The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-09-19
XIII INsrALLMENr.

Presently celestia's breathing sounded
slow and regular.
the time has come" and she began eau
tiously to edge herself out sideways from
under the bed. But Celestia was not quite
asleep and the noise Mrs. Gunsdorf MADE
walked her, and just Mrs. Gunsdorf was
beginning to rise from the floor, Ceiestta
slipped from the bed. eluded hand that
bureau heavy silver hand-n,irror, the only
weapon of defense that was in sight, and
darted into the observation compartment
Celestia was less like creature flying for
its life than one who attempts to understand
a situation with view to mastering it, but
who in the meanwhile is not going to run
any risks of being accidentally hurt. Had
the other been the case, she must have fed
Screaming through the outer door OF the OBJ
servation compartment out into the night.
She did nothing of the kind
In the center of the place was heavy
table covered with periodicals; behind this
Celestia took her stand; ready, like child
playing tag to dodge in either direction. Her
eyes wildly excited, but fearless, strove to
meet and master the eyes of her assaiiant:
but could not, so bound was Mrs. Gunsdori
by the knowledge that she must look any
where but at those eyes.
Followed time of stiffness, tenseness and
quick breathing. Then efforts by Mrs Guns
dorf to get the same side Of the table
with Celestia, and calm reasoned thwartings
of these efforts by the latter.
Mrs. Gunsdorf was at disadvantage. Not
much older than Celestia, she was heavier,
less alert, and she dared not make a full use
of her eyes. Her face averted, so that with
the tails of her eyes she only had partial
glimpses of Celestia, her rushes were more
less at random. once she threw herself
headlong half the table and stabbed,
as snake strikes-only to find that she had
1niscacuated the distance entirely.
There was another pause.
''Why do you want to hurt me?" asked
Celestia. why won't you look at me ~
Mrs. Gunsdorf's only answer was another
rush. Celestia threw a chair in her way and
more succeeded in keeping the heavy
table between them.
She was getting angry. What right had
anyone to chase her with knife? If the
woman would only look at her!
Mrs Gunsdorf thwarted, and murderous
was non-plussed at the ease with which, so
far Celestia had eluded her. Her eyes.
downcast, had for their momentary range of
vision, pile of reviews, just in front of
Celestia, and a portion of Celestia's dress.
Quick as thought, Celestia laid the hand
mirror with which she had armed herself.
face up upon the pile of reviews and behold
in the depths of the shining refractor the
eyes of the two women had met at last.
SO great was Mrs. Gunsdorfs dread Of
those wonderful eyes, so greatly had the
memory of what they had once done to her,
worked upon and grown in her imagination,
that the sudden sight of them gazing COM
mandingly up into her own from the depths
of the mirror, numbed and daZed her like a
blow on the head. With a great effort to
collect her swimming senses she jerked her
head up, and found herself looking into the
eyes themselves. Catastrophe was upon her;
she had no longer the power to look away.
First hatred of Celestia was wiped clean
from her heart, she did not know why she
had come, what she doing in that OBJ
servation car. Then the knife fell from her
nerveless fingers, and she felt peacefully
drowsy and if many heavy troubles had
been lifted from her shoulders.
But Celestia, having about her something
of the sterness of a just judge, picked up tht
knife, and put it back in Mrs Gunsdof'
hand.
"At last" said Celestia, 'you shall go ava,
thinking that you have done what you cam
to do--Celestia, who has done you no harm
in this world. but whom you wish to sta1
to death with that knife is asleep on he
bed in her stateroom. She is very tired an
very sound asleep; still you must move eau
tiouslv."