The Tupelo journal., 1912-10-04
(copyrisht, Ipao b. Leuis Joseph Vsoeel

6atoly A00AA1O ~c
l am. See now!" His hands moved
swiftly back to Coasts throat and
gfrdled 1t with a collar Of iron. DO
you realize l could easily squeeze your
breath out Of ,your body. / could"
Coasts face explored the face above
him. It's smile was gone. Something
ran cold along his spine, and of a sud
den he was without emotion, quite
calm and collected.
But you won't you know" he said
easily; that is. you wouldn't II you
knew my right hand in my pocket was
pointing a pistol directly at your heart.
Would your
Perhaps the fact that he had merely
stated the truth was responsible for
his GOODNESS. He noted the
instructive movement of the blind
eyes, as II they sought to see II 1t
was true; and he thought: Habit Is
strong.
Raising his left hand. he grasped
Biackstock's right by the wrist and
removed 1t with a certain frmness.
The other hand released him an In
oShut 1dloIs anu LAO LloA oSOO0 p&~A
with a short laugh.
"But you wouldn't have flred?"
mot any sooner than you'd have
tried to strangle me-"
"Of course I'd no such idea"
"Of course not: but you shou19nH
have suggested It You made me
nervous"
For q m~omant,it was as II the mask
had been dropped. as If they openly
acknowledged one another as implaca-
bic enemies. And again Coast re-
marked that Blackstock quivered as
he had when surprised. an hour be-
fore; a ripple Of tensed muscles. hard
ly to be detected. seemed to shake
him from head to foot-and was gone
IN a twinkling. while the hard smile
reappeared on the Satyr's features.
do you really tote a gun. Handy
side?"
Always Coast rejoined briefly.
"Why-up here"
"You never can tell what's going to
happen"
perhaps you're right" Blackstock
conceded the point g~raciously. Il
,don't mind. but you really ought not
Ito take a joke so seriously. However,
... I'm full of sleep and you
Unjust be. . John-hat, cane"
lone of the servants brought them in
tEtantly. "G'd-night, Handyside."
Blackstock hesitated an instant.
then got his bearings and found the
back door with unerring accuracy.
ION the stoop he paused long enough
ITO say: We'll get together after
breakfast and talk business" and the
blackness received him.
Mystifed. Coast waited. staring at
the spot where he had last seen the
man. until one of the Cinnamon mild
by suggested that his room was ready.
He followed the fellow stupidity, pre-
occupied, his mind ranging far in fu-
tile speculation as to the riddle Of
Blackstock's conduct. Long after he
was left alone in the o that had
been Powers he sat on the edge of the
.dingy bed, his gaze fixed upon
the reflection of the lamps flame in
the window panel-absorbed in the
enigma.
He could not rid himself of the i'm
preston that an inarticulate menace
iurked beneath Blackstock's apparent
ly unsuspicious reception of him.
Was insanity the explanation? Was
ahe man In reality a homicidal maniac,
at whose intellect the lust to slay ale
like a cancer? But in such
case, would he have delegated to an
other the assassination of Power?
Did he or did he not suspect? Did
that sudden slip Of the mask signify
that he had merely allowed himself
to appear to be deceived and was but
waiting to deliver some telling stroke
dn retaliation!
How much has Coast to apprehend,
what to guard against?
To this latter question his every in
istinct answered in chorus: Every
thing. He dared leave no stone un-
turned to safeguard himself-that he
might remain able to protect Kath-
erine.
1t came to him that It was not TN
likely he had been left in that lonely
cottage with the three Chinese that
they might quietly make away with
him while he slept.
With this In mind he took a more
detailed inventory of his surround
iings; and found them hopelessly ex'
posed.
Unquestionably he would have been
safer in the open; but the storm was
now at the top Of its fury. Sheets Of
water were sluicing the house as II
cast from some gigantic bucket.
Danger within seemed very
much preferable to misery with
out. More than that, II Black
stock had planned an attempt upon bis
life during the night. Coast might az
well know it; for he was armed and
u~nafraid, and he who knows what to
fear is doubly armed.
Having wedged a chair beneath the
knob Of each door, he placed the lamp
upon the table. turning It low that IL