The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-05-22

this matter calmly. I grant that you
have brought me here in manner
that does you credit, and seem to LIZ
in something Of hole. Perhaps we
can arrange it all in some sort of conf
promise
Womanlike, the countess took this
as a sign of weakness and became
more positive in her demands.
"The paper will not be sent upon
only one condition, monsieur"
"Ah! yes, and that?"
You will renounce forever all de-
sire to make this girl, Hildegarde,
your wife, and agree to bestow upon
me the regard l crave"
He sat in silence for several min
utes, knowing that he was inflictihg
torture upon her with each passing
second Of time.
well, have you decided, monsieur7"
Eyes"
'tAnd the RESULT" bending forward
eagerly.
81 must respectfully decline the
proposition.
She bit her lips-hope had made her
heart throb like triphammer, but
now it seemed to hang almost dead
and lifeless within her.
You know the consequences"
mot wholly, but am prepared to
meet them as they come"
Il am surprised"
You expected me to be overwhelm-
ed. My dear countess, 1 have spent
my boyhood on the plains of Texas
among cowboys, who early learn to
depend upon themselves in an emer-
gency. We Americans do not easily
yield"
so 1 perceive. And a French
woman is said to be equally stubborn
in her way"
Then it is a Roland for an Oliver.
This is not so very bad, you know"
stretching his limbs, and making him
self little more comfortable, eff it
were not that it comes about against
my will"
Paul, although seeming to take the
affair in careless manner, was cud-
ceiling his brains as to the means that
should be employed to effect his es-
cape.
What would his generous benefactor
think when he failed to show up in
the morning?
He groaned in spirit and his feeling
| toward the adventures drew rapidly
toward the line where hatred would
supplant Indifference.
| Paul had half turned with the in
tention Of making vigorous demands
upon his fair jailer, when, without the
least warning, as if in response to
some signal of the countess, the lights
went out.
Instinctively the,American sprang on,
of his chair and sought to lay hold OF
the woman to keep her as a hostage
but his arms only clasped the chair
in which she had been seated, which
unable to withstand his sudden as
sault, fell over to the floor, taking i,
along with it.
He heard the swish of silken gar.
ments, following the miserable chair
| liz was AAoI Al duy IoO 6OOu uuluOl
after the little episode, since he hat
bruised his hand, and made fool O
himself generally, as he believed.
Standing there in the dark, he lis
tened.
All was quiet within the house
though the noises of the city came IL
faint, confused murmur.
He struck match and by the ait
Of the brief illumination he was able
to take cursory view OF his surround
ings.
There must be door somewhere
and his next duty was to find it, but
the search was vain.
AS he was unable to discover the
cleverly hidden door, Rhinelandel
changed his tactics.
Surely there must be some othe1
means of ventilating the apartment
window, scuttle or trap door, fol
instance-he was in a humor where
the means counted but little in the
race, the end being the main feature
So he began another series of in.
vestigations.
(To be continued)