The Clovis news. [volume] (Clovis, N.M.) 1907-1929, 1912-06-20
cHAPTER xlv.-fcontInued.l


He ran as seldom he had run be-
fore, strainlng and laboring, stumbling,
recovering and plunging onward. And,
by the gods, wasn't It hot! The
khamsin raved and tore like a spirit
of hell-fre through that narrow alley,
turning It into a miniature inferno
But in the course of some minutes,
the end Of the tunnel came In view;
a lighted rift between house walls,
giving upon the Illuminated street be-
yond. The sight brought forth a fresh
burst of speed from O'Rourke. He
dashed madly out Of the alley,
stumbled and ran headlong into a
strolling Greek, who grappled with
him, at first In surprise and then in
resentment, while the clamor of the
pursuing rabble shrilled loud and
near and ever nearer
Exhausted as he was. the Irishman
struggled with little skill before he
mastered his own surprise; and IN the
end saw his hnis written along the
blade Of a thin, keen knife which the
Greek mad whipped from the folds Of
his garments and ierked t~hreateningly
above his head.
1t was falling when O'Rourke saw
It. In another breath he had been
stabbed. Unexpectedly the Greek
shrieked, dropped the knife as though
It had turned suddenly white-hot in
his hands, and leaped back from
O'Rourke, nursing a broken wrist;
ryhNa O vofoo a evr,ot &c fbo e4,rtnr
of angels rang in the fugitive's ears,
though the spirit of its melody was
simple and crude enough.
"O'Rourke, be all tn powersi The
masther himself! Glory, ye beggar,
it's sorry,I am that / didn't split the
ugly face of ye wild me sthicki
This way. yer honorl Come
wild mel"
Blindly enough Indeed the world
was all awhirl about him) O'Rourke,
his arm grasped by a strong and conf
dent hand, permitted himself to be
swung to the right and across the
street. In a thought blackhess again
was all about him, but the hand
Stripped his arm, h%urrying him onward;
and he yielded blindly to It's guidance
without power. for that matter, to
question or to object; what breath
he had he sorely needed. And as blind
~ he stumbled on for perhaps another
hundred yards, while the voice of the
rabble made hideous the night be
hind them. Hardly, indeed, had the
two whipped into the mouth of the
back-way ere it wos choked by a
swarm Of pursuers. But-"Niver
fearl" said the voice at his side.
"'Tis ourselves thatll outwit them.
Here. now. yer honor, do ye
go straight on widout sthoppin' ontil
ye come to an iron dure In a dead wall
at the end av this. Knock there
vance, count tin. and knock again.
I'll lead EN- away and be wild ye again
in a brace av shakesl"
Benumbed by fatigue and exhaus.
ton, O'Rourke obeyed. He was aware
that his %preserver with a Wild whoor
had darted aside into a c%ross-alley. but
hardly aware of more. Mechanically
he blundered on until brought up by
a wall that closed and made a Guide
sac Of the way.
With trembling hands he felt before
him, fingers encountering the smooth
cool surface Of a sheet Of metal This
then, was the door. AS carefully as
he could he knocked, counted ten. and
knocked again-while the mob tina.
had lusted for his blood trailed of
down the side alley in frantic pursuit
OF his generous preserver, And hs
heard with a smile, the latter's shril