Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-12-31

in bed that night, it was not until me
usual hour next day that she opened the
front door OF her cottage, and began her
morning work. She had spent the night
locked into her own little bedroom, and
so Shan had not guessed that she was
not only awake. but listening in an an
guish Of fear, when he came in at dawn.
And now, when he came down, he would
see everything just as usual, and his
mother pursuing her ordinary tasks. So
Rachel thought, while she pursued these
tasks as she had never done before, her
eyes hollow and feverish, her step weak
and uncertain, and her hands almost use
less in their unsteadiness. At the slight
est sound she started backward, as if she
had been struck, every limb trembling,
and her breath quick and irregular. And
just once she folded her hands high above
her head, and her lips moved slowly,
though the cry never passed them:
Not murder! Oh, kind heaven, not
murderr'
Her morning tasks were all finished,
and no traces left of her own untasted
breakfast, when Shan at last came down
stairs, and, without addressing word of
salutation to his mother, sat down mood
lily in his place at the table.
For quite two hours he waited in the
cottage kitchen, the outer door locked,
and the shutters closed upon the little
show Of sweets and toys in the window;
then he extingushed the light and, open
ing the door, stood for a few minutes
looking out into the darkness. His eyes
grew accustomed to it presently, and then
L with n4ft diff.
Guilty, took his gun from corner of the
dark kitchen. With it on his shoulder, he
stood to lock the door on the outside, and
to deposit the key in its usual hiding
place. Then he walked on. keeping to the
road, and getting over the ground but
slowly in his excessive caution. As usu-
al, the broken gate at Traveere was half
open, and Corr passed through it easily,
without having to remove his gun; but in
the rough avenue it was more difficult to
walk straight and steady, and to keep
perfect silence. Still, he knew the
ground well, and made his way direct to
the spot where he had hidden himself
the night before; and there before hirI,
from the exposed and open window, tee
light came lavishly.
A large turf fire burned in the CRATE
and just then the old servant, whom Corr
knew so well, was piling more turf upon
it. On the table before this fire two wax
candles were burning clearly, and below
them-he saw that Mr.. Poynz was writ
ing; for the feather of his pen was plain
ly to be seen over his right shoulder, as
he sat directly in the line of light with
his head bent busily and his back to the
open window.
All, this was worth waiting for! Was
not the darkness even deeper on this
night than it had been on the previous
one, and the light clearer within-and
would not his aim be far surer and
easier? BY the time the old woman had
left the room his hand would be steady,
and there would still not have been time
for Mr.. Poynz to move. Kitty rose from
the hearth and walked toward the door,
but apparently her master called her, for
she came back to the table and spoke
evidently in answer to some remark
Then, with the characteristic nod which
Shan knew quite well, she went away,
closing the door behind her. Corr drew
himself up after that intent gaze, and
stepped back again into the darkness.
There was no need of another minutes
hesitation. Kitty was safe in her kitch-
en-, Breen would be, asleep in that distant
room of his over the stable; Mr.. Doyle
was far away at Fintona; DR.. Armstrong,
if in the neighborhood at all, would be,
with everyone else who knew the Eng
lishman, at Kilver Vicarage, and in bed
by now. The deepest silence lowered
round the old house, and the darkness
would make any attempt at discovery or
pursuit simply madness in anyone, even
supposing-
Shan broke off this thought with con-
tortion of his heavy lips which might
have been intended for smile, and then
raised his gun slowly to his shoulder.
A pause of half a minute-a dark, dead
pause-and then the firm and heavy touch
upon the trigger frightened. A bullet flew
straight through the open window, enter
ed the leaning figure, passed through it,
struck the wall in front, and made a shiv-
ering hole there in the dark, old, rotten
wainscot.
(To be conrlnued.)