Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-10-14

The fight was over already. could hear no sound save a faint whispering and oc- casionSlly the shutiling of feet, and even these indications of movement within ceased after awhile, leading me to believe that the whole party had retired into the room behind the bar. I could not make it out. There was no swearing, no alterca- ton, nothing but silence It was the stran- Sest way of concluding fight or a quarrel that l had ever heard. What did it mean? Had Taras killed Drigo by some terrible blow of that strong arm and were they all silenced by the fear of alarming the policeg That seemed to me the most plausible eS 9lanation.
 betook myself hu<riedly to the dark lrchway as l heard grating of the lock in he side door of the Joy, and almost i'm nediatcly afterward l saw the three es- ,aped friends of Taras come up from Ferry soat lane. recognized all three as they passed the archway. They walked in haste. thought then that they might be in search rf doctor, but they never returned After Itime I ventured down the alley. There vas no light to be seen through the fan iSh: of the side door, and all was silent as ne night. hung about the place in vague crp''Sity, unable to leave it, expecting ev- " minute some further development of he mystery.
 
 ac front door of the Mariner's Joy opened, nd Putty came out and took down the shutters. Hs had not a scratch on his face. While he was thus engaged Drigo ap peared, and he also showed no sign of hav. ing been in the fight. He spoke to Putty and then walked off along Sweet Apple lane Putty went in and rcappcarctl, sweep ing away the fragments of broken glass Then for the first time a terrible fear that Taras had been killed in the fight took hold of me and shook me like an aSue But did not know what to do. l was like one paraly lyzed-inCapahle of action. never thought of going to the police. What ust if TaraS was dead? Besides. from the c!r. Hest days of my recollection, l had regarded the police as my natural cncmy-t he enemy of all outcasts and homeless wr,.tches like me.
 But after time l caught sight of Drigc returning down Sweet Apple lane with a loaf under his arm and other provisions in his hands. Then, desperate with this new born fear, l stepped into the road from the doorway where had been Crouching and stopped him.
 Where is hC-the big man with the fair bearl?" asked
 Why" sahl he in his broken English, and with a grin on his hateful face. but not n sign of embarrassment ar surprise he went away with his fricuG- hours ago.
 That's a lie" said l; "only three men have come out of the Joy in the night, and those are the three who went into il with you and the man with the fair beard"
 ''l won't contradict lady, hut if hr didn't go away with his friends he is in the house now, and if you arr still in doubt yOu had better come iH and S<C"
 The wurls have underlined he whis- pered with such tientlish grin that there was no mistakinS his meaning. If he had said plainly, Come in and share the same fate as the man with the fair beard. the threat would not have been more obvious.
 Will you come. Beauty" he added with n sheer
 made no reply, and he went on to the Joy with a deriSiVc Chucklc.
 IL was not the fear of death that made a coward of me; my life was too wrrtc chCd and hopeless to be cherished IL was jus; the dread of personal violence and physical suffering; that's all. But in the course of the morning l grew apAthctic under the sense of wrarineSs and dejrctiou. If the man with the fair beard iS killed, said to myself, Il may as well be killed, too, and be done with it for good and all.
 And with this thought crossed tho lane and pushed open the swing door of the Joy