The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-19


shove him along. SO good night, papa.
x T'aese kisses are all for you.
am so thin. From your little hoy.
NOEL"
Come homei Yes. my darling, / will
come home. Nothing shall stop me now
nothing. nothing. The sun is almost set.
everything Is ready. Tho men must be
saaaAng the horses again. II less than
aaif an hour i shall have started afresh
l viii ride all night tonight and all day
tomorrow. and ia week shall be stand
Ing by your side. Il week: now long how
long! Lord Of life and death, keep my
boy alive until then,
became conscious that 1 was speak
Ing hot words such as these aloud Even
agony Ike mine has It's lucidIties of that
Kind Al the same moment I heard foot
steps somewhere behind me- They were
slow and steady footsteps, but / knew
them too well. The blood rushed to my
head and back to my heart. looked up
ana around. Where was /? Where!
Where7
was In little court surrounded by low
whitewashed walls. Before ME there was
an inner compartment rooted by a rude
dome. From the apex OF this dome there
Heated tiny white flag. I was In a
saints house. In the confusion OF my
mind and the agonizing disarray OF all
my senses i had stumbled into the sacred
place uuawares
The footsteps cane nearer. They seemed
to be sounding on the back OF my neck.
! struggled forward a few PAGES. BY Il
last mechanical resource OF despair tried
10 conceal myself In the inner chamber.
/ was too late. A face appeared In The
opening at which I had entered Il was
Larby's face, contracted into a gr!macing
expression.
] read the thought Of the mans face
as oy Hash of light. Good. Sidi good:
You have done my work as well as my
masters. You are dead man; no one
VIII know. and / need never to LIFT my
hand TO you
AT the next instant the face was gone.
In the moment following ! lived q life
time. My brain did not think; IL light
ened. l remembered the death of thu
American in the streets OF Fex recalled
the 1eering crowd at the top OF the alley.
1 reflected that Larby was gone 70 tell
the mob that I had dishonored one OF
their sanctuar!es. / saw myself dragged
out. trampled under foot. torn 20 pieces.
and then smtggied away In the dark on
donkey's back under panniers OF filth
My horses ready. my men waiting. my
Doy dying Tor want OF me. and myself
dead In a eanghill.
Great Jehovah. Lend me Thy
strength" i cried. as I rushed out into
the alley. Larhy was stealing away with
rapid steps. l overlook him: laid hold
OF him by the hook OF his teliah. He
turned upon me. There was a brief but
terrible struggle. All my soul was reused
TO uncomfortable fury. He was n fornnld-
able creature, but he was no match for
me then. / was Il weaking, yes but I
was fighting for the life of my boy MY
fearful energy must have been too much
Tor any adversary. ] took the man In
both my arms. / threw him of his feet.
/ lifted him by one mighty effort high
sfssrtcv
ground.
He began to cry out, and | sprang upon
him again and laid hold OF his throat I
knew where TO grip. and not sound
could he utter. We were stiu in the alley
and ! put my left hand into the neck of
his kaitan and dragged him back into the
saints house. He drew his dagger and
lungcd at me. i parted the thruS, with
my foot and broke his arm with my heel
Then there was a moment OF horrible be-
dazxlement. Red flames flashed before
the. My head grew dizzy. The whole
universe seemed TO reel beneath my feet
The man was doubled backward across
my knee. ] had drawn nv knife--T knew
where TO strickland For sny boy. nv
boy I cried in my heart.
IL was done. The man died without a
sroan. His body collapsed in my hands
rolled from my knee and fell at my feet
doubled up, the head under the neck. the
~ "a
q heap.
Then came an awful vevulsion OF feel
ing. For a moment stood looking down
overwhelmed with the horror of my act
In a sort OF drunken stupor / gazed ~
the wide-opea eyes. and the grimaclng
face Gxed in its hiaeousuess by the con-
vuisions ~ death 20 God. q God what
had | done. what had done?"
But | did not cry cut. In that awful
moment an instinct % preservation
saved me. I flung my fatal weapon away
aud crept out Of the place. My great
Strs ngth was all gone now, staggered
along, and st every step nay limbs sYew
more numb and stiff.
But In the alley / looked around. knew
no way back 30 my people except that
way by which / came. Down the other
alley and through the crowd 81 idlsrs !
mus; 80. Woald they BE- there s,lu? IL
So. would they see III my face what had
doneF
was no criminal 10 MASK nay crime In
4 dun Stupid. droUsy co,u2toae state
tsttsrea down the alley ard through She
crowd Thsv saw me- they recognized
ne: knew that they were teering az ne
bat l knew us more. "Skairi," shouted
one. ard 'Skatri' shouted another. ana
avs st&Egr rcd away they al Shouted
..Skairi" together.
Father. they called me drunkard. !
was a dg1akard indeed, but / wss dcask
with blood.
The sun had set by this time. It's last
rays were rising OF the gilded top - the
highest rntna.et III golden mist that
hooked ike fame leaping oct og i Kiln
! saw that as / saw everything. through
= ralp3tats9g haze
When 81 last / reached the place where
7 had left my people | found the horses
saddi.d the mules with their burdens
hacked on their pAGaieTs. the Hen wait
Ing. ard everything ready. Fuu well
knew that I ought 70 lesp 10 MY scat In
stantlv AMI be gons wtthant delay: bat
seemed TO have loss all power q prompt
seton. Vas thinking Of whas wanted
20 do bat I could nos ID Il. The men
smoke 10 NE. ana know that locked va
can:ly TITO their faces AID di3 rot
answer. one said - another. sd s
crown ieaf" The other touched hls
forehead and grtnne:-
saddle when the English cosssui came Up
ara hailed me With cheerful spirits By
ss effort THAI was Ike a SgaSfa / replied.
Allow me dec,or." he said aad lie e.
ssrsa his knee that / might mount
"Ah. no ne stAuuere1 AID ] ScrSrl-
b;ed 20 NY seat.
while / was iumhling Nth Try double
rein I saw that he was booking at nay
hand.
you've Gu, your fingers. doctog." he
said.
There Was blood CT them. TIE sl>o3
Was No; rr,ire. but sort % mechanical
xasssaF I snssn