Charlevoix county herald., 1919-07-11
gerIng across the cave toward the t1n.


gering across the cave toward the tun-
mel which led to the rocking stone.
And then, just as l approached the
barricade Of earth-filled bags Leroux
and the man Raoul emerged from the
tunnels mouth and ran toward me.
I stopped behind the barricade.
Presently l saw something white
fluttering from the tunnel. 1t was
white handkerchief upon a stick of
wood.
Then Leroux's voice hailed me from
the tunnel.
Hewlett !" he called, and there was
no trace Of mockery in his tones now,
"will you come out and talk with me-?
Will you meet me In the open, If you
preferi"
I fred one shot In futile rage. 1t
struck the cliff and sent a stone flying
into the stream.
Then silence followed. And / took
Jacqueline and carried her back into
the little hollow space. I put my hand
upon her breast.
| 1t stirred. She breathed family,
though she showed no sign Of con-
seriousness.
Heaven knows what was In my
mind. / stood beneath that awful cat
arsct firing at the blind rock, and now
was back behind the earth-bags
shooting into the tunnel.
| So the afternoon wore away. The
sun had sunk behind the cliffs. had
fred away all but six Of my cartridges.
Then the memory Of my similar act Of
folly before came home to me. grew
more calm.
I felt my way around the cave with
the faint hope that there might be
some other egress there.
There was none, but / made out q
| recess which l had not perceived,
about one-half as large as the cave
itself. and opening into It by small
passage just large enough to give ad-
mittance to a single person. Here I
should have only one front to defend.
SO I carried Jacqueline inside and
began laboriously to drag the bags Of
earth into this last refuge. Before II
had grown quite dark 1 had barricaded
Jacqueline and myself within place
the size of a hall bedroom inclosed
upon three sides with rock.
And there I waited for the end.
sat beside Jacqueline, holding her
hand with one of mine, and my re-
volver In the other. There was a faint
A.rft Of xx-fic Il fonntnH
had grown stronger during the past
half hour.
But l was unprepared to hear her
whisper to me, and when she spoke I
was alert in a moment.
PAUL." she said family.
"Jacqueline"
Paul Bend down. 1 want to
speak to you. Do you know l have
been conscious for a long time, my
dear7 / have been thinking. Are you
distressed because Of met"
MY dearl" said; and that was all
that could say. / clasped her cold
little hand tightly In mine.
"You must leave me, Paul, because
because of what Is between us. You
must 20 to Leroux and tell him so.
You love me, Paul?"
always, Jacquellne," I whispered
She put her arms about my neck.
81 love you, Paul." she said. at
seems so easy to say 1t in the dark,
and 1t used to be so hard. Do you
know what admired and loved you
for, even when you thought my mind
unstable and empty? How true you
wsrsl It was that, dear. It was your
honor. Paul.
THAT was why, when remembered
everything that dreadful night In the
snow, the revulsion was so terrible.
that 1t was true-and yet I knew II
was true.
"And Leroux was waiting there and
found me. l did not want to leave
you, but he told me there, was Pere
Antoine's cabin close by, and that you
would come to no harm. And he made
me believe-you had stolen my money
as well. But I never believed that,
and only tainted you with II to drive
you away for your own sake"
She drew me weakly toward her and
went on:
Nov that we are to part forever,
and perhaps l am to die, can speak
to you from my heart and tell you,
dear. Kiss meas though were your
wife, Paul.
$50 you will 60 to Leroux," she
added presently.
as that your will, Jacqueliner
NYaa doar cha nnIa Mnonarna - |