The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-09-12
copyri9lat w. Q. Chapman

had killed somebody, and I must save
her!
Suddenly / realized that my eyes
were wide open and that | was star
ing ut the moon over the housetops.
With consciousness came pain. My
head throbbed almost ~unbearably, and
/ was stiff with cola. ! raised myself
weakly, and then l became aware that
somebody was bending owe me.
It was a roughly dressed, rough
looking denizen Of the low quarter into
which I had strayed.
"Diable! l thought you were dead!'
I could make out amid the stream Of
his dialect, but the remainder Of his
speech was beyond my understanding.
l looked around in bewilderment.
"Where am II" I asked, still bound
by that first memory Of New York.
"In Sous-le-Cap, m~'sieur," answered
the man.
/ felt In my pocket for my watch
and drew 1t out. 1t was strange that
the men had not robbed me, but sup
pose they had become terrified at their
work and had run off. However / did
not think Of that at the time.
It was a few minutes past eight.
And the boat sailed at nine. / must
have lain stunned In Sous-le-Cap
street for an hour and q half, at least,
and only the supreme necessity of
awakening, realized through uncOn-
sclousness, had saved me from dying
under the SHOWS.
/ found that / could walk, and hav-
Ing explained to the man that | wished
to go to the Chateau, was taken by
him to the top of a winding road, near
at hand, from which l could see my
destination at no great distance from
me.
Diminishing my friendly guide and
sending him back rejoicing with lib
eral ~largesse, / hurried as quickly as /
could make my way until / burst into
the Chateau at half past the hour.
1 must have presented a dreadful
spectacle, for my hair and collar were
matted with blood, and / saw the
guests stare and shrink from me. The
clerk came toward me and stopped
noe at the entrance TO the elevator.
where is Miss HEWLETT" / gasped.
Didn't you meet her? She left here
nearly an hour ago"
I caught him by the arm. and I
think he imagined that l was going to
seize him by the throat also. for he
backed away from me, and l saw .
look of fear come into his eyes.
"Your friend came for her and said
that you had met with an accident"
the clerk continued. "She went with
him at once. He took her away in a
sleigh. I was sure that you had
missed her when you came n"
But already I was half way across
the hall and running for the door. l
raced wildly across the court" and
toward the terrace.
The meaning of the scheme was
clear. %Jacqueline was on Captain Du-
hamel's boat, which sailed at nine, and
only twenty minutes remained to me.
I had underestimated Leroux's
shrewdneSs. He must have tele-
graphed instructions from New York
before my train was out Of the country,
secured the boat, laid his plans during
his journey northward, and had me
struck down while Jacqueline was
stolen from my care. I should have
read him better. I had always daw-
died. / trusted to the future instead
Of acting. What chance had I against
a mind like his?
/ must have been running aimlessly
up and down the terrace, blindly
searching for a road down to the lower
town, for a man seized me by the
sleeve and / looked into the face of
the hotel clerk again.
"This way" he said, and hurried me
to a sort Of subway entrance and down
a flight Of steps. Before me I saw the
turnstile which led to a cable railway.
He paid my fare and thrust me into
a car. A boy came to close the lat
ticed door.
The car glided down the cliff and
stopped a few seconds later. l
emerged through another turnstile and
found myself in the lower town again
at the foot Of the precipice, above
which rose the Chateau with its i'm
posing facade, the ramparts and the
towering citadel.
/ reached the wharf and raced along
the planks. I was in time, although
the engines were throbbing in thu
Sainte-V Verge. But II vas not she. be-
the dark Claire / sought at that mo
ment, and / dashed toward her.
A man barred my approach. He
caught me In his strong arms and held
me fast.
"Diable! Are you mad, monsieur
he burst out as / continued to struggle.
And then / recognized my captor as
Captain Dubois.
"JacQueline Is on the Clairer I
cried, trying to make him understand.
'sThey took her there. They
srA a. ~ ~auA< ~uouyo~oA n~A~s-