The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-12-03


fl Of h,.<te-ia induced by thinking
Of tie urgency for the information in
h.r possession being in Mania. Cooler
thought always made her Srapple with
the impulse. for hate and place herself
in the hands Of this superior power
which had looked after her through
such startling happenings.
! II the international spy was at work
and at work she knew he assuredly
was. now he had located her-why did
he not strike: That was the hardest
mart of her stay in the village-the
. constant strain Of waiting for the in
evitable.
It was the fourth day that her atten-
ton was irresistibly drawn to ma
five whose facial traits differed so ma
terially from those Of any of the men
she had seen about the village that she
studied him more closely.
] The man was seated. cross legged
| upon log just a little distance be-
yopd the village. His eyes were mar
row Sits that emitted sharp slants OF
/ evil light when they fell upon her,
light that frightened her and made her
turn hurriedly back toward her hut
She had not made over twenty steps
i before an unseen menace cast IT'S
! shadow upon her heart. Though She
could hear nothing. she knew uncon-
! sciously that the man was following
her at such pace he was obviously
doing SO for purpose.
Slowly, relentlessly, the pat pat or
the natives feet came to her. she
halted and whirled upon him. The
| Sits of eyes met her own and she read
there the light of an unconquerable
purpose. Her lips opened but no
words would come.
Cautiously, steathily he advanced
upon her There was deathlike cold
ness about him that reminded her OF
the one she knew to be his master.
She could feel the glitter of his eyes,
could read the meaning in the terrible
hands which were outstretched toward
her.
There seemed nothing to do, no way
out Of his clutches. She tried to
shrek, but felt the sounds stranglinS
in her throat Her fingers encounter
ed the slender golden threads that
wound the amulet about her neck.
She ripped at them as though they
had caused her fright. And then cv-
erything became more distinct. more
astonishing.
For. with little gasp Of fright. the
nenacing figure dropped fat upon the
ground. dropped before her, For Il
second she thought the man was dead,
then her eyes wiGened with astonish-
ment as slowly, with face turned al
ways down, the man crawled in q
wriggling motion suggestive of a
snake, back, back, back, until his body
was lost in the tangle Of shruhbery
where she had come across him first.
ouly swaying of the leaves there. an
occasional cracking OF tWigs betray
ing the fact that such a one had eve
existed.
Lucille stared straight ahead Of her
The terror that had fallen upon he
was too great for Immediate relief
Again her fingers sought her throat
falling upon the amulet which th
grateful chief had presented to her an'
Immediately she realized what ha
saved her from the man.
, Perhaps it was the shock from he
encounter with the strange native tina
made her slumber light. for the SCUM
was very faint that wakened Lucill
from the doZe into which she final
had fallen. Like the ripping of
- breeze through the leaves it was, an
yet something olninous about it brough
her bolt upright III bed her every fat
Il ulty alert.
Gradually she made out that it cam
from Immediately over her head. Til
noise ceased abruptly Startled at tn
IL suddenness of it, she looked at the spo
III from which the last noise had come
o then, with q shrek of horror. her eye
2t followed the stealthy. graceful reptil
y that seemed to grow from out the yer
n reef Of the matched hut, its body wa,
e. esing longer and longer before her ho
r ror stricken eyes, it's fiat head movin
in all directions. two little threads COZ
1t tinually tiickering from out its hideou
Sc mouth.
With 4 wild scream Of terror ST
darted through the hut opening. hea'
ing sigh Of relief at feeling the warn
b clean air of the out Of doors upon ht
s. cheek after the fetid atmosphere whic
s. the snake intruder had seemed to briI
81 with him.
s. There at the outskirts of the villas
81 she fought against her terror
Fighting against herself. against e
erything feminine In her nature, 81
forced herself back to the hut. Al
81 then a great feeling Of relief enguIfe
81 her, for the snake was gone. But IL
81 hut was in wild disorder. Everythi1
Isl -