The Dermott news., 1915-11-04
CHAPTER XVI.
Peril.


Annette woke. choking. Smoke
poured into her room. She realized at
once that the house was burning She
heard the nearby cracking OF flames
she saw the nearby glare of flame
Without the village fire gong changed
she heard the shouts Of volunteers
| coming down the road
She ran to Mrs Hardins room. The
| door was locked. smoke was creeping
| from underneath the door Mother
| Mother Hardin" cried Annette. There
| was no response. In frenzy Annette
! rushed back TO her room. seized
| chair and returned to the locked door
| With sudden twist of her 1.-THE body
| She raised the chair above her shout
| ders and brought ii crashing against
| the door. 4 volume Of smoke poured
out Regardless OF II. Annette rushed
| in. dragged Meals mediterranean
| scious as she was-from the bed. out
of the room and down the stairs.
Joey" gasped Annette, Joey
| Weleher-hes in there. We must save
| him. too"
No" intorposed distant neighbor,
hes not in there | saw him in tn.
village. running for help"
During the confusion. three shadow
| figures. returning as from a chase.
crept through the smoke and crouehed
beneath bushes in the rear OF IN"
house. unnoticed and unseen.
One Of these men turned to another
-,
voice. what Of the packet what OF
Lost Isle?-the TOOL Welchor, BY this
time We might have had tt
Annette. seated on the ground. with
Mrs Hardn's head in her lap. watched
the scene as In dream Her glance
roved from the flames To the crowd OF
jostling people-aud from them back TO
the flames again Then suddenly her
heart rose to her throat Peerng at
her from the middle of dense mass
OF shrubbery, there was a faCe-a face
with staring eyes matted hair. and un-
kempt beard
She had seen that face beforehand
on that very road-it had once strick
en- terror to her heart This time how
ever, II had a far stranger eject upon
her. No sooner had she caught sight
Of this uncanny countenance. than. un-
accountably she remembered some
thing yellow packet
My fathers fortune-my fathers
whereabouts. she cried. She sur
rendered her charge TO neighborly
woman close at hand and struggled
TO her feet She reached her room In
comparative safety. save for the chok-
ing In her throat. Once there she
seized a water pitcher and drenched
herself from head to foot-then with
dripping hair and clothes she felt for
and found her hiding place. She
CROPPED for the packet. A tongue OF
| flame swept the window. She shut
| IT, and the glass cracked and fell
| tinkling to the ground below. Then
| she CROPPED again
I've got it-got It," she cried In
exultation, and thrust the yellow pack
| ct safely In her breast. There was .
sudden crash. She flung open her
| through with fame as It's top moor
ings had fallen in The hallway was
alive with flame She sprang to her
window-no thoroughfare-the whole
side wall-the side OF her room-was
| now ablaze Obeying some instinct
Annette threw herself face downward
on the floor. Tho air there was sinsu
larly sweet and cool
Somebody will come" she told her
self. somebody will come"
Without the word passed that An
nette had rushed into the house--was
| inside now. huge figure leaped
into the crowd. parting II right
and left and bou aded into the door
way OF the house. Whimpering with
fear the Brute ran hither. thither.
| through the living room. and entered
| the hall-iinding the staircase mass
| OF ruin He leaped and clutched the
| landing up above, Some instinct led
him to Annette's room. He saw and
| found her-clutched her unconscious
form in his huge arms and leaped with
her to the floor beneath and. unseen.
laid her unconscious form down
at the feet OF Mrs. Hardin. Then
black. burned. and unrecognizable. he
sped away into the night.
Hernandez gritted his teeth. II
thought had that brute trained" he
exclaimed wrathfully. as he realized
that Annette and her treasure had es-
capped him. "and I thought he was
afraid OF FIRE. In both was mistaken.
We must take II out OF his hide. Pom
to-next time he must make no mis-
| take"