The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1916-09-22

Inc tour thugs left the scene while
Chockro remained to taunt and bully
the victim he had caused to be rem
dered utterly helpless.
Peg was in the subcellar beneath the
room where Lund was detained, help
less. As she looked upward the leer-
Ing face and snakelike eyes Of the
Hindu glared tauntingly upon her. She
knew there was no mercy there. She
cried in the bitterness of her helpless
ness. Her sobs reached Lund's ears
family, but sufficiently audible to let
him know that someone was in dis
tress.
Lund felt, in%tuitively, that it was
Peg; and as he strained at the lash
ings which bound him. the Hindu
smiled t%auntingly and increased
Lund's agony by jeering remarks.
The open trap through which the
/ where Lund's manacled feet rested
| upon the floor. On the wall above him
he noticed an electric switch.
Chockro stood where he could look
down into the open trap, reach out his
hand and touch the switch, or face
about and address his taunts to young
Lund without further effort than to
turn his body by a slight movement
VI his feet upon the floor.
i've got your girl in a trap, and I'll
pay you both off at once" Chockro
fairly shouted. I'll turn the water in
and let you listen while she browns"
Young Lund desperately tugged at
his bonds. He dreaddX the Hindu's
threat and as ChockrO reached over
and threw down the handle Of the
electric switch, the sound Of rushing
water came to Lund's ears.
Peg screamed in terror. Chockro
looked down upon her and laughed
with fiendish derision. Lund writhed
upon the floor. and to Chockro his ef-
forts seemed p~urposeless. But Lund's
brain was at work, even II his body
was made temporarily useless by his
relentless bonds.
The girl in the trap below saw the
!! waters rushing In to overcome her.
A great pipe in the wall was emptying
a food into the cement-walled pit, and
The rising tide bid fair soon to sub
merge the hapless Peg.
The higher the tide rose in the pit
the more fiendish were Chockro's
heartless taunts. Past her knees,
soon waist-high the water rose, until
it lifted Peg from her feet. Then she
noticed a peculiar fact-there seemed
to be a slight current in one main
direction as the water eddied around
her.
When Peg permitted herself to float
upon the water she realized that she
was being carried slowly across the
surface Of the pit toward the side of
the wall opposite the intake.
Peg moved in the direction the cur
rent took her, and when she had ar
rived against the wall there was q
noticeable undertow that drew her
legs and feet against the side Of the
well-like pit. l~nstinctively Peg kicked
with her feet against the wall, and
made an unexpected discovery.
Through the cracks in a sluice gate
the water al running out Of the pit.
Lund had worked his body across a
few feet Of the floor until by raising
his feet, bound together as they were,
tie could reach the electric switch. He
showed the handle up and as Chockro,
attracted by the %lessening OF the rush
OF water, leaned far over tho edge of
the traphole in the floor, Lund con
tinued his maneuver.
Working fast Lund was able to GOV.
er enough floor space to make up sui
ficient distance to give him a leg
length chance to reach the Hindu as
he bent low over the edge Of the open
trap. In a final effort Lund kicked
straight out with his bound feet. and
landed in the middle Of the Hindu's
back.
The unexpected impact threw
Chockro OF his balance, sent him
through the opening and splashine
down into the water below. And at
that instant Peg kicked loose the
sluics gate that she had discovered
near the floor in the wall and on a
rushing food OF water she was carried
into an adjoining room.
His utterly unexpected drop into the
pit found the Hindu u~nprepared foI
the Involuntary plunge. He went un.
der, came to the surface and loun,
dered around Just long enough to give
Peg a brief breathing spell before he
followed her through the sluice gate
Pegs wet and bedraggled clothing
retarded her movements and she was
slow in gaining the foot Of . steey
Digit Of ladderlike steps that led from
the room into which she had been fair
" catapuited by the sudden rush o.
water. Chockro followed her.
Peg continued her fight upstairs
and slammed the door behind her
Then she hurried on, seeking IA out
let at the end Of q long corridor which
she had suddenly entered. Good for
tune was with the door wal
open, and Peg was soon running
through the yard toward shelter ant
safety in the piles OF lumber.
The Hindu reused. BY lusty shouts
his gang OF co2fAde-ates, as soon q
- a.a -oA> htn nae mt ~ thu HnsNA