Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-11-13
CHAPTER XVI.
Peril.

| SiIs
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 fame.
Without the village fire gong changed
she heard the shouts of volunteers
coming down the road.
She ran to Mrs. Hardin's 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 a
chair and returned to the locked door
With a sudden twist of her 1.-THE BODY
she raised the chair above her shout
ders and brought it crashing against
the door. A volume Of smoke poured
out. Regardless of it, 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
Welcher-he's in there. We must save
| him, too"
NO interposed distant neighbor
hes not in there. | saw him in the
village, running for help"
During the confusion, three shadowy
figures, returning as from a chase
nrept through the smoke and croucheG
beneath bushes in the rear of the
house, unnoticed and unseen.
One of these men turned to another |
"Ponto," cried Hernandez in a lowj
voice, what of the packet what of
Lost Isle?-the fool Welcher! By this |
time we might have had it."
Annette, seated on the ground, with
Mrs. Hardin's head in her lap, watched |
the scene as in a dream. Her glance !
roved from the flames to the crowd of
tostling people-and from them back to,
the flames again. Then suddenly her
heart rose to her throat. Peering at
her from the middle of dense mass
of shrubbery, there was a face-a facet
with staring eyes, matted hair, and UNI
kempt beard.
She had seen that face beforehand
on that very road--it had once strick-j
en- terror to her heart This time howl
ever, it had far stranger effect uponi
her. No sooner had she caught sighta
of this uncanny countenance, than, una
accountably she remembered someA
thing-the yellow packet.
"My fathers fortune-my father'As
whereabouts" she cried. She sur.
rendered her charge to a neighborlys
woman close at hand and struggled
to her feet. She reached her room I'M
comparative safety, save for the chok.5
ing in her throat. Once there shes
seized water pitcher and drenched5
herself from head to foot--then With
dripping hair and clothes she felt foIS
and found her hiding place. Shea
CROPPED for the packet. A tongue OIL
flame swept the window. She shut
it, and the glass cracked and fell
tinkling to the ground below. Them
she CROPPED again
I've got it-got it." she cried in
exultation, and thrust the yellow packI
ct safely in her breast. There was al
sudden crash She flung open her!
room door. The staircase, eatenS
through with fame as its top moorB
ings had fallen in. The hallway wasS
alive with flame. She sprang to herr
window-no thoroughfare-the wholes
side wall-the side of her room-wasa
now ablaze. Obeying some INSTINCT
Annette threw herself face downward
on the floor. The air there was singu.E
larly sweet and cool
Somebody will come" she told her
self, somebody will come"
Without the word passed that An.
1ette had rushed into the house-wasb
inside now. A huge figure leapeG
nto the crowd, parting it right
and left and bounded into the doora
way of the house. Whimpering with
'ear, the Brute ran hither, thitherE
through the living room, and entered
he hall-tinding the staircase a mass
If ruin. He leaped and clutched thel
anding up above. Some instinct led
linn to Annette's room. He saw andE
ound her-clutched her unconscious
orm in his huge arms and leaped With
Ter to the floor beneath and, unseenh
aid her unconscious form down.
t the feet of Mrs Hardin. ThenE
lack, burned, and unrecognizable, he
ped away into the night
Hernandez gritted his teeth. IN
bought had that brute trained" he
reclaimed wrathfully, as he realized
hat Annette and her treasure had es.
aped him, land l thought he was
fraid of fire. In both was mistaken.
We must take it out of his hide, Pom
next time he must make no mis-
AXE"