Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-01-03
you finish the plating. Well
need q LOT of rome if we have 70

you finish the plating. Well
need a lot of rope, if we have to
go over the wall, but perhaps there
is some other way out"
She went with him to the win
dow, watched him as he tied the
rope to the shutter hinge, tested it
to make sure that it was safe, and
kissed him before he swung him
self off. Then she leaned far over
the sill and looked down into his
upturned face, all her love in her
eyes. A moment he hung there,
gazing raptly up at her, then
slipped down into the darkness;
and Kasia, with trimming heart,
returned to her task.
A very few minutes sufficed for
Dan to convince himself hat the
only way of escape from The court
lay owe the wall. He found the
door opening into the basement Of
the house, but it was a strong one
and securely bolted, as a pressure
of the shoulder proved; and there
was no other entrance. The wall
itself was not encouraging, for it
was at least II feet high, and at
the top was that formidable iron
defense. 1t might be possible to
throw their rope over one Of the
barbcd points, pull himself up,
and draw Kasia up after him. Me-
had accomplished far more diff.
cult things than that to gain free
dom!
He CROPPED FOR The rope, found
it, and mounted hand-over-hand to
the window sill, threw his arm
over it, drew himself up - and
hung there, paralyzed, staring at
what lay within.
Through the open door Of the
bedroom poured a stream of light,
and beyond, on the bed, sat Kasia,
her head lent, her fingers busy
with TIL" slrips of ci,th: and in
the darkness of the outer room,
peering in at her, was dimly out
lined a huge and threatening fig
ure. Dan could e the profile Of
the bearded face, half turned away
from him; could guess at the leer
upon it, the evil light in it's eyes.
Then slowly, slowly, it drew closer
to the bed room door
With teeth set and heart flam-
ing, Dan drew himself quickly up
on the sill, stepped lightly into the
room, and crouched in the shadow
of the table. Had the giant heard7
He peeped out cautiously. No, he
was still intent upon the working
girl. But a weapon-he must have
a weapon-and Dams agonized
glance, sweeping the room, fell up
on the debris Of the broken chair.
Quickly he crept to it, and his fin
gers closed about n Of the heavy
legs.
Then, as he turned to seek the
shelter of the table, Kasia glanced
up and saw that bearded face. Ter
ror froze the smile upon her lips;
terror drained the strength from
her limbs terror strangled the cry
in her throat
"Dan-Dan-Dan!"
And Dan, flaming with such
rage as he had never known be-
fore, sprang upright, sprang for
ward, and rising on tiptoe to get
the whole weight of his body into
it, brought his club whirring down
upon that shaggy head.
Like a log the mar fell, with a
crash that echoed through the
house, and instantly from the hall
way came a hoarse shout, the rush
of heavy feet
In that instant, Dan was pos
sessed by a curious clairvoyance;
he could see Kasia, he could see his
victim, he could see the room be-
hind him, he could see the hall
with the other guard running
along it; he knew somehow that
there was a pistol in the belt Of the
man who lay at his feet, and, with
out conscious will Of his own, his
hand found it and jerked it out.
That other figure had reached
the threshold, and Dan was con-
scious of his red face and staring
eyes and open mouth. He was
conscious of a hairy hand closing
on a pistol butt, and, again with
out willing it, he jerked his own
hand up and fired
And the next moment, with one
arm about Kasia, he threw back
the bolts of the front door, flung
it open, and fled down the steps
into the street.
That was all Dan ever remem
bered Of those fierce instants.