The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1909-04-01

CHATTER XVII.
Constable rested and reflected in the
cistern- 1t did not occur to him, save In
the most himsy and passing way, to doubt
the efficacy Of the distance in the case of
Lara She was safe. eigis miles at sea.
and watched over by Macready, whom be
had learned thoroughly to trust. Here
was giadness immovable. Second, for the
present and to all intents, his own life
had been spared. This was not so impor-
tant in itself. but was exceedingly vital
in consideration Of the third point-thaf
she loved him. and had said so. His drsr
worry was that Lara might be thinking /
him dead.
The aspect Of Constable's mind being 4
touched upon. it may be well TO outline /
the state Of affairs as a third party
would see Il. In the first place. there
was a woman In his arms, a woman whom
the ire had touched and In whom CON
seriousness was not; the mother Of the
worlds matchless girl Then he was sit
ting upon Shiny stone in a subterranean
cell, the floor Of which was covered with
six inches Of almost scalding water, and
the vault filled with steam The volcanic
discharge, showering down through the ,
mouth OF the pit, had heated the water
and released the vapor. An earthquake
years before had loosened the stone walls
OF the cavern, and with every shudder OF q
the earth. under the wrath Of PeIee, the {
lining the cistern tottered Then. | n
his hand had been torn during the descent :
0f the chain, and the terrific heat in the p
we'll liyened his burns to exquisite pain =
'ulness- But, as has been stated, these
we're mere cuticle disorders. and the heart =
Il the man sang again and again its tune p
nj story. u
Pelee was giving vent to the after "
angs- Torrents OF rain were descend u
ng- The man in the cistern had los; 81
rack Of time Though replenished with ca
ain, the water was still too hot to step
J; therefore, he could not change his tn
osition and relieve the tension Of his nv
rms Still. be felt that he owed an as -.
'nishing debt to the old cistern No sud
N impulse had brought him there. Since
} had discovered the place in his nights 10
gil, and examined IL more closely the ca
flowing day. the idea had become fred Tx
his mind that It might be used at the me
st minute. ne
The women sighed now and stirred In a Z
; arms The first gripping realization
ok his mind He waited in embarrass-
mt for her 10 speak Would the fact
at be had saved her life stand as ex- Ho
luation for bis rough treatment? Con-
Ible was by no means sure that be was 4
{ about to hear her estimate Of him Ru
the old footing. with the rage Of a an
woman added-the whole a A.
shed document delivered with Mrs. -,
art and force. But she did
yet awake. Dea
His brain worked rapidly now. She prle
lain upon his shoulder during the de- CON
ut. Livid dust had fallen through the who
dee. His burns were slight. was
eyes strained into her face. but the A.
ern was dark, dark. The fire had a.I.
ched her hair-he knew that. Her
3 arm brushed bis cheek, and his whole -
Il crawled with fear II "ni'
ned that hours elapsed. Where had anol
lie joey been at. the last7 Did Peles the
rate any favorites7 Breen, soronia. and
3 Rabeaut, Mondet. the ships In the I'll
II harbor, the thirty thousand Of Saint thin
they all wrecked In the mills nries
800 hd our me Madame jumI
the woman. His heart Of hearts held ~
Joy. grea'
he breath Of life was returning to bis polio
en- She sighed once more, and then, sunni
pityingly, he felt her vince with the prot
which consciousness brought. while
fnat Is this dripping darknessT he vii
at last. The words were slowly pr
ed, and the tones vague. In -
eat dark room somewhere, In a past
perhaps, Constable had heard such corne
Ice from some one lying in the shad- norW'
from
70 are in the old eistsrn-vou snd It wa
: Constable" His tones became glad able.
} added, But your daughter Is safe
az
Id you forget something, or did Lara Se
you for her parasol7" down
CAM for you--came to tell you how umbr'
we needed you-how much we fear 80
II your life. and to ask you once "w,
ing 4
hat-an--extraordinary youth r deInb,
Was--there-sver-su
A |
, cavern was dark, but not utterly latest