The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-09-18
eseyrizAs ~. Q. ch.prna.

1
time to kill Simon come as we'll"
'When, in heavens name, will it
Gomez" 1 cried
Come soon. His diabie tell me-
answered Pierre Caribou
81 go now" he announced. ITO
morrow come for you, take all
| through tunnel. You stay here till
come; all sleep till morning"
81 will go with you, Pierre" I said,
still under my obsession. But he laid
his heavy hand upon my arm and
pushed me away.
"YOu no kill Simon ne answered
''Why you no kill him again when you
have sword? Only diable can kill him.
When time come diabIe tell old Carl
bou. You sleep now. go for take
my woman and gal safe through tun-
mel to place know. When my woman
and gal safe 1 come back to m'sieur
and ma'm'selIe."
I lay down. The silence was lOneli-
ness itself, and not rendered less
| lonely by the occasional cries of the
old man and the drip, drip of water.
I could not see anything, and Jacque-
| line might have been a woman of
stone, for she made not the least move
ment
At last I spoke to her.
"Jaequeline -"
I heard her start, and knew that she
after me. I crawIed toward her, drag
ging my blanket after me. I felt ia
F., the darkness for the place where I
knew her hand must be and took it in
| mine
"Jacquelinel'' 1 said again.
"Ah, NJ. Hew1ett"-the WEAKNESS in
| her voice went to my heart-''it might
| have been so different-if-"
IF what, JacquelineT'
IF there had not been the blood of
a dead man between u.s." she moaned.
''If-you-had not-killed him ~
Her words were a revelation to me,
for I learned that she had mercifully
been spared the full remembrance of
what had happened in the Tenth street
apartment She thought that it was I
who had killed Louis d'Epernay.
And how could 1 deny this, when to
so would be to bring to her mind the
knowledge of her own dreadful guilt?
The hours wore away, and we three
lay there, two waiting and one dream
ing Of the old days of youth, no doubt.
I tried to light the candle to see the
time, but my shaking hand sent 1t fly
ing across the cave, and when
searched for my matches I found that
the box was empty.
It seemed an eternity since we had
come there. 1t is one thing to wait for
dawn, and quite another thing to wait
where dawn will never come.
1 resolved to follow the exit for a
little distance to see whittier it led.
and If 1 could discover the light of
/ day
So I took my sword and sailed out
through the passage in the cliff.
1 had only proceeded a few steps
when the air grew cold and sweet
And before had traversed two hun
dred yards I saw a dim light in the
distance. This was no candle light
but that of day. So 1 had endured all
those agonies of mind with the open
air but a short distance away!
AS advanced I fancied that heard
the soft pattering of feet behind me.
halted and listened intently. I
erouched against the wall and waited.
But 1 heard nothing now except the
distant roaring of the eataracts. How
sweet they sounded nOwl
I listened intently, leaning against
the wall and facing backward, holding
my sword ready to meet any intruder.
But there was no sound from within,
except the soughing which one hears
| in a tunnel, and satisfied at last that
had been the victim Of an over
wrought Imagination I pursued my
| course. But 1 had not gone six PAGES
before I heard a scream that still
rings in my ears today, and a shadow
sprang out of the darkness and rushed
at me. It was old Charles Duchaine.
His white hair streamed behind him
his face bore an expression of indelible
horror and rage, and in his hand he
held the other sword.
He struck at me, great, sweeping
blow which would almost have cut me
in two. had just time to parry it.
and then he was upon me, raining
blows upon my outstretched sword.
Though his attack was wild the
vigor of his blows almost beat down
my guard At last a random blow OF
mine swept the weapon from his feeble
old hand and sent it whiriing down the
cataract into the lake below
Then he was at my throat, and 4
was fortunate that there was firm rocE
! instead of slippery ice beneath US, o.
( we should both have followed TIT
3 sword
"Calm yourself. for heavens sake
monsieur!' I gasped as I gained a mo
mentary advantage over him. Don
you know me? I am your friend.
e want to save youl"
r ''You shall not take mel I hav
e done nothingl 1t was years agol LIE
a me goI Let me goi'' he screamed.
released him for a moment, hopin,
o that his disordered brain would caI1
= enough for him to recognize me an
e that, when he saw my motives wer
:, peaceful he would grow quiet
IL But suddenly, with final howl, b
sprang past me, sweeping me agains
n the wall. and leaped out on the Iedgr
r held my breath. expected to So