Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-07-06
man made her voice sound strangely
unnatural as she commanders:

man made her voice sound strangely
unnatural as she commanded:
Don't dare to stop me- She NOV
ed toward the door, mentioning him to
retreat before her, and he obeyed,
recognizing the danger of her cool.
ness. She did not note the calculating
treachery Of his glance. however, nor
fathom the purpose he had In his
mind.
Out on the rain-swept mountain the
PROSTATE rider had regained his senses
and now was crawling painfully to.
wards the road-house. Seen through
the dark he would have resembled
some misshapen, creeping monster,
for he dragged himself, reptile-like,
close to the ground. But as he came
closer the man heard cry which the
wind seemed guarding from his ear,
and. hearing It, he rose and rushed
blindly forward, staggering like a
wounded beast.
Helen watched her captive closely
as be backed through the door before
her, for she dared not lose sight Of
him until free. The middle room was
lighted by glass lamp on the bar and
its rays showed that the front door
was secured by large iron bolt She
thanked Heaven there was no lock
and key.
Struve had retreated until his back
was to the counter, Offering no word,
making no move, but the darting
brightness of his eyes showed that he
was alert and planning. But when the
door behind Helen urged by the wind
through the broken easement, banged
to, the man made his first lightning
like sign. He dashed the lamp to the
floor, where 1t burst like an egg.shell
and darkness leaped into the room as
an animal pounces. Had she been
calmer or mad time for an instant's
thought Helen would have fastened
back to the light, but she was mid.
way to her liberty and actuated by
the sole desire to break out into the
open air. 80 plunged forward With
out warning, she was hurled from her
feet by body which came out of the
darkness upon ner She fired the lit
tie gun, but Strives arms closed about
her, the weapon was wrenched from
her hand and she found herself fight
Ing against him, breast to breast. with
the fury OF desperation. His wine
burdened breath beat into her face
and she felt herself bound to him as
though by hoops, while the touch of
his cheek against hers turned her into
. terrified insenate animal, which
fought with every ounce Of Its strength
and every nerve Of its body She
screamed once, but 1t was not like the
cry OF a woman. Then the struggle
went on in silence and utter black
ness, Strive holding her like gorilla
till she grew faint and her head began
to whirl, while darting lights drove
past her eyes and there was the roar
of O cataract In her ears. She was
strong girl, and her ripe young body,
untrted until this moment. answered
in every fibre, so that she wrestIed
with almost mans strength and he
had hard shift to hold her. But SO vio-
lent an encounter could not last. Helen
felt herself drifting free from the earth
and losing grip Of all things tangible,
when at last they tripped and fell
against the inner door. This gave
way, and at the same moment the
mans strength departed as though it
were thing Of darkness and dared
not face the light that streamed over
them. She tore herself from his
clutch and staggered into the supper
room, her loosened hair falling in a
cleaning torrent about her shoulders,
while he arose from mis- knees and
came towards her again, gasping:
"T1l show you who's master here"
Then he ceased abruptly, cringingly
and threw up an arm before his face
as If to ward off a blow Framed in
the window was the pallid visage of a
man. The air rocked, the lamp flared,
and Strive whirled completely around,
falling back against the wall. His
eyes filled with horror and shifted
down where his hand had clutched at
his breast, plucking at one spot as il
tearing barb from his bosom. He
jerked mis- head towards the door at
his elbow in quest Of retreat, a
shudder ran over him. his knees buck
led and he plunged forward upon his
face, mis- arm still doubled under him.
1t had happened like a flash Of light
and although Helen felt, rather than
heard, the shot and saw her assailant
fall, she did not realize the meaning
Of it till drift of powder smoke as
sailed her nostrils. Even so, she ex,
perienced no shock nor horror of the
sight. On the contrary, savage Joy
at the spectacle seized her and she
stood still, leaning slightly forward,
staring az 1t almost gloatingly, stood SO
till she heard her name called, "Melen,
little 51ster!" and, turning, saw her
brother In the window
That which he witnessed in her face
he had seen before in the faces OF men
locked close with a hateful death and
from whom all but the most elemental
passions had departed-but he had
never seen woman bear the marks
till now. No artifce nor falsity was
there, nothing but the crudest. inteps-
est feeling. which many people live
and die without, knowing. There are
few who come to know the great prim
tive, passionate longings. But in this
black night. fighting in defense Of her
most sacred self, this girls nature had
been stripped to it's purely savage ele-
ments. AS Glenister had predicted,
Helen at last had felt and yielded to
irresistibly powerful implse.
CHANGING backward at the creature
~