the man uttered cry full OF horror, and,
springing forward, attempted to open it,
but the door remained fast, The spring
lock had caught, and he himself had re-
moved the key to the outside, thus seal
ing his own doom, as it appeared.
When the full consciousness of their
position broke upon him, Capt. Grant
uttered low cry Of horror, for his soul
was overwhelmed by the magnitude Of
the doom he had thus cunningly brought
upon himself.
Hearing an exclamation Of triumph
from his enemy and recent adversary, he
turned.
The candle still burned feebly close at
his hand, and he could see the detective
half crouching on the floor, while pistol
was in his hand.
Capt. Grant was equal to the occasion,
however, for with one blow Of his hand
he hurled the candle to the further end
of the little compartment, causing dark
ness to ensue of such denseness that
neither could see the other.
''Hold, mani" cried the Captain,
hOfrsely; "of what use are hostilities
now? we are bound to die together like
rats in hole"
"What mean you, serpent?" came
from the foreign agent, who was painting
heavily.
81 mean that we are locked in here,
and the old mill Is on fire. See, under
the door even now you can see an in
creasing light. Listen, and you will hear
the voices of the fire-fends. We are
doomedp
''My God! This is your work, devil~
calculated the detective, jumping up and
vainly rattling the door. ...t
II acknowledge it, but have been
caught in my own trap" answered the
miserable Captain. ~''
To their ears now came a low, NUT
tering sound, like increasing thunder.
1t was the savage flames eating their
way upward. roaring, dancing, and
shooting wildly, this way and that, as
they rapidly enveloped the whole of the
doomed building.