The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-11-14
CHAPTER NINETEEN--continued.

llhc a CEutCH. ne put IL uliucT
his left arm and, still bent in two,
began to walk like a man who
has not the strength to stand
erect. Then suddenly and with
no apparent GAUGE to explain his
change of attitude, he drew him.
self up and used his crutch as he
would a cane. He then walked
round the outside of the grotto,
making a careful inspection, the
meaning Of which escaped Don
Luis for the time.
He was Of a good height in
this position and Don Luis easily
understood why the driver of the
yellow taxi, who had seen him
under two such different aspects,
was unable to say whether he was
tall CT very short.
But his legs, slack and I'M
steady, gave way beneath him, as
if any prolonged exertiOn were
beyond his power. He relipsed
into his first attitude.
The man was a cripple, smitten
with some disease that affected
his powers of locomotion. He was
excessively thin. Don Luis also
saw his pallid face, his cavernOus
cheeks: the face Of a. sufferer
from consumption, a bloodless
face.
When he had finished his in
spectiOn, he came up to Florence
and said:
Though you've been very
good, baby, and haven't screamed
so far, we'd better take our pre-
cautions and remove any possibil-
ity of a surprise by giving you
a nice little gag TO wear, don't
you Think"
He stopped over her and wound
a large handkerchief round the
lower part of her face. Then,
bending still farther down, he be-
gan to speak to her in a very low
voice, talking almost into her ear.
But wild bursts of laughter, hor-
rible to hear interrupted this
whispering.
Feeling the imminence of the
danger, dreading some movement
on the wretch's part, a sudden
murderous attack, the prompt
prick of a poisoned needle, Don
Luis had leveled his revolver and.
confident of his skill, waited
events.
What was happening over
there? What were the words
spoken? What Infamous bargain
was the villain proposing to Flor
enceq At what shameful price
could she obtain her release?
The cripple stepped back
angrily, shouting in furious &C
cents:
"But don't you understand
that you are done for? Now that
/ have nothing more to fear, now
that you have been silly enough
to come with ne and place your
self in my power, what hope have
you left? To move me, perhaps
is that it? Because I'm burning
with passion, you imagine?
Oh, YOU never made a greater mis-
take, my pet! | don't care a fig
if you do die. Once dead, you
What else? Perhaps you con-
slider that, being crippled, L shall
not have the strength to kill you?
But there's no question of my
killing you, Florence. Have you
ever known me kill people
Never! I'm much too big a'cow-
ard, | should be frightened, l
should shake all over. No, no
Florence, L can't touch you, and
yet
Here, look what going to
happen, see for yourself. l tell
you the things managed in my
own style. . And, what
ever you do, don't be afraid. It's
only a preliminary warning"
He had moved away and, help
ing himself with his hands, hold
ing on to the branches of a tree,
he climbed up the first layers of
rock that formed the grotto on
the right. Here he knelt down.
There was a small pickaxe lying
beside him. He took il and gave
three blows to the nearest leap
of stones. They came tumbnng
down in front of the grotto.
Don Luis sprung from his hid
ing place with a roar of terror.
He had suddenly realized the po-
sition: The grotto, the accumula-
ton OF boulders, the piles of gran
lite, everything was so placed that
its equilibrium could be shattered
- H. IM----.