Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1911-03-23

He waited long before presenting
himself in quest Of the dance he hun
gered for so greedily-afraid Of her.
She greeted him with new. brighter
light In her eyes. A culver OF delight
long in restraint came into her voice.
He saw and felt the welcome in her
manner. The blood surged to his head.
He mumbled his request Then. for
the frst time. he was clasping her 1n-
gers. touching her waist. drawing her
gently toward hi, heart Once as they
swept around the almost empty ball
room she looked up into his eyes.
Neither had spoken. His lips parted
suddenly, and hi, fingers closed down
upon hers. She saw the danger light
in his eyes and knew the unuttered
words that struggled to bis lips and
stopped there. She never knew why
she did it. but she inyoluntarily shook
her head before she lowered her eyes
He knew what she meant His heart
turned cold again, and the distance
widened once moro to the old proper
tiohs.
He left her with Bobby Browne and
went out upon the cool, starlit bal
eoay. There he gently cursed himself
for fool. dolt, an idiot.
The shouts Of laughter and the clap
ping Of hands on the inside did not
draw him from his unhappy reverie-
He did not know until afterwsrd that
the official announcement Of the en-
garoment of Miss Minnie Pelham and
Thomas Saunders was made by Bobby
Browne and the health Of the couple
drunk In 4 series Of bumpers.
CsaSs's bitter reflections were at
last disturbed by q sound that came
shayDly to his attention. The noise
cams from directly below where he
stso4. he peered over the stone rail-
Ing. The terrace was barely ten feet
below him. A mass Of bushes fTfnged
ths bAss Of the wall. dark. thick, fra
ralt The next moment . dark figure
Ghot eat from the shadows and skunk
oT iRts night. followed by another and
another and yet others, seven In all.
Then the truth suddeoly davned
upon him. The prisoners had escaped
from the dungeon!
He dssked into the ballroom and
shouted the alarm. Confusion ensued.
There's been treachery," be sI-
plainsd quickly. "Some one has re-
leased the prisoners. We must keep
them from reaching the walls. They
VIII sverpower our guards and open
tho gates to the enemy. Britt, see that
tho searchlight is trained on the gates.
We must stop those fellows before It
Is too lats Time enough tf hunt for
the traitor later on"
TIVE minutes later q swarm Of arm
ID men foTsook the mock charity ball
and sailed forth to engage in realities.
Firing was soon heard at the western
Ssto, half q milo away. Thither the
sasse pursuers rushed. The wide ray
from the searchlight swung down upon
this cate and revealed the forms Of
struggling men.
TAs prisoners had fallsa suddenly
uDol the two Greeks who guarded the
vsstsea gate, surprising them cleveEly.
Both fell under the clubbed guns of
tAslx adverariss.
ChAss and Selim weis not more than
Z Aundssd yards away when the
0essks went down. The binding
siars II The ssarchliSht aided the pur-
sooA VIZ kept outside IT. PsdiuA The
fussetyS. bswildsssd, confused By the
bright s,ass in which they found
tAsmsslvsA faced the Light boldly. fvs
Of them knsehns with guns raised to
project their two companions who
started across the narrow strip, which
separated them from the massive gate,
Selim gave a shout and stopped sud
denly. throwing his rine to his shoul-
der.
"They have the teys!" he cried.
"Shootr'
His rife cracked a second later, and
one Of the two men leaped into the
air and fell like log. Chase under
stood the necessity for quick work and
fred an instant later. The second
man fell in heap thirty feet from the
gate. His companions returned the
fire at random in the direction from
which the well aimed shots had come.
Under cover" shouted Chase. He
and Selim dropped into the shrubbery