The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-10
THOMPSON


d1sconcerting thing for him but he
rallied instantly and sprang aside. TAX
ing a new position just in time TO face
father Beret again. A chill crept up
his back. The horror which he could
not shake off enraged him beyond
measure. Gathering fresh energy, he
renewed the assault with desperate
steadiness, the highest product of alb
solutely molten fury.
Father Beret felt the dangerous ac-
cess of power in his anita gonist's arm.
and knew that crisis had arrived. He
could not be careless now. Here was
swordsman of the best schooling
calling upon him for all the skill and
strength and cunning that he could
command Again the sanity element
was near being thrown aside by the
worldly in the old mans breast. Alice
lying there seemed mutely demanding
that he avenge her. A riotous some
thing in his blood ciamored for quick
and certain act in this drama by moon
ight-a tragic close by a stroke Of
terrible yet perfectly fitting justice.
There was but the space of a breath
Tor the conflict in the priests heart,
yet during that little time he reasoned
the case and quoted scripture to him
self
Domino. percutinus in gladio?'.
rang through MS lllnQ. LOrQ, snail
we smite with the sword %
Hamilton seemed to make answer to
this with a dazzling display of skill.
The rapiers sang a strange song above
the sleeping girl, lullaby with corus-
cations of death in every keen note
Father Beret was thinking of Alice.
His brain. playing double, calculated
with lightning swiftness the chances
and movements of that whirlwind rush
0f fob NH ~ -
swept through a retrospect of all the
years since Alice came into his life.
How he had watched her grow and
bloom; how he had taught her, trained
her mind and soul and body to high
things. loved her with a fatherly pas
sion unbounded. guarded her from the
coarse and lawless influences of her
surroundings. Like the toIling of an in
finitely melancholy bell, all this went
through his breast and brain, and.
blending with a furious current of
whatever passions were deadly dan
gerous in his nature. swept as a storm
bearing its awful force into his sword
arm
The Englishman was a lion. the
priest a gladiator. The stars aloft In
the vague, dark, yet splendid. amphi-
theatre were the audience. It was a
question. Would the thumbs go down
chances even; but it was at the will of
heaven, not of the stars. Hoe habet''
must follow the stroke ordered from
beyond the astral clusters and the
dusky blue.
Hamilton pressed. nay rushed. the
fight with d weight and at d pace
which could not last. But Father
Beret withstood him so firmly that he
made no farther headway: he even lost
some ground moment later.
You damned Jesuit hypocrite?" he
snarled; you lowest of a vile brother
hood of liars,'
Then he rushed again, making
magnificent show Of strength, quick
ness and accuracy. The sparks Missed
and cracked from the rasping and
ringing blades.
Father Beret was. in truth, a Jesuit,
and as such a zealot; but he was not
a liar or hypocrite. Being human,
he resented an insult The sanity
strong enough to breast the indigna-
ton which now dashed against it. For
a moment it went down
Liar and ScOundrel YOURSELF" he
retorted, hoarsely forcing the words
out of his throat. Spawn of a beast
ly breed
Hamilton saw and felt a change pass
over the spirit of the old priests move
ments. Instantly the sword leaping
against his own seemed endowed with
subtle cunning and malignant treach-
cry. Before this il had been difficult
enough to meet the fine play and hold
fairly even: now he was startled and
confused; but he rose 10 the emergency
with admirable will power and clever
ness.
Murderer Of a poor orphan girl"
Father Beret added with hot concen-
trated accent; death is too good for
you"
Hamilton felt nearer his grave than
ever before in all his wild experience,
for somehow doom, shadowy and form
less. like the atmosphere of an awful
dream. eHmisted those words; but he
was no weakling 10 quit at the height
of desperate conflict. He Was strong.
expert, and game TO the middle of his
heart.
III add traitor Jesuit to my list
of dead" he painted forth. rising yet
again to the EXTREMIST tension of his
power.
As he did this Father Beret settled
himself as you have SSen a mighty
( horse do in the home stretch q a
race. Both men knew that the mo-
{ ment had arrived for the final act in
/ their impromptu play. 1t was short,
/ a duel condensed and crowded into
/ fifteen seconds of time, and it was
rapid beyond the power of words 10
/ describe A bystander, had there been
/ one, could not have seen what
/ was finally done or how 1t
was done-Father Beret's sword
] seemed TO be revolving-it was
! a halo in front of Hamilton for a mere
point of time. The old priest seemed to
! crouch and then make a quick motion
/ as if about to leap backward. 4 wrench
/ and a snip, as of something violently
/ jerked from fastening, were followed
/ by a semi circular fight of Hamilton s
/ rapier over Father Beret's head to
/ stick in the ground ten feet behind
( him The duel was over. and the whole
! terrible struggle had occupied less than
I three minutes.
With his wrist strained and his fin
| gers almost broken. Hamilton stumbled
J forward and would have impaIed him.
! self had not Father Beret turned the
point Of his weapon aside as he
( lowered il.
/ Surrender, or Diet
That was a strange order for a priest
! to make. but there could be no mistak-
ing its authority or the power behind
( it. Hamilton regained his footing and
looked dazed. Wheeling and putting like
/ a porpoise. but he clearly understood
! what was demanded of him
IF you call out III run you through.
( Father Beret added, seeing him move
his lips as if to shout for help.
The level rapier now reinforced tht
words. Hamilton let the breath 70
noiselessly from his mouth and waved
his hand in token Of enforced submis
sion.