The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-10-23
CHAPTER XVI.
IN. Little ps--e-.

6sTil II vas eTitsnt that ny answer
had been totally unexpected
-Dif JOG kEOE thss. rn4dzr7sT cried
LerouI fercsiy 70 Jseq1siire-
Yes she replied
~Yoa lied 70 shield yo-rSslfT-
-So. 20 shield him" she cried. BE
cause be was NJ only friend when I
vas helpless In q strange city. You
did not steal NJ nouey. DID you.
PaulT she sdted- turning swiftly upon
ne NO. you have paid ne You
we're keeping Il for me-
You lie. d-n yo1- yelled L.
rouI. ard be struck her across the
mouth IS be had struck ne.
/ vr1thed In ny bonds I pulled the
| heavy table after ne as tries irpo-
teniiy TO crawl toward him. Seading
TIE whes, flying and ell the papers
whiriing through the air. I cursed Le-
roux as blaSphenously as be vas ours
ing JaequeSine.
And AZ the door was the pale face
Of philippe LscrotI
LerOux turned on me and kicked ne
savszely and dragged the table 10 the
/ far end Of the room and struck me re-
peatedly, while struggled like a mad
man The oaths and erecrztions that
streamed from my lips seemed to be
uttered BY smother man. for heard
them indiferently. or rather some
thing that was ], deep in the maze OF
NY personality. heard them-not that
pitiful. puny. goaded thing that fought
In its bonds until II ceased, pantirS
and exhausted
There followed long silence. while
Leroux strode furiously about the
room AT last he stopped; he seemed
to have made up his mind.
| ! saw Jscqueline looking at me. i
would not meet her gaze. but at last
her persistence compelled me. Then I
saw her glance toward the wall.
The two broadswords hung there
within arms reach. above the broken
mirror. Ny heart leaped up at the
thought Of her yalor. She had no
mind to yield.
But shook my head ihiperceptibly
in answer and looked down at my
bonds.
had been trying hard TO devise
some method OF freeing myself. Ny
struggles had relaxed the ropes
around my wrists sufficiently to allow
my hands two or three inches OF move
rnent. and I hoped. by hard work. 10
loosen them sufficiently 70 enable me
10 get at least one hand free.
Then felt that something hard was
pressing into my back, just within
reach Of my right thumb and fore
finger. / let my thumb and finger
travel up and down IL. II had the
form Of tiny knife with a heavy,
rounded handle.
And suddenly I knew what II was.
IL was the knife with which Louis
d'Epernay had been killed.
could just get my finger and
thumb round the point Of the blade.
The ropes scored deeply into my
wrists as i worked at IL, but I felt
the lining give, and presently I had
worked the blade through and had the
knife out by the handle.
But It was made for thrustIng more
than cutting. and had to pick the
ropes TO pieces strand by strand.
Jacquellne had been imperceptibly
edging away from her father and Le-
rouH; she was now standing immedl-
ately beneath the rusty swords And
outside the door l still perceived La
croix. motionless.
1t flashed across my mind that he
understood the girls desperate ruse.
and that he was waiting for the ne
picked furiously at the ropes which
bound my hands, and long strand un-
coiled and whipped back on my wrist.
Lerour seized JacquelIne by the
wrists and dragged her across the floor
TO me.
Look at him." he yelled. Look
into his face. VIII you marry me II
] let him go free?"
Nor answered JacquelIne.
Il swear 10 you that he shall be
thrown from the top Of the cataract
unless you give your consent within
FIVE minutes"
"Neverl" she answered firmly.
II VIII denounce your fatherl''
"You can't frighten me with such
stun. am not a weak old man.
You will think differently after
Charles DuchaIne has been hanged in
Quebec jail" he sneeres.
His words received a wholly unex-
pected answer. The dotard leaped
forward. stopped down and picked up
the heavy roulette wheel.
He raised II aloft and staggered