The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-05-21
x.--continued.

Duck IN EnBlaHu lOokilS Oh q Ldh Nil
ferent scene. I saw the Thames. its
ebb tide ripping In h sunshine as IT
ripples past Greenwich. and a small
boat gliding over II. and a man in the
bow OF the boat. a man with a grim Up
and q sinister eye. Yes, the tail sotdler
talking to Dymphna In the moonlight.
his cap the cap OF a Spanish guard. was
Master Clarence. the duchess chief en-
envy!
/ staic my foot. with a strange set
Ting into resolve OF all my doubts. l
felt If my sword. which happily l a
brought with me, was loose In aus
sheath and leaned forward scanning
him. So he had tracked us! He was
here. With wonderful viyidness 1 pic
tured all the dangers which menaced
the duchess, Master BERTHE. the Lind
stroms, myself, through his discovery
OF us, all the evils which would befall
us IL the villain got away with his tale.
Forgetting Dymphna's presence, l set
my teeth hard together. He should
not escape me this time. a.
But man can only propose. As l took
a step forward | trod on a round piece
OF wood, which turned under my foot
and i stumbled. My eye left the pair
for a second. When IL returned to them,
they had taken the alarm. Dymphna
AHu t6ltIltu dWaJg oiNu a SUI bSA A6
ure ~retreating swiftly in the direction
OF the house. The man poised himself
a moment irresolute opposite TO me,
and then dashed aside n disappeared
behind the cottage.
I was after him on the instant. my
sword out, and caught sight of his
cloak as he whisked round a corner. He
lodged me twice round the next cot
tage, the one nearer the river. Then
he broke away and made for the bridge,
his object evidently being TO get off the
island. But he seemed at last to see
that / was too quick for him, as /
certainly was, and should catch him
half way across the narrow planking.
n changing his mind again he
doubled nimbly back and rushed into
the open porch Of a cottage. and /
heard his sword ring out. l had him
at bay.
At bay indeed! But, ready as I
was and resolute to capture or kill
him. I paused. l hesitated to run in
on him. The darkness of the
porch hid him, while L must attack
with the moonlight shining on me. /
peered In cautiously. Come out!'' I
cried. Come out, you coward!" Then
j heard him mov and for a moment l
thought he was coming, and 1 stood
a-tiptoe waiting for his rush. But he
only laughed a derisive laugh OF tri-
urnph. He had the odds. and / saw he
would keep them.
i took another cautious step toward
him and, shading my eyes with my left
hand, tried to make him out. AS / did
so gradually his face ook din form
and shape, confronting mine In the
darkness. 1 stared yet more intently.
The face became more clear. Nay, with
q sudden leap into viyidness, as 1t were,
Il grew white against the dark back
N erroaand- militia a nd tuhitaY IL oaarnaH
20 be thrust out nearer and nearer until
It almost touched mine. This face?
No: 1t was not his face! For one awful
moment agterror. which seemed to still
my heart, glued me to the ground
where / stood as II flashed upon my
brain that Ii was another face that
grinned at me so close to mine; that 1t
the livid, blood stained face n stony
eyes OF the a / had killed!
With a wild scream l turned and fed.
BY instinct, for terror had deprived me
OF reason. / HE'D to the bridge, and
keeping, i knew not how. my footing
upon the loose Gathering planks, made
one desperate rush across II. The SHIN
mering water below. in which l saw
that face a thousand times reflected;
the breeze, which seemed the dead
mans hand clutching me. lent wings to
my fight. i sprang at a bound from
the bridge TO the bank. from the bank
to the boat. and ~oyerturning, yet never
seeing, my startled companion, showed
or from the shore with all my might
and fell a-crying.
"A very learned man, physician to the
queens majesty, has since told me,
when / related this strange story. to
him. that probably that burst of tears
saved my reason 1t so far restored
me. at any rate, that I presently knew
where l ~was--cowering In the bottom
or the boat, with my eyes covered-and
understood that Master Lindstrom was
leaning over me In a terrible state OF
mind, imploring me In mingled Dutch
and English to tell him what had hap
pened. II have seen him!" was all 1
could say at first, and ] scarcely dared
remove my hands from my eyes. II
have seer him!" I begged my host to
row away from the shore, and after a
time was able to tell him what the
matter was, he sitting the while with
his arm round my shoulder.
You are sure that IL was the Span
iard?" he said. kindly, after he had
thought a minute.
Quite sure" l answered, s~hudderIng,
yet with less violence. How could
be mistaken? II you had seen him
And you are sure? Did you feel his
heart this morning. whether 1t was
beating2"
His hearth" Something In his voice
gave me courage to look up, though
still Stunned the water, lest that
dreadful yisage should rise from the
depths. mo. / did not touch him."
And you tell me that he fell on his
face. Did you turn him over?"
mo ! saw his drift now. 1 was sit
ting erect. My brain began to work
again. mo-" / admitted, II did not"
sThen how, asked the Dutchman,
roughly, how do you know that he
was dead, young sir? Tell me that"
When I explained, "Bah!" he cried.
''There is nothing in that! You jumped
to q conclusion. / thought a Spaniard's
head was harder to break. As for thu
blood coming from his mouth, perhaps
he bit his tongue or did any one of O
hundred things-except die, Master
Francis. That you may be sure is just
what he did not do
You think SOP I said gratefully.
began to look about me. yet still with
tremor In my limbs and an inclination
TO start at shadows.
Think 2" he rejoined. with q hearti.
ness which brought conviction home Il