Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-02-05

soul with me, ignoring the past, you
| have to-day been told too much for
my safety or-your own. What if you
should catch a serious cold here at the
| House by the Lock? Unfortunately
! the place is rather damp, though so
! charming in many ways. You might
| have an attack of pneumonia. Only
/ fancy how the world would sympathize
with the husband of so beautiful and
popular a girl as yourself if he were
bereavcd of you during the honey
mOOni"
ooh, you are horrible-horrible 1t
is like death even to listen to you,"
cried Karine. If only there was
soul on earth to help me-but there's
none-nOne!"
His answer, if he had made one, was
drowned in the crashing of glass. Bet
ter that she should be startled, even to
the point of swooning, rather than en-
dure for another second the torture
that that fiend was inf1icting upon her.
| broke in the skylight with a heavy
stick which I had brought up to the
roof between my teeth. Then, with
hands cut and bleeding, despite the pro-
lection of my gloves, l swung myself
down and dropped on to the floor
There was a cry from Karine, and
sharp exclamati n of dismayed G5ton-
ishment from Wildred, for once out
witted. l had never been a match for
him in diplomacy but when it came to
a physical encounter | had every adj
vantage over him, and | knew it.
He had no time to pull out the knife
or revolver for which his hand flew to
his pocket, for | was on him, taking
him by the throat and shaking him as
a terrier shakes rat.
l had not stopped even to look at
Karine, and yet the vision of her pale
face and hands clasped over her
bosom and flashed, lightning-like, up
on my conscience. Thank Heaven!
thank Heaven," l could hear her sob.
hoped that she did not look-that she
closed her eyes or covered them with
her hands-but Wildred did not give
me time to make suggestions. He was
more nimble, if he was less strong,
than l.
l could feel, through all his writh-
| ings, that he was trying to force me
along with him towards certain cor
| ner of the room, and. realizing it, re-
! solved to thwart him, whatever his
! object might be. l had come to the
| knowledge exactly one second too late,
/ however. He had managed to place
! his foot on a bell concealed under one
of the rugs on the floor, and l heard
| its summons go pealing shrilly out
| through the house.
| remembered how I had looked for
| bell in this room once before it was
! scarcely to be wondered at, considering
| its position, that l had not found it.
l another moment the servant-ac-
complete would come to the assistance
| of his master. Had it not been for
Karines presence | felt that l should
not have found it difficult in my pres
ent mood to have held them both in
| check, but as it was | should greatly
| have preferred only one antagonist
The struggle in which | was engaged
| with Wildred had degenerated into a
species of wrestling match. I had him
| down on one knee at last, and bending
his arms behind him while he poured
forth volley of oaths-his strange
| light eyes flashing into mine-I at
tempted to tie his hands together with
my silk handkerchief wound into a
slip-knot l had learnt to make at sea.
He was as slippery as a serpent in
my grasp, and it was taking all knew
to manage him, when a cry from Ka-
rine gave me first warning that I was
attacked from behind.
The confidential man had stolen in
as noiselessly as l had crept upon the
roof and to the skylight
Take that, them" | heard him snarl
savagely, and a low exclamation from
my darling told me that in some way
he had revenged himself upon her. For
an instant lost my presence of mind