People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-04-27

Even had ! the strength to unlock
that iron grasp, he carried arms and
would shoot me like a dog before
could escape. Involuntarily | thought
OF those snake charmers aud HinGoo
jugglers who. by the skilliul use OF a
feather are able to make a sleeping
man change his attitude or release
his grip upon whatsoever he holds,
but | had no such power to
make aaccid this mans muscles, and
in sheer helplessness and desperation
| sat for what seemed to me life
time with that heavy arm weighing
on NY breast.
What real length of time elapsed,
| cannot say, but suddenly he turned
with a heavy groan, as if some
spectre troubled his sleep, and his
arm fell to the ground with a dull
thud, then he fell to snoring loudly
and regularly as before.
Kneeling down, | ventured on a
tiny shaft of light that showed me
his relaxed hand lying on the ground
palm uppermOst, with-and the sight
OF 1t nearly took my breath away for
joy--the horn box loosely held in
the relaxed fingers.
For once in my life | rose to the
emergency of the moment, and with
out hesitation slipped the box from
beneath that nerveless touch and
stole away.
But | had reckoned without that
instinct, belonging of right only to
animals, but found in savages and
men who live almost entirely in the
open air; an instinct that becomes
developed almost into sixth sense,
that keeps sentinel over the others
while they sleep. and gives instant
warning of danger
On the instant the Syrian awoke,
found his hand empty, and held his
breath to listen for the slightest
sound that might give evidence OF a
strangers presence. Then he swept
his hand along the floor as thinking
ne might have dropped what he
missed, and. not finding it, hurled
his huge weight out of bed. and |
said to myself, "Now if he possesses
light | am dead man." and lis
tened for the striking Of a match
that, thank God! did not come.
l heard instead a click, ominous
enough, and doubling if in the dark
ness he so accurately knew the posi-
ton OF the staircase as to cover it
successfully, | stopped down, and,
getting on my hands and knees,
crawled to the stair-head with all the
speed could command.
lnstantaneously, with the first
sound | made. came a shot that
passed directly over my head, and
then the boards groaned under the
Styrian's weight as he dashed across
the narrow room towards me, lust
missing my heels as | slid down the
stairs. checking my too rapid de-
scent by grasping the low hand-rail
that on one side guarded them.
He fired again with the same re-
suit as before, then came laundering
after me, but l had the start, and
knew that il | could reach the secret
door (Which had left open ! wasIsafe.
But even as I slipped through it,
a sharp report and singing sensa-
tion in my right shoulder told me
that | was hit, and | had barely
drawn the door close behind me,
when he fell against it with a crash
that shook the whole place.
l heard him cursing and raging on
the other side, completely baffied by
my disappearance, ana probably not
aware that he had winged me.
Softly | slipped out at the door,
and sped down the winding path at
the top Of my speed never drawing
breath TIL | reached the nearest cot
tage, where lived a fisherman with
his three stalwart sons, all soundly
asleep, and with difficulty awakened.
81 have been shot at, and wounded
by the man at Smuggler's Hole"
said, you must come with me It
once and secure him"
The blood that lripped from nv
coat sleeve corroborated my story
plainly enough when the three Joined
me, but the emergency left no time
for those explanations that should
have been puzzled to give, and no
more was said till we arrived at the
hut.