The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-06-03
The Ambition of
Mark Truitt

Ii was your fault. lou ran away
from her. IL would be easy 10
drive OFF the road and fall in the
dark. I'm tired, and | tremDle.
Seeing you makes II worse. !
keep wondering what they'll do 10
me. When the mills are gone. m
coming back 10 you. guess you II
stay Maybe I'd better finish You
now--you're SO lucky always.
Mark felt the hand again, now at
his throat. pressing hard. lie tried
to protest That is quite supernn-
Gus" but the pressure would not let
him. When blackness was closing In
on him once more, the grip relaxed.
But he did not quite lose conscious
ness this time He heard the other
move about, still muttering. then pass
out. The sound OF wheels and the
horses tramping through the tall
weeds died away in the distance.
At first Mark lay inert. A mortal
weakness held him, He could real
lie only the pain. He wanted moth
ing but to lie prone and motionless.
A disturbing thought began to
tug at his brain He ought not TO be
there. There was thing he must
do, some one he must see. What was
It?
"Kazia," The name gave him q
thrilling shock that sharpened the
pain but cleared his mind a little.
And the mills The mills Kazia
and the mills The Two thoughts
were inextricably mingled.
With a rush came realization OF
his plight Piotr, the puny whimper-
ing madman who cringed before a
squall, had shot him and was on his
way to blow UP the mills. Piou must
be forestalled. With an effort he
forced his eyes open and held them
so until the first giddiness passed
He was lying across the doorway
head and shoulders within the bar OF
silvery light streaming through the
aperture. BY turning his head a
little he thought he could make out
lights twinkling in the valley, the vii
lage whittier Piotr was bound. 1t was
two miles away He took stock OF
his hurts, running his fingers gingerly
over the furrow in his scalp and feel
ing the wet patch over his shoulder
Ii was astonishing, the effort required
TO lift an arm. He raised his head !;
IL fell back with thud.
II can't do It,. he groaned.
But the mills-and IkaZia!
I've got to do IT, | must stop him.
must get TO her"
Then began a fight TO sit up, to
stand, TO beat of the invisible hands
trying to drag him back into the
blackness. How long the struggle
lasted, by what degrees he progressed
he did not know; but when It was
over he was leaning weakly against
the door jamb His brain was reel.
ing, he breathed sobbingly, but by
bracing himself desperately with the
cane, recovered in the struggle TO
stand, he managed to hold what he
had won.
His brain cleared again. a little
steadiness came to the trembling
limbs. Summoning all his will he
passed with uncertain dragging steps
out OF the shed. A cold damp wind
breathed refreshingly upon him. lie
gripped his cane more tightly and
started slowly down the weedy road
He reached the foot or the hill and
sank down in a little rain pool, rest.
ed pantingly and laved his hot face
a few minutes, then staggered 10 his
feet and limped on until weakness
overcame him once more and he
fell.
More than an hour later he was still
lurching along the road. In the white
moonlight his face showed CHASTITY,
besmeared with blood aud dirt He
went without the cane now; in one
OF his falls he had come down on Il
and snapped II In twain. The throb.
bIng from his wounds had spread nm.
I'll his whole body was ahre with
pain. His legs were incredibly heavy
and every few rods they would, with
out warning, suddenly crumple and lie;
him down with an excruciating Jolt.
Each time he thought he could rise
no more.
But each time a new impulse OF will
came to him. dragging him to his feet
and onward. II was no longer con.
scious will. His swimming brain was
possessed by a whirligig OF irrelevant
feverish fancies. lie was back in
the mills in midsummer; or lighting
OF horde OF malicious fantastic .mps
that chung heavily 10 him. tripped him
and tried to pin him down when he
was prone; or facing grotesque mad.
men who hurled white-hot iavelins AZ
him and tortured him with the re.
membranes Of things he wanted to