The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-03-25

! could have reached this without
trouble, blu / desired to employ Brous-
sard, that I might know where he was
n prevent treachery. For that
double purpose ! reached up and
grasped the sill, commanding hin to
catch me about the knees and lift SO I
might see out. This he did. While in
that position he made a p%retenSe of
shifting his hold, and something Inn
PEELED me to glance downward at him.
He was stealthily drawing q knife from
his bosom. threw ALL my weight back
upon him. casting the twain Of US to-
gether to h floor. Meantime he had
the knife full drawn, in his left hand
held at my breast.
I grappled with him, holding his left
hand In my right, and with the free
hand clutched him by thet throat. bury
ing my thumb deep In his wind pipe.
Instinctively he raised both hands to
protect his throat, and then we strug-
gled to u feet. He made futile ef-
forts to strike me with the knife. but
his strength deserted him with his
wind, The blade dropped Gathering on
the floor. Ny other hand closed about
his neck. circling 1t with an u%nyielding
colsaT of steel. Desperately as q Gagged
rat might fight he squirmed and
twisted in my grasp To no avail.
Ttgerish now. AZ though / held a
rabid dog. I thrust him back against
the wall. and there rigidly held him
fast. In merctless silence / listened to
the precious breath gurgling from his
body; q reddish froth gathered at the
alps. could feel his hot blood surge
and beat against my thumb under that
deadly pressure. The cold sweat
stood in clamlny 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.
oh, God, how he struggled! His hands
CLOSED over mine as bars of steel to
tear them from his throat.
Even In our mortal strife I marked
the eternal harmony of the scene.
Truly death never had stage more
fitting wherein to play its last stern
drama OF dissolution. Hemmed In by
four massive walls Of granite, CHASTITY
In O sitting stiffness, while hell stood
umpire at the game. No ound Of
trumpet, no warlike cry, no strains Of
martial music were there to thrill the
nerves n taunt men on to glory.
We fought to the scrape and scratch
OF shutting feet. the labored gasp. the
rattle in the throat, while echo hushed
in silence and in fright.
He grew more quiet, his muscles
stiffened and relaxed-he was no long
ser conscious. A few more convulsive
squivers, as n serpent might writhe and
Jerk, then he hung. a limp dead
thing. In my hands. My outstretched
no fatigue. so lightly did they sustain
hin, Cords of brass could be nj more
tense than mine; his weight was as
nothing. Softly I eased nm down, Inc
composed his limbs in decent order
upon the stones.
Then I rose; inc gazed c~omplacently
at my work. Yes, 1t was well done, az
ceilently done. in fact. The most ex-
pert stranger Of the Choctows could
have done no better. Those purpling
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-
soyerstrung nerves gave way, and 1
fell unconscious across the corpse OF
my hands creation.
When / came to myself I vas weep
ing, weeping as a child might weep,
V the dead. distorted face Of him I
had Owed. How long this lasted ! had
mo means of knowing. Uncofnpromis-
Ing necessity forced mo to action: for
babe me time to dream.
The body being In my way where 1t
lay-tor I proposed now to work in
earnest at the window moved 1t
tenderly az possible across the floor
and stretched him out near the door
bars at the8window. Hours and hours
I labored, impelled to greater effort by
the dread of spending another night in
thas room OF murder. I was patient,
too, patient with the cunning of a
maniac.
M .
sword. wrapped In a cloth to muffe the
strokes, furnished me q maui Full
half the day was before me. The rough
paving stones below held ou the hope
of escape or death. How to reach the
street after the bars were removed, 4
did not suffer myself to consider. u
should go mad II I lay idle. I leaned
grating would allow, and observed a
guard standing in plain view at the
corner. 1t was very evident h Pro-
vost OF Paris had taken possession of
h house. n there was little use 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
YVES obliged to cease my chipping at
the masonry and leaden cement which
held my freedom. / bided my time, and
long before the shadow of the house
across the way had climbed to the win
dow where 1 worked, had the gratif1ca-
ton OF finding a bar give way in my
hands, and found I could take 1t out.
Removing this bar, 1t gave be a pow
erfui leverage on the others, and by
exerting all my strength, succeeded in
bending the two on either side to such
q degree i could force my body be-
tween.
While thus engaged, my eyes were
ever fixed anxiously upon the street,
In the hope that Jerome might pursue
his plan of watching the house, and
would catch sight Of him. The pass
ers-by were few indeed, but somehow
It struck me that the same persons
passed several times, and in something
like regular order. "A patrol of Jer-
ome's2 My heart bounded at the
thought. / watched more carefully;
yes. 1t was true. I counted Ave differ
.ent persons: some walked fast, some
walked slow. but all looked about them
and inspected the house with more
than an ordinary place. And, no, I
was not mistaken. that simple-looking
,countryrnan yonder raj Jerome.
was quite at a loss how to attract
his attention; I feared to yell. lest that
give notice to the sentry. I took a
SPUR from my heel and dropped 1t di-
lrectly In front OF him; / knew he would