Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-12-01
nd make out clearly enough two t,g-


ures there.
Once more he was tempted to IRE,
and might have yielded to the temp
tstion had not the light been put cut
before he had fairly got his eyes ed
justed to the distance.
II is to be remembered. always. that
he knew nothing whatever Of the ice
chimney. and suspected no connection
between the hut and the pilot house.
except by the air. For anything be
knew to the contrary. Jeanne might
be able to ny, as well as Philip, or
he to carry her with him upon his
flights. Consequently, he did not sus-
pect. when he saw Cayiey take to
flight again. that this action had any
reference to himself; nor that the
woman who was left alone would be
on her guard against him.
The moment he glimpsed the
shadow of Cayley's wings against the
stars he began making his way, eau
tiously. over the crusted snow, toward
the pilot house. The door was closed,
but there was a light shining out
through q crack beneath It. 1t was q
glass door. but something had been
hung over the glass so that he could
not see into the interior
Both Jeanne and Philip had made
the mistake of assuming that the only
way Of access to the pilot house, en-
cept to Philip with his wings, was the
ice chimney. II was a natural mis-
take enough-one that almost any but
practised mountaineer would have
made.
Furthermore they had no reason
either Of them-for anticipating an at
tack upon the pilot house while Philip
was gone. They had been living here.
now for weeks. In unbroken security.
So. though the girl obeyed Philips In
junction literally and scrupulously.
she did 1t without the slightest sense
OF personal danger, and indeed she
would hardly have had room for such
an emotion even II there had been q
much more reasonable ground for it.
She was sitting beside the oil stove,
in one of the farther corners Of the
room. The chimney hole was In the
corresponding corner The revolver
lay on the table in the middle of the
room, a few PAGES behind her. The
pilot house door was directly In line
with 1t, and almost exactly behind her
back. The door was hinged to swing
inward.
When 1t burst open she attributed
the fact to no other agency than the
wind. She laid down the red-bound
book upon the bench beside her and
rose. rather deliberately. before she
turned round
AS she did so Roscoe sprang for
ward to the table and seized the re-
volver. Her failure to turn imme-
diately had given him the second he
needed to take in the strategic posi-
bilities of the room.
His rife was a clumsy weapon In
close quarters. So, as he sprang for
ward, he dropped 1t and made for the
revolver instead. 1t only needed a
glance at the girl to convince him
that she was unarmed. Quite deliber-
ately he broke open the breech of the
revolver and satisfied himself that 1t
was loaded. Then he looked up again,
blinking at the girl.
1t was no wonder that Carlson and
Rose had mistaken her for the ghost
of the man their leader murdered. She
looked like her father as a woman
may resemble man, and her white
ness, her fineness. her delicacy all in
creased rather than diminished the
credibility of the idea that she was In
fact his spirit.
The hand which held the revolver
dropped nervously at his side. He
swallowed hard, and wrung his cruel
lips with his other great hand. 1t was
then that the girl looked up into his
face. 1t was then she uttered her
first cry.
For she saw that he did not mean
to kill her.
Suddenly Jeanne's eyes detached
themselves from his face. A look of
sudden alarm came into them, and
she raised her hand to her throat, as
though she were choking. She was
looking past Roscoe. and straight
down the snow tunnel.
Phillip" she cried. take care; he's
here"
The snow tunnel was empty, and
for aught she knew, her lovers body
might be lying mangled In the mon
ster's cave. She had thought of that
before she tried the trick. But, even II
that were SO, that cry of hers might
lead the monster to steal one uneasy
glance at the door behind him; and
even that would give her time enough.
II he had not killed Philip. but sim
ply eluded him, he would turn In
stantly.
That was what he did. He sprang
round with suddenness which be-
spoke perfectly genuine. common
sense alarm. And then he found him
self In darkness.
He understood at once that he had
been tricked. Without wasting the time
to turn back and look at Jeanne, he
sprang toward the PILOT house door.
He thought she meant to attempt to
rush by him, gain the snow-tunnel and
throw herself over the crest of the
cliff. He had not misread the sud-
den loathing he had seen In her eyes
when they met his face.
In the open doorway he wheeled
round, triumphantly. She had not
got ahead of him that time He laugh