Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-04-27

ter now, ana then make you ready to march.
Pelow stairs at this moment Is Lounsbury in
the flesh, and with him file Of men to take
you off This bit of play was for ms own
pleasure, and, having had il, III be your
valet and stay by your heels until you are
safely delivered to Cunningham. Now God
rest your miserable soul Have you aught
TO say before give the word to the rest"
To state that / was unaffected BY these
words. which were poured forth N q -
rent * though my tormentor feared inter-
rupticu, would be false. ! saw my plans for
the future, nay hope for life itself, swept
away together. and nothing but blank,
broken only by vision Of the galaows,
danced before my eyes.
TO say that He had the satisfaction Of
seeing me yisiDlY Qual would be equally
false, f0r, though my heart beat thekly
enough / sat Eumoved and looked at him
81 though III q dream. | even essaged to
speak. brit words would not come, for my
throat was clinched by invisible bands
Are u crushed et last. lie exclaimed,
ith a GRIM sgale, though without shifting
LIS eve or aim "Oh, YOU shorn Samson!
I ara well paid for your cursed insults
lie was stll speaking when again Tie
heavg shake came u tae- flooring But
now it dld not pass into gentle tremor
and fade away, instead, it grew stronger
and stronger until every ratter took Up
the motion and the whole house trembled
a. though with an ague Greater grew the
sinking until the building rocked. the bed
Slid away from the wall, the table shifted,
the glass and bottle on it rang toether, and
Tie pitcher danced so violently thas the
water within il splashed from its top. A
square of plaster from the ceiling fell to
the floor with crash, filling the room with
dust; but through an ScammeI never
WINGED, showing wonderment, nor bore
less threatening attitude.
In tine course Of the seconds through
which this endured he held me as he proba-
bly would have done had the roof fallen
about our ears, so determined was he to
take me. / knew the nature of the tur-
mol at once, for when in the Indies with
my father ! had experienced it. It was
not caused by the earth shaking from the
rolling Of heavy thunder, for Just then the
voice OF the storm was confined to the roar
Of a terrific downpour OF rain. It was an
earthquake rare phenomenon in this lat
ltude, and it's rarity, its severity, and Is re-
suits before my eyes, trihing as were these,
woke me from my trance and again gave
tul play to my wits.
Fascinated and partly stunned as | had
been bg the fiendish face Of my enemy and
the full significance Of the evil fortune into
which | had suddenly fallen, like him. /
sat through the commotion. Every unin.
portant detail about him, from the broken
pearl button on his shirt front down to the
grains OF powder in the pistol pan and the
fine edge of the flint in the lock, found a
force Of attraction to the eye only known
10 those who fall into sudden hopeiessness
or deep depression.
Bat with the dancing of the tableware a
quick idea shot through my brain. and
showed me a last desperate chance to ex-
tricate myself from the coil about me-
Natural phenomenon in the shape of
breeze had saved me from the knife of the
negro. and now twas an earthquake that
might open a way for my deliyeraace BY
splashing water from a pitcher.
Straining my nerves To conceal the new
hope that had sprung % life. began 10 act.
Never had | felt my muscles knit frner or
been less IN need Of stuuUiant than when.
sinking haci, 4. IL at ast overcome by the
combined sh Ncls "a i r~ aad the co.'s.
vusion Of nature. which ha3 row passed,
| said slowly and as though dazed.
i am but prisoner Cd var, sir. was
forced for my own safety to come to New
York ann no-spy- 4 Eill -but-yo.s-
let me drink. ! feel lax and-dizzy."
You have none OF the Iudian in you,
you pale-livered sneak he answered.
Drink, then, and gather your spunk and
legs for action Beat me with the fiat OF
your sword Fore God. But wait till
can shift my eye from you, Drink. and then
move before we have another quake, and the
walls about us-'twill be YOUR last dram"
With apparent effort [ raised myself,
reached for the bottle, and poured out a
stiff measure of liquor, which | drank off
then taking the pitcher. made as though to
till the glass, but a. | tipped il, with u sud
den movement | whiried full half gallon
Of water over the pistol. drenching the
printing and making the weapon useless.
With tins action | sprang To my feet
ScammeII was quick but not quick
enough The water had but reached the
powder when | heard the snap of the de-
seendiug hammer. and saw his hrst mo-
ton tu gain his legs; but, following up the
drowning of the fire pan. lifted the heavy
table and overturned Il on him, pushing
him backward. where To the floor went man,
furniture. and crockery with terrific crash.
At that moment there came a VIVID fash OF
lightning, and hard upon It an appalling
peal Of thunder. Though almost blinded
and deafened by the bolt. ! sprang round
the overturned table, and seizing the first
thing coming to hand, which proved to be
the water Jug stiiI unhroken. | grasped the
struggling tory BIZ che throat and with all
mv force hrou1ht down the heavy earthen-
aafe on his uncovered Aeai
Tie pitcher HeW to fragments. leaving
bus fhe haailt my grasp. esile SeammeA
became inr IT'D collapsed.
IH- acfan taok n'1e aurrS 81 interval
~ wl4gA ttta thunder uss.~ = AS IH,ftttSt ard