Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-05-23
CHAPTER x.-Continued.

| ferent scene. i saw the Thames. ltS
ebb tide ripping in the sunshine as II
ripples past Greenwich. and small
boat gliding over 1t, and a man In the
bow of the boat, man with grim lip
and a sinister eye. Yes, the tall soldier
| talking to Dymphna I'm the moonlight,
his cap the cap of Spanish guard, was
Master Clarence, the duchess chief en-
emy
I staid my foot. With a strange set
tling into resolve of all my doubts. l
| felt IL my sword, which happily / had
| brought with me, was loose In It's
sheath and leaned forward scanning
him. So he had tracked US! he was
here With wonderful vividness J 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 If the villain got away with his tale.
Forgetting Dymphna's presence, i set
/ my teeth hard together. He should
not escape me this time.
But man can only propose. AS l took
a step forward / trod on a round piece
of wood, which turned under my foot
and 1 stumbled. My eye left the pair
| for a second. When II returned to them,
they had taken the alarm. Dymphna
had started away, and l saw her fig
ure retreating swiftly in the direction
|
| a moment irresolute opposite to me,
and then dashed aside and disappeared
behind the cottage.
l 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 I was too quick for him, as l
certainly was, and should catch him
half way across the narrow planking,
and changing his mind again he
doubled nimbly back and rushed into
the open porch of cottage. and l
heard his sword ring out. / had him
at bay.
At bay indeed! But, ready as
was and resolute to capture or kill
him. l 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. l
peered in cautiously. Come OUT" I
cried. Come out, you coward Then
1 heard him move. and for moment |
thought he was coming, and | stood
a-tiptoe waiting for his rush. But he
only laughed "A derisive laugh of tri-
umph. He had the odds, and | saw he
would keep them.
/ 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 took dim form
and shape, confronting mine in the
darkness. | stared yet more intently.
The face became more clear. Nay, with
a sudden leap into vividness, as II were,
1t grew white against the dark back
ground-white and whittier. 1t seemed
to be thrust out nearer and nearer until
nl lTnn mir
No; It was not his face! For one awful
moment terror, which seemed to still
my heart, glued me to the ground
where | stood as IL flashed upon my
brain that ii was another face that
grinned at me so close to mine; that II
was another face l was looking on
the livid. blood stained face and stony
eyes of the man l had killed!
With a wild scream l turned and fled.
BY instinct, for terror had deprived me
of reason, l hied to the bridge. and
keeping / knew not how, my footing
upon the loose Clattering planks, made
one desperate rush across it. The SHIN
mering water below. in which | saw
that face a thousand times reflected:
the breeze, which seemed the dead
mans hand clutching me, lent wings to
my flight. l sprang at "A bound from
the bridge to the bank, from the bank
to the boat, and overturning, yet never
seeing, my startled companion, showed
off 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 | presently knew
where l was-cowering in the bottom
of the boat, with my eyes CoVered-and
understood that Master Lindstrom was
leaning over me in terrible state of
mind, imploring me in mingled Dutch
and English to tell him what had hap
pened. II have seen him" was all |
could say at first, and l scarcely dared
remove my hands from my eyes. Il
have seen HIM" l 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 II was the Span
iard?" he said. kindly, after he had
thought a minute.
quite sure" l answered. shudderng
yet with less violence. How could |
be mistaken? If you had seen him
And you are sure? Did you feel his
heart this morning, whether it was
beating?"
His heart?" Something in his voice
gave me courage to look up. though
! still Stunned the water. lest that
dreadful visage should rise from the
depths. mo. l did not touch him"
And you tell me that he fell on his
face. Did you turn him over?"
No" l saw his drift now. l was sit
ting erect. My brain began to work
again. No" l admitted, Il did not"
Then how, asked the Dutchman.
roughly, "how do you know that he
was dead. young sir? Tell me that"
When l explained, BAH" he cried.
There is nothing in that! You jumped
to a conclusion. l thought a Spaniard's
head was harder to break. AS for the
blood coming from his mouth, perhaps
he bit his tongue or did any one of a
hundred things-eXcept die, Master
Francis. That you may be sure is just
what he did not do"
You think SOP" l said gratefully. l
began to look about me, yet still with
tremor in my limbs and an inclination
to start at shadows.
Think" he rejoined. with hearth
ness which brought conviction home to
me. Il am sure of II. You may depend
upon II that Master Clarence. or the
man you take for Master Clarence. who
no doubt was the other soldier seen
with the scoundrel this morning, found
him hurt late in the evening. Then,
seeing him in that state, he put him
in the porch for shelter, either because
he could not get him to Arnheim at
once or because he did not wish TO give
the alarm before he had made his ar
rangements for netting your party"
That Is possible!" l allowed, with a
sigh of relief. But what of Master
Clarence?"
We'll" the old man said, "let us get
horne first. We will talk OF him after
ward"
felt he had more in his mind than
appeared, and l obeyed, growing
ashamed now of my panic and looking
forward with no very pleasant feelings
to hearing the story narrated. But
when we reached the house and found
Master Bertie and the duchess in the