The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-01-14

W come around the table.
DIR. Vernet," l said as careless
ly as possible, may I trouble you
for the pepper-pot beside your"
He bowed, and stretched out in
order to render me the indicated
service. In a flash I had caught
his wrist In my left hand. and
with my right I seized a heavy
carafe of water and hurled 1t at
his head. Next second I leaped
across the table, caught him in
my arms, when, guided by YER
nets own instructive clutch to arm
himself, l plunged my hand into
his breast pocket and found a re-
volver.
slipped to the floor and held
the stunned and senseless body of
DR.. Vernet before me as a shield.
Sir. Chas. Venner and DR.. Fulton
were already advancing towards
me with drawn pistols.
"Stop!" l shouted.
Sir Chas. Venner answered me
with his revolver. The bullet
crashed into DR.. Vernet's brain
and felt my face spattered with
blood. I fired in return, and DR..
Fulton, uttering frightful
scream, pitched headlong on the
floor.
1t was a bad shot, for 1 had fired
at Sir Chas. Venner.
For a moment thereafter the
latter stood still, and we stared in
to each others eyes across the
trail of smoke. / became con-
scious that DR.. Vernet's dead body
was slipping from my grasp, slip
ping, slipping. AS at last 1t fell I
fired, twice in quick successor. ]
heard an answering shot, then a
woman's piercing scream. I fired
again. The room was by then full
of smoke. 1 could see nothing
but l heard someone rushing to-
wards me shouting and cursing
For a fifth time l fired. There
followed the sound of fall, then
a deep and dreadful silence.
waited with my revolver at full
cock, not daring to breathe, my
every nerve on strain, listening
and peering vainly through the
J pail of smoke.
/. Very slowly and gradually the
white mist lifted. At my feet the
woman / loved was lying very still.
Blood was yelling in a rich Grim
son stream from a wound in her
breast. Beyond her Sir Chas
lVenner lay face downwards on the
floor. Beudant and DR.. Fulton
lay beside Sir Chas. Venner's
body. All seemed dead.
Oppressed with a wild and hide
GUS sense of unreality, I stared
Istupidly before me. A smoke
wreath, growing transparent
showed me at length a living face
Jussieu stood within the room, a
Iblack stutue of horror. Scarcely
conscious of what l did, 1 raised
my pistol and pointed it at his
breast. He did not move. fred
and he fell.
| At the sound Marion's eyes
opened. She looked up at me.
uttered a cry of agony, and
throwing away my smoking
weapon. I sank on my knees be-
side her.
Are you hurt?" she breathed
| "No-no-but you-you are
dying" l walled.
She gave me most wonderful
and tender smile. "For you," she
gasped. "To save you! He
would have killed you-but his
bullet is-here." With a great
effort she raised one hand and
caught at her breast.
"Oh, God! oh, God!" I groaned.
Marion, you will not die and
leave me! Tell me what to do"
kiss me-" she whispered.
But even as I stopped to obey,
her spirit fled, and I kissed the
| lips of a corpse. No other kiss
shall my lips know while I have
life.
At the fall of noon 1 carried her
from the house of death and bur-
led her in the grave which Sir
Chas. Venner had destined for us
both. It was in the middle of a
pine forest, and perhaps that is
why the saddest on earth to my
ears is still the signing of pines.
l left the bodies of my enemies
where they had fallen-accursed
carrion! would not have
touched them IL could. They
were not discovered until more
than a week had passed, and by
then l was thousand miles away,
ia desolate and broken-hearted
wanderer on the face Of the uni
verse.
But I have recorded these chap
tiers of my history to show those
who come after me, when I am
dead, that rascal as 1 was. and
abandonedly selfish. / was yet ca
pable of passion and of constancy,
and that no deep-seated hatred of
the softer sex has inspired the in
vincible solitariness Of my life.
(Finis.)