Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1919-08-28
70 cast much light.

-- We tfdVefSSu perhaps lHne VA
outer blaekness. Then began to see
a CLEAN of moonlight in front Of me,
and though ] had not been conscious
of any turn discovered that we must
have retraced our course completely,
for / heard the roar Of the cataracts
again.
Then we emerged upon tiny shelf
of rock some forty feet up the face
Of the wall and quite invisible from
below. 1t was little above the level
of the chateau roof, about hundred
yards away. Below me could see the
main entrance to the tunnel.
We had a foothold of about ten
feet on the level platform, which was
! glippery with smooth black ice, and
laundering over us, so near that I
could almost have touched 1t had I!
stretched out my hand, the whirling
, torrent plunged into that hell below.
Pierre caught my arm as | reeled,
sick with the shock of the discovery,
and yelled into my ear above the din.
lie Well Angel" he cried. '"This
way Simon mean you to go tomorrow.
Lacroix him tell you: Get down, we
find the road He take you up here
and push you-so."
He made a graphic gesture with his
arm and pointed. I looked down,
shuddering, into the black. foam-
crested water. bubbling and whirling
among the grotesque ice pillars that,
stood like sentries upon the brink.
"What you dol? he asked. You go
to Pere Antoine tonight? What you
do now?"
took the pistol from my coat
pocket.
"Pierre," l answered, 81 have two
bullets here and both Of them are for
Simon. Tonight 1 had him In my
power and spared him. Now l am go
ing back and I shall shoot him down
like a dog, whether he is armed or
defenseless."
Pierre's face was twitching. you
no go back !" he cried. "Simon he kill
you. No use to fight Simon. Him
time not come yet. When him time
come he die"
"When win it conner" asked, look
ing at the mans features, which were.
distorted with frenzied hate.
81 not know" exclaimed Pierre. II
try find-cards tell me. No Indian
man in this part country remember.
how tell me. In old days many could
tell. Now l wait. When his time
come old Indian know: He kill Simon
then himself. Nobody else kill Simon.
No use you try"
I shook the Indians hands away and
plunged forward into the tunnel again.,
I heard him calling after me; but /
think he saw that was not to he de-.
tered for he made no attempt 10
follow me. F.,
And so I went on and on through
the darkness and with each step
toward the chateau my resolution
grew. -
My elbow grated against the tunnel
wall. I stepped sidewlse toward the
center and ran against the wall oppo-
site. The light of the stars was clear
In front of me and the cold wind blew,
upon my face, and l squeezed through
into the same scooped-out hollow
which I had entered on the same after
noon during the course of my journey
toward the chateau.
The little river gurgled at my feet,
and in front Of me / saw candle;
Pickering in the recesses of a cave, so
elfinlike that could distinguish 1t only
by shielding my eyes against the moon
and stars.
grasped my pistol tightly and crept
noiselessly forward. If this should be
Leroux. as I was convinced 1t was,
l would not parley with him. would
shoot him down in his tracks.
AS stepped nearer him my feet dis
lodged pebble, which rolled with
splash into the bed Of the stream.
The man started and spun around,