River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-09-17

rose. then dropped swiftly from the
boat fine water encircling her, cooling
her. tapping at her ears in soothing re-
frain that lulled her senses to glori-
Gus sleep, visionless, profound. Then
in a flash of sanity came the Mortified
face of the man who was dragging her
back into the boat. Darkness, blank,
rable-slumber, goblin haunted
sun and desert with mirages of water
that receded before her lips
In her deIirium Hugo Loubeque was
constantly ministering unto her slight
est want. soothing her with tender
words. veritabIe Goliath in fighting
back the hordes of imps that would
have tormented her Always was he
by her side-always until the mantle OF
bIackness completely reached out and
swathed her. soothing her to untrou-
bled slumber, a slumber disturbed but
once and that when LOubeque stood
before her looking down at her with
light of mingled happiness and trl-
umnh in his eyes-a look that brought
dfnIy back to her the memory or GER
tain things yet to be accomplished, but
which she had not the strength to COM
pletely recall, a look so transltory that
when she fought her eyes wide open ne
was gone, and she was conscious OF pc
ing In q strange place, black figure
rising from the corner. then slumber
once again.
Instinct forced ner finally from the
lethargic slumber, the instinct common
to all higher forms of animals OF pro-
tecting ones treasure. Her hands
groped at her neck. where slight tug
had Weakened her. Something brushed
across her hand when she forced her
eyes open, the figure she remembered
to have seen in the corner was still
squatting there, a figure that might
have been inanimate save for the burn
ing eyes fastened upon her. Nefvously
she fumbled at her neck, the feel OF
the ruby necklace meeting her fingers
and puzzling her for moment before
it started a chaotic chain Of recOllec'
tons that finally marshaled themselves
in semblance of order.
Out of the delirium of fever she
fought remembrance of all that had
happened since Hugo LOubeque drag
ged her back in the boat, recalled Wv
idly from the subconscious brain that
had attained ascendancy during that
narrowing period, his tender nursing
of her, his denial, his stern self mas
terry when the blazing sun, the thirst,
the hopeleSsness would otherwise have
compelled him to give up the fight; and
then the fishing boat, the blessed relief
Of water, the breaking of the fever and
consequent repairing Of burned out
nerve tissues, the arrival in this house
and the spy's leave taking.
A cat and mouse game she played
for two days with the silent Chinese
woman nursing her. The woman had
discovered the necklace, and Lucille
knew she was constantly after 1t.
Short periods Of Gpas there We're
when the nurse woufa Sleep Hastily and
then Lucille walked warily UP and
down the floor, gradually regatning
perfect power of locomotiOn. That
necklace meant everything to her In
this strange country. 1t meant the
ability to travel to do anything she
pleased in her fight to regain the pre-
cious papers that meant honor and lib
erty to her falsely accused sweetheart.
And with the return of strength
came a terrible uneasineSS, a great
fear Hugo Loubeque, tender though his
care of her had been, had left immedi-
ately she was out of danger, and she
knew his motive was to seek the pa
pers that Captain Wetherell had stolen.
It was dawn of the third day that
the nurse slipped from the room, slip
ped out with a stealthiness that some
how sent a chill through the girl and
made her sit bolt upright In the bed,
then, as the door closed, spring toward
the chair beside the door. The soft
patter of slippered feet upon the floor
without made her stiffen with resolu-
ton as she hid herself so that the
opened door would secure her from
sight Then the door opened an inch
at time, silently, cautiously, while
the woman slipped inside the room.
looked at the blanket upon the couch
where Lucille should have been, then
young Chinaman, who entered even
more noiselessly than the nurse had
done. The girl In hiding shuddered at
sight of the vicious knife the young
Chinaman passed to the woman. The
man muttered cultural deep in his
throat as he croucned. Evidently the
revolver he carried bothered him, for
l. ~ -
fingers darted out, closing upon the
welcome butt just as the woman leap
ed across the distance that separated
her from the couch upon which the
blanket bulged deceptively, driving the
ugly knife down with force that sent
her off her balance. Lucille knew she
could hide no longer and stepped from
behind the door, the revolver leveled
upon the pair. her voice shaking de-
spite herself