Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-08-20
CHAPTER VIII.

tons more quickly in moments of dan
ger than at any other time, discarding
the consideration Of side issues, and
obeying blindly the instinct of self
preservation.
III flashed across me instantly that l
was in deadly peril at the hands of the
man whom had accused of cowardice
-Demetrius. He alone had access to
the house; he alone could quiet Sultan,
the bloodhound; he alone had good rea-
son to fear not only Burlington, but
Hugo Livingston. Mark Gerard, I could
no longer doubt, was the victim of
Geep-laid plot-a plot which already
had wrecked three lives, and which was
destined. perhaps, to destroy my own.
If the Greek. inflamed with hellish am
bition, had slain poor Perkins, he was
capable of repeating the tragedy of Red
Gulch here, in this bedroom. Obvious
ly his plan was to kill both Burlington
ard me, and in such manner that it
would be supposed we had killed each
other.
This conviction asserted itself as I
awaited in breathless silence the attack
of the Greek. had dropped upon one
knee between the door and the bed,
and in my right hand was the small
pistol which | always carried on my
person. But a pistol is the least eff
cient weapon in such fight as this.
What would l have given for double
barreled shotgun, good sabre or a
knife! If I fired in the dark, the fash
of the powder would prove death war
rant; the same grim logic applied to
the striking of Nla*ch. was sol istied
that such master seoandrel as De-
nletrius had laid his plans with e1traor-
binary sagacity. He was taking des-
perate chances, but the crisis justified
them. These rooms were cut off from
of pistol shot would arouse Gerard
and the servants. Dcmetrius must have
counted upon the moon as an ally.
From the darkness of Marks room he
might have approached me unseen and
unheard, and then-a bold thrust OF a
knife would rid him of the man who
had dared to unmasB his villainy. But
the tickle moon had played him false.
He probably, like me, was now upon
the defensive. Who would move first?
I finally decided to take the initiative,
for the suspense was intolerable.
Demetrius, I reflected, was stiff in the
joints, his muscles less supple than
mine, his sense of hearing less acute
Youth was on my side, experience on
his The two players in the game were
at least fairly matched.
Had it not been for Burlington, could
have easily escaped by the window and
alarmed the households; but dared not
leave my patient. His somewhat ster-
torous breathing was the only sound
which broke the silence. If were killed
or injured, he was at the mercy of the
Greek.
confess that certain exhilaration
possessed me as l crawled into Marks
room, and a sense that was acting
wisely braced my nerves. The Greek
could beat me hollow when it came to
scheming, but in a rough-and-tumble
contest l confidently expected to get the
best of him. AS soon as determined
his whereabouts, l decided to rush the
ruffian, and, if possible, strike the first
ESQ often the lasD blow.
But the unexpected, that element in
human affairs which we Invariably
ignore, ruled otherwise. had hardly
crossed the threshold of the inner room
when ] heard a heavy football in the pas.
sage. At the same moment the voice of
Jap Byers, calling me by name, echoed
gruffly through the darkness, while a
gleam of light pierced the gloom. AS
the door was flung open, revealing the
thick-set figure of the coachman, lam
tern in hand, a crash of glass to my
right set my nerves tingling. Demer
trius had leaped through the window,
glissaded down the roof of the veranda,
and was already lost to sight. Jap and
1 confronted each other, our mouths
agape, our eyes starting from our heads.
eff this amt a picnic" said Jap, "what
Is it?"
ATTEMPTED murder, Jap. You ar
rived in the nick of time
81 heard that Their hound a-bayin',
Mr.. Livingston, an suspicioned that
somethin'-a coon, maybe-was stir
rim Well, sir, old Sultan wasn't g,ivin'
tongue fer nothin'; fer the next thing
knowed there was that-Greel sarpint
a-crawlin' around the house. Thinks I,
III watch you, mister, an maybe take g
hand myself in this yere game. piped
him off as he unlocked the back door,
and then | saw, not five minutes ago,
the light in Mr.. Burlington's room go
out. Gosh! done some tall thinkin'
right then. / dassn't cry out. 'cause