The Saint Paul globe., 1898-04-24
CHAPTER xxx1v-continued.
Under 81 Crimson Sky.


"Lucetta, my little Lucetta," he was
saying; so she has come to see me;
come to taunt me with the loss of her
lover, whom she says have robbed her
Of almost before her eyes! rob her!
How can rob her or any one of man
with a voice and arm of his own
stronger than mine? Am I a wizard
to dissipate his body in vapOr? Yet is
it here in my house or on my lawn?
You are fool, Lucstta; SO are all these
men about here fools! 1t is in your
house
"Hush?' she cried, her slight figure
rising until we forgot it was the feeble
Lucetta we We're gazing at. mo more
accusations directed against us. 1t is
you who must meet them now. Mr..
Trohm, your evil practices are discov
cred. Tomorrow you will have the
police here in earnest. They did but
play with you when they were here be-
fore.''
you, childni he gasped, striving,
however, to restrain all evidences of
shock and terror. why, who was it
called In the police and set them work
ing in Lost Mans laneAWas it not T.
Yes, that they might. not suspect
you and perhaps that they might sus-
pect u.s. Bait it. Ewas useless, Obadiah
Trohm. Althea Knollys, children have
been long suffering, but the limit has
been reached ateAasta When you laid
your hand upon my olover, you reused
a spirit in me that nothing but your
own destruction can satisfy. Where is
he, Mr. Trohm? Where Is silly Rufus
and all the rest who have vanished be-
tween Deacon Spears: house and the
little home of the cripples on the high
read? They have asked me, but if any
one in Lost Mans lane. can answer that
question it is you, prosecutor of my
mother, OF ourselves, whom I here de-
nounce in face of these skies where
God reigns and this earth where man
lives to harry and condemn
And then 1 saw that the instinct Of
this girl had accomplished what mere
human acumen had failed in For the
old nlan-indeed he seemed an old man
now-cringed and the wrinkles came
out In his face till he was Economically
ugly.
you viper!", he shrieked. "How
dare you accuse me of crme-you
whose mother would have died in Jail
but for my forbearanee? Have you ever
seen me set my foot upon worm
Look at my fruit and flowers, look at
my home, without spot of blemish to
mar its neatness and propriety. Can a
man who loves these things stomach
the destruction of man, much less of
a silly, yawping boy? Lucetta, you are
madr"
Mad or sane my accusation will
have its results, Mr.. Trohm. I believe
too deeply in your guilt not to make
others do so.''
"Ah," said he, then you have not
done so yet? You believe this and
that, but you have not said So"
NO" she calmly returned, though
her face blanched to the colorlessness
of wax, Il have not said so yet"
Oh, the cunning that crept into his
face!
'She has not said 1t. Oh, the little
Lucetta, the wise, the careful little Lu-
cetta!'
But I will,' she cried, meeting his
eye with the courage and constancy of
a martyr, Though bring death upon
myself I will denounce you and do it
before the night has settled down upon
us. have lover to avenge, a brother
to defend. Besides, sthe earth should be
rid of such a monster oS you"
"Such monster as T? Well, my pref
ty one'-his voice had grown suddenly
wheed1ing, his face a study of mingled
passions-"we will see about that.
Come just a step nearer, Lucetta. I
want to see if you are really the little
girl I used to dandle on my knee"
They were now near the gateway.
They had been moving all this time.
His hand was on the curb of the old
we'll His face, so turned that 1t caught
the full glare of the setting sun, leaned
toward the girl, exerting a fascinating
influence upon her. She took the step
he asked, and before we could shrek
out "BeWare! we saw him bend for
ward with sudden, quick motion and
then start upright again, while her
form, which but an instant before had
stood there in all it's frail and inspired
beauty, tottered as if the ground were
bending under it, and in another mo-
ment disappeared from our appalled,
sight, swallowed in some dreadful cav
ern that for an instant yawned in the
smoothly cut lawn before us and then
vanished again from sight as If 1t had
never been.-
A Shrek from my whistle, mingled
with a simultaneous cry of agony from
Loreen and the bushes In our rear. We
heard Mr.. Gryce rush, but we our
selves found it impossible to stir, para
lyzed as we were by the sight of the
leaping to and fro over the turf, hold
ing up his fingers in the red sunset
"Sixr' he srieked. "slx! And room
for two more. Oh. it's a merry life
lead. Flowers and fruit and lovemak-
ing (oh, how I cringed at thatD, and
now and then a. little spice like this
But where is my pretty Lucetta? Sure
ly she was herefa moment ago. How
could she have vanished then so quick
ly. I do not sea her form amid the
trees, there Is ne trace upon the lawn,
and if they search the house from top
to bottom and omobottom to top they
will find nothing s0f her-no, not so
much as a print Of her footstep or the