, 1911-10-05

u mELEh6E-
had finished he folded the paper and
/ placed il under his watch. At the final
moment. before the shot was fired. he
would ask Jean to take 1t. His eyes
fell on his watch dial. and a cry burst
from his lips.
Ii lacked but ten minutes of the final
hour.
Above him he heard family the sharp
barking OF dogs, the hollow sound OF
mems voices. A IN later there
came to him an echo as of swiftly
tramping feet and, after that. silence.
jean" he called tensely. "Ho. Jean!
e Croisset'-
He caught up the paper n ran
from one black opening to another.
calling the F'renchman's name.
LAS you love your God. Jean. as you
have a hope of heaven, take this note
to Meleese!!" be pleaded. 'JeanJean
Croisset"-
There came no answer. no movement
outside. and Rowland stilled the beat
ing of his heart to listen. Surely Crois
set was there. He looked again at the
watch he held in his hand. In four
minutes the shot would be fred. A
cold sweat bathed his face. He tried
to cry u again. but something rose
In his thrOa and choked him until his
voice was only a gasp. He sprang
back to the table and placed the note
once more under the watch. Two min
utes! One and a half. One.
With a sudden fearless cry he sprang
into the very center of his prison and
flung out his arms with his face to
the hole next the door. This time his
voice was almost a shout.
Jean Croisset. there is a note under
my watch on the table. After you have
killed ne take It to Meleese. IL you
fail | shall haunt you to your grave"
Still no sound. no CLEAN of steel
pointing at him through the black aper
ture. Would the shot come from be.
hindu
Tick -tick-tick-tick-
He counted the beating of his watch
up to twenty. A sound stopped him
then. and he closed his eyes. and .
great shiver passed through his body.
1t was the tiny bell of his watch
tinkling of The hour of six!
Scarcely had that sound ceased to
ring in his brain when from far
through the darkness beyond the wall
of his prison there came a creaking
noise as II a heavy door had been
swung slowly on its hinges or a trap
opened. then voices. low. quick. excited
voices. the hurrying tread of feet. a
flash of light shooting through the
gloom, They we're coming. After all.
1t was not TO be a private affair. and
Jean was TO do his killing as the hang
mans job is done In civilization-be
fore a crowd. Howland's arms drop
ped to his side. This was mere terri
BILE than the other-this seeing and
hearing OF preparation, in which he
fancied that he heard the click of
Croisset's gun as he lifted the hammer.
Instead II was a hand fumbling at
the door. There were no voices now,
only a strange moaning sound that he
could not cou for. In another mo-
meut Il was made clear to him. The
door swung open and the white robed
figure of Meleese sprang toward him
with a cry that echoed through the
dungeon chambers. What happened
then the passing of white faces be-
yond the doorway, the subdued muir.
muir of voices were all lost 10 How
land in the knowledge that at the last
moment they had let her come to him.
that ne held her in his arms and that
she was crushing her face to his breast
and sobbing things to him which he
could not understand. Once or twice
In his life be had wondered II realities