The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-10-22

fore the great fire place. The sheriff.
Morgan and Ferguson hemmed me in.
II was evident that / was the chief cul-
prt, and they wished TO eliminate me
from the contest. Across the room, Larry,
Stoddard and Bates were engaged In a
lively rough and tumble with the rest
OF the besiegers and Stoddard, seeing my
plight, leaped the overturned table, broke
past the trio and stood at my side, swing
ing a chair.
At that moment my eyes. sweeping the
outer doors, saw the face OF Pickering.
He had come TO see that his orders were
obeyed, and ] remember yet my salts
faction, as hemnled In by the men he had
hired TO kill me or drive me uot, felt.
rather than saw the cowardly horror
depicted upon his face.
Then the trio pressed I'm upon me- AS
I threw down my club and drew my re-
volver. some one across the room fired
several shots. whose roar through the
room seemed TO arrest the fight for an
instant, and then. while Stoddard stood
at my side swinging his chair defensively,
the great chandelier, loosened or broken
by the shots, fell with a mighty crash
OF It's crystal pendants. The sheriff leap
Ing away from Stoddard's club. was
struck on the head and borne down by the
heavy glass.
Smoke from the firing roated in clouds
across the room, and there was a mo-
ments silence save for the sheriff. who
was groaning and cursing under the de-
bris OF the chandelier. At the door Pick
ering's face appeared again. anxious and
frightened.
think the scene in the room and the
slow progress his men were making
against us had half-paralyzed him.
We were all getting our second wind
for renewal OF the fight. with Morgan
I'm command OF the enemy. One or two
OF his men. who had gone down early I'm
the struggle, were now crawling back for
revenge. think must have raised my
hand and pointed at Pickering, for Bates
wheeled like a fash and before realized
what happened he had dragged the ux-
ecutor into the room.
You scoundrel-you ingrater' howled
the servant
The blood on his face and bare chest
and the hatred In his eyes made him a
hideous object; but In that lull OF ths
storm while we waited, watching for an
advantage, ] heard of somewhere, above
or below. that same sound OF footsteps
that i had remarked before. Larry and
Stoddard heard IT. Bates heard II. and
his eyes fixed upon Pickering with a glare
OF malicious delight.
There comes our old friend, the ghost"
yelled Larry.
Bates. He threw down the revolver he
held in his hand and leaned upon the
edge OF the long table that lay on It's
side, his gaze still bent on Pickering. who
his derby hat on the floor beside him,
where IL had fallen as Bates hauled him
into the room.
The sound OF a measured step. OF some
one walking. OF a careful foot on a stair
way was quite distinct. I even remarked
the slight stumble that had noticed be.
fore.
we were all so intent on those steps In
the wall that we were of guard i heard
Bates yell at me. and Larry and Stoddard
rushed for Pickering. He had drawn
revolver from his overcoat pocket and
thrown IL UP TO fire at me when Stoddard
sent the weapon flying through the air.
"Only a moment now. gentlemen" said
Bates, an odd smile on his face. He was
looking past me toward the right end or
the fireplace. There seemed 10 be In the
air a feeling OF something impending.
Even Morgan and his men, half-crouching
ready for a rush at me, hesitated: and
Pickering glanced nervously from one TO
the other OF us. II was the calm before
the storm. in n moment we should be at
each others throats for the final strug-
GLE and vet we waited. In the wall
heard still the sound of steps. They were
clear 10 all OF us now. We stood there
for what seemed an eternty-1 supposs
the time was really not more than thirty
seconds-inert waiting, while j felt that
something must happen: the silence, the
waiting were intolerable. I grasped my
nistol and bent low for a spring at Nor
gan with the overturned table ana
wreckage OF the chandelier between me
and pickering; and every man IN the
room was instantly on the alert.
CTo Be Continued Tomorrow