Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-01-13
CHAPTER x1.-(Continued.)

CHAPTER XI.-(Continued.)
Il gathered from what she told me"
1aid Swain. his face flushing with ang-
er. that she has been practilly a pris-
oner ever since the yogi arrived. Be
sides. ever if she had succeeded in
mailing the letter. it wouldn't have
reached me until too late"
I'm what way too late?"
Her father seems to have had a
sudden turn for the worse yesterday;
he became almost violent in insisting
that she consent to his plan. He told
her that the life of his own soul. as
We'll as that of hers, depended upon II.
He threatened don't know what. me
yogi talked to her afterwards. He. OIL
course, believed, or pretended TO pe-
lieve, as her father did; moreover. he
told her that her father would certain
ly suffer a serious mental shock II she
refused, perhaps a fatal one. In de-
spair, she finally agreed. on the condl-
ton that she be given three days IN
which to herself. If she did
not hear from me in that time, she had
made UP her mind to consent
Swain stopped again. II \ lay back
in nv chair. wondering if such things
were possible in this Twentieth CEN
fury, here within the boundaries or
Greater New York! My brain reeled at
the absurdity of it!
vaughan was undoubtedly suffer-
ing from MANIA" said DR.. Hinrnan, in
a low voice. 'The symptoms, as MI.
Swain describes them. are unmistak-
able.' -,
1T was that argument I used" said
Swain. Il told her that, since he was
clearly mad. she must, in self defense,
place herself beyond his reach. But
she refused to leave him. Then, l al.
gued, in kindness to him she must
have him committed to some institu-
ton where he would be taken care OF,
and where he might, in time, regain ms
sanity. I told her that it would pc
criminal folly to permit him to remain
longer under the influence OF the yos1.
She had to agree with me; and she
finally consented to sign an affidavit to
the facts as l have told them, and a
petition asking that a commission be
appointed to examine her father. You
were to have drawn up the papers to-
day, Mr.. Lester, and ! was to have
taken them to her for sig }ature tonlght
THAT would have settled the mat
ter" said Godfrey, t~houghtfully. Its
too bad it wasn't settled in that way.
What else happened, Mr.. SWAIN"
Miss Vaughan had grown very
nervous, with all this discussion, and
at last she sprang to her feet and said
she must go, or her father would dis
cover her absence. We rose to leave
w~hite-robbed figure sprang to her side.
seized her n tore her away from me.
l was too startled for an instant to
resist; then, as I started toward them,
Marjorie pushed me back.
"Go! Coz she cried. 1T is my
fault
But he stopped me. In a voice shak-
ing and husky with rage, he warned
me that if l entered the place again,
my life would be forfeit. l can't re-
peat the horrible things he said. l
could see his eyes cleaning like a wild
beasts. He cursed me. l had never
been cursed before" and Swain smiled
thinly, and l confess it wasn't pleas
ant. Then he led his daughter away.
Il stood staring after them. l didn't
know what to do. l felt like a mad
mar myself. l sat down and tried to
collect my thoughts. l saw that some
new plan must be made-tlat there was
no hope of meeting Marjorie again. |
was sick With fear for her: / thought
of following to the house and con1pen-
ing her to come with me at once. And
then, suddenly, l say two eyes gleam-
ing at me. They were not human eyes
they were too close together-anG
they were sWaying gently back and
forth in the air, about a foot from the
p ASaAi't l. StESA ~ '11li aNSN4,
and then [ heard a soft, low whistle,
followed by a faint Kissing as the eyes
fell forward.
TN a flash, I knew what it was-the
cobra; l knew why it was there
Vaughan had said my life was forfeit.
L sprang up with a Shrek, dashed along
the seat to the door n out into the
darkness. l struck my head against
something--a tree. l suppose; but l
kept on, and reached the wall and got
over it somehow is all confused,
after that. l seem to remember hear
ing Marjorie scream, n finding her
lying beside her father, Who was dead
but I can't put things together" and
he rubbed his head helplessly.
I'll put them together for you,' said
Godfrey. When you ran into the tree,
you suffered a partial conclusion. It's
lucky it wasn't total. or Toto would
have got you'll"
"Toto?"
THAT, 1 believe, is the cobra's
name" explained Godfrey. with a
smile; unless, of course, there are two
of them And he told Swain in detail
of the events which had followed.
Swain listened with staring eyes. 1
did not blame him. Indeed. 1 felt that
my own eyes We're staring a little,
though / already knew the story. But
Godfrey, with a gift or narration born
of long newspaper experience, told it
in a way that made its horror salient
and left one gasping.
There is n question l want to ask
you SWAIN" he said, in conclusion.
and 1 want you to think carefully be-
fore you answer it. During your alter
cation with Mr.. Vaughan, did you at
any time touch him?
Touch him? No. of course not" and
Swain shook his head decidedly.
You are sure of that?" asked Cod
frey earnestly.
Perfectly sure" said Swain, looking
at him in establishment. ii was never
within three feet of him."
Godfrey sprang to his feet with a
gesture of relief.
j. Il seem to need a cocktail" he said,
In another tone. isn't that the pre-
scription for all Of us, doctor?"
YES" assented Human, smiling,
after that, complete change Of
subject"
CHAPTER XII.
GUEssEs AT THE RIDDLE.