The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-01-20

them and bad nearly gained the top
when quick, Iightninglike shadow
| fitted before him. He would have
started back. bat twas too late.
There came d blow upon his head,
and. with dull. crashing sensation,
he sank down. He realized that lie
was turned over and that rope was
being lashed about his arms.
But the prisoner had cot been
| fully stunned. He returned to CON
eeiousness as they lifted him to his
! feet. and his first impulse was to tr,,
to force his bonds asunder, but
this he could rot do He gazed up
now. and he fonnd orlv two men
with hinl. and they wore masks up
ON their faces. They were stout,
powerful men. and their very bear
ing was fnurderous, and his heart
sank withigs him.
Come - said one of them. QUILL
90 with us. We won't force you II
you'll walk
eBut where: asked the youth.
"What mean 70" "
<sYou;ll see, when you get there.
But there's 10 time to waste, so
come
What could the prisoner do? His
hands were firmly bound behind
him, ard his great strength availed
| not a bit. He knew that ne could
not resist, so he simply bowed has
head in token Of submission and
prepared to follow his conductors.
But they left him not to follow at
will. They took him by either arm
and thus led him away. He remem-
bered the room into which he had
been first conducted on the evening
of his capture, but he was not de-
tained there. From here a long cor
ridor led off to where a wing Of the
building had been partly torn away,
and they soon came to large circu-
lar apartment, in the center Of
which was a deep basin where in
years gone by people had been wont
to bathe. The walls looked grim
and ragged by the feeble rays Of the
lantern, and the chill wind came
moaning through the cracks and
crevices in the decaying masonry.
'SThere," spoke one Of the guides
as he set his lantern upon the top Of
broken column. eve will stop
here"
The words we're spoken in a sort
of hushcd, unmerciful tone, and
Ruric felt them strike fearfully up
on him. He gazed upon the man
who had spoken, and he saw that he
was preparing to throw off his pc
lisse, which he had thus far worn.
As soon as this was off he moved to
where his companion stood and
commenced whispering.
Could Ruric mistake longer:
What reason but one could there
have been for bringing him to such
place? To the left, where the ba-
sin had once emptied itself, there
was dark, deep, cavelike place, at
the mouth of which heap Of rub
bish had collected. What place in
which to hide a dead body! So
thought Ruric. But he was startled
from the dark reverie by darker
reality.
One of the men had taken club,
long, heavy bludgeon which the
youth had not before seen, and was
|" just balancing it in one hand while
he spat upon the other.
on will not murder me here in
cold blood.w uttered Ruric, starting
back.
The stout rufian clutched the
club in both hands, but made no
verbal answer.
"Speak! For Gods sake answer
mep' the prisoner exclaimed, start
ing back another pace. EDO you
mean to murder me?"
"Why," answered the man with
the club in cool, offhanded man
ner. "since you are SO anxious tc
know, I'll tell you. You will die
within a minute.'
''And will you take the life of one
who never harmed you? Hold! Il
money be your object
"Stop!" interrupted the villain
''Y on can't argue us out of it in that
way. You've got to die, and the
sooner you go the sooner you'll get
over it. You won't suffer Il bit i
you don't go to kicking up a fuss
There, now. If you hadn't bothered
me 'twould have been all over by
this time"
Oh, what would Ruric have give1
at that moment for the use of one o.