The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-17

tread upon worm even? Lucetta, you
are madl"
"Mad or sane, my accusation will bear
fruit, Mr.. Trohrn. i believe too deeply In
your guilt not to make others do 80.
"Yop dof" he sneered'
"And why?" he cried.
"Because your heart is wicked. Be-
cause your face"
"My faceP Take care, Lucettta, take
care; you will bring trouble on yourself
If you go on.
*Though / bring death, will de-
nounce you. | have the honor of my own
household to defend. Besides the earth
should be rid OF such 0 monster as you. T"
"Such monster as / Well, my pretty
one," (his voice grows sudden ly wheed-
ling, his face study OF mingled pas
sions), "we will see about that we Will
see about that. Come, just step nearer,
the little girl used to dandle on my
knee.
His hand was on the curb OF the old
well: his face, so turned that IL caught
the full glare OF the setting sun, leaned
toward the girl, and seemed to exert q
fascinating influence upon her. She took
the step he asked, and before could cry
out to her beware saw him bend forward
with a sudden quick motion, and then
start again upright, while her form,
which but an instant before had stood
there In it's frall and youthful beauty,
tottered as IL the ground were bending
under 1t, and in another moment disap-
peared from my appalled, sight, swal lowed
In some dreadful cavern, that for an In
slant yawned in the smooth, shaven lawn
before me, and then vanished again from
sight, as II II had never been.
Shouting out my horror, bounded
from my place, but stopped again for an
instant, dazed by the sight of the old
mans demoniacal delight. He was leap
ing to and fro over the turf, holding up
his fingers In the red sunset glare. ''Sixi"
he sbrieked. "Six! and room for two
morei o, its a merry life lead. And
now, where Is my pretty Lucetta? surely
she was here a moment ago. How could
she have vanished, then, so quickly?"
This last question was uttered in such O
different tone OF voice that 1t gave me
cue to the whole situation. saw, even
while bounded TO the rescue OF the de-
voted maiden, that he was one Of those
maniacs who have perfect control over
themselves except in the moment OF trl-
umph; and noting his look OF sinister de-
light perceived that half his pleasure and
almost. his sole reward for the horrible
crimes he had perpetrated was in the mys-
terry surrounding the loss OF his victims
and the surmises which II naturally called
up. ! could, therefore, understand his
letter TO the police and the extreme salts
factioE he took in playing with my
effQSts and contemplating his own fancied
immunity from suspicion.
Meantime ] bad covered the wretch
with my pistol, and aching the spot
where Lucetta went down tried to lift the
moss-covered lid could family discern
there. But found this impossible with
the glaring figure of the raving maniac
ready to spring upon me, and / should
certainly have failed in my efforts IL at
that moment young Knollys had not
come into sight, anxiously looking for his
sister.
Urging him to hasten, thrust the pis-
tol into his hand and bid him hold Mr..
Trohm at bay, while l few to the we'll
curb and tried 10 find the spring which
worked the deadly mechanism. A yell
from the writhing creature at my side
guided me unconsciously in my search,
and in another moment / saw the fatal
lid tip and disclose what appeared TO be
the remains of q second well long ago dry
and abandoned for the other.
"Now," cried i, "for more assist
ance." And. raising my voice, sent a
shout down the road which brought Mr..
Simmons from the place where he had hid
den hmself Between US we tore the lid
from its fastenings, and rescued Miss