The Opelousas courier., 1894-12-15

wet hair on his forehead now and TIN
krees between his teeth-and was PRES
entity hidden by tho balcony.
This seemed to Bailey an unerdura
BILE wrong, The nan was lost to hin
for ever COW, SO he thought. Why
couldn't the brute have got himself de
Gently caught on the opposite bank, Oh
shot in the water?
"It's worse than Edwin Brood
said Bailey.
Over the river, too. things had be
come an absolute blank. All sever
men had gone down stream again
probably to get the boat and follow
across. Bailey listened and waited,
There was silence. Surely it's not
over like this" said Bailey.
Five minutes passed-ten minutes.
Then a tug with two barges went NJ
stream. the attitudes of the men
upon these were the attitudes of those
who see nothing remarkable in earth,
water or sky. Clearly the whole af.
fair had passed out of sight Of the
river. Probably the hunt had gone
into the beech woods behind the
house.
"Confound it's said Bailey. ITO he
continued again. and no chance this
time of the sequel. But this is hard
on a sick man."
He heard IA step on the staircase be-
hind him, and looking round saw tse
door open. Mrs. Green carne in and
sat down, painting. She still had her
her little brown basket upon her arm.
"Oh, there!!" she said, and left Bailey
to imagine the rest.
Have a little whisky and water,
Mrs. Green. and tell me about it." said
Bailey.
Slipping a little, the lady began to
recover her powers of explanation.
One of those black creatures at the
Fitzgibbon's had gone mad, and was
running about with a big knife, stab
bling people. He had killed a groom,
and stabbed the under-butler, and al
most cut the arm off a boating gentle
man.
"Kunning amuck with a krees,' said
Bailey. Il though: that was it,"
And he was hiding in the wood
when she came through it from the
town.
What! Did he run after your
asked Bailey. with a certain touch of
glee in his voice.
mo, that was she horrible part of
it," Mrs. Green explained. She had
been right through the woods and had
never known he was there. 1t was
only when she met young Mr.. Fitz-
gibbon carrying his gun in the shrub
berry that she heard anything about it.
Apparently, what upset Mrs. Green
was the lost opportunity for emotion.
She was determined, however, to make
the most of what was left her.
ITO think he was there all the
time!." she said, over and over again.
Bailey endured this patiently enough
for perhaps ten minutes. At last he
thought it advisable to assert himself.
TITS twenty past one, Mrs. Green" he
said. Don't you think it time you got
me something to eat??"
This brought Mrs. Green suddenly
to her knees.
ooh, Lord. SIR she said. "Oh!
don't go making me go out of this room
sir, till know he's caught. He might
have got into the house, sir. He
might be creeping. creeping. with
that knife of his. along the passage
this very"
She broke off suddenly and glared
over him at the window. Her lower
jaw dropped. Bailey turned his head
For the space of bali a second things.
seemed just as they we're. There was
the tree, the balcony, the shiu-
ing river, the distant church tower.
he noticed that the acacia
was displaced about a foot to the
and that it was quivering, and
the leaves were rustling. The tree was
violently, and a heavy painting
was audible.
In another moment a hairy brown
hand appeared and clutched the bal
cony ratings, and III another the face
If the Malay was peering through
.hese at the man on the couch. His
was an unpleasant grin, by
'eason of the krees he held between
lis teeth, and he was bleeding from an
Ugly wound in his cheek. Bailey's first
impulse was to spring from the couch.
his legs reminded him that this
vas impossible.
By means of the balcony and tree
he man slowly raised himself until he
vas visible to Mrs. Green, With a
;hoking cry she made for the door and
umbled with the handle.
Bailey thought swiftly and clutched
medicine bottle in either hand. One
lie flung, and it smashed against the
cacia. Silently and deliberately. and
his brighteyes fixed on Bailey,
he Malay clambered into the balcony.
still clutching his second bot
lie, but with a sickening, sinking feel
ng about his heart, watched first one
ag come over the railing and then the
Their.
It is Bailey's impression that the
iaIay took about an hour to get his
econd leg over the rail. The period
hat elapsed before the sitting posi-
was changed to a standing one
eemel enormous-days, weeks, pos
IDLY a year or sc. Yet Bailey has no
lear memory OF anything going on in
is mind during that vast period. ex-
ept a vague wonder at his inability to
1row the second medicine bottle.
Suddenly the Malay glanced over his
There was the crack of a
fife. He flung up his arms and came
rashing down upon the couch. Mrs.
began a dismal shrek that