The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1914-12-24

inclined to believe that Marrophae
hoped to stop the taxica5 by depri7:
ing it, in course of time, Of its fuel.
And with this in mind he was Dresens'
ly surprised, as the cab took a corner.
to see Marrophat's car stop st tnas
corner and Marrophat himself sef
down. The brow of hill interyened'
shutting OF sight Of the blackgusrd a.
he knelt and lit . match. It was the
girl who gave the alarm. suddenly
withdrawing her head from the WIN
dow to scream at Alan:
Hes fired the gasoline! It's aam'
ing along the street, following the line
Of the leak-and catching up with us!'
Without pausing to put his hand to
the latch, Alan kicked the door open.
Jump" he cried. "For your life
jump! AS soon as that fame catches
up with the tank"
simultaneously the chauffeur, over
hearing, shut of the power.
The three gained the sidewalk bare
" in time: the tiny trail Of flames. al.
most impercepttole in the sunlight,
was not yard from the Jet that sDurt-
ed through the bullet hole in the tank.
In the futter Of an eyelash the exDlo-
sion followed. Had the cab been load.
ed with nitroglycerin its destruction
could have been no more absolute.
There was roar and then
a heap Of smoking ruins.
Without waiting to admire the spec:
tacle, Alan caught the arm Of the girl
and hurried her up the street, at the
same time calling to the chauffeur to
follow. And chance brought them to
the next corner as another cab. fare
less, hove into view. Promising Its
driver anything he might ask, in or
out of reason, Alan gave him the ad-
dress, and helped the girl in.
II Marrophat pursued Alan could see
no sign OF him. The second car made
better time than the first. Unhindered,
and as far as could be determined,
without being followed, It covered the
brief remaining distance In CRATE
fully short lapse Of time.
The suburb dropped behind a maze
Of streets where dwellings stood shoul'
der to shoulder and dooryards were
scant. The car swept up to corner
house OF modest and homely aspect.
Two minutes more, and Alan was e1-
changing salutations with and making
his bride-to-be known to Digby's good
friend, the Reverend Mr.. Wright.
Embarrassment worked confusion
with the young mans perceptive facuE'
ties. AS this moment approached
when two should be made one who had
gone through fire and food, literally
as well as fguratively, for each 9TH
er's sake, incredulity drew veil be-
fore his vision He viewed the world
as in glass, darkly.
He was aware Of a decently fur.
nished minister's study; Of two wit
nesses in the guise Of unassuming
womenfolk of the minister's house
hold; of the Rev. Mr.. Wright himself
as benevolent voice rolling sono-
rously forth from a black-clad pres.
ence; Of the woman OF his heart stand
ing opposite him; Of questions asked
and responses made; Of ring that
was magically conjured from some
store apparently maintained against
precisely similar emergencies; Of a
hand that took the hand that was to be
his wife's and placed 1t in his; OF his
clumsy and witless bungling with the
task of fitting that ring to the finger
Of his sweetheart's hand
And then he was aware OF . door
that banged violently in the hallway;
of the sound of mans voice making
come indistinguishable demand; that
Roses hand was suddenly whipped
away, before ne could fit on the ring:
that the study door was hung open snd
that this animal of Marrophat had
precipitated himself into the room.
He opened his mouth to protest
and Marrophat silenced him with q
cry.
"You fool! Drop that ring! Stop
this farce! Don't you know whom
you're marrying? That woman is Ju.
F, dith Trine, you idiot-not Rose!"
Blankly Alan turned to the girl.
Her flaming face, her sullen eyes,
her very pose, from which the man
ner of Rose had dropped like cast
garment, confessed the truth of Mar
4 rophat's assertion. And as if this were
not enough, Judith confessed it doubly
with a sudden outbreak of such rage
as never could have been brewed in
Roses gentle nature.
"You devil!" she cried-and threw
herself in front Of Marrophat with a
spring as 1.-THE as that Of a leopardess.
Take warning now from me: keep
out OF my way forever after this-or
take the consequences! God knows,
she painted, why l don't kill you as
you stand!'
He was in her way, between her and
the open door. She gave him no
chance to move aside, but seized him
so fiercely by the wrists that he In
stinctiyely lifted to protect himself,
and she fairly threw him half dozen
feet from her. He brought up with
crash against the wall even as the
door slammed behind the girl.
When Alan, the first to recover,
gained the sidewalk, she was already
in the taxicab. Whatever reward che
had promised the man, he whipped his
machine away as if from the fear OF
sudden death.
And darting from the house hard
on the minister's heels, MarroDhat
leaped into his own car and, as II ne
had not heard her threat or received
substantial proof Of her esrnestnesS,
fore off in nursuit