The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-06-12

| not been able to see the old ruins al
most as soon as we started | should
have doubted that they existed. AS II
was | found myself wondering if this
pair was in any manner connected
with the disappearance of tn" tourists.
| was on my guard for what might
happen, and yet | did uOt bctray my.
self | kept up the conversation as we
walked along, and | am sure she took
me for an easy victim. | rather OK.
pcctcd To he fired OH from behind some
rock as soon as we were OFF the road,
but by ana 10y we heard the man call.
ing from the ruins, and realized that
the ambush would be there # any
where. AS we halted on the plateau II
was easy to make out that a vast
building had stood lMrrc once. | should
have said monastery, but the woman
insisted that it was Il great castle be-
longing TO some mighty prlncc and that
it had been destroyed by an earth
| quake. We wandered among the acre
Of ruins Us we talked. AZ we ncarcd
what must have been the rear OF the
| building I found that the walls stood
almost on the brink Of vrrcipicc. Be-
| fore us was what had been Il large
| room, with three of the walls yet
| standing. There were no less than five
| window openings, and as | advanced
| to one of them the woman said:
no; take this one. My brother has
! hult Il platform from which you can
look up and down the valley for miles" "
\ peculiar something i'm her voice
| caused me to glance at her face. and
found it pale and her features working
I'm Il nervous way. 1t was the window,
| then, which was the ambush. My
heart beat against my ribs, but |
meant TO see the thing to finish. The
man had called to u.s. but we had not
seen him Since arriving at the ruins
With laugh which sounded more like
Il crrAk the woman pulled herself to-
| grthrr and preceded me to the window
10 reach the opening we had to climb
UP three stone steps, and she stood fol
n moment looking out and clinging tC
| the wall for support.
You will see fine vicw-n fine
| view" she said rs she made room fol
me. step out and look up and down
did not step out. There was some
thing so modern about that platform
| and It had been built so dcftly that
feared it. ! simply clung to the wal
ana thrust my head out, and | was
looking up the valley when the woman
gave ne push with all her strength
Her hands did not strike me fair OF
my hold would have been broken.
was whirlcd half way round and part
II thrown down but as recovered my
footing I swept her aside with my arm
nd C1, TO 1,n A.,
scream. Next instant the man came
dashing through the doorway In thu
WSG. lie had n knife in his hand, ant
HI EsHant murdc". lcapcd down t.
nsoeI him that l might have free pla,
fGa eaT stal. and | believe we battlet
fDR een minutes. Still lying on tn,
gJou2ai, the woman seized my legs ant
tl3e& 60 pun me down. but kicked he
nwGP and gave all my attention to th
II sSs. Aye, but that fellow was craft,
atSa llainous and determined. Had
fo1gisS Linn with knife he would sool
hove ECttlcd me. 1t was the stout stat
WnicS kept him Off, and it was th
star Ehich finally dealt him blow
that hid him out unconscious. look
ed for the woman as l stopped to
breathe, but she had disappeared. I
| went over to the window and cxamln-
cd the platform and found that it was
sustained by lever which could be
| pulled out and allow the bottom to
| drop. AS the man began to return to
| life | lifted up my staff and beat him
| Till was weary, and then l went my
| way up the mountain road. That am.
bush had gathered at least three vic.
Tins. but it was not for me to carry O
mystery to the police and be detained
In filthy Jail for months or ycare
Willie they took their time to solve 1t.