The Dermott news., 1918-02-28


not from the brain. Therefore his
brain may be seething with thousand
frenzies, but he will shove out clutch
and brake feet in an emergency, and
hold them out
So it happened. The mans hands,
left the wheel, but he stopped his car.
Not too soon. Not before Ii had struck
the cliff, and then taken n sickeningI
curve out toward the edge of tho
precipice. But stop 1t did, on the very
edge of eternity, and the chauffeur
held it there.
''Set the hand brake!" Milky said
The lamps were near enough the edge
to make him dizzy.
The chauffeur ceased struggling, and
set the hand brake. His head was stin
covered. But having done that, he
commenced a struggle more furious
than forceful, for both of them were
handicapped.
And now Milky was forced to an
unsoldierlike thing that he afterward
tried to forget. For the driver de-
veloped unexpected strength, refused
to submit, got the tunic Off his head,
and seeing himself attacked by one
man only, took courage and fell to.
He picked up a wrench from the seat
beside him, and made furious pass
at Nikky's head Milky ducked and,
after struggle secured the weapon.
All this in the car, over the seat back.
1t was then that Milky raised the
wrench and stunned his man with 1t.
1t was hateful. The very dull thud
of II was sickening. And there was q
bad minute or two when he thought
he had killed his opponent. The man
had sunk down in his seat, q sodden
lump Of inanimate human flesh. And
Milky, whose business, in a way, was
killing, was Mortified.
The chauffeur wakened, ten minutes
later, to find himself securely tied with
his own towing rope, and lying ex-
tremely close to the edge of death.
Beside him on the ground sat steady
eyed young man with cut lip. The
young man had lighted a cigarette, and
was placing it carefully in the unin-
jured side of his mouth.
Just as soon as you are up to II, ;"
said Milky, I'VE shall have a little
talk"
The chauffeur muttered something in
the peasant patois of Karnia
Come Gomez Milky observed.
Speak up. No hiding behind strange
tongues. But first. l have the letter.
That saves your worrying about Ii.
You can clear your mind for action"
Suddenly Milky dropped his hooking
tone. He was In earnest, grim and
deadly earnest
II have n fancy. my friend" he said,
ito take that letter of yours on to its
destination. But what that destination
is. you are to tell me-
The man on the ground grinned
sardonically. you know better than
to ask that" he said. II will never
tell YOU"
Milky had thought things out fairly
well. for him. in that ten minutes. In
Il huSiuesSlike fashion he turned the
PROSTATE prisoner on his side, so that
he faced toward the chasm. A late
moon showed its depth, and the valley
in which the air flowed swiftly. And
having thus faced him toward the next
world, Milky, throwing away his
cigarette because 1t hurt his lip, put a
stone or two from the roadway behind
/ his prisoner, and anchored him there.
Then he sat down and waited
ANY news?" he asked, at the end
of ten minutes unbroken silence.
His prisoner said nothing. He was
thinking doubtless. Weighing things,
too-perhaps life against betrayal, q
family against separation.
Milky examined the letter again. u
was addressed TO a border town In
Livonia. But the town lay far behind
them. The address. then, was a false
one. He whistled softly.
Half an hour.
Come, come" said Milky fiercely.
"We are losing time" He looked
fierce, too. His swollen lip did that.
And he was nervous. It occurred to
him that his prisoner, in desperation,
might roll over the edge himself, which
would be most uncomfortable.
But the precipice, and Nikky's fierce
lip, and other things. had got In their
/ WI n. ht Hldi ou tie sIOuuu stOppeu
muttering In his patois, and turned on
Milky eyes full of hate.
II will tell YOU" he said. "And you
will free me. And after that"
Certainly" Milky replied equally.
"You will follow me to the ends Of
the earth-although that will not be
necessary, because / don't intend to "a
there-and finish me off," Then, sterns
ly: "Now, where does the letter go1
l have fancy for delivering II my.
self"
IF I tell you, what thenY"
This: If you tell me properly, and
all goes well, l will return and release
you. If l do not return, naturally you
will not be released. And, for fear
you mediate treachery I shall gag
!