Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1915-12-23


No matter what the reason for H.
But nov they added the last touch
Of erueity IN thar torsur. Of her. that
Of delay. They did not carry her. re-
signed TO the worst. a. oncs to meet
her tzte. but On the contrary led her
away and left her alone for a time. q
prey to her own reflections. the vic.
tim Of her own imaxinations.
Only NJ times her strong VII. her
strong body. rebeiled af the thcuxht
of death Then she would cry out.
-Roieaa, Roleans- she would sxcIaln.
raising her hands. Help. heips Come
to mel But more often than his
name. she invoked that OF another.
She heard her own voice. almost With
out her own viii. calling aloud for
Count Frederick. the man so late her
enemy. Jet 80 ready and so powerful
IN any time OF stress or danger,
-Frederfck,- she rcaned. again and
again Where are yuuy Why do yuu
not come
But to all this. only the hcwlfnx
dertsicn Of her captors made answer.
She must then. die,
In the last moment Of their caprice.
or in the full time Of their decision.
they haied her once more forth from
the hut. W TO the brink Of the sacri-
nctal pit itself. where now she saw
the awakening flames.
Facing this elimination Of thetr
heather rites. whatever were their
purposes. their innocent victim again
made such battle rs she could against
her captora Shrtektne she called
again and again upon those names
with which once she could couture
called also upon the last name
spoken by human hearts IN despair.
Who shall tell whether or not there
be higher powers controlling circum-
stances such as these At least. At
this crucial moment there cane a
rescue. Il rescue IL might be called
There burst from the corner OF the
nearby forest a strange. HEshapen.
half-ciad figure. whether or not human
Kitty scarce could tell II was a man.
n white man. clad In tattered frax-
ments Of what once had been a white
mans garment Brawny. hairy. re-
puistve indeed. Of cultural and fncr-
hereut speech he seemed Like no
WHITE man Kitty Gray ever had seen
A swfft conviction came to her that
he was aemented. that he was a luna
tic-perhaps preserved from death by
the very reason OF his lunacv.
Whoever or whatever he was. hts
design now seemed not untriendly TO
the victim CT these savage ceremonies
already IN progress. Sweeping aside
with blows Of his great arms the saw
ages who clustered about her. he
caught Kitty up IN a guriIlalfke en-
brace. and with hoarse cries Of de-
nancs made his way with her to the
cover Of the woods
The natives did not pursue them
Kitty could net tell why. Indeed. she
scarce had time 20 reason. m this
new terror NJ the Formidable appari-
tton which now had her IN charge
Then slowly. finding him not IN
friendly. she found time to ponder and
to plan Certainly this being was. or
had been. n white nan Certainly he
could or ouce could have employed tn
teilisiele speech-Eight again be able
to do 50.
But speech Of fnteIiigibfe sort she
did not hear. Only he bore her away
% scre distance. Until n length safe
IN the cover Of the forest. he set her
down
Kitty locked about her. She found
herself in q situation which she could
nksn &c nothing elsa In all her expe-
risrce.
A steep trail led down the decIivfty
Of crateriiks opening. evidently the
mouth Of n great cavern reaching
back under the hill The opening
would not easily have keen guessed
BY a stranger IL those parts. even
though passing close by In the forest
Il was. in short. TIE mouth Of one Of
the vaaltIika series Of caverns formed
tn the lava rock Of what had 1rce
been n volcanic hin
Below, within. ell seemed dark. cold.
silent II was 4 rsfuge-though what
4 refuge She was rsseued-hur by
what \ rescuers
He hecknnet TO her now. and she
followed hin down the steep slope.
Came than long stretches Of under
yrount Passages. how E.any. how long.
Kitty could not tell
At least she lived In SPITE Of al
her tsrrurs. IN spite Of All thsse add
ricnal doubts. she still lived She
might have been mere disposed TO
make scns effort in her own behalf,
had she not felt fnII upon her that
strange oppression always expert
enced by any human being finding
himself deep beneath the surface Of
that earth upon which. and not under
which he was born - walk
So far ~ she could see. her captor
had nc plan save that Of safety from
pursuit And she Still Iived-she could
say 30 much as that. II 10 mere.
CHAPTER lCvIL