The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-03-25
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81 could have reached this without
strpuble, but I desiredto employ Brous-,
sard, that I might know where he was
and prevent treachery. For that
double purpose I reached up and
grasped the sill, commanding him to.
catch mesabout the knees and lift so I
might see out. This he did. While in
that position he made q pretense OF
shifting his hold. and something i'm
PEELED me to glance downward at him.
He was stealthily drawing a knife from
his bosom. ! threw all my weight back
upon him, casting the twain OF 8ua to-
gether to- the floor. Meantime. he had
the5 knife full drawn, in*his left hand
held at my breast,
I ggappled with him, holding his left
hand in my right, and with the free
ing my thumb deep In his wind pipe
Instinctively he raised both hands to
protect his throat, Inc then we strug-
gled to our feet. He made futile eff
forts to strike me with the knife. but
MS strength deserted him with his
wind. The blade dropped Gathering on
the floor. My other hand closed about
his neck, circling 1t with an unfolding
collar Of steel. Desperately as a Gagged
rat might fight he squirmed and
twisted in my grasp. To no avail.
Tigerish now, as though I held a
rabid dog, I thrust him back against
the wall, and there rtgidly held him
fast. In merciless silence I listened to
the precious breath gurgling from his
body; a reddish froth gathered at the
lips. I could feel his hot blood surge
deadly pressure. The cold sweat
stood in cla1nmy clusters upon his
forehead; his head thrown back, the
eyes turned towards the ceiling no
longer pleaded into mine. I sickened
almost at sight Of the tongue swelling
black, which seemed to consume all
the fleeing color from lips and face.
closed eve mine as bars Of steel to-
tear them from his throat.
Even in u mortal strife I marked
the eternal harmony Of the scene.
Truly death " had stage more
fitting Whereon to play it's last stern
drama Of dissolution. Hemmed in by
four massive walls of granite, CHASTITY
grim and desolately gray, we wrestled
in a sitting stiffness, while hell stood
umpire at the game. Nc sound of
trumpet, nc warlike cry, no strains Of
martial music were there to thrill the
nerves and taunt men on to glory.
fought to the scrape n scratch
of shutting feet, the labored gasp, the
rattle in the throat, while echo hushed
in silence and in fright. 4
He grew more quiet, his muscles
stiffened and relaxed-he was no long
ler conscious. A few more c~onvulsive
quiyers, as a serpent might Writhe and
jerk. then he hung, a limp dead
thing, in my hands. My outstretched
arms seemed made as a gibbet, feeling
no fatigue, SO lightly did they sustain
him. Cords Of brass could be no more
tense than mine; his weight was as
nothing. Softly I eased MN down, and
composed his limbs in decent order
upon the stones.
Then / rose, and gazed con1placently
at my work. Yes, 1t was well done, ex-
cellently done, in fact. The most ex-
pert stranger Of the Choctows could
lines about the throat, those darker
spots where my thumbs had left their
signs, could not have been more intelli-
gently placed. I smiled my %satisfac-
ton at the job, then-then-my w
oYerstrung nerves gave way, and I
fell unconscious across the corpse Of
hands creation.
When I came to myself I was weep
ing, weeping as a child, might weep,
over the dead. distorted face Of him I
had loved. How long this lasted I had
no means Of knowing. Uncompromis-
ing necessity forced me to action: for
babe me time to dream.
u II OOdy OSAuS AZ lily WGy W1l6I6 IL
lay-for I proposed now to work in
earnest at the window moved it
tenderly as possible across the floor
n stretched him out near the door
sill. Springing up then I attacked the
bars at the window. Hours n hours
I labored, impelled to greater effort by
h dread Of spending another night in
thai room of murder. I was patient,
too, patient with the cunning Of a.
maniac.
The dagger made my chisel; my
sword, wrapped in a cloth to muffe the
strokes, furnished. me 9 maui. Full
half the day was before me. The rough
paving stones below held out the hope
of escape or death. How to reach the
street after the a r were removed, L
did not suffer myself to consider. I
should go mao if I lay idle. I leaned
as far out of the window as the
grating would allow, and observed a
guard standing in plain view at the
corner. It Yves very evident the Pro-.
vost Of Paris had taken possession of
the house, and there was little u in
my trying to make a way out the door.
I bitterly resented the intrusion Of
every passenger along the street, and
scanned with hatred the few who came.
For while they remained in hearing I
was Obliged to cease my chipping at
the masonry and leaden cement which
held my l Dldedm my time, and
long before the shadow of the house
across the way had climbed to the win
dow where / worked, lar the gratifica-
ton of finding a bar give way in my
hands, and found I could take it out.
Removing this bar, it gave be a pow
erful leverage on the others, and by
exerting all my strength, succeeded in
bending the two on either side TO such
a degree I could force my body be-
tween.
While THUG engaged, my eyes were
ever fixed %anxiously upon the street,
in the hope that Jerome might pursue
his plan of watching the house, and I
would catch sight Of him. The pass
ers-by were few indeed, but somehow
1t struck me that the same persons
passed several times, and in something
like regular order. A patrol of Jer-
ones? My heart bounded at the
thought. I watched more carefully;
yes, it was true. I counted five differ
ent persons; some walked fast, some
walked SLOW. but all looked about them
and inspected the house with more
an ordinary place. And, no, T.
was not mistaken, that simple-looking
2countryman yonder was Jerome.
l was quite at a loss how to attract
his attention; I feared to yell, lest that
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