The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-08-06

shall not" Flinging the Hindu aside
he threw himself down beside the body
on the floor, The revolver as 1t
dropped, was caught in the nimble
hand Of the Hindu. who took two long
swift strides toward the woman who
now faced him instead Of her husband
There was a great light in his eyes as
he stood over her and she saw death
staring out upon her.
But she did not quail. She was past
all that. She looked straight into his
eyes for an instant and then, as II
putting him out of her thoughts entire
ly, turned slowly toward the two men
on the floor. The man half raised the
pistol, but something stayed his hand
something stronger than any mere
physical opposition could have done.
He glared at the half-averted face,
COMPOUNDED by the most extraordinary
impression that ever had entered his
incomprehensible brain, Something
strange and wonderful was transpir-
ing before his very eyes-somethlng
so marvellous that even he, mysteri-
Gus seer of the Ganges, was stunned
into complete amazement and unbelief.
That strange, uncanny intelligence OF
his, born of a thousand mysteries, was
being tried beyond all previous exac-
lions. 1t was as if he now saw this
woman for the first time-as if he had
never looked upon her face before. A
mist appeared to envelop her and
through this veil he saw a face that
was new to him-the face Of Yvonne
and yet not hers at all Absolute won
der crept into his eyes.
AS If impelled by the power OF his
gaze, she faced him once more. For
what seemed hours to him, but in
reality only seconds, his searching
eyes looked deep into hers. He saw
at last the soul of this woman and 1t
was not the soul he hao known as hers
up to that tremendous moment. And
he came to know that she was no
longer afraid of him or his powers.
His hand was lowered, his eyes fell
and his lips moved but there were no
words, for he addressed a spirit. All
the venom, all the hatred fled from his
soul. His knee bent in sudden submis-
sion, and his eyes were raised to hers
once more, but now in their somber
depths was the fidelity of the dog!
go at once" she said, and her voice
was as clear as bell.
He shot a swift glance at the pros
trate Frederic and Strengthened his
tall figure as would soldier under
orders. His understanding gaze
sought hers again. There was another
command in her eyes. He placed the
weapon on the table. 1t had been dis
tinct command to him.
"One of us will use it," she said
monotonously. "Go!"
With incredible swiftness he was
gone The curtains barely moved as
he passed between them and the heavy
door made no sound in opening and
closing There was no one in the hall.
The sound of the shot had not gone
beyond the thick walls of that pro-
scribed room on the top floor. Some
where at the rear of the house an in
distinct voice was uttering a jumbled
stream of French
Many minutes passed. There was
not a movement in the room. Brood,
beside the outstretched figure of his
unintended victim, was staring at the
grazing face with wide, unblinking
eyes. He looked at last upon the fea-
lures that he had searched for in
vain through all the sullen years
There was blood on his hands and on
his cheek, for he had listened at first fol-
the beat of the heart. Afterward his
agonized gaze had gone to the blood
less face There 1t was arrested. A
dumb wonder possessed his soul. He
knelt there petrified by the shock Of
discovery. In the dim light he nc
longer saw the features Of Matilde, but
his own, and his heart was still. II
that revealing moment he realized thai
he had never seen anything in Fred
cries countenance save the dark
never-to be-forgotten eyes-and they
we're his Matilde's Now those eyes
were closed He could not see them
and the blindness was struck from hii
own. He had always looked into the
boys eyes-he had never been able t.
seek farther than those haunting, in
quiring eyes-but now he saw thu
lean, strong jaw, and the firm chin
the straight nose and the broad fore
head-and none of these were Ma
tides! These were the features of {
man-and of but one man. He was see
ing himself as he was when he looket
into his mirror at twenty-one!
All these years he had been blind
all these years he had gone on ours
ing his own image. In that overpower
ing thought came the realization tina
it was too late for him to atone. Hi
mind slowly struggled out Of thral
that held it stupefied. He was lookin
at his own face-dead! He would loo
like that Matilde was gone forever
the eyes were closed-but he wa
there, going grayer and grayer of fac
lie all the time.