The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1889-05-18

| fSaEl and must have made up
| his mind how 10 do il be-
isEsI fore putting out The light.
| I could SEQ nothing. and
| IkAssl tho Silence and darkness
{ were horrible. with the
/EEEN possibility of his falling
| N upon me from behind. Yet
| - howwas / TO guard against
| that attack, not knowing where he was
| Possibly his visual power was stronger
| than mine.
| 1 knew by the ticking of my watch that
| the bed was somewhere behind me, and
that l ought to be facing the orieli and as
| strained my eyes to catch any rays OF llght
! that m ght exist. ! fancied | detected a dim
gray seam in tho blackhess before me
possibly the curtains masking the oriei
| were slightly parted.
As l continued to stare in that direction,
| l became convinced that this was the fact
| aud slight though the assurance was, 1t
gave me some feeling OF securitvf III that
| direction l might know Of nay foes ap=
prOacb. And, sure enough at that very ms
| ment the gray seam was blocked out
, He was there, between me and the oriei
| Ny first impulse was to end the terrible
suspense, and spring forward upon him;
| but prudence checked me.
He might be close to me, or he might be
close TO the oriel-it was impossible for me
| to tell merely by the absence of a faint light.
| If, in springing forward, I fell short of him.
| 1t would be all over with me. Ny force eX-
| pended in the spring. he would have me at
| his mercy, and a short death was the only
| kind of mercy | had to expect. Again what
| feeble light there was must fall upon me, as
| | faced it-an advantage for him, a terrible
| peril for me.
| IresolveI to back toward the wall at the
upper end Of the room. and guided still by
| the ticking of my watch. drew back with
| the stealthy caution of cat.
Suddenly | saw the gray seam of light
again. Had he gone to the right or left?
knew not. Quickly | stretched my foot out
behind me; / felt something, and for the in
slant thought | had touched the fellow. but,
as turning about CROPPED my hand forward,
| encountered the cold weed work Of the
bedstead. 1t was enc of the carved pillars.
| drew myself up and put my back against
II. Now. at least, that dreaded stab in the
back was less possible.
am not a coward. yet own thai the ter
ror o! the following minutes thrills me now
as L look back upon it. The impenetrable
darkness, the silence rendered only more
intense by contact with the perpetual tic
tao, tic-tac, tic-tac, tic-tac. tic-tae of the
watch behind me, were made terrific by the
awful uncertainty OF my position.
stood there waiting for the attack, until,
the suspense growing intoerable. / felt that
must end it By shouting aloud to Brace,
and precipitating the final struggle
i viii wait five minutes longer, and no
more" ! said to myself, resolving to calcu-
late the space fairly and with due allowance
for false Impressions. calculated that two
minutes had passed. when | fancied / heard
the bed creak behind mo. Was this one of
the false impressions | had promised nv
self to guard against, was the sound
caused by the man mounting upon the bed
behind me?
The hair bristed upon my head as |
thought heard the creak repeated; yet |
stood there and counted another minute,
with every nerve and fiber prepared to
spring away.
Now, surely four minutes are up" l
thought and drew my head down into my
shoulders, for, as surely as il my eyes had
been turned that way, and the full light of
the sun shining in my room, | BJtelc that
the man was behind me on the bed.
drew deep inspiration, resolved to
shout my lOudest TO Brace, but before the
sound had passed my lips towel was drawn
ught upon my face, and my head jarked
back against the post behind me. \ fold of
the towel gagged me completely; it was with
dlfHculty l breathed. ! struggled, but in
Valn to wrench myself away: gu ok and
sure hand had knotted the towel l threw
up my hands to tear the thing off; in an in
slant they were enyeloped in the thick cur
tains. and though the fellow had not suffi-
Gent strength to tie them down to my side.
he at least baffied my attempts to free my
head. | drew my feet from the ground,
hoping that my weight would drag my head
from the towel; only succeeded in drawing
the knots tighter, and half strangling NY
self.
As l could not release my head, I got my
arms down, and tried to seize the rascars
feet but he kept them beyond my reach;
yet ! got something by the attempt, for in
cropping about [ laid my hand upon the
knife which he had thrust in the bed, 10
nave free use OF his hands, the better TO
overcome the resistance Of my arms. |
should have had no hesitation in ham
Stringing the rascal if | could have got at
= | PnulI - at I a
mined, if possible, to keep the knife out Of
his way.
felt. by the horn handle, that it was the
| one Van HOeck had given me; and, knowing
the trick of the blade, | shut it up and Slip
| ped it into my pocket.
Now" thought |. If only thews and
sineWs are concerned, we will see who can
get the best Of it"
And, with redoubled efforts, struggled
| TO tear down the bcd-curtains that ham
pered my movements. and maddenel by the
| illflculty Of respiration, | threw such force
INTO my efforts that the poll upon which
| they hung crUnched under the rings. and
finally came rafting down about u.s. Would
| that lamp had been near, TO be smashed by
heard at a distance.
NV left hand being free. felt again for
| the knot Of the towel that bound me to the
| post. \ boDy hand grasped my wrist and
| dragged II ovtf my shoulder. ana the next
nose, and "A liquid trickiing through nv
mustache on to my lips. 1t had a sweet
taste end strong smell Of apples that
mounted at once 20 my brain. ] see mel to
| be no longer touching the ground. Tut
Whlrung round and round through Sparp.
| my arms dropped by my side.
knew that l was pOWerlCss, yet | re-
| tanned certain Kind OF cousciuu ,ness
| was sensible that the difficulty OF breath
| ing no longer troubled me. | knew that the
frt TI,.- wv ..
| remember thinking, in the bemused man
| ner OF hall-intoNicatei person what u fool
| he Was 10 bind me when I c0ul. no longer
| make resistance. [ was perfectly conscious
| when ne began 70 tie my feet 10 the post be-
| low Tor L had then sufficiently overcome
| tho effect II the opiate u think Of res St
! auee. tried to struggle ana 10 scream. hUt
| 10 ne purpose; my VIII ha lost an power
| over my muscle. And this terrible imp5-
| tentS rominIed me Of Van Hoeck's hall
| uttered simile:
--Cramped in a coffia. ana the cl9ls falling
| -lalGnE."
| What a-toni-hed me WAS the surprising
| iatiuty with watch tae man executed his
| work in the darkness that then prevailed
| lie seemed 10 have no difficulty AT all in
| finding the ends Of tie sheets with which
| he bound M and kuottin- them securely.
| And WlCn | Wa safely pinioncd he nm
| o0cklsd the strap that bound the Great
| heSleF 10 my wrist. without having to seek
| Tor the tongue o5 the strap. as / myself
| mig have Bad 10 dc.
| Wen. that's gone. l said TO myself: and
| now be Las tho diamond lie Will 90. too"
| tut ne had not vet finished. And after a
| brief interval, during which he might have
| been huek,inE the Great Hcsper upon his
| own wsIst heard Il sound that l knew only
/ foe well.
\ q Ok,
I Ii was the spring that locked the long
| blade of ms clasp-knite when it was
| opened.
| CHAPTER XI
That sound warned me that the end was