The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1915-03-09
Copyright, 1914, by the Star Company
All foreign rights reserved.
CHAPTER XIV,

NAAhA LIN -AAVs
AS Pauline bent over the basket of
flowers that the gypsy girl had brought,
Harry drew near, watching, fondly, the
picture.
Pauline was all in white, and the
glory of her golden hair matched tae
dewy hearts of the daisies.
"Oh, wish she had not gone away"
cried Pauline. Was it not beautiful
of her to help you find me?"
Harry laughed 1T was, he said,
but it was rather inconsistent of her
give back the bullets to the man she
asked me to kill
'The dear child loved him; she was
angry because he drove her away; !
saw it ALL" said Pauline.
'Or perhaps she was jealous of some
one suggested Harry, smiling.
We'll, anyway, it was sweet of her
to bring the flowers. Again Pauline
bent over the basket, pressing her
face among the blossoms.
Suddenly she sprang back with a
cry. Harry caught her in his arms
and looked at the basket
From the rim of it, from among the
| flowers, slowly rose the head of the
rattlesnake.
If they had known that the Gypsy
Singoalla was peering through the
curtains of the oren window, they
would have looked to see the smile OF
hate and happiness that lit her dusky
beauty with the menacing brightness
of lightning against cloud.
| But now they had no thought but
of the fang-barbed snakes head lifted
with slow sinister, graceful caution
from the basket
Harry was holding Pauline's faint
ing form with his left arm. With his
right he reached forward swiftly
caught the basket. hurled it with al
his might against the far wall of the
| room.
He laid Pauline gently on the floor
and sped toward the basket AS he
ran he caught up the cover Of the di
van
From the spilled flowers glded the
snake, Shiny, mottled-yellow II
coied itself uron the corner Of the
rug.
There was some strange res anl-
blance between its venomous poise and
the tense vindictive carriage of the
gypsy woman at the window.
! Harry picked up chair and the
snake struck at it as he pressed it for
ward
With swift movement he hurled tn,
chair aside and sprang upon the rep
tile. his face shielded his hands envel-
oped by the couch cover He dropped
to his knees and threw the couch cover
over the reptile.
The face of the gypsy girl vanished
from the window. Singoalla was flee
ing into the garden. The snake, fast
in the folds of the heavy couch cover
fell where Singoalla had stood mo-
ment before.
Harry had hurled the snake and the
cover out of the window and had
sprung to help Pauline.
He found her In the arms Of Ray
mond Owen who had rushed into the
room at her cry.
Harry caught her form from the sec
rotary as a holy man might snatch q
sacred vessel from the hands CT an
unbeliever
He laid her on the divan. Get wa
teri" he shouted harshly at Owen
! The secretary sped out of the room
with no sign of resenting the robuKe
In a moment he was back with pit
cher Of water. But Pauline had al.
ready recovered consciousness and was
looking about her with vague, fright
ened eyes.
What has happened. Mr.. Marvin? p
cried Owen.
Did You see a gypsy girl bring a
basket of flowers to the door," de
manded Harry
mo, indeed. Did she enter here
Has she stabbed Miss Marvin?"
! No, mo- sobbed Pauline. the tears
of her terror streaming down her face
ut was stakeholder among the
flowers
A look of finely feigned alarm came
to the face of the secretary
Why don't you go and find this
girl? What good are you doing here .
demanded Harry
ssV0., rim