Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-03-16
CHAPTER iv-(continued.)

1t had begun with slight and respect
full tapping, which had failed to arouse
Helen, until it gradually increased to
what was very much like clamor Of
alarm, or an imperious demand of ad-
mittance.
Where is Sosia?" thought Helen,
| after vain attempt to call out in re-
| ply to the rapping. "If he is not in the
room he must have departed by the
! door,"
MY lord! My lord." here cried a
loud and harsh voice, as if through the
keyhole of the lock, and then followed
furious rapping and humping
against the door.
Helen did not recognize this voice,
for until now she had never heard it:
but it was that of Neil Bashfort, who
had just returned from the cliff, after
doing quadruple murder there.
She made another great effort to
speak aloud, to scream; but her voice
was only husky whisper, appalling to
her own ears alone
Neil Bashfort, now greatly alarmed
by the continued silence within the
room, fastened to procure an axe;
armed with this he soon began to thun-
der blows on the outside of the door,
aiming them SO that their force should
fall against the bolt of the lock.
The room reverberated with the
sound Of these blows, whose noise, in
deed, sounded through the whole of
the dilapidated building; but the door
stood as firm as a rock, to the amaze
ment of Bashfort.
Nor did the roar and shock of these
blows, though dealt by SO powerful an
arm, arouse the three PROSTATE forms
on the floor.
They are dead!" thought Helen.
Perhaps the sorcerer is dead, too
killed by his own poisons. Perhaps he
is somewhere in the room. crouching
and awaiting the coming of another
victim"
She made desperate effort to rise
from the couch. To lie there and i'm
agine that the sprcerer was near her
was terrible. With wild agony of
horror at her heart, she tried to rise,
10 Su.lGh, 10 llIC n0r n0dQ.
She could do no more than she had
already done-turn her head from side
to side on the pillow
The blows against the door ceased,
and silence intense and awful rcigned
for a time.
Then noise in another quarter at
tracted Helen's attention This time
the noise was at the window, and as
Helen turned her eyes in that direction
she heard the crash of glass and the
framework Of the sash. A strong iron
grating was between the sash and the
interior of the room. but the distance
between the bars of this grating was
sufficiently large to permit much Of
mans face to be forced between two
of them; and soon after the crashing
noise, Helen beheld fierce and
swarthy face pressed partly in be-
tween two of the upright bars.
The light of the lamp beam;cg up
ward upon this dark, sinister vlsage,
revealed upon it's harsh and savage
features clearly to Helen's terrified
gaze; shuddering with dismay, she
closed her eyes, to shut out so appall-
Ing countenance.
This face, framed in iron, and with
eyes flaming with fierce alarm and in
quiry, was the face of Neil Bashfort,
Eager to learn the cause of the silence
within the room. he had procured a
short ladder and clambered up into the
window embrasure.
His glance fell first upon the three
motionless forms on the floor and last
ly upon Helen. just after she had clos
ed her eyes.
"FlamesH growled Bashfort, as he
glared in upon the scene. .They are
all dead! Ho. there. Martha! Ho!
Are you dead?"
~ No reply was mode to his question,
though his shouted inquiry crashed
into the silent room like the blast of a
harsh trumpet, making the glasses on
the table ring with the clamor
A rush of cold; fresh sea air had
poured into the room when Bashfort
broke and wrenched away the win
dow; and as Helen inhaled it8new life
seemed TO Hi her heart, and her hith-
erto stagnant blood began to flow ana
throb strong in her veins.
Still she did not open her eyes nor
give any other sign Of life.
Neil Bashfort began to roll his
elanees around, as well as his position
enabled him, in search OF Sosia
Not seeing Sosia anywhere, Bash
lfortsstared about, seeking for the port
lSmanteau, which he remembered the
sorcerer had but the portmanteau, as
well as its owner, had vanished.
1T must have been the Wizard Of
st. Giles muttered Bashfort, chilly
for moment with sudden terror. q
thought ! recognized him. He failed
to restore the lady to life, and to es
cape killed ali by his devilish arts.
| thought heard the sound OF pistol
shot while Twas on the Cliff. But how
did hs get out? for the door seemed
to be bolted AZ top and bottom. and
the window was unbroken TIL / sroks
I'm! Neither could he have passed he
tween these bars. unless he changel
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