The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-06-24

| down as YOU deserve, but / know your in
fernal tricks, and mean to hold you where
you belong. | take it twill afford me more
pleasure TO see you dance at a ropes end
| than dirty my hands with your blood, save
you make il urgent. Let me clinch the mat
ter now, and then make you ready 10 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 my own
pleasure. and, having had it, I'll be your
| valet and stay by your heels until you are
safely delivered 10 Cunningham Now God
| rest your miserable soul Have you aught
10 say before l give the word to the rest ?"
To state that was unaffected by these
words, which were poured forth in a toi
rent as though my tormentor feared inter-
ruption, would be false. saw my plans for
the future, my hope for life itself, swept
away together, and nothing but blank,
| broken only BY vision of the gallows,
| danced before my eyes.
To say that he had the satisfaction OF
seeing me visibly quail would be equally
false, for, though my heart beat thiclSly
| enough, i sat unmoved and looked at him
Gs though in dream. / even essayed TO
speak, but words would not come, for my
throat was clinohed by invisible bands.
"Are you crushed at Last" he exclaimed,
With a grim smile, though without shifting
| lis eye or aim. ooh, you shorn Samson!
am well paid for your cursed insults"
re was still speaking when again the
| heavy shake came to the flooring But
now il did not pass into gentle tremor
and fade away; instead, it grew stronger
and stronger until every rafter took up
| the motion and the whole house trembled
az though with an ague. Greater grew the
| "A. 4.
! slid away from the wall, the table shifted,
the glass and bottle on il rang togther and
| the pitcher danced so violently that the
water within it splashed from it's top. A
square of plaster from the ceiling fell TO
the floor with a crash, filling the room with
dust; but through all Scammel never
WINGED, showing wonderment, nor bore
less threatening attitude.
in the 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-
moil at once, for when in the Indies with
! my father / had experienced it. 1t was
| not caused by the earth shaking from the
rolling of heavy thunder, for just then the
voice OF the storm was confined 20 the roar
of a terrific downpour of rain. 1t was an
earthquake-a rare phenomenon in this lat
itude, and it's rarity, It's severity, and its re-
suits before my eyes, trifiing as were these,
woke me from my trance and again gave
full play to my wits.
Fascinated and partly stunned as had
| been by the fendish face of my enemy and
| the full significance Of the evil fortune into
which i had suddenly fallen, like him,
| sat through the commotion. Every unim-
1 Joto lnln frc, b.. lraF,
| pearl button on his shirt front down 10 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
| to those who fall into sudden hopelessness
or deep depression.
But 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 a
| breeze had saved me from the knife Of the
negro, and now twas an earthquake that
might open way for my deliverance by
| splashing water from a pitcher.
| Straining my nerves TO conceal the new
hope that had sprung to life, began to act
| Never had felt my muscles knit frmer or
been less in need of stmulant than when,
sinking back as il at last overcome by the
combined shock Of his words and the con
| vusion OF nature, which had now passed,
! said slowly and as though dazed:
81 am but prisoner Of war, sir was
| forced for my own safety 10 come TO New
| York. / am no-spy-I will o-but-you-
let me drink. feel lax and-dizzy."
"You have none OF the Indian in you,
you pale-livered sneak" he answered
Drink, then, and gather your spunk and
/ r.. H. af IF
your sword Fore God But wait till
can shift my eye from youl Drink, and then
move before we have another quake, and the
walls about us-'twill be your last dram"
With apparent effort I raised myself,
reached for the bottle, and poured out a
stiff measure of liquor, which ] drank of;
| then taking the pitcher, l made as though to
| fill the glass, but az tipped il, with a sud
| den movement | whirlcd full half gallon
| of water over the pistol drenching the
| printing and making the weapon useless
I, With this action | sprang to my feet.
Scanned was quick, but not quick
enough. The water had but reached the
powder when / heard the snap of the de-
scending hammer, and saw his first mo-
ton TO gain his legs; but, following up the
drowning of the fre-pan, lifted tho heavy
table and overturned il on him, pushing
him backward, where TO the floor went man,
furniture, and crockcry with a terrific crash
AT that moment there came n vivid flash of
| lightning, and hard upon IL an appalling
peal Of thunder. Though almost blinded
and deafened by the bolt. sprang round
the overturned table, and Selling the first
thing coming 10 hand. which proved TO be
! the water jug still unbroken, grasped the
struggling tory by the throat and with all
my force brought down the heavy earthen
ware on his uncovered head.
The pitcher flew to fragments, leaving
but the handle in my grasp, while Scammell
became limp and collapsed.
This action took place during the interval
Mt which the thunder was the loudest, and
was probably the reason that caused the
noise of the fall Of the table to be unnoticed
by those below But, as though il had been
insufficient, another violent convulsion fol
lowed, which came and went with the
suddenness Of the explosion Of park Of
artillery.
| L. A.. "A.