The Lakeland evening telegram., 1913-12-20
T5S|TIME
(|||I|.|||||. 8 |||||'|||'|| LOCK |
By CHARLES EDM0NDS WALK
Author of "The Silver Blade"
"The Paternoster Ruby" etc.

/
added. What a nasty brute you are!"
Nothing less than paralyzing amaze
ment, apparently, restrained Calls
from leaping upon Van Vechten and
finishing him out Of hand. And per-
haps, too. there was quality in the
young mans bearing that had some
thing to do with this unflinching
nerve, the mastery of his look, the in
evitable dominance of caste and breed
ing. With little bow, Van Vechten
turned again to the girl.
You are at perfect liberty to de-
part" he said, with calm, dignified
Difference. "And, really, think you
had better do SO at once. can hold
this rufi1an-at least until you make
good your escape. Once you are in
the street, you know, and you are
safe."
BY this time she had regained some.
thing of her own composure; but the
cool assurance Of this punctiliously
garbed young man, the obvious deter.
mination and air of authority that lay
behind his courtesy, evoked from her
a look Of startled wonder. The heavy
lashes half-veiled her dark eyes as
they wavered to Calls, then back
again to him; it was covert, all-ap-
praising glance. Then her lips curled
scornfully.
What was passing in her mind was
only too plain to Van Vechten. He
flushed hotly. Already he had made
the same comparison; and he fostered
no illusions respecting the possible
outcome Of combat.
Never before had he been confront
ed by any man so irresponsible with
rage, or one with whom it was so
hopeless to attempt to reason; never
in all his life had he struck man in
anger; but he knew there was just one
way in which he could succOr this dis
dainful beauty and that would be to
pit his endurance against the bully's
strength, to guard himself as much as
possible against his repeated on
slaughts, and delay pursuit of the girl
until he (Van Vechten) was pounded
into insensibility-or maynap slain. He
did not blink that contingency. Yet,
without the slightest hesitation, he
had resolved to offer himself to the
sacrifice.
Through his mind all these aspects
of the crisis flashed. If only he had
the bludgeon which his fatuous wit
had SO disparaged to Tom!
He was guilty OF no error Of judg'
ment now, however; Calls gave him
but scant time to reflect, then rushed.
not at him, but at the girl. Simultane.
ously Van Vechten plunged headlong
forward. interposing his lighter body
between.
Amid the stress and confusion Of
violent situations, the human mind is
capable of the most ridiculous pranks
And at this critical moment Van Vech'
tens prompted him to commit such an
absurdity.
Get out of here, you little idiot!'
! he yelled at the girl, who seemed
\ frozen 20 the table.
She hesitated one second longer
then, with a stifled scream. slipped in
4 to the hall and closed the door aftel
her.
! 1t would not be pleasant to record
what happened in that room. There il
1 nothing heroic in a baited rat dartins
I desperately from a trap into the jaw:
I Of a waiting terrier, nor in the spec
tacle of lamb being prodded to thu
\ shambles. For perhaps five minutes
Van Vechten succeeded in preventing
Calls from grasping the door-knob-
] a period in which he was reduced from
a correctly dressed, rather handsome
young gentleman to an object that wa
= no more than tattered, bloody sem
4 blance of humanity-and then he sanl
into oblivion.
Calls stared at his motionless ad
4 versary. Why didn't the fool move
The answer came promptly, unbidden
Because he couldn't. He would neve
move again, unless perchance,
should be to rise up and follow him
out of the room, along the echoin
halls, down the dusty stairs, into tn
street; whithersoever he went, tur
and double, twist and dodge, ther
would be that Thing at his si6e, unit
at last
I'll And there was yet another shado'
in this silent house, one other fea
I some shade; suppose it should detac
4 itself from the rest; suppose the tw
iItnIIlIihJiIlhhua