Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-20

may be with the Austrian. Now, am no
Denis Mallory, though I take some small
pride in my workmanship. and l confess
freely that had l been the first to engage
doubt. have been overcome. but Denis had
taken the first fire and fury out or
him. That wonderful storm of at
tack had tired him a little. so that by
were evenly matched. Then, too, I mad
wounded him slightly in the left arm before
his attention was wholly diverted to me
from Mallory. The pain of this may nave
affected him. Without doubt his anxiety
as to what was going on in the further
room lessened his keenness. So we fought
evenly, doggedly. he with bitter despera-
ton. determined that he should not leave
my point till the princess was safe.
I remember that heard mufI1ed cries and
oaths behind me, from the passage, little
crash and the scuf1e of feet 1 remember
wondering DULY what Won Altdorf could be
doing out there, and wondering still moro,
when, from the corner of my eye, l saw
him pressing one Of the men whom had
supposed done for, before his point Into
the light Of the big room, and there en-
gaging him. But I had no time for any
thing but my own fight. Indeed at one mo-
ment it seemed to me that I myself was
done for.
What had happened out in the passage
was something like this:
The first rascal. whom Denis had spitted
before he could bring down his heavy saber.
was not dead, but merely run through the
shoulder Indeed, to kill any of the men
was far from our intention. A dead man
meant subsequently the police, and an in
vestigation that might prove awkward for
us. We wished merely to disable them so
that we could make good our retreat with
the Princess Eleanor.
But the fellow, when he had lurched to
| the floor, lay there SO silent ard so still
that Won Altdorf supposed him unconscious
AS indeed he may have been for a moment
or two-and so stood directly over his hud-
died body while pressing the point of his
blade against the back of the unhurt rascal
who had tried foot ball playing with Denis
But a dead cut-throat is the only safe
| one. as Colonel Won Altdorf will heartily
bear witness, for, even as he stood Won
dering If he had not best stab the rogue
before him and have done with him, there
came a sudden movement from beneath
and his feet were all at once jerked from
under him, 30 that numbered as he was,
with sword in one hand and lantern In the
Ikother, he fell sprawling and cursing upon
Nhe PROSTATE rascal whose fate he had
been meditattng.
He told us afterward, disgustedly enough
| amidst our heartless roars Of. laughter,
| that for quite minute the three Of them
painted and squirmed and struggled in a
| ludicrous heap there in the dark. narrow
| little passage. He had one small advantage
| which doubt not he pressed. The two
| others knew not, in the gloom, whether
| they were striking friend or foe and SO
were chary or their blows. Won Altdorl
| on the other hand-so he says-struck most
| heartily at anything that came to his hand
Presently, however. the unhurt one OF
| the two slipped away from under Won
found his saber. with which he dealt
at random frightful SLASH and at once
| the arms that chung desperately to Won Alt
| DORIS ankles dropped limp and helpless,
1 and he, springing up, drove the other be-
| fore him into the light of the studio.
| BY this time Baron Won Steinbrucke's breath
was coming very fast and hard, and his
] high white forehead shone wet In the cross