The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1904-11-19

similar weapon to that which threat
ened him. otis already squandered,
and am in sore need Of further IN
stallment Are you for duel, thenY
IF you are coward enough to III
blade to a woman.
~ meet kiss with kiss and steel with
steel. always ready for either Guard
yourself, madam"
His pretended antagonism was but
a feint to throw her off the guard ne
advised her to maintain, for, being one
of the best swordsmen OF bis time. be
knew by her holding of the blade thai
she was ignorant of its practice. de
brushed her sword aside, dropped his
own and sprang in upon her, grasping
again her helpless wrists, her arms
pinioned thus transversely across her
body. her right hand still clinging to
| the useless hilt, with the blade extend
ing past her shoulder and behind her.
His sneering, grinning face SO close to
hers that his breath famed her cheek
he pressed her back and back against
the wall, the sword bending and bend
ing behind her until the blade snapped
| off some six inches from the hilt and
fell ringing to the floor.
There. sweetest of amazons, you
are stingless now, and naught but the
| honey is to be gathered"
The very ease with which he had
overcome her hoodwinked him to his
danger. The proud, dominant blood OF
| the Wentworths flushed her face with
an anger that steeled every nerve In
| her 1.-THE body. AS, with a victorious
laugh, he released her wrists and slip
| ped his arms around her she struck
him twice with lightning swiftness,
| first across the brow, then down the
face. Nothing could well be more ter
rible than the weapon she had used,
| for the Jagged iron tore his flesh like
the stroke of tigers claw. The red
cross showed for brief moment, then
was obliterated In a crimson flood.
''Cowardly poltroon, wear the brand
of Cainr'
He had warned her not to scream,
but now his own cries filed the room
as he staggered back, his hands to his
face. Yet. grievously wounded as he
was be seemed resolved, she should
not escape him and, after the hrat
shock, CROPPED blindly for her. She
flung the broken weapon to the far
Their side of the ROOM and the noise Of
Its fall turned him thither, striking
against the table and then against q
chair. She tiptoed cautiously to the
door. turned the key and threw 1t open
before he could recover himself, for
he had lost all sense of direction and
could see nothing. She took the I'M
mediate risk Of drawing the key from
the door to ward off the greater dan
ger of pursuit, and calmly locked him
in If screams were as Intellectual as
he had insisted, he would take little
good from his battering Of the door
| for some time to come. Frances now
threaded her way through the maze
Of passages. meeting no one, for the
gloom of death pervaded the palace, at
least in the direction she had taken
She dared not hurry in spite of the
urging Of her quickly beating heart,
but must proceed leisurely. as II she
had a perfect right to be where she
was, should any inquisitive servant en-
counter her. At last, with a deep
breath. she emerged upon the great
courtyard and so came to the gate.
The officer bowed to her, and she
paused for moment to thank him for
his kindness to her in the earlier part
of the day.
"Is 1t true-that-that Lord Sraf-
ford She could get no further.
Eyes, my lady, and grieved we all
are that It should be so. This morning
on Tower hill. The lords refused a
reprieve even until Saturday"
Frances bent her head and struggled
with herself to repress undue emotion,
but finding that impossible turned
abruptly and walked fast down White
hall.
"Her bright eyes, bless her." said
the officer to comrade, ARE not the
only ones dimmed with tears for this
mornings work"
On reaching the inn Frances thought
Of waiting for the faithful Vollins
but she had not the heart to meet him
nor the inclination to rest another
night in the city now SO hateful to her.
She wrote letter which was forward,
ed to him by messenger, but said moth.
Ing OF her visit to Whitehall telling
him his estimate of De Courcy had
been correct. promising to send the
thousand pounds to be replaced In her
fathers treasury as soon as she reach
ed her home in the north. and asking
pardon that his counsel had been de
clined.
Two hours later Frances was on her
way to the north She paused on High
gate hill and looked back on the babe
she had left, vast and dim In the rising
mist OF the mild spring evening. ooh
cruel city! Oh. faithless mani The
bloodthirst OF London may be whetted
and not Quenched. perjured king O.