The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-04-22

garding the tears.
Your heart is not broken, and If il
was I'd mend it for you. Absurd
Why, you knew the man for scarce a
day. and that time is full short for the
growth OF any large affection"
Il shall never love any as l have
loved him"
flush! How little you know of your
self. You are very goddess Of love-
and I will''-
He released one wrist and endeavor
ed to slip his disengaged arm about her
waist. This seemed to rouse the girl
from her stupor, for she suddenly
thrust him back and, taking him un-
aware, sent him sprawling; then she
sprang for the door. But he was as
nimble as she, for, quickly recovering
himself, he held her tight before she
could turn the key.
'Sir, you forget who l am. Release
me at once and modest me no further"
"Divinest Of the fair, swear to
you
She whisked herself free Of him, and,
darling to the other side of the room,
whipped down a thin rapier from the
wall.
''You will be well advised to put an
end to this fooling. 1 am now in no hu-
NOR fopit, and with you-never If you
have not the gift to see it, I would
have you know that l detest you and
despise you, and have done so since
first saw you"
"Ah, my little Lady Termagant you
say as much now, but when the world
knows you paid thousand pounds for
a lover there will be many envious per-
sons who wish to be despised as
much"
You ruffian and thief! Well did
Vollins estimate your honesty. But
stand aside from that door or your
stealing will profit you little"
'Indeedv' cried De Courcy, with a
laugh, as he possessed himself of a
similar weapon to that which threat
ened him. "'Tis already squandered,
and l am in sore need Of a further in
stallment. Are you for duel, thenw
eff you are coward enough to lift
blade to woman"
81 meet kiss with kiss and steel with
steel, always ready for either. Guard
yourself, madam"
His pretended antagonism was but
a feint to throw her off the guard he
advised her to maintain, for, being one
of the best swordsmen of his time, he
knew by her holding of the blade that
she was ignorant of it's practice. He
brushed her sword aside, dropped his
own and sprang in upon her, grasping
again her helpless wrists, her arms
piniOned thus tranSverSely across her
body, her right hand still clinging to
the useless hilt, with the blade extend
ing past her shoulder and behind her
His sneering, grinning face so close to
hers that his breath famed her cheek
he pressed her back and back against
the wall, the sword bending and bend
ing behind her until the blade snapped
off some six inches from the hilt and
fell ringing to the floor.
"There, sweetest Of amazons, you
are stingless now, and naught but the
honey is to be gathered"
The very ease with which he had
overcome her hoodwinked him to his
danger. The proud, dominant blood of
the Wentworths flushed her face with
an anger that steeled every nerve in
her 1.-THE body. AS, with victorious
laugh, he released her wrists and slip
ped his arms around her she struck
him twice with lightning swiftness
first across the brow, then down the
face. Nothing could well be more ter
rible than the weapon she had used
for the jagged iron tore his flesh like
the stroke of tigers claw. The red
cross showed for brief moment, then
was obliterated in a crimson flood.
"Cowardly poltroon, wear the brand
of Cain.''
He had warned her not to scream,
but now his own cries filed the room
as he staggered back, his hands to his
face. Yet, grievOusly wounded as he
was, he seemed resolved she should
not escape him and, after the first
shock, CROPPED blindly for her. She
uuuS lup DIOhcu WcdpOu w Tic LII :
Their side of the room, and the noise of
it's fall turned him thither, striking
against the table and then against a
chair. She tiptoed cautiously to the
door, turned the key and threw it open
before he could recover himself, for
he had lost all sense of direction and
could see nothing. She took the i'm
mediate risk of drawing the key from
the door to ward off the greater dan
ger of pursuit, and calmly locked him
in. If screams were as Intellectual as
he had insisted, he would take little
good from his battering Of the door
for some time to come. Frances now
threaded her way through the maze
of passages, meeting no one, for the
gloom of death pervaded the palace, at
least in the direction she had taken.
She dared not hurry in spite of the
urging of her quickly beating heart,
but must proceed leisurely, as if she
had a perfect right to be where she
was, should any inquisitive servant en-
counter her. At last, with a deep