The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1915-03-12

you, did they?
"From the way she said it saw she
expected me to say NO So said No.
"That was left for me to return
and do she went on with kind of
queer Joy that gave me the shivers
again. The instant / saw your state
ment in the newspaper knew it was
your soul calling to mine across the
ages, "Our boat is at the shore."'
I'm that last letter she mentioned
ship. And, now, here was this boat
business. (Afterward looked for
sign Of either but could not find any.
| l thought perhaps it would explain
the other part of the we and 'our.D
If I was going to elope by sea want
ed to know it. and l said as much.
care you steadfast? she asked.
swell, there was only one answer to
that. I said l was. She opened her
| package and took out coil of rope.
1t was this gray-white rope, sort Of
| clothesline, and it looked strong.
"What nowT asked her.
"To bind us together she said
Close, close together, and then the
plunge! This time there shall be no
failure. They shall not find one Of us
without the other. You are rot afraidT
Afraid! My neck was bristling.
eco Slow said, thinking mighty
hard. 4 don't quite see the point Of
this
didn't curse myself for not re-
membering what had written herr
No clew, except that the poor soul was
plumb dippy-too dippy for me to mar
ry at any price. 1t wouldn't have held
in the courts. Yet there might have
been $1,000 of diamonds on her. l
suppose she felt me weakening.
"'You dare to break our pactY she
says in voice like a woman on the
stage. Then she changed and spoke
very gently You are looking at these
gewgaws. she said and took dia-
mond circlet from her finger. What
do these count for?' And she put it in
my hand. Another ring dropped at
my feet. Mind, she was giving them
to me. These are as nothing compar-
ed to what we shall have she went
on, after the plunge. Wait!
"She had dropped the rope, and now
she went into her paper parcel again,
kneeling at my side. / had stopped to
look for the fallen ring when l felt
her hand slide up my wrist and then a
quick little snap of something cold and
close. A bracelet, thought. And it
was bracelet!
"'Forever. Together!' she said and
stood up beside me, chained to me by
the handouts she had slipped on my
right wrist and her left.
"'How much to let me off? l asked
as soon as l could get breath. You
see, it flashed on me that it was a po-
lice trap. Her next words put me on.
""The stars! The starsr she whisper
ed. See ours-how they light our path
way across the sea, the sea that awaits
us!
More breath came back to me. 1t
wasn't a trap. then. She was only a
crazy woman that l had to get rid Of
l looked down at the handcuff 1t was
of iron and had dull rusted edges. A
hammer would have made short work
of it, but / did not have any hammer
l did not even have stone. There
would be stones in the broken land
beyond the thicket ] thought l saw
way.
EYES, let's GO said.
1--WE set out. At the edge of the
thicket was fattish rock with small
stones near it. Here l pretended to
slip. | fell with my right wrist across
a rock and caught up cobblestone
with my left hand. At the first crack
Of the stone on the handcuff | could
feel the old iron weaken. l got no
chance for second blow. Her hands
were at my throat. They bit in. Then
] knew it was fight for my life.
''The next thing l remember clearly
she was quiet on the ground and was
hammering, hammering. hammering at
my wrist with blood stained stone.
| do not know if it was her blood or
mine. Both. maybe, for my wrist was
like pulp when the iron finally cracked
open and | was free caught
glimpse Of blood on her temple. I
suppose I had hit her there with the
stone. She looked dead.
"All wanted was to think-to think
to think l was pretty much dotty,
I guess.
"Whle l was trying to think she
came alive. She was on her feet be-
fore knew it and off at dead run.
The broken handcuff went jerking
and jumping around her as she ran.
That was an awful night full of awful
things. But the one worst sight of all
worse even than the finding of her
afterward-was that mad figure leap
ing over the broken ground toward the
cliffs edge. l held my breath to listen
for her scream when she went over
never heard it,
But heard something else.
heard mans voice. 1t was clear and
strong and high. There was death in
1t, l tell you, Mr. Kent. Living hor-
ror gripped at the throat that gave
that cry. Then there was a rush of
little stones and gravel down the face
of the cliff. That was ALL
Beyond me the ground rose. l ran