The Washington times., 1912-04-28

"A stronghold on the fifth floor,
resting. trying to gather up
some strength again, to pull together
for resistance to the siege that had
set in.
With the return of reason to the en-
gineer-his free bleeding had somewhat
checked the onset of fever-and of con-
seriousness to the girl, they began to
piece out, bit by bit, the stages of their
retreat.
Now that Stern had barricaded the
stairs two stories below and that for
little while they felt reasonably safe,
they were able to take their bearings,
to recall the flight. to plan a bit for the
future, future dark with menace,
seemingly hopeless in its outlook.
IF 1t hadn't been for you." Beatrice
was saying, 'if you hadn't picked me
up and carried me when that stone
struck IL"
"How's the ache now?'' Stern hastily
interrupted in a rather weak yet brisk
voice, which he was trying hard to
render matter-of-fact. "Of course, the
lack Of water, except that half-p or
so, to battle your bruise with, is a rank
barbarity. But II we haven't got any,
we haven't that's all. All-till we have
| another go at 'em!'
"Oh, Allan!" she exclaimed, tremulous-
ly' don't think of me- of me when
your backs gashed with a spear-cut,
your head battered, arm pierced, and
we've neither water nor bandages-
| wounds with"
Come. now. don't you bother about
me-! he objected, trying hard to smile,
though racked with pain. IN be O.
| a a In IN,n
health and all that sort Of thing, you
know. Itll heal right away.
| Heads clear again already. in spite
Of that whack with the war club, OF
things l had 'em-had EN- bad
Thought-well. strange things.
My back? Only scratch, that's all
peer over his own shoulder at the
clash. But the pain made him desist
He could hardly keep back a groan. Hi.
face twitched involuntarily.
The girl sank on her knees besid,
him. Her arm encircled him, her hant
smoothed his forehead, and with {
strange look she studied his unnatural
ITS your arm I'm thinking abou
more than anything said she. View
got to have something to treat tina
with. Tell me. does it hurt you yer!
muCn, Allan Z!
He tried to laugh as he glanced dow
at the wounded arm. which. hgaturet
about the spear-thrust with thong
and supported by a rawhide sling
looked strangely blue and swollen.
Hurt me? NONSENSE I'll be fin
and dandy in no time. The only troubl
Is, I'm not much good as a fighter thi
way. Southpaw, you see. Can't shoe
worth "a cent. you know, with m!
left. Otherwise. wouldn't mind"
|
exclaimed. We've still got two re
volvers and the shotgun left, and lot
of ammunition. I'll do the shooting
there's go got rsbt to be any dene exc,s
ed the wounded man fervently. "Wha
would do without you? And to thinl
how near you came to-but never mind
That's over now; forget it'
Don't know. Get well. maybe
Things might be worse. I might hav
a broken arm or something; laid up 70
weeks-slow starvation and all that
Now that the spears out, It'll begii
healing right away.
Bet million, though. that What's
His Name down there. Big Chefo tn
hurry. His face is certainly scramble'
or I miss my guess. You got hin
through the ear with one shot, by til
way. know that? Fact! Drilled
| IL
you'd have had him for keeps, Blu
never mind. We'll save him for the en-
core-if there is any
"You think they'll try again?"
fighters, killed and wounded already
And they've had a pretty liberal tast
of our style. That ought to hold ther
for while! Well see. at any rate
thing or two to show them If the
keep on hanging around where the
aren't wanted"
Came now a little silence Besid
wounded body with her firm, white arm
Thirst was beginning to torment ther
both. particularly Stern, whose injuric
had already given him marked tenn
lutely none. And so, still planless, gla
only to recuperate a little, content tina
l for the present the horde had been hel
q! back, they waited.
thoughts were all of him; but he. man
fashion, was trying to piece out wha
had happened, to frame some coherer
idea of 1t all, to analyze the urger
necessities that lay upon them both.
Here and there a disjointed bit recui
red to him, even from out the deliriuI
that had followed the blow on the heat
: From the time he had recovered hi
senses in the building things wer
clearer.
: He knew that the horde, temporaril
frightened by his mad rush, had give
him time to stumble up again and ono
more lift the girl before they had Ver
tured to creep into the arcade in scare
: OF their prey.
He remembered that the spear ha
been gone then. Raving, he must haV
broken and plucked II out. The bloot
' he recalled, was squirting freely as +
had carried Beatrice through the Wrecl
age and up to the first landing. wheI
she had regained partial consciousness
I Then he shuddered at recollection (
: that stealthy. apelike creeping Of I'll
: horde scouts in among the ruins, fu
I tive and silent; their shifting after ii
: blood track; their frightful agility
! clamberfng with feet and hands alik
d swinging themselves up like chimpaI
n gees, swarming aloft on the death hun
n He had evaded them, from story
Q story. Beatrice. able now to walk, ha
helped him roll down balustrades ar
building stones, fling rocks, wrenc
stairs loose. and block the way.
And so, wounding their pursuers, y,
r tracked always by more and ever NOR