The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1911-09-14

MIN WUtD IRE WIS dlulOol fuohtU iron
him on the great north TRAN. And be
yond these two be saw still others
shining ghostly ana indistinct In th,
deeper gloom OF the outer darkness
He strained Meleese to him. and wheI
he looked down into her face he saw
her beautiful eyes flooded with tears
and yet shining with great JOY. Her
lips trembled as she struggled 10 speak
Then suddenly she broke from his
arms ana ran TO the door. and Jean
( CrOlsset came between them, with the
wild. bearded man still staring over
his shoulder.
M seur. will you come with us?''
said Jean.
/ The bearded man dropped back into
| the thick gloom, and without speak
/ ing Rowland followed Croisset. his
eyes 'on the shadOwy form of Me
leese The ghostly faces turned from
the light. and the tread Of their re-
treating feet marked the passage
through the blackness. Jean fell back
beside Howland. the huge bulk of the
bearded man three PAGES ahead. A
dozen steps more and they came to
stair. down which light shOne. The
Frenchman's hand fell detaininGly on
Howlands arm. and when a moment
later they reached the top Of the stairs
all had disappeared but Jean and the
bearded man. Dawn was breaking,
and a pale light fell through the two
windows Of the room they had enter
ed On a table burned n lamp, and
near the table were several chairs
To one of these Croisset motionpd the
engineer. and as Rowland sat down
the bearded man turned slowly and
passed through n door Jean shrug-
ged his shoulders as tine other disap-
peared,
"Mon Dieu. that means that he
leaves II All to me-" he exclaimed. 81
don't wonder that IL is hard for him to
talk. m'seur Perhaps you have begun
TO understand
"Yes. little" replied Rowland. His
heart was thrObbing as If he had Just
finished climbing long hill THAT
was the man who tried to kill me. But
Meleese-the"- He could 60 no fur
Their Scarce breathing, he waited for
Jean to speak.
"lt Is Pierre Thorenu." he said, "eld-
est brother To MpleeSe. II is he who
should say what | am about 10 tell
you. m'seur. Hui he Is too full of grief
to speak. You wonder at that? And
yet tell you that man with better
soul than Pierre ThUreau never lived.
though three times he has tried to Kill
you. DO you remember what you
asked me short time ago, m'seur-if
! thought that you were the John
Rowland who murdered the father OF
Meleese sixteen years ago? Gods
saints. and | did until hardly more
than half an hour ago, when some one
came from the south and exploded a
mine under our feet II was the young
est OF the three brothers. M'seur, we
ask your forgiveness"
In the silence the eyes OF the two
men met across the table. To How
land IL was not the thought that his
life was saved that came with the
greatest force. but the thought of Me
leese. the knowledge that in that hour
when all seemed TO be lost she was
nearer to him than ever. lie leaned
half over the table, his hands clinched,
his eyes blazing. Jean did not under
stand. for he went on quickly.
II know IL is hard. m'seur. Perhaps
II will be impossible for you to for
give a thing like this. We have tried |
to kill you-kill you by slow torture.
as we thought you deserved. But |
think for moment. m'seur, of what |
happened up here sixteen years ago |
this winter. have told you how
,hoked life from the man tiend. SO |
would have chOked life from you If II
lad not been for Meleese. |. too, am
guilty. Only six years ago we knew
hat the right John Howland-the son
II the man | slew-was in Montreal.
Ind we sent to seek him this youngest
brother. for he had been long time at
chool with Meleese and knew the
Ways OF the south better than the 9TH
RS. But he failed to find him at that
line. and II was only short while ago
hat this brother located you.
AS our blessed Lady Is my wit
less. m'seur. IL is not strange that he
hould have taken you for the man we
ought. for Il is singular that you bear
i'm out like "A brother in looks. as |
the boy. Ii Is true that
francois made great error when he
ent word TO his brothers suggesting
hat II either Gregson or Thorne was
ut out OF the way you would proba-
ly be sent into the north. ! swear
y the Virgin that Meleese knew moth
ig OF this. m'seur. She knew nothing
( the schemes by which her brothers
rove Gregson and Thorne back into
ne south They did not wish TO kill
lem. and yet II was necessary TO do
)mething that you might replace one
I them, m'seur They did not make
move alone hut that something hap
pned GreCsOn lost finger. Thorne
as badly hurt, as you know. Bullets
ime through their window at night.
'ith Jackpine in their employ II was
isy TO work on them. and II was not
ng before they sent down asking for
mother man to replace them"
For the fret time surge Of anger