The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-01-21
what seemed IN uncommonly stubborn
reluctance. and got bis way.

what seemed IN uncommonly stubborn
reluctance. and got his way.
He could not know that another
skulked behind barrier Of lime bar
rels and overheard all that passed and
when Alan had ducked smartly into
the unfinished building. rose and stole
after him with footsteps as noiselesa
as cats and a face that had the saw
agery of q tigers when it was tran
silently revealed in q shaft of moon
light.
At length Alan gained the gridiron
OF Orders on plane with the lighted
window across the way, and crept
along one OF these, gingerly on his
hands and knees, until he came to its
end and might, II he cared to, look
down hundred feet to the sidewalks
That view, however did not tempt;
he kept his eyes level; and was re-
warded with bare glimpse Of pref
tily.papered wall, framed in the lace OF
half.drawn curtains.
And Of sudden-whether through
fortuity, or instinct, or the. psyche
logical attraction Of his steadfast con-
centration-the tenant of the room
came to the window and stood there
for little, looking pensively out, alto
gether unconscious of the watcher in
his aerial coign.
Again horrible uncertainty har.
assed him. Was the woman Rose
or Judith? That she was one Of these
he could plainly see. But which? Dared
he assume his hopes fulfilled?
With difficulty he detached his
hungry vision from her, and drawing
from his pocket a small notebook, tore
out blank page, placed this fiat on
the girder, found pencil, and with
the assistance of ray or two Of
moonlight scrawled a message Of al
most stenographic brevity.
When he looked up from this task,
she had vanished.
Sitting up, astride the girder, he
took his watch-a cheap affair he had
picked up when reclothing himself in
the garments Of civilized society, at
Providence, that morning-opened the
back of the case, and closed 1t upon
the folded message.
Then drawing back his arm, he
breathed silent prayer to the god Of
all true lovers, and cast it from him
with all his might-with such force
that it almost unseated him at the end
Of the swing. But nothing less would
have served to bridge that yawning
chasm.
And the watch flew straight and
true, squarely through the lighted win
dow and to the further wall.
At that very instant of his exultation
over an obstacle overcome, he heard a
sound behind him of heavy breathing.
The assassin had come that close
upon his prey when Alan turned and
discovered his peril.
The same moonbeam which had
aided Alan in the composition Of his
message struck across the others face,
and showed it like hideous Chinese
mask OF deadly hatred, with its eye
balls glaring and its lips drawn back
from the naked blade gripped between
its teeth-a stiletto nothing short Of a
foot in length.
J. With sharp, startled movement,
Alan swung himself bodily about, so
that, seated again astride the girder,
he faced the assassin who sat up.
straddling the girder, his feet hooked
beneath it a stiletto poised in his
right hand to strike.
But even now Alan was in little OF
no better case than before. II he faced
the thug, he faced him with no arms
other than his bare hands. He had not
even a pen-knife In his pockets.
With low cry Of desperation Alan
snatched off his hat, soft and shape
less felt affair, and flung 1t squarely in
the fellows face.
Before he could recover-before
that is, 1t dropped away and cleared
his vision, Alan had bent forward and
grasped the wrist Of the hand that
held the knife.
He snatched simultaneously at the
other hand, but it eluded him.
| Alan had this advantage, as long as
the knife might not strike-that his
right arm was free, while the ASSASSIN
had only his left. With this he strovs
persistently to reach his knife-hant
and possess himself Of the weapon
AS persistently Alan foiled his purpose
by dragging the knife-hand toward hin
and swinging it far out to one side. A
the same time he struck repeated!
with his clenched right fist at the 9th
er's face. His blows did little dam
| age beyond disconcerting the other
hut this proved q very considerable
factor in the duel. In the end, tneJ
served together with that steady, re
sistless downward and outward drag
to break the grip of the mans LOCKED
legs. 49,
| Abruptly he pitched forward on hi
face along the girder, kicking wildly
| grasping at the air. The stiletto Eel
from an instinctively relaxed grasp
and disappeared. And before Alal
q