Oakes Republican., 1902-03-21

s,ead-and you'll roast alive. Yes, Gill
bert Rickerby-it was the worst days
work you ever did when you came back
from abroad"
Eelp Sou-to give the girl to you, be-
cause l thought she loved you"
"Yes-that was Where you blundered;
you should have explained your mean
ing more clearly You've been the di-
rect cause of my staining my hands
With blood twice over. You've made a
muddle of the whole business-and you
must pay the penalty. Cornelius has
gone into the other house to get Miss
Olive Mallory ready for journey: we
start tonight AMI Rickerby's Folly
will know us no more. You're very much
attached to the place-or you Should be,
seeing that you were born in it-and l
don't like to separate you from it. This
place will blaze splendidly-and L don't
fancy that they'll recognize Gilbert
Rickerby when they find what's left of
him. I don't think need detain you or
myself any longer I have business to
attend to-and, more than that, one
mustn't keep a lady waiting. Good
bye!"
He reached the door. carrying the
candle with him: came back again and
set it on the dressing table. II might
as we'll leave you the light" he said,
with a smile; although you'll have
light enough presently-probably more
than you want. If you knew how des-
perately I hate you, even now, when
I've won. you'd be quite surprised, I
assure you. Any message to the young
lady?"
"No message that you can take!" re-
piled Gilbert. fercely. "If you think
that you can ever win her love or draw
her to you, you are greatly mistaken.
Tell her, if you dare, what you are-tell
her that, with my last breath, called
you coward and murderer and that if
I begged for life at all at your hands,
it would be in the hope Of saving her
from fate worse than death itself.
Go-tell her that!''
Mr.. Leathwood laughed, shrugged his
shoulders, and went out of the room,
carefully closing the door behind him.
Gilbert heard his steps descending;
feard the opening of another door
below; then heard the final thud of the
door which led into the other house.
After that a great and awful silence.
He thought of a thousand different
ways of escape-thought above all of
shouting, in the faint hope that some
one outside might hear and come to
his rescue. But he knew, when he
came to think about it with what calm
ness was possible, 1]:at in the first place
the house lay too far back from the
streets for any sound to carry; and in
the second, that the heavily shuttered
windows would efiectually deaden the
cries. And then, as happens to a NAH
when his end is close upon him, he
thought of all the past-of all his I'M
happy childhood, spent in that very
house and in that very hoom. The hor-
ror of the thought that he must perish
there drove him to a species Of frenzy.
He struggled fiercely and beat himself
against the heavy old bedstead to
which he was fastened until exhaus-
tion came upon him and he swooned
away.
When he came to himself it seemed
as though he had awakened in another
world. Some strange feeling of resig-
nation had come upon him; he could
hear the faint, sharp crackle of the
burning room below him, but any fear
the sound might have wakened in him
was SOllG. I1e lldu d 1CeilllS cllI1losoI
that this was a fitting ending to all his
struggles and failures; If he thought
about any pangs which might come
with death it was only with dim Won
de: as to how swift it might be and
how soon before he lost consciousness.
Like a dream, too, for, certainly, it
was nothing earthly, came the sound of
a voice softly calling his name. That
1,a Cf tho pir1 he
loved and lost seemed quite approrri-
ate, too, at that moment. 1t came upon
him as a sort Of dream-fancy, to an
swer the voice. He was very near
death, hettold himself, and this Nigh,
be a voice from the other world.
But he woke from whatever dream
clouded his mind with q start when the
| door was flung open and Olive Mallory
stood on the threshold. For he knew
that this painting, eager girl, with her
beautiful face turned towards him,
came out of no land of dreams, but out
of the actual, vivid, waking world, to
which he thought he had bidden fare
we'll. Yet not quite out of the waking
world, either, as he had yet to learn.
She came forward slowly into the
room, with her hands stretched out be-
/ fore her and her eyes smiling at him
and in her eyes was that strange light
he had never seen there before. Des-
perate though the need was, he knew
that he dare not startle her-dared not
do anything which should wake hel
suddenly to the world of danger ir
which they both were, and drive hel
from him. For, though his brain was
reeling, and his bound arms ached, ane
he trembled in every limb, he CON.
strained himself to speak calmly and tt
smile at her in return. The crackle O!
the fire beneath went on, and he could
feel a perceptible increa :e in the heat
of the room. God grant that he nigh
bring her to see her danger-migh
persuade her to set him free!
he turned quickly and closed the door
Colbert" she whispered, IT have fount
! at last sannetinaeS think that