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

the expression on your swain's
mobile features!"
He broke off, seized with a fit
Of laughter that shook his out
stretched arm, impaired the most
savage look to his face, and set
his legs jerking under his body
like the legs q q dancing doll.
lis enemy was growing weak
er before his eyes. Don Luis's
fingers, which had first gripped
the roots of the grass, we're now
vainly clutching the stones Of the
wall. And his shoulders were
sinking lower and lower into the
well.
We've done it," spluttered
villain, in the midst Of his convul-
sions of merriment. "Lord, how
good it is to laugh! Especially
when one so seldom does. Yes,
I'm y wet blanket, l am a first
rate man at a funeral! You've
never seen me laugh, Florence,
have your But this time it's real
ly too amusing. Lupin in his hole
and Florence in her grotto; one
dancing a jig above the abyss and
the other at her last gasp under
her mountain. What a sight!
Come, Lupin, don't tire your
self! What's the use of those
grimaces? You're not afraid of
eternity, are your A good man
like you, the Don Quixote Of
modern times! Come, let your
self go. There's not even any
water in the well to splash about
in. No, it's just a nice little slide
into infinity. You can't so much
as hear the sound of a pebble
when you drop it in; and just
now | threw a piece of lighted pa
per down and lost sight of it in
the dark. Brrrr! 1t sent a cold
shiver down my backl
Come, be a man. It'll only
take a moment; and you've been
through worse than that!
Good, you nearly did it then.
You're making up your mind to
il. l say, Lupin |
kppisi Aren't
you going to Say good-bye9 Not
ia smile, not a word Of thanks
Au revoir, Lupin, au revoir-"
He ceased. He watched for the
appalling end which he had so
cleverly prepared and Of which
all the incidents were following
close on one another in accord
ance with his inflexible will.
1t did not take long. The
shoulders had gone down; the
chain; and then the mouth con-
vulsed with the death grin; and
then the yes, drunk with terror ;
and then the forehead and the
hair: the whole head, in short,
had disappeared.
The cripple sat gazing wildly,
as though III ecstasy, motionless,
with an expression of fierce de-
light, and without a word that
could trouble the silence and in
terrupt his hatred.
At the edge of the abyss moth
ing remained but the hands, the
obstinate, stubborn, desperate,
heroic hands, the poor, helpless
hands which alone still lived, and
which gradually, retreating to-
ward death, yielded and fell back
and let go.
The hands had slipped. For a
moment the fingers held on like
claws. So natural was the effort
which they made that it looked
as if they did not even yet des-
pair, unaided, of resuscitating
and bringing back to the light Of
day the corpse already entombed
in the darkness. And then they
in their turn gave way. And
then-and then, suddenly, there
was nothing more to be seer and
nothing more to be heard.
The cripple started to his feet,
as though released by a spring,
and yelled with delight:
"Oof! That's done it! Lupin
in the bottomless pit! One more
adventure finished! Oof!'
Turning in F1orencc's direction
he once more danced his dance of
death. He raised himself to his
full height and then suddenly
crouched down again, throwing
about his legs like the ~grotesquc,
ragged limbs of a scarecrow. And
he sang and whistled and belched
forth insults and hideous bias
phemies.
Then he came to the yawning
mouth of the well and, standing
some way off, as if still afraid
to come nearer, he spat into it
three times.
MOI was this enough for his