The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-11

do something to save them? Is not that
also so?"
1T may be
Then do it. It is but a little thing,
and in the doing should taste sweet. You
will not betray me?'
las ] have not seen you cannot.
But You will not?i
No"
''Then take it, senior. Here, look up
toward tile lentisco'
In the warm gloom of the lentisco shrub
something cold and ominous passed from
hand to hand. and Gevll-Hay's fingers
closed on the butt of revolver.
You mean me 10 kill him. he said
slowly.
A laugh was the answer, and words
followed the laugh.
Yes, for you have opportunity. Then
you shall go free, for we hate him.
And you?"
There was another laugh.
"A pardon, and the blood money be-
tween us. Now GO"
And 1t cannot be denied that in the
soft southern dusk Charles Gerald Gevil-
Hay was horribly tempted. lie stood
there i'll the silence and wrestled with the
temptation. Arguments came to him
freely. BY firing that shot he would be
serving his kind as well as himself Tor
illtilltu WIFI llOuBlllSt ne oild bttAh Ai1p
the glen and walked across the short.
hard grass toward the terrace. He passed
by the fires round which the men were
gambling. Lean columns of smoke rose
slowly into the higher air strange cries
filled the glen, for the sequestradofes
played high, and each voice rose and fell
with its possessor's luck.
He mounted the soping path TO the ter
race. Don O., unsuspeeting was within
the cave reading letters beside cheap
lamp How easy. Gevil-Hay stood out
side in the herb-scented darkness and
watched him. On the one side. the pris-
oner could look forward to life OF conf
fort at the least; and who could tell what
else the future held? On the other hand,
a hideous beggary in smoky, fish-scented
lodgings. an existence worse than death.
And in the night the mans honor wres-
tied with the mans temptations of ex-
pediency.
Presently he went in Don @. scowied
at him and threw him an Eniglsh news
paper 1t was fourteen days old, ana not
one which Gevil-Hay was wont to buy
when at home; but in the whirl of his
thoughts he fled to it as to refuge lie
was about to open it, holding it at arm
length for the purpose, when his glance
lit upon a notice in the obituary column.
"Hertford. On March 10, suddenly, at
Frame hall Franebridge, George eng
well Aberstone Hartford, eldest son Oh
the late
IJe folded the paper with mathematical
nrecision and read two columns of ad-
vertisements without seeing a word OF
what he read.
So George Hartford was dead at last
And Helen-free.
Don @. looked furtively at him under
the shadow of his wide hat, and saw that
EI Palido as the men called him, was
wi
esoue than ever. His eyes We're piano
and set BY his tense attitude Don y.
knew that some struggle was going on
within the Englishman's mind and his
own face filled with an ominous light as
he glanced at one of his letters
"Senor.p he said aloud in changed
voice. news of your ransom has como.
Eighteen thousand dollars. | said $4,000.
Gevil-Hay started slightly. controlled
himself and said unconcernedly;
"And SOP
and so, senior. am prepared to stand
by my side of tho bargain, replied the
chief with a poisonous politeness. AL
the rising of the moon nine-tenths OF you
shall go free from the head of our glen.'
There was a silence, broken only by the
noises in the camp.
Free? Gevil-Hays thought were racing
through his brain. Yes, free, and-helen
was freel Her husband dead. Then he
took i'm the force OF Don q. S words, ana
rising. stood up and leaned against the
rocky wall.
"Am I to be grateful?" he asked frig-
idly.
Don @. smiled with suave acquies-
cence.
And because your conversation has in
terested me, senior, you shall have the
privilege of choosing which tenth OF your
self you will leave behind.
''In fact, not content with making me
a beggar you will take from me all
chance of reganing my losses
Don O. bowed again and spoke with
exceeding gentleness.
cit comes to that. I am very much
afraid it comes to that" he said. ut Is
terribly unfortunate. I admit, but do
not see how it can be avoided. But you
are comparatively heavy man. senior;
think I should advise you to leave a
limb behind you. One can live without
a limb"
The brigand's callousness startled
Gevil-Hay. we'll as he fancied he knew
him. And in the breast of the slow-mov
ing phlegmatic man the temptation arose
again with accumulated strength a
loaded revolver was under his hand prac
teal impunity waited upon the deed. and
beyond that life-and Helen! What stood
between him and all this? Why, scru-
pie. that should not hold good for mo-
ment against such counteracting motives.
1t occurred TO him with much force that