The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-10


the horror than even her words had
done
Keep perfectly STILL she continued.
and do not interfere with me in any
way"
rs it snake?'' asked the major, dis
regarding her injunction to remain 81
lent
Yes, a cobra" the lips whispered.
DO not move"
From the direction Of Minora,s eyes
Herkomer knew that the hooded demon
was on the back of his chair.
Surely it was the light of inspiration
which came into the eyes OF this strange
girl, as she broke into q IoH Italian
chant, weaving her slender arms back
and forth, back and forth.
HerkCmer could fee that the cobra
was followEg her movements. Great
beads of perspiratIon stood ont on his
fcrehead-nol So much at his own proX-
unity TO the hated thing. but because
of the grand, cool courage Minora was
showing, and the risk she was running
in drawing the attention of the viper to
herself.
shes going to hypnotize the beast"
he thought. He knew she could do it.
toe; the face told him that. 1t seemed
cOwaUdly to sit there and allow wom-
an to face the snake but her command
to keep perfectly still had been as much
enureaty rs command, and he felt that
b. moving he would only increase the
danger to both.
With the same sinuous movement
Minora had risen from her seat and
gently swayEg her body as the soft
cadences OF the chant rose and fell,
gliGc,l toward the cobra.
MY God, keep back Herkomer
gruaned. scarcely moving his lips.
stand back and wai- till he goes
away.
BUT the chant continued. and there
were the INTERCEPTED two English words
keep still.
Before Herkomer could move or re-
monstrate further there was the flash
OF Il white arm. rustic of the soft
folds of Minora' 5 muslin dress. and he
sprane TO his feet to see the cobra he
ing held at arms length. firmly grasp
ed by those slender fingers close up TO
its ugly wedge-shaped head.
wait. please," she cried, stepping
back. as Herkomer advanced toward
her with evident intention of taking the
snake; fathers tomtOn. has just
driven I'D 10 the door-he vii! take the
cobra-it is one of his pat1ents
She was still holding the repulsive
creature at arms length as the profess
sor ran up the cemented steps, calling
for the bearer to come and take his
tOpee.
lie stopped Snort " litll tiG ODSEl ' GU
the erueSome tableau in front of him;
stopped short until startled into activ-
ity by his daughters voice, asking to
be relieved Of her terrible captive.
In an instant the professor mad the
cobra by the tail. and, calling 10 Mi
nora TO let go quickly, he swung him
clear. and. holding him thus. carried
him back to the box from which he
had escaped ----.
Overcome by the reaction, the brave
girl sank into the chair she had risen
from, and gave way to flood OF nerv-
Gus, hyStericai tears.
OF course, there could only be one
reward tor such sallanury. l. the term
may be applied to women's brave deeds
a ~. c" was out OF the question; be-
sides. the great Italian eyes had
worked sad havoc with Herkomer be-
fore the advent of the cobra.
Love made her brave, unused the
major as his Burma pony ratified him
over the metalled road of the canton
ment late that night but she's u
welI-bred one. anyway. and blood will
tell. God. how she stood there and
never iinched. with that devil in her
handr' And then he thought of the
soft maidenly bushes that had swept
over the sweet face as he talked to
her Of love, of the love that had been
in his mind for days and weeks before
the appearance OIL Indt sinister VISITOR.
With Jesuitical cOmplaisance, Herko-
mer began to feel deuced glad that the
cobra had precipitated matters by polk
ing his ugly head into their tete-a-tete. /
1t had given him the opportunity to
risk it all on a single throw of the dice,
and he had won-wOn with the other
fellow. her fathers great friend. Count !
Rubitino, a bad second.
Count Rubitino was a dilletanti, an /
amateur scientist, ostensibly devoted, ]
like Minoras father, the professor, to
the discovery of an antidote to the I
virus of the cobra and kharite.
''An d--n rotw said Herkomer TO the (
little iron gray that was carrying him !
so CALAMITY along. .'Minora's his game /
and / have beaten him, my boy, beaten I
him clean out of his boots. by Jove." !
And he chuckled to himself as he /
thought of the bally row both the /
count and the professor would kick UP |
when they learned how the land lay
AS he logged home from parade next /
morning, Herkomer brought his pony
up alongside of Surgeon Thornycroft
Come over and have breakfast with