The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1916-03-03

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no matter what the reason for it,
But now they added the last touch
OF cruelty in their torture Of her. that
Of delay They did not carry her. re.
signed TO the worst. at once to meet
her fate: but on the contrary led her
away and left her alone for q time. n
prey to her own reflections. the vie
tim OF her own -imaginatious.
Only at times her strong will. her
strong body. rebelled at the thought
OF death. Then she would cry out.
"Roleaul Roleau!' she would exclolm
raising her hands: Help, help! Come
10 mel! Hut more often than his
name. she invoked that Of another,
She heard her own voice. almost with
out her own will. calling aloud FOR
Count Frederick, the man so late her
enemy yet so ready and so powerful
In any time OF stress or danger!
Frederick" she moaned. again and
again. Where are you? Why do you
not Gomez"
But to all this, only the bowling
derision OF her captors made answer.
She must, then, die!
I'm the last m Of their caprice,
or In the full time OF their decision.
they hailed her once more forth from
the hut, up to the brink OF the sacri-
fetal pit itself. where now she saw
the awakening flames.
Facing this elimination OF their
heather rites, whatever were their
purposes, their innocent victim again
made such battle as she could against
her captors. Shricking she called
again and again upon those names
with which once she could conjure-
called also upon the last name
spoken by human hearts In despair
Who shall tell whether or not there
be higher powers controlling cifcum.
stances such as these? At least at
this crucial moment there anne a
rescue, II rescue II might be called.
There burst from the corner Of the
nearby forest q strange. ill.shapen.
half.clad figure. whether or not human
Kitty scarce could tell. II was a man
a white man. clad in tattered frag-
ments OF what once had been a white
mans garment. Brawny, hairy. re-
pulsive indeed, OF cultural and inco.
herent speech. he seemed like no
white man Kitty Gray eve had seen.
A swift conviction came TO her that
he was uemented. that he was a luna.
tic-perhaps preserved from death by
the very reason OF his lunacy.
Whoever or whatever he was. his
design now seemed not u%nfriendly to
the victim OF 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 n gorillalike en-.
jrace, and with hoarse cries OF de-
HGnce made his way with her 10 the
cover Of the woods.
,rhe natives did not pursue them
Kitty could not tell why. Indeed, she
scarce had time TO reason, in this
new terror nj the formidable anpari.
ton which now had her IN charge.
Then slowly. finding him not un.
friendly, she found time TO ponder and
to plan. Certainly this being was, or
had boen. n white man. Certainly he
could or once could have employed in
telllgible speech-niGht again ye able
TO do so.
But speech of int Eligible sort she
aid not hear. Only he bore her away
10 some distance until at length safe
in the cover OF the forest. he set her
down.
Kitty looked about her. she found
herself in 4 situation which she could
ltken to nothing else in all her expe-
rience.
A steer trail led down the declivity
u a craturlike opening evidently the
mouth OF a great avern reaching
back under the nil The opening
would not easily have been guessed
by n stranger in those parts, even
though passing close by in tho forest.
It was in short the mouth OF one Ct
the yaultlike series Of caverns formed
in the lava rock of what had once
seen q volcanic hill.
Below, within, all seemed dark. cold.
silent. II was n rsfuge-though what
a refuge. She was rescued-but by
what a r%escuer!
He beckoned to her now. and she
followed him down the steep slope
, Game then long stretches Of under
: ground passages. how many, how long
: Kitty could not tell.
At least she lived. In spite Of al
her t%9rrors, In spite OF all these add
tional doubts. she still lived. She
might have been more disposed e
= make some effort In her own behalf
had she not felt full upon her tina.
strange oppression always expert
enced Sy any human being fndinI
himself deep beneath the surface O
p that earth upon which, and not unde'
which, he was born to walk.
SO far as she could see, her capto
. had no plan save that CT safety from
< pursuit. And she still liyed--she coul'
I aou an much no that ~ rn pnnFa1