The Red Cloud chief., 1896-12-11

IL ! CdllCu TOT uNlp, IL was not cor
tain that the heavy shopping Judge
would hear me. Possibly Sir FL
mund vas yet awake, but | Thought
of Edith, aud besides | knew that be.
fore assistance could corn. he fore
the door could bc bur,, all wDild be
over.
Probably my 70, was alrrrl ~ a..
preaching m'. my cy wouil IN the
signal for him 10 Spin upon me
No. my olly chance " escape was
in maintaining silence. ana Keeping
him in ignorance ~, ms position II
accident brought It's into contact, |
trusted to my physical strength and
good luck g. he u match for him and
his knife in the subsequent struggle.
The diamond hucklcd to my wrist
might serve me in the fight; ! might
stun the fellow with it If fortune
only favored my ann
1t was II duel b,twcCn Us. ana any
way. | would soil IN; life dearly.
With this resolve ! drew away
from the door toward that part Of
the room where. as | fancicd, tho
carved press stood. kept my
arms free, my body crouchcd to.
gcthcr, and every muscle tense aud
ready.
| backed Il few feet from the door,
and then | stopped, as tho reflection
crossed IN; mind that | might be
backing toward my adversary! Then
| reg rcttcd that | had LETT the door,
where ut least ! might have stood
safe from u rear attack.
| coIld hear nothing bat the thrbb-
bling of tn blood IN my temples and
the quick tic tao, tic tao, tic.tac. tie.
tao. tic tlc Of my watch behind me-,
yet | knew that tho murderer must
he moving.
He had his work to do. and must
have made mp his mind how to do ii
before putting out the light. | cou ld
sec nothing, and the silence and
darkness were horrible, with the
possibility of his falling upon inc
from behind. Yet how was ! to
guard against that attack. not know
ing whcrc he was? Possibly his
visual power was stron ger than
mine.
| knew by the ticking Of my watch
that the bee was somewhere behind
me, and that | ought to be facing the
oricl; and rs ! strained nv eyes to
catch any rays of light that might
exist. | faucicd detected II dim gray
seam in the blackncss before me
possibly the curtains masking the
oricl were slightly parted.
As continued to stare in that
direction, | became convinced that
this was the fact. and slight though
the assurance was, it gave me some
feeling Of security; in that direction
| might know of my foes approach
And. sure enough, at that very
moment the gray scam was blocked
out.
He wa there, between me and the
oricl. My first impulse was to enc
the terrible suspense, and spring
forward upon him; but prudence
checked me.
lie might be close to mo. or h,
might be close to the oriol-ii was
impossible to tell merely by tho alb
scnco of II faint light. II in spring
ing forward. | fell short o. him, il
would be all over with me My
! force expended in the spring, he
= would have me AT his mercy, and
) short death was the only kind o
mercy | had to expect. Again. wha
feeble light there was must fall upol
me. as | faced lt-an advantage 70
! him, Il terrible peril for me.
| resolved to back toward the wal
49,, a.. ,,,,, A,,1 Of .l. -.
guided still by the ticking Of my
watch, ! drew back with the stealth.
, caution Of q Il
Suddenly | saw the gray seam @
light again. Had he gone to tn
right or left? knew not. Quickl
4, | stretched my foot out behind me;
felt something, and for the instan
4 thought | had touched the fellow
but, AS turning abolt ! CROPPED IN
hand forward. | encountered the col
woodwork OF tho bcdstead. 1t wa
-, one % the carved pillars. ! drc'
myself up, aud put my back agains
il. Now, at least, that dreaded sta
4 in the back was less probable.
: am not a coward, yet ! own tina
the terror of the following minute
thrills me now "a ] look back upo
"a it. The impenotrable darkness, Tn
~ silence rendered only more intons
z" by contact with the perpetual ii,
~ tao, t~ic.tac, ~tic-tac, t%ic-tac, tic.tac {
/ the watch behind me-. were mad
:, terrific by the awful uncertainty {
"a my position.
a stood thorc waiting for the attacl
=. until, the suspense growing intoleI
n able, | felt that | must end it b
/ shouting aloud to Brace, and pr,
"a cipitating the final struggle.
- II will wait five minutes longe
n and no more" | said to myself. n
q, solving To calculate the space fairl,
/ and with due allowance for false in
~ prcssions. | calculated that tw
=. minutes had passed, when | fancic
| heard the bed creak behind IN,
- Was this n of the false impression