Morris tribune., 1904-11-26

1t stuck fast. Either the sillzen cord
that bound it was caught or the docu-
ment was secured to the vest, con-
tingency she had never thought Of, and
yet what more natural? Twice she
tugged it gently. then a third time
more strenuously, when it came unex-
pectedly away and her knuckles struck
the sleeper under the chin. Instantly,
like the snap of steel trap, his fingers
closed upon her wrist, and his voice
rang out as wideawake and clear as
ever he had spoken to her:
"Francesv'
Now the racing heart stopped dead.
Lucky for her that at this supreme mo-
ment all action was impossible and
that she was stricken into frozen mar
BILE. She imagined he was awake and
knew her, and then the cold horror Of
her situation numbed thought at its
source.
"Francesv' The voice came more
sleepily this time, and he repeated
thrice, very rapidly. Frances, Frances,
Frances Feebly her heart had taken
up it's work again. She was not to die
as she had feared. Sodden with drow-
siness, his voice rambled on. Then the
words became indistinct and died
away. But alas, the grip Of iron re-
NAMED on her wrist. For long time
she stood there motionless, then tried
to disengage his fingers gently, but at
the first movement the grasp frightened
again. One o'clock struck. He slept
so silently that it began to appear to
her agitated brain that she was a
prisoner of the dead. She came near
to sinking from very WEAKNESS. Two
o'clock tolled from the tower. Some.
times she fancied she slept standing
there but her five jailors did not sleep.
She kept wondering in which direction
lay the open door, for at times the
room seemed to swim around her, thus
disturbing all sense Of locality. She
almost laughed aloud when she thought
Of herself free, but cropping helplessly
for the open door, failing to find it, and
she shuddered that even the remem-
brance Of laughter should come to her
at such time. Surely sign Of ap-
preaching frenzy.
Then it seemed the fingers loosened,
but hand and wrist had lost all feeling,
and she could not be sure. She totter-
ed and nearly fell. When she stood
upright again she was free; he mutter-
ing to himself and his hand slashing
undirected on the mattress as If 1t
missed something it sought drunkenly
to recover. The girl could scarce re-
press a cry of JOY at her release. She
moved eagerly in the path that should
lead her to the door, but, hurrying too
much, came upon his jackboots on the
floor and fell helplessly, so over
wrought that even when her feet
touched them she could not draw back.
"Who's there? Who's in this room"
cried Armstrong. She was standing.
again, fully expecting to hear his feet
on the floor, but the bell struck three,
and he counted dreamily and all was
still again. When she reached her
room she closed and barred the door as
silently as she had opened it. The
tension relaxed, she felt she was going
to swoon. Blindly she CROPPED for her
shoes, murmuring, 20 God, not yet
not yet! Give me q moment more"
her footgear at last she dared
not wait to put them on, but stole
softly down the stair, steadying herself
against the wall. The cool air out
side struck her like the blessing Of
God and soothed her whirling head.
She heard a horse champing his bit,
then a whisper came out Of the dark
ness:
els that you at last, madam"
eyes," she said, sinking on the door
;tep and leaning her head against the
intel, the cold stone grateful to her
hot forehead.
"You are not hurt, MADAME inquired
The man anXiously.
mo, no." she gasped, then, with an
,ldritch little laugh, 81 want to put on
ny shoes, that's ALL"