Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-08-10

sides himself and Helen, only two liv-
ing persons were at or near Dun Aen-
gus.
cit is possible, he thought, that
those two have in some way outwitted
me, and prepared this trap for me
while was away. They may have dis
covered Helen; discovered how to
block the passage; how to entrap me.
Come he added aloud, gazing stead
lily at the eye, and not more than ten
feet from it, 81 see you. Speak, To
whom do l owe thiss That eye be-
longs to Lord Genlis, or to Martha
Bashfort, does it not?"
The owner of the eye made no reply.
The malicious sorcerer was silently
enjoying the success of his willy trap.
at is glorousi" said Sosia to him
self, as he pressed his face against
the outer side of the iron door, and
rubbed his palms together. How pale
with. despair he is! Oh, this is rich,
superb vengeance! He still does not
suspect whose work it is. But what is
he doing now? Praying! Bah! much
good praying will do him in there!"
AT this moment Clarer ce did seem
to be praying, for he was upon his
knees, with his back toward the sor-
cerer. He was not praying. however,
but noislessly cooking pistol.
Suddenly he wheeled about with the
quickness of lightning, and fired at
the eye. The bullet whistled through
the hole and through the hair of the
sorcerer, who saved his life by duck
ing his head the instant the f1intlock
struck flame in the pistol pan. The
sorcerer tucked not the hundredth
part of second too soon, for the
bullet not only whistled through his
hair, but cut his scalp and gave him
tap on his skull, so that he fell in a
heap as if cut down by bludgeon.
He was insensible for 4 moment, and
while SO uttered dismal groan.
so much for you, whoever you are, -
cried Clarence, triumphantly, for he
heard the fall and the groan, and had
no doubt that his bullet had pierced a
human brain straight through that
eye. "Sosia taught me how to shoot"
he muttered, as he proceeded deliber-
ately to reload his pistol ! would like
to know whether l have killed a man
or woma1-whether it is Lord Gen
lis or Martha Bashfort. 1t must be
one or the other"
BY this time the sorcerer's senses
had returned to him, and he scrambled
to his feet, making quite fioundering
noise at first. ere his stunned WITS
were in his raped skull again.
"Ah!" muttered Clarence, again
turning his attention toward the iron
door. HE or she dies hard! So-all
is still there now"
What fool l was not to jerk my
head to the left" thought the sor-
cerer, on the other side of the door,
and gingerly feeling his slashed scalp;
then his Internal bullet would only
have whistled past my right ear, and
now have had as narrow an escape as
ever l had in all my life! What a
ready rascal with the pistol he is! l
must be on my guard, for he never
misses his aim. He may be aiming
at the hole now. l must dampen his
courage little. Still, I wish to see
him as he perceives the paper"
The paper to which these thoughts
Of the sorcerer referred, was that leaf
which he had torn from his tablet
book in Helen's presence, and OH
which he had written with ink from a
little ink horn which he was never
without.
This paper, only few inches
square, was where he had placed it
just before he blocked the outer pas
sage with the stone door, and Clar-
ence had not yet perceived it. 1t was
against the wall, just over the ring
bolt above the fragments OF the ar
mored skeleton.
The sorcerer thrust a slender piece
of broken lath through the hole-a
piece he had used while preparing the
door few hours before The splinter.
as he held it, protruded several inches
into the dungeon, and in the direction
where he had last seen Clarence.
Clarence had not moved from where
he was when he had fired his pistol,
and the splinter pointed straight at
him.
"Ah! what does this mean?" de-
manded Clarence, perceiying the splin-
ter, and now aware that some one was
alive yet out there.
(To Be Continued.)