Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1904-02-04
CHATTER IX.

AhAI lI4lk IA.
THE EXPLOIT OF LoRRY AND ANGUISH.
w URING the half hour spent in
" a the grassy ditch or gutter they
III " spoke not more than half a
dozen times and IN the falntest
Of whispers. They could hear the
guard pacing the driveway inside the
ponderous gate but aside from his
footsteps no sound was distingulshable.
A sense Of oppression came over the
two watchers as the minutes grew
longer and more deathlike in their still
ness.
They knew nothing Of the surround
lngs. II they failed, there was the dan
ger Of being shot by the guards before
an explanation could be made. II they
succeeded, 1t must be through sheer
good fortune and not through prowess
Of mind or muscle. Both knew the
sensible, judicious act would be to
alarm the guards and thus avoid all
possible chance of fasco With mis-
givlngs and doubts in'their hearts the
two self appointed guardians Of the
princess lay there upon the grass,
afraid to give up the project yet fear
ing the outcome.
1.-THE dickens will be to pay, Lory,
If they dispose of this guard on the In
side and lock the gate. Then how are
we to follow?" whispered Anguish.
Lorry was thoughtful for awhile. He
20 ka aIt - Ifrpoft rnf rnr In lia
heart
"In that case we must lie outside and
walt till they come out with the prln-
cess; then make a sudden assault and
rescue her. In the darkness we can
make them think there are a dozen res
cuers," he whispered at length. After
awhile Anguish asked another appal-
ling question, the outgrowth Of brain
racking study:
Suppose these fellows, who will be
In guards uniform, should turn about
and capture us. What then? We are
strangers, and our story would not be
believed. They could slip away In the
excitement and leave us in very awk
ward position"
Harry. If we are going to hatch up
all sorts Of possibilities, let's give up
the thing right now. have thought of
n thousand contingencies, and | realize
how desperate the job is to be. We
must either cast discretion to the winds
or we must retreat Which shall we
doT
Cast aside discretion and hang our
fears" said the other, once more in
splrcd. "Well take chances and hope
for the best. If we see we are going to
fail, we can then call for the guards
The grounds are doubtless full of sol
dlers. The only part I'm worried about
is the cropping through that strange
dark castle"
1--WE must do some calculating, and
we must stick close together. By
watching where they station the two
Viennese we can figure about what d.
rectlon we must take to get to the prln-
cess room. Shl Isn't that some one
approachlngT
They strained their ears for mo-
ment and then involuntarily, spasmod-
ically shook hands, each heaying the
deep breath OF excitement, The stealthy
rustic Of moving bodies was heard,
faint, but positive. 1t was a moment
of suspense that would have strained
the nerve Of stone image. Where
were the abductors? On which side of
the road and from what direction did
they come? oh, for the eyes Of cat!
There was slight shuflilng of feet
near the gate, suppressed "Shr' and
then deathly silence. The gate opened
faint creaklng attesting the fact, fol-
lowed by the heavy breathing Of men,
the noise of subdued activity, the scent
of chloroform, some whispering and
then the creaklng of the gate.
They've gone" whispered Anguish.
Lorry's form arose TO crouching pos
ture, and moment later he was cross
ing the road with the tread OF cat,
his cane gripped firmly in his hand.
Anguish followed with drawn revolver.
SO sull was their approach that they
were upon the figure OF n man before
they were aware Of the fact. In the
darkness the foremost American saw
the outline Of human figure bending
over long object on the ground. He
could smell chloruform strongly and
grasped the situation. The Viennese
was administering the drug. his com
panlons having left that duty for him
to perform. No doubt the treacherous
guardsman was lying calmly on his
back, bound aud gagged, welcoming
Inconsistencies with a smile Of securl.
ty.
As soon as Lorry gained his bearings
fully he prepared TO fell the wretch
who was to stand watch Anguish
heard his friends figure suddenly shoot
TO an erect position. There was a whlr.
ring sound as Of disturbed air and then
dull thud. Something rolled over on