The Washington times., 1919-05-06

rible eIIOrt ne found himself
breathing fast and heavily as
trils, seated exactly as he had been
through his straining, dilating nos
trils, seated exactly as he had bee
without q band loosened. and the
icy sweat pouring over his witch
ing face.
He heard himself trying to shout
heard the imprisoned groan shat
tered in his throat, dying there
within him.
Suddenly q key ratified; the door
was / orn open; the light switched
on. Golden Beard stood there. hrs
blue eyes glaring furious inquiry.
He gave one glance around the room,
caught sight of the clock, recoiled,
shut off the light again, and slam
med and locked the door.
But in that instant Neeland's
starting eyes had seen the clock.
The fixed hands on one OF the dials
still pointed to 2;13; the moving
hands on the other lacked three
minutes Of that hour.
Three Minutes To Live.
And, seated there in the pitch
darkness, he suddenly realized that
he had only three minutes more OF
life on earth.
All panic was gone; his mind was
quite clear He heard every tick
of the clock and knew what each
one meant.
Also he heard a sudden sound
across the room, as though outside
the port something was rustling
against the ships side.
the room sprang into full light; an
arm, entering the open port from
the darkness outside, let go the
electric button, was withdrawn,
only to reappear Immediately
clutching an automatic pistol And
the next instant the arm and the
head of Use Dumont were thrust
through the port into the room.
Her face was pale as death as
her eyes fell on the dial OF the
clock. With a gasp she stretched
out her arm and fired straight at
the clock, shattering both dials and
knocking the timepiece into the
waSh-basin below.
For a moment she struggled to
force her other shoulder and her
body through the port, but it
was too narrow. Then she
called across to the bound figure
seated on the bed and staring at
her with eyes that fairly started
from their sockets:
'Mr. Neeland, can't you move?
Tryi Try to break loose"
Her voice died away in a whisper
as q flash of blush flame broke out
close to the ceiling overhead, where
the three bombs were slung.
"Oh, Cod" she faltered. 1.-THE
fuses are fire."
For an instant her brain reeled:
she instinctiyely recoiled as though
to fling herself out into the dark
ness. Then, in a second, her ex-
tended arm grew rigid, slanted up
ward; the pistol exploded once,
twice, the third time; the lighted
bombs in their sling, released by
the severed rope. fell to the bed,
the fuses suffering and fiizZling.
A Desperate Chance.
Instantly the girl fired again at
the big jug of water on the bracket
over the head Of the bed; a deluge
drenched the bed underneath; two
fuses were out: one still snapped
and glimmered and sent up little
jets and rings of yapor; but as the
water soaked into the match the
cinder slowly died until the last
spark fell from the charred wet end
and went out on the drenched
blanket.
She waited a little longer, then
with an Undesirable look at the
helpless man below, she withdrew
her head. pushed herself free, hung
to the invisible rope. ladder for a
moment, swaying against the open.
port. His eyes were fastened on
her where she dangled there against
the darkness betwixt sky and sea.
oscillating with the movement OF
the ship. her pendant figure now
gilded by the light from the room.
now phantom dim as she swung out
ward.
As the roll of the ship brought
her head to the level of the port
once more, she held up her pistol,
shook it, and laughed at him:
''Now do you believe that I can
shoot?" she called out. Answer me
some time when that hooking
tongue Of yours is freer'
Then, climbing slowly upward into
darkness, the light. falling now
across her body, now. athwart her
skirt, gilded at last the heels Of
her shoes: suddenly she was gone;
then stars glittered through the
meshes of the shadowy, twitchinG
ladder which still barred the open
port And finally the ladder was
pulled upward out OF sight.
A Hand On the Door Knob.
He waited. After a little while
an interminable interval to him-he
heard somebody stealthily trying
the handle of the door: then came a
pause, silence, followed by me-
taIlic noise as though the lock were
being explored or picked.
For a while the scraping, metallic
sounds continued steadily. then
abruptly ceased as though the I'M
seen meddler had been interrupted.
A voice-evidently the voice Of
the k-picker-pitched to a eau
tious key. was heard in protest as
though Directing to some inten-
tions evident in the new arrival.
Whispered expostulations continued
for A while. then the voices became
ouarrelsome and louder; and some
body suddenly raped on the door.
Then a thick, soft voice that he
recognized with a chill, grew an
grily audible:
at say to you, steward, that I for
bid you to entaire that room.
forbid YOU to disturb thees yoong
l,5,y no yoII know who / ann