Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-02
THE ISLE OF STRIFE
GEORGE C.. SHEDD
CHAPTER v.
How a Document May Acquire I'm
portance.
Copyright, 1sez b. Small. Maynard l. oe3

Davis cast a flying glance back. then
vanished around an angle in the hall. One
intense purpose dominated me-to recap
ture the map: and this / resolved to do
even il necessary to follow the man into
his very room. But such refuge was ap-
parently not his goal. for he kept straight
on until finally darling into a side pas
sage I saw him dash from sight down the
servants stair; memory of its location
leaped into my mind, for as child ] had
more than once pursued Betty along this
very runway, when we had quarreled
over a division of cake, or when, in
flash of temper, she had knocked over my
house of blocks. So early as that she and
/ had not agreed. Those were pursuits
which ended in nothing more than pull
of her braid of hair; this one would have
g. more serious end if the fellow sought
to retain the chart. For meant to have
it at all costs.
Down ! clattered after him, rushed
standing motionless In the kitchen and
burst out a rear door. Ten yards in ad-
vance ran Davis, bareheaded. l saw the
folded map in his hand Fear. perhaps,
winged his feet. but anger gave me speed
and / gained upon him. Around the cor
ner of the house he ran: closed up and
reached to seize him, but he swerved to-
ward the wood. By quick sprint l over
took him, sprang on his back, ana ne
went down with a strangled cry beneath
my weight. I wrested the paper from his
resistlesS hand, and, still resting a knee
upon his body put the prize away In my
breast pocket. Strongly tempted as ] was
to give him a drubbing. the sight OF his
pallid face and rolling eyes restrained
me: he was not a strong man. not SO
strong as the average, nowhere near SO
strong as 1, and though the soreness in
my side still kept fresh the recollection
of his dastardly kick 1t would have been
the extreme of brutality to retaliate on
so helpless an adversary.
Stand up.'' l ordered.
He rose stiffly, silently and stood mo-
tionless. His face was even paler now
than it had been before, since l stood
close before him, keeping one hand on
his arm. He was breathing in short. Ia
bored inhalations, and his lips. worked
in jerks and witches: a physical coward
set him down, and now in terrible
state of apprehension. Placing his hand
upon his bosom. as If pressing back
pain in the region of his heart, he whip
ped out a dagger and lunged at me as
swiftly as cornered animal strikes us
flash in the moonlight gave warming. ana
/ sprang to one side. but not in time to
escape a ripped sleeve l pulled him to
me, knocked up the hand holding the
weapon and sent it flying out upon the
turf.
"You attempt murder, do you?" l said.
ached.
But he remained silent as ever. as. IL he
had lost power of speech: only his black
eyes were staring large and luminous tie
made no resistance. Fright had COM
pletely mastered him and / looked at him
in curiosity. His frame was frail: there
was vague indefinable suggestion In his
features. a mixture of races that limited
at several and bespoke none, hybridity.
The whole person of him suggested an
lindorly-inp nnnatur2lnaSS OF character
and constitution, and yet one could not
lay finger on anything tangible. Ii was
difficult to imagine that he was the same
person who had a short time previous
leaped on my back; where had he found
the courage? A curious anomaly. Now
he was as putty; yet despite his fear of
what l might do. of terror of physical
pain that held him unresisting and dumb,
/ was conscious that there was present
in his look a passion of hatred that no
fear, however great, could wholly subdue
Get away from here | said. in dis
gust Go back to your master
Obedient as an automaton he walked
toward the door. and, my anger dissi-
pated. ! watched him, still curious as to
the kind of creature he was. Then
moved to the spot where the dagger had
fallen and raised 1t from where 1t lay
with shining blade upon the grass: 1T was
more of stiletto than anything else, thin
and needle pointed and with handle of
silver. l would keep it, for it was fairly
my spoil and it would be relic to have
of a strange man and an unusual evening.
After all. / had not lost my property by
my adventure; I still had the map. And
yet, stay. Had / not lost something, or
rather acquired a new menace? Here
tofore the map had only got me the Ger
man for an enemy, but now DUrville,
who had been conversant with Douglass
plans and plots, indeed, a partner in
them, and who consequently knew all
about this paper, would also become an
active striver for it's possession. He was
well aware what fort it represented:
doubtless he had assisted in determining
what market it should go into; at any
rate he was fully apprised of its high
value as a secret, and that was enough
TO spur him to action for its acquisition.
More fool / for thinking to unmask the
scoundrel and put him on the defensive;
Charles Woodwork was the man who
would now need to take good care how he
walked.
D'Urville's attack, however, lay some