Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-08-23
CHAPTER XXvIII.-(Continued.)


morally, if not legally, he had murdered ?
No such thoughts troubled his scared
conscience. No atom of superstition or
imagination entered into the composition
of that scheming brain.
Had there been, would he not have felt
the deadly presence that was about him /?
The white, CHASTITY face, with cleaning
black eyes, that was looking in upon him
through the half-opened door at his back?
There was double door to the library
1t was In at the inner green baized one
that swung noiselessly upon its hinges,
that the face peered.
With her eyes fixed immovable on the
one object, she closes it behind her then
advances, crouching like a tiger, towards
her prey. Her steps are noiseless; the
soft material of her dress makes no rus
tie; but if it did, the noise of the ele
ments would drown it.
She is behind the chair; then she raises
her right hand, armed with the short,
thick stick, and strikes him a heavy blow
upon the head With p grosn he falls
from his chair, stunned. Quick as light
ming she takes from her dress the two
cords, each provided with a running
moose; one she slips over his body and
fastens his arms down to his sides, with
the other she secures his legs then she
puts a gag in his mouth. This done, she
dashes some water out of a carafe that
stands upon the table, into his face, raises
his head, props it up by means of some
big folio volumes from the shelves, takes
n chair, and, sitting opposite to him, waits
until she shall revive.
At last his eyes open, and fall upon
the livid, vindictive face that fronts him.
He does not recognize her; but there is
murder In her looks He shivers, and
tries to rise, but he is helpless.
II am much changed since last we met,
James Wylie, am l not?" she says, after
goating for some moments over the agony
of his silent terror.
At that voice he starts, and shudders
more violently; he knows now that he Is
doomed. If ever prayer is in his heart,
1t is there now.
This meeting is an unexpected pleas
ure, is it not? You Rugged yourself with
the thought, doubtless, that you were rid
of me Do you remember the words l
once spoke to you, in your Office? l told
you that if you played me false, | would
hunt you down, if you fled 20 the further
most extremity of the world, and kill you !.
/ have come to keep my word y and she
drew the long, glittering knife from her
belt. 81 could have killed you from be-
hind some minutes back, but l would not
have you die ignorant of the hand that
struck the blow, nor suddenly and untor-
tured. If | had you away from this
place, l would kill you inch by inch.
There is not a torture that the ingenuity
of cruelty could invent, that | would not
infict upon you; and even then, could
not pay you back all that you have made
me suffer You tricked me well, did you
not? But when you gloated over your
cleverness, you forgot to calculate the
retribution They laugh best who laugh
last The last laugh shall be mine,
evoked by your dying agonies J"
Mrs. Wylie awoke from her slumber
with a start-a cry In her ears, and n
horror upon her soul. She started up I;
the wind was still raging, the fire was
burned down to ashes, and the candle all
but extinguished. A feeling that some
thing had happened to her husband seiz-
ed upon her, and, taking up the flicker
ing candle, she hurried out of the room,
and, spite Of her fears, ran trembling to-
wards the library.
As she neared the spot she heard peals
of horrible laughter that curdled her
blood She dared not proceed, but, al
most dead with terror, ran and pulled the
rope that rang the alarm bell, and which
was situated not many yards from the
library door. Holding on to the rope,
she pulled with all the frantic power of
terror, until the clang, clang reverberated
through the Castle, and was heard, even
above the roar of the wind and the water,
In the village below-making men start
from their beds, hurry on their clothes,
and speed towards the Castle, expecting
every moment to see jets Of flame spring
up from it, for what else but fire could
send forth such a summons?
As two of the fishermen ran up the foot
path through the woods, a something
rushed past them, with a shrek of ma
mac laughter, Dul IL was Soue DtlOTt
they could tell what 1t was. They pur-
sued the rest of their way with blanched
cheeks and trembling limbs, with the be-
lief in their hearts that they had encoun
tered an evil spirit from the other world
1t was an awful sight that awaited
them upon the floor Of the library, upon
which the whitefaced, shuddering ser
wants looked down. A huidled mass ol
blood saturated clothes, torn an rent al
though by the talons Of wild beast
containing what had once been human
form, but which was now a shapeless
mass Of battered flesh and bone.
Eleonore's vengeance had been wolf
like; but the work Of blood had rendered
her delirious, and before her dreadful tasl
was accomplished she had become ravini
maniac.
All that night the wind ragged herceiy
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