Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-05-17
CHAPTER yn-(Continued.)

-
ITO what. then, do I 1--WE the honor
OF your visit tonight"
Il dare say o can guess, but OF
course I am quite willing to tell you.
I am here simply because you and /
must come TO an understanding aud be-
cause it is better. for Miss Denham's
sake, that we should not meet in her
presence. There is no use in pretend
ing to ignore the fact that you have es-
tablished a sort of ascendancy over
her, and although that will have TO
come to an end now, / woIld rather
that 1t came to an end quietly"
"Mr. Everard, do you know that you
are not very COURTHOUSE"
You can hardly expect courtesy
from me, Count Souratkin, considering
what the circumstances are. You have
shown yourself my enemy, and / treat
you as such"
I'm short you have come here to defy
me-"
"Well, yes-if you like to put it that
way"
and did you bring a revolver with
you, may / ask%'
Everard shrugged his shoulders.
mo-" he answered, Il didn't bring a
revolver
Permit me to compliment you upon
your courage"
THANK you; but I don't see much
occasion for alarm"
Pardon me; that is perhaps because
you are too stupid to see it."
Perhaps SO; at the same time I am
not stupid enough to be scared because
you have chosen to tell Mrs. Patterson
that you proposed to murder me. Bark
ing dogs don't bite, Count Souratkin."
"Ah, that is so like an Englishman.
You viii never understand that the
world is not peopled with Anglo-Sax-
ons. You, when you love, you say to
the lady, L love YOU and that Is suif-
cient. Whoever says or does more Is
insincere, theatrical-what not? When
you hate, you bring au action at law
against the man who has injured you,
and recover damages; or 1t may be that,
liz you are very angry indeed, you
will have a boxing match with him and
make his nose bleed. But to stab or
to kill out of jealousy or revenge-oh,
no, you cannot admit that. That is
not practical at all. That gets you in
trouble with the police, leads you to
prison, possibly to the gallows. And
so, when n says to you, Move out
OF my path or l will remove you from
It, you only laugh, and do not believe,
and stand still. Well, now, DIR. Ever
ard, / will tell you that you never
did a more foolish thing in your life
than when you came here tonight,
and / will prove it to you in your own
practical English way. You own that
I exercise an ascendancy over Miss
DeDham; what you have not, perhaps,
realized Is that you yourself exercise
an ascendancy still stronger over her.
But for you she would have married
me-yes, and loved me. too. You see,
then, that / have a very real interest
In putting you to death"
81 don't think you will do 1t all the
same remarked Everard. composedly.
: You don't? You are a little difficult
to convince, but / shall endeavor to
convince YOU"
"Endeavor, by all MEANS" returned
Everard.
The words were hardly out OF his
mouth when he way lying on the floor,
face downward, with Souratkin kneel-
ing upon his back. The Russian had
sprung upon him with such s~uddenness
that he scarcely knew what had hap
pened, much less had time to defend
himself. In another minute his arms
We're bound tightly behind his back
with a pocket-handkerchief; after
which Souratkin, rising and fetching
a rope from the cupboard, proceeded
to pinion his captive scientifically, hand
and foot. All this time Everard had
been kicking and struggling to the best
of his ability; but the other was far
more than a match for him, and, for
any good that he did, he might as well
have submitted quietly from the out
set
When the pinioning process was com-
pleted, Souratkin placed him in a sitting
posture on the floor, with his back
against the wall, and said, "You will
perceive, Mr.. Eveard, that you are
now completely in my power. You
might shout until you lost your breath,
and nobody could hear you. Have /
proved my case to your satisfaction
NO." replied Everard, doggedly,
"you haven't. You have proved that
you can kill me, but that / knew be-
fore. What l said was that you wonld
not do it. You will most unquestiona-
bly, be hanged if you do. Unless / re-
turn to the hotel before morning / shall
be missed, and suspicion win immedi-
ately point TO You, because a number or
people saw me waiting for you outside,
and may, for aught / know, have seen
me follow you. You are already known
to the police, and your chance of es-
cape would be scarcely worth consider
ing"
Unfortunately for you," observed
Souratkin, who had produced his re-
vilver from his breast-pocket, Il have
thought of all that. My course is beau
tifully simple. / have a second weapon
exactly resembling the one that you
see. When / have killed you, / turn it
toward myself and fire, grazing my
right arm and inficting n slight wound.
/ then place it in your hand, and pres
emily your fingers stiffen around it.
After that / hasten TO the nearest po-
lice station. .Ah, gentlemen, / am des-
olated! / have had the misfortune to
kill a man! 1 explain the circum-
stances as well MS my agitation will
allow ne. We were rivals; you were
furious against me because yon con-
sidered that l had robbed you of the
affections of the lady whom / am about
IN marry. vo,, folJnuaI mo IN MN house