Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-04

sight of HIM an idea flashed suddenly in
/ to LemueI's mind His fingers twisted
nervously around the weapon in his
| pocket and he glanced nervously around
| Save stolid policeman who stood shell
! tering himself from the rain above the
| Vanderbilt houses, there was no one in
sight. Then Lemuel began to slacken
his pace so as to bring it into accord with
| that of his employer. He did not wish at
once to gain upon him, neither did he
wish to fall too ar into the rear. 1t took
him few minutes to accommodate his
pace, but by the time Forty-s seventh
street was reached he had caught il ana
was walking step for step with the figure
in front.
elf 1 can only creep behind him and
stun him, - thought Lemuel wildly, 81
need not kill him, only disable him so as
TO gain time-that's all I want-time-
time, and he repeated the word monot-
ously, as a sort of refrain to his noise
less footsteps. He had now reached the
open space by the park entrance, and
for moment lost sight of his quarry
then he saw him striking across towards
the east and evidently bent on contin-
uing his walk along the avenue and by
the side of the park. Indeed, he
u0SuOO uOI W Sc6 uILu AOH HIS
were plainly visible IN the unmarked
snow, and LemueI took a peculiar
pleasure IN placing his feet exactly in
the footprints of the other; and as he
did so verse of an old Christmas carol
returned TO him, and with queer smile
he hummed to himself the familiar strain
of ''King Wenceslas and his Page
Tread thou in my footsteps, page, tread thou
in them boldly
Then he began to quicken his pace and
to gradually overhaul the man he now
looked ON as his prey. Nearer and nearer
he drew and then stopped for the figure
in front had stopped too. Nugent had
thrown away his cigar and was drawing
out his matchbox preparatory to lighting
another. Now is Lemuel s time. He
crept swiftly up, casting anxious glances
around so as to insure himself there was
no one in sight. Nugent had struck one
match and il had gone out. The dark
figure behind was now very close. An
other match just ignites, gives tanta-
LIKING splutter, and the flame disappears.
With an impatient ''Pish'' Mr. Nugent
takes off his hat, and, holding it in front
of him, forms a sort of penthouse. in
which q match could burn secure from
sudden gusts of wind. Now is Lemuel's
bare, the light of the match against the
darkness dazZled his eyes and at the
same time afforded chance to Lemuel,
who stood behind with uplifted arm to
take more certain aim. A second or two,
he stood thus nervlng himsel, the match>
iared up, puff, puff-the cigar had
caught, and exerting all his force Lem
uel let the Tnurderous ball Of lead fall on
the gray head.
At that instant, though, Nugent re-
placed his hat, no longer necessary for
match-ignitlng service, too late to pre-
vent the fall of the slungshot and yet not
too late to break the blow. Such was
the force of the latter, however, that
with half-checked cry Nugent fell for
ward on the snowy pavement completely
stunned. The lust of blood now took
possession of Lemuel. He stepped for
ward, and, standing over the PROSTATE
figure, lifted his hand to strike again,
and with more deadly effect on the un-
protected head below him. But as he
threw back his hand to strike he felt it
seized from behind in q vise-like grip,
and voice said quietly in his ear:
81 said you meant mischief, and 1
WASH It much out of my reckoning -
[To BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.