The Lemmon herald. (Lemmon, Perkins County, S.D.) 1912-1917, 1915-09-01

snail not Flinging the Hindu aside
ne threw himself down beside the body
on the floor. The revolver as II
cropped, was caught in the nimble
hana OF the Hindu, who took two long
swltt strides toward the woman who
now faced him instead of her husband
lhere 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 IL
putting him out of her thoughts entire
~, 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.
lie glared at the half-ayerted face,
contounded 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.
ihat strange, uncanny intelligence OF
ms born OF a thousand mysteries, was
oelng tried beyond all previous exac.
lions. II was as If he now saw this
woman for the first time-as if he had
never looked upon her face before. A
mist appeared to envelop her and
through this veil he ,aw a face that
was new to him-thc face of Yyonne
and yet not hers at all Absolute won
der crept into his eyes.
AS if impelled by the power of his
gaze she faced him once more. For
what seemed hours to him, but in
reallty only seconds, his searching
eyes looked deep into hers. He saw
at last the soul of this woman and it
was not the soul he had known as hers
up TO that tremendous moment. And
ne came to know that she was no
longer afraid of him or his bowers,
Ills hand was lowered, his ewes fell
and his lips moved but there were no
words, for he addressed spirit All
the venom, all the hatred fled from his
soul. His knee bent in sudden submis-
sion, and his eyes were raised to hers
once more. but now in their sOmber
depths was the fidelity of the dog.
Go at once she said, and her voice
was as clear as a bell
lie shot a swift glance at the pros
trate Frederic and Strengthened his
tall flgure as would a soldier under
orders. His understanding gaze
sought hers again. There was another
command in her eyes. He placed the
weapon on the table. 1t had been a dis
tinct command to him.
One of US will use it." she said
monotonOusly. Co"
With incredible swiftness he was
gone. The curtains barely moved as
he passed between them and the heavy
door made no sound in opening and
closing. There was no one In the hall.
The sound of the shot had not gons
beyond the thick walls of that pro-
scribed room on the top floor. Some
where at the rear of the house an in
distinct voice was utteTing a jumbled
stream of French.
Many minutes passed. There was
not movement in the room. Brood |
beside the outstretched figure of his |
victim, was staring at the |
graying face with wide, unblink;ng |
eyes lie looked at last upon the fea- |
lures that he had searched for in
vain through all the sullen years.
There was blood on his hands and on
his cheek, for he had listened at first for
the beat of the heart Afterward his
agonized gaze had gone to the blood
less face. There It was arrested A
dumb wonder possessed his soul. He
knelt there petrified by the shock of
discovery. In the dim light he no
onger saw the features of Matilde. but
lis own, and his heart was still. In
hat revealing moment he realized that
lie had never seen anything in Fred
erlcS countenance save the dark
lever-to-be-forgotten eyes-and they
we're his Matilde's. Now those eyes
we're closed He could not see them
md the blindness was struck from his
'wn. He had always looked into the
'oys eyes-he had never been able to
eek farther than those haunting. in
uiring eyes-but now he saw the ,
can, strong jaw, and the firm chin, '
he straight nose and the broad fore
ead-and none of these were Ma {
lldes. These were the features of
of but one man He was see a
lg himself as he was when he looked t
lto his mirror at twenty-one, u
All these years he had been blind, t
IL these years he had gone on ours ! I
lg his own image. In that overpower- c
lg thought came the realization that a
was too late for him to atone. His v
lind slowly struggled out OF thrall a
lat held it stupefied. He was looking b
his own face-dead, He would look "
ke that Matilde was gone forever V
le eyes were closed-but he was
ere, going grayer and grayer of face e.
! the time. Il