Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-07-21

light shown by the lantern, Vyse sit
ting on a piece of rock. holding his
head in his hands. He raised it as
Clifford approached. and shot savage
glance at him Clifford saw a stream
of blood running down us now V-hite
face.
Halo. Vyse." he said. cheerfully;
ARE you hurt? Not much. l hope.
Amy limbs broken? Let me see"
Stand back" he snarled fiercely.
"Oh, nonsense" said Clifford in
matter-of-fact way. Don't bear
malice, man. 1t was a fair stand-us
tussle, one of us had to go. you know;
and you attacked me; not | you. Get
up on your feet and let's see what's
the matter"
There, man, don't be huffy. Let
bygones be bygones. You seem pretty
sound. You're shivering Are you
cold. Look here; take my arm and
come along to the cottage,"
They reached the cottage, and
Clifford drew a chair to the fire.
place.
"Sit down." he said. "The peat is
still alight, and I'll get some WOOD
and make a comfortable blaze. Sit
down, man. and don't bear malice
like a child" and he gently forced
Vyse into the chair, got some wood.
and drew up the fire. -...
Then he put on the kettle, spread a
cloth on the table. and set about
making some coffee.
"A cup of coffee is what you want,
Vyse," he said, pleasantly. Nothing
like coffee to brace a man up"
Vyse's lips grew tighter, and his
eyes bore evil, but he said nothing.
Kettles boiling! First-rate fire
this peat makes. doesn't it?' said
Clifford.
ut wants pokingl" grunted Vyse,
and he stopped down and picked up
the heavy bar of iron that did duty
for the poker.
Don't touch it till I've filled the
coffee-pot," said Clifford. and he knelt
down and stretched out his hand to
the kettle
AS he did so, Vyse raised the iron
bar and, giving it swing over his
shoulder, as if it were a pick.
brought it, down upon the back
of Clifford's head
The coffee-pot fell with a clang and
rolled under the CRATE, and the
stricken man CROPPED blindly with his
hands for second or two, then fell
back upon the hearth-rug.
A profound silence fell upon the
place, broken only by the cherry sing.
ing of the kettle. Vyse stood over the
PROSTATE form of the man who had
tried to be his friend and looked
down at him, with white face and
bloodshot eyes,
Then with a hoarse chuckle he
knelt down beside the motionless
figure, and thrust his hand into his
bosom.
Dead as a herrin'!' he muttered.
He got up and looked around. Then
an idea seemed to occur to him, and
he went to the door and listened.
There was no sound, excepting the
plash of the incoming tide against
the jetty; and, returning to his
victim, he stopped down and drew the
still figure upon his back.
FRIGHTENED by his ghastly burden,
he made his way down the narrow
path, and slowly and carefully
traversed the level ground of the
quarry, and laid it upon a pile of
rocks which had been last displaced.
Then he drew himself upright and
looked up.
They'll think he fell over" he
muttered, hoarsely.
He looked up again, and hurried
back to the cottage. There was a
little shed or lean-to at the back in
which Clifford kept the blasting cart.
ridges. Vyse knew where to fin0
them, and, getting couple and piece
Of fuse, he retraced his steps to
where he had left Clifford, and plac-
ing the cartridges in a crevice of the
rock just above him, connected the
fuse and lighted it.
ut will save digging a grave any
how" he said, with an awful laugh
you Saved the girl, did you, mister?
Well, now you can save yourself;
and you'll have to look mighty sharp,
too, for in less than half an hour that
lump of rock will be on top of you!"
''It's very neat-that," he muttered.
They'll think it was one of the
cartridges the chaps are so fond of
leaving around, and that it went off
just as he was passing. Goodbye
Mister Raven"
His retreating footsteps, &C
companied by the pitter-patter OF
small rocks displaced by his progress,
died away. The stars looked down
with twinkling eyes, the waves
FLASHED against the jetty, and in the
narrow crevice just above where the
motionless figure of Desmond Carr
Lyon, earl Of that ilk, lay. slowly
burnt the fuse which was to blast out
his tomb.