The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1915-06-24


he threw himself down beside the body
on the floor. The revolver as IL
dropped, was caught in the nimble
hand OF the Hindu. who took two long
swift strides toward the woman who
now faced him instead of her husband.
There was a great light in his eyes as
he stood over her and she saw death |
staring out upon her.
But she did not quail. She was past
all that She looked straight into his
eyes for an instant and then. as II
putting him out of her thoughts entire
ly, turned slowly toward the two men
on the floor. The man half raised the
pistol, but something stayed his hand
something stronger than any mere
physical opposition could have done.
He glared at the half-averted face,
confounded by the most extraordinary
impression that ever had entered his
incomprehensible brain. Something
strange and wonderful was transpir-
ing before his very eyes--something
so marvellous that even he, mysteri-
Gus seer of the Ganges, was stunned
into complete amazement and unbelief.
That strange, uncanny intelligence of
his, born of a thousand mysteries, was
being tried beyond all previous exac-
tions 1t was as II he now saw this
woman for the first time-as II he had
never looked upon her face before. A
mist appeared to envelop her and
through this veil he saw face that
was new to him--the face OF Yvonne
and yet not hers at all. Absolute won
der crept into his eyes.
AS II impelled by the power OF his
gaze, she faced him once more. For
what seemed hours to him. but in
reality only seconds. his searching
eyes looked deep into hers. He saw
at last the soul of this woman and 1t
was not the soul he hao known as hers
up to that tremendous moment. And
he came to know that she was no
longer afraid of him or his powers.
His hand was lowered, his eyes fell
and his lips moved but there were no
words. for he addressed spirit All
the venom, all the hatred fed from his
soul His knee bent in sudden submis
sion. and his eyes we're raised to hers
once more, but now In their sombei
depths was the fidelity of the dog!
Go at once" she said. and her voice
was as clear as bell.
He shot a swift glance at the pros
trate Frederic and Strengthened hil
). tall figure as would soldier undel
orders His understanding gaz'
sought hers again. There was anothe
command in her eyes. He placed tn,
weapon on the table. 1t had been a dis
tinct command to him.
"One of us will use it." she salt
monotonously. "Go!"
d. With incredible swiftness he wa
/, gone. The curtains barely moved a
!, he passed between them and the heay
q door made no sound in opening an
= closing There was no one in the hal
The sound of the shot had not gon
: beyond the thick walls of that pre-
!, scribed room on the top floor. Som,
A where at the rear of the house an II
|, distinct voice was uttering a tumble
n stream of French.
n Many minutes passed. There wa
q not movement in the room. Broo,
r unintended victim, was staring at tn
m grazing face with wide, unblinkin
q. eyes. He looked at last upon the fe,
n lures that he had searched for
w vain through all the sullen year
There was blood on his hands and @
. his cheek. for he had listened at first Il
a the beat of the heart. Afterward h
q agonized gaze had gone to the bloc
4 less face There It was arrested.
!, dumb wonder possessed his soul +
knelt there petrified by the shock
q discovery. In the dim light he I
q longer saw the features of Matilde, b.
= his own, and his heart was still.
= that revealing moment he realized tn
s he had never seen anything In Ere
8 cries countenance save the dar
a -be-forgotten eyes-and tn,
a were his Matilde's. Now those ey
II we're closed He could not see the
q and the blindness was struck from b
Il own. He had always looked into d
nj boys eyes-he had never been able
MI seek farther than those haunting.
MI quiring eyes-but now he saw I
MI lean. strong jaw, and the firm CHI
VII the straight nose and the broad FOL
iii head-and none OF these we're N
" tides! These we're the features OF
XII man-and of but one man. He was 81
II ing himself as he was when he look
MI into his mirror at twenty-one
n All these years he had been bliI
y all these years he had gone on Gu
"A ing his own image. In that overpow
IL ing thought came the realization II
q 1t was too late for him to atone. i
y mind slowly struggled out Of thr
= that held II stupefied. He was looki
at his own face-dead! He would 10
4 like that! Matilde was gone forever
the eyes we're closed-but he "
there. going grayer and grayer of IA
the all the time.
OF He had forgotten the woman. S
wn was standing just beyond the be
4.