The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-01-14

Instead of hurrying on to DAVIS
bergen, they dropped swiftly down
into the valley above the city. No
secret was made of the ruse they
had employed to mislead the pros
pective pursuers. The rescue
party, they swore joyously. would
naturally be led by John Tullis;
he would go with all haste to the
Dawsbergen hills. The word of
the trusty groom would be taken
as positive proof that the captive
was in that country. She shud-
dered as she listened to their ex-
ultant chuckles. 1t had been a
most cunningly conceived plan
and it promised to result profit
ably for them in the end.
Some time during the slow, tor
turing ride through the forest she
swooned. When she came to her
senses she was in a dimly light
ed room, surrounded by men. The
gag had been removed from her
mouth. She would have shrieked
out In her terror, had not her
gaze rested upon the figure of a
man who sat opposite, his elbows
on the back of the chair which he
straddled, his chin on his arms.
He was staring at her steadily, his
black eyes catching her gaze and
holding it as a snake holds the
bird 1t has charmed.
She recognized the hard, hawk
like face. There could be no mis-
take. She was looking into the
face that made the portrait of the
Iron Count so abhorrent to her:
the leathery head of a cadaver
with eyes that lived. A portrait
of Voltaire, the likeness of a satyr,
a suggestion of Satan-all rushed
up from memory's storehouse to
hold her attention rapt in contem-
plation of this sinister figure.
He smiled. 1t was like the
of soft leather. Then,
with word to one of the men,
he abruptly left the room. After
that she broke down and cried
herself into the sleep of exhaus-
ton.
All the next day she sat limp
and helpless in the chair they had
brought to her. She could neither
eat nor drink. Late in the after
noon Marlanx came again. She
knew not from whence he came:
he stood before her suddenly, as
if produced by magic of some
tabled genie, smiling blandly, his
hands clasped behind his back, his
attitude one of lecherous calcula-
ton.
Truxton King ground his teeth
with rage and despair while she
was breathlessly repeating the
|suave compliments that oozed
from the lips of the tormentor.
'He laughed when 1 demanded
that he should restore me to my
friends. He chided me when /
pleaded and begged for mercy. My
questions were never answered.
He only said that no harm was to
come to me; was merely touch
ing purgatory that / might better
appreciate paradise when / came
to it. Oh, it was horrible! l
thought 1 would go mad. Final
ly called him a beast; I don't
know what else 1 said. He mere
ly smiled. Presently he called one
of the men into the room. He said
something about a sewer and a
hole in the ground. Then the
man went out and I heard the
clicking of a telegraph instru-
ment. l heard certain instruc-
tions. I was to be taken to a
certain place in the city at night
fall and kept there until tomor-
row night, when l am again to be
removed by way of the river.
That is all l know. Where am
I, Mr.. King? Oh, this dreadful
place! Why are we here-you
and II"
Kings heart throbbed fiercely
once more. He was looking
straight into the piteous, wonder
ing eyes; his gaze fell to the part
ed, tremulous lips. A vast hum
ger possessed his soul. In that
moment he could have laid down
his life for her, with smile of
rejoicing.
Then he told her why she was
there, why he was there-and of
the 26th. The dreadful 26th!
Her eyes grew wide with horror
and understandings; her bosom
rose and fell rapidly with the sobs
of suppressed terror. At last he
had finished his Supplying tale;
they sat side by side staring into
each others eyes, helpless,
stricken.
God in heaven!" she repeated
over and over again, in piteous
whisper.
The candle flickered with feeble
interest in the shadows that be-
gan to grow in the farthest cor
ner. The girl drew closer to the
side of the strong yet powerless
man. Their gaze went to the sput-
tering candle. 1t was going out
and they would be in utter dark
ness. And yet neither thought OF
the supply of fresh candles in the
corner.