The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-06

is this?" as he drew and guarded my
thrust Then he cried out to his man:
Shoot, fool! shoot him.
Out sprang the report across the room,
and pane Of glass fell behind me; but, as
good luck would have if. the miss was clean
and fair.
At the same time, too quick, and too
| tangled UP with our hurrying about the
room TO be at first distinguished from it,
came an uproar from below stairs. Shot
followed shot and could soon hear.
4 even above the noise we made as we thrust
and parried, the sounds of fighting from be-
Meath
AT the first he hesitated a moment NUT
tering. What may that be?" But. as 1
pressed him sorely. he turned to me again.
crying:
'DorkinI thou fool. fire! Waste no time!
Fire. curse thy soul!''
Then 1 saw the man come towards me,
and / knew he could not miss again. There
was naught TO do but run, and 1 for the
great bed. followed by the leader. who had
thrown his great cape back over his Shout
ders. AS 1 1 caught chair and swung
il around towards the soldier, hitting him
! squarely in the shins, and he bowled over,
cursing with pain. That gave me a moment
and l pushed table at my adversary; but
he catching il. swung it aside. and at it
again we went.
All the while the terrible din below stairs
increased. and cries and curses now added
to the uproar. 1t through my mind to
wonder how my men Jared. and If Curtis
were near enough TO hear. But / could do
little. for my time was near UP.
''Shoot shooti coward" cried the man
again.
/ caught, out of the curner of my eye,
the soldier again on his feet and walking
slowly up to me, with his great pistol held
before him and bearing or me. And It's
more than strange how, gone though 1
knew 1 must be. had but thought
she should see what a patriot could do in
his last hour. So 1 gave heavy lunge at
my man, and again. still seeing the other
growing slowly arger-when there rang
out another shot like cannon's report in
that room.
Missed again." muttered L but curse
from my opponent. and the heavy thud of
a falling body. told me he was down. Yet
did 1t take me long TO realize what had
happened; for 1 could not let my eye wan
der from the sword that flashed in front of
me constantly. AS we turned around one
another. however. 1 caught the glimpse of
Mistress Philipse. looking in terror at the
floor in front of her, and holding my srnok-
ing pistol in her hand-and my good spir-
its few back TO their proper place.
Up came from below a shout, and I
heard cries and steps rushing up the stairs.
Still my man pressed his work; but
what had seen her do gave me the stom-
ach TO push him to the wall And then, too
quick TO be told here properly. my name
sounded clear and brave in Actions voice,
accompanied by the sounds of my ap-
preaching friends. For the space of an in
slant we stood listening. and in that mo-
ment 1 turned Mistress Philipse. and
cried:
Into the back rooml quick. Wait for me
there! All, you will attempt it, will you?"
this last to my adversary, as ] saw him
making for the window.
Twas a hard moments exchange of
thrusts and he was too near the window:
for. as l cried out and the door opened and
Acton rushed in, the man turned, put his
foot lightly on the low sill, and went out
straight into the darkness with fall of
thrice his height below. Yet even then, l
noted that she had gone in the nick of
time. All might yet be we'll!
| We ran to the window and heard the
voice of Curtis cry out, as he ran off into
the night after my vanished opponent.
Then i soon learned that four British SOL
diers were prisoners, and that five lay
dead. or wounded, below. And while the
men were discussing how many had
capped. Curtis walked into the room.
'Well?" said 1, struck by the expression
on his face.
He sat down and wiped his forehead
without speaking for moment; then said,
as if to himself:
Sometimes l almost believe in spirits
What now, lad?" asked Acton.
Here was 1 standing in the door below"
said he, rising with far more animation
than he usually betrayed. looking out into
the night when who, think We. literally
dropped from the clouds?'
"Why, lad, twas my jumped from
the window above" said 1.
Curtis shook his head.
Twas the man with the capel the man,
as sure as livel The man who is known
TO us as Hazeltine! 1 knew him at once. L
made after him. but'-and here he
shrugged his shoulders-'but he disap-
peared as if the darkness had swallowed
him"
And I sat down and pondered what this
might mean.
ITO be Continued Monday.I
copyright. 1901. by Frank A. Munsey as I'm the
Shadow of War" Copyright. 1902. by Dodd.
| Mead &