Wichita eagle., 1889-08-18
PERILS OF PETER DUFF.

NONO
me. He rose up as if he had control of
theatrical trap worked through the
carpeted floor.
There was my writing table, Uttered
with books. The limit Of my horizon
used to be garden, seen through the
window; now the figure Of a great lank,
ominously faced man blocked the light.
How did he get there? BE did not
glare at me, but yelled his eyes, cencen-
trating their fell powers under half
closed lids. Clad in a seedy black coat.
he stood motionless, like to a rusty feath-
cred crow, and said, in a croak that was
startling enough, at least for me, "You
are Peter Duff"
There was no infection Of an interrog-
atory character in those dread words. I
have a well trained ear, sensitive to an
information. / should have detected
hesitancy had he raised the pitch Of his
squawk the fraction Of a note. He made
no gesture; there was no facial move
ment. He simply had that concentra-
ton of vocal expression a man employs
when he announces an irrevocable, I'M
disputabie fact.
/ might have foundered in vain ex-
postulations, empty explanations, that |
was not Peter Duff, but I knew such
efforts would be useless. Ifelt no inclna-
ton to wrangle over my identity. There
crept over me the certainty Of some
former condition. What was positive
about was that had been discovered.
l.,r- 10
despairing refrain that kept repeating
itself IN my mind. Yes, there arose some
slight distress, but only that Of baffied
curiosity. What was the particular
specific culpability of Peter Duff? What
had he done? For what was he to be
brought to book?
felt intense hatred toward the man
who had trailed me-that rage which
makes cornered rat turn and try TO bite
his pursuer-but as / looked at the great,
g2unt, big boned man who lowered over
me, 1 knew at once how unequal would
have been the combat.
rapidly ran over the words the man
had uttered, and l came to this fixed
conclusion: was the villain who, de-
spite DISCUSSES, the avenger had at last
unearthed. But why had he not put a
heavy hand on my shrinking shoulder,
and said, Justice claims her Own?' Or
to his sepulchral, You are Peter Duff, p"
why not have added the de rigueUr ex-
clamatory, ''Ha! ha"
looked at him in a furtive way. Was
the bulge in his side pocket caused by
the stock Of pistol? His long black
coat hung down so straight that l felt
sure it was weighted at the skirts with a
pair OF handouts.
The man looked remorseless. Had he
blinked, [ might have hoped for chance.
Had he changed in the least the form of
those words, You are Peter Duff" [
would have grappled with him. But he
never weakened. Hewas as If of bronze,
as if a statue, that, for ever and ever as
sorting a thing, never budgeS from its
pedestal.
was specifies. Silence meant con-
sent. ran back quickly, during a few
painful seconds, over all the facts which,
might account for his presence.
If there had been a clang of the bell!
Then, perhaps, the servant would have
told him that Peter Duff did not live
there. l never, as far as ] remembered,
had been confidential with either my
wife or Bella as TO my antecedents. Still.
IN an unguarded moment [ might have
been, for men will bahble in their dreams.
Had-had they any inkling of that doubIy
dyed villain the one woman called hus-
band, the other master?
knew be was TO come sooner or later.
1t was inevitable, preordained, and how
futile. ! thought. were all my deeply
laid schemesi OF what avail twistings
and doublings? Who was it, to use the
common slang of the day-who was it
who had given mo away? Who among
my former pals had peached? Had l or
had not been a fairly honorable scoun-
tlrel? When had / chuckled? That was
years on years ago, when the last man
Jack of them was hanged on secret evi-
dence I had sent the state prosecutor.
Then, of course, / had reformed. How
came TO be suspected, after all?
How silly 1t was of me In such a mo-
ment, when the cold sweat was oozing
out of every pore of my body, TO keep
repeating an old Turkish proverb, "The
sword of the sultan grows and grows.
and circles and sweeps and sweeps and
circles, until it cuts off the head of the
cffenderI"
All these thoughts trooped through my
brain and jostled one another, but no
question as to the denying of my indenti-
" presented itself. 1 was positive now
that that iendish man had my exact de
scription. There would be witnesses who
would come into the obScurest of police
courts, and at once, unheSitatingly,p point
finger at NE among a crowd of other
mel, ANA scream at me, THAT is Peter
Duff"
Escape. ] thought out q feeble plan.
There was aJapanese paper knife on the
table, but of SO soft an alloy that it would
double in the cutting Of q thick leaf.
How would the killing Of him have
helped me now2
If the man would only say something
more! Fortunately he did, or would
have gone mad.
Mr.. Duff, we viii proceed to bust
ness"
The construction of that brief but
guarded sentence brought some shghtre-
lief. The tension was monentarilv loos-
ened. BE had Mustered and mastered !
me. It was the mock courtesy adopted !
by the eInisSaries OF justice. that cruelest /
IF all small W.T. l. II ,,,,+ ,.~,-,.;>3 tl,.r