Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-03-27

| pa by Tor whom you nave cast me aside;
but Ursula Sewell. the woman you
called your wife a Ions time ago; the
woman to whom you made promises
that were never to be broken. Do you
remember? I expect you do; at any
rate. here in the darkness. you, and I
have reckoning to make, an account
to settle, for -he last time in life"
He could not see her face. but he had
a picture In his mind of the resolute
figure standing before the door: he had
another picture in his mind of the roar
ing furnace he had started down below
them. Time was precious and his very
life depended upon what he said and
what he did. Slowly. in the darkpess,
he crept nearer to her.
Ursula, don't be a fool. You know
perfectly we'll that was not seeking
the girl; that IL
Don't lie to mel" came her voice,
fiercely. out of the darkness.
I'm not lying; I swear I'm not" he
pleaded, nervously. Il came-came in
search of YOU; I wanted to warn you
that the house was on fire, that here is
rot a moment to lose if you would es-
cape. For Heavens sake. be reason
able and come away from that door,"
mo; it's too late for you and I to
escape; you'd better think of yourself,
and make your peace with whatever
Power you believe in, while there is
time. Don't come near me. You shall
not pass this door while I have the
power to cling to you and drag you
from it. Stand back!"
The man knew only too we'll what
raging fury he had to deal with in this
wronged woman; knew that he would
stand a greater chance for life against
the flames than against her. It was
horrible to stand there in the black
darkness, hearing that steady roar be-
low him and facing this resolute crea-
ture without the power to move her.
| "Ursula-for the love of the old days
listen to me. have been mad-des-
perateily mad-ever to turn away from
you; but will atone. Don't carry
this thing too far; you don't know the
danger in which you stand-the danger
roar of the fret"
| There's plenty of time for us to dis
the fire to reach us-and then the end
will be swift
THE end!" he gasped. "You, surely,
don't mean"
| "Oh, yes, I do. Nugent Leathwood.
if YOU had given me one word Of tend
erness-one word which showed me
that the old things you whispered to
me when was an innocent girl had a
spark of truth in them-I would have
| done anything to save you. Hush! do
not speak now. It's too late to say
what you might have said; you would
only say it because the fear of death is
| on you. Think what you've lost, for
the want of one world"
| In the darkness the man was creep
| ing nearer to her. although she did not
| know it; his hands We're stretched out
to grapple with her when she least ex-
r'ected it. Yet all the while. he spoke
as gently and as pleadingly as ever.
$50 you won't give me the chance I
asked for? Why, my dear girl, you,
| surely don't think that the mad feeling
| that had for that child had anything
permanent about it, do you? wanted
| to see what stuff you were made Of I
was coming back 20 you, Ursula, as
| surely as I stand here before you.
| Come-let us escaped"
| "No, it's too late,'' she said again.
| you are are lying to me, as you have
always lied. You were seeking me,
were you?-yet you ran like a mailman
up here, crying the name of that girl.
That was seeking me, was it? Try an
other story, Nugent Leathwood for
that one won't serve.''
"TEen, perhaps this will serve" he
cried, and darted straight at her. She
| caught him as they met, and held him,
for a moment, at bay; then his supe-
rior strength bore down her arms and
Jo
| tore it open and sprang out-only to
| dart back again, moment later, with
| a roaring sea of flame behind him,
| lighting up the room and licking in at
| the door and along the boards of the
| floor. Even then, in the supreme mo-
| ment of danger, he turned on the wo-
man and cursed her for the thing he
| had done himself
"See what you've done!' he CRIED
| half whimpering in terror. No chance
of getting down that way. must try
another"
He made a dash for the window; but
she caught him around the arms and
| held him tightly; almost shouted in
his ear; for the roar of the flames made
it difficult for any words to be heard:
"You shan't go-Tll hold you to the
last. You think you're going to escape
again-you think you're going to find
that girl. Shall I tell you where she
is?"
Let me go! I won't roast alive like
this; let me go!" He struggled fierce
ly, twisting about in her strong grip;
but the mere brute courage had gone
out of the man, and she held him, east
| ly. 'Where is she?"
"Gone-with her lover-with Gilbert
Rickerby!" she cried, with her lips
close to his ear.
He twisted out of her grasp then and
staggered back, staring at her with
wild eyes. He saw in a moment that
she sroke the truth; that this last, d.
abolical plan of his had come to naught
and that the very thing he had plot
ted 80 long to bring about had been
frustrated, and that the lovers had
escaped, while he was left to face the
death he had prepared for Gilbert
Rickerby.
How do you know this?" he gasped.
| ho1