The Arizona copper camp., 1920-11-20

Saw Him Sink Slowly to the Floor at
Her Feet.
mouth a gag, which she had fashioned
from stray ends of the providential
petticoat.
TF leaping to her feet and strap
pin me ammunition belt and revolver
about her waist, she stole on tiptoe to
the doorway and peered out; the si-
lent, cavernous passage was empty.
Lithely, like a young panther, she
slipped out Of the cell and began max
ing down the passageway to a spot of
light which she judged to be it's open
ing. She had scarcely gone ten feet,
however, before she stopped short
somewhere in the dark she heard a
voice.
What was to be done? Her temples
throbbed as the voices sounded nearer.
Then it came home to her-why not try
one of the other cells? Suiting action
to the thought, she stepped quietly
from the niche in the wall, moved
noiselessly along its surface, and came
at length to another dungeon similar
to the one she had occupied, except
that it had no window in its oaken
door. Fumbling with the bunch of
keys, she took the first one around
which her fingers fell and thrust it
hurriedly into the lock. She strug-
gled with it-turning it first to the
left and then to the right. The foot
steps were sounding nearer and near
er every minute, the voices were grow
ing louder.
Frantic, she gave the key final des-
perate twist, and as a sigh of relief
escaped her lips the door swung open
Slipping through the aperture, she
closed it softly after her and, painting
from excitement and her exertions
turned and faced the recesseS of her
hiding-place.
1t was black, pitch-black, except for
long ray of light that struggled in be-
tween the heavy door and its casing.
but as Stella Donovan stood there in
the gloom she was aware that she was
not the only occupant of the cell. She
crouched back, gripped in the hands of
another fear, but the next moment her
alarm was lessened somewhat by the
sound of soft, well-modulated voice.
'sWhos that?' it said family.
Then followed the repeated scratch
ing of wet match, flame of yellow
light, which was Immediately carried
to a short tallow candle, and in the
aura of its sickly flame Stella Dono-
van saw the face of a man with long,
unkempt beard and feverish eyes that
stared at her as though she were an
Rpparition.
AS her eyes became more accus-
toned to the light she saw that the
stranger was a man of approximately
thirty, of good robust health. His hair
was sandy of color and thin, and his
beard, which was of the same hue, had
evidently gone untrimmed for days.
perhaps weeks; yet for all of his un-
kernpt appearance, for all the strange
ness of his presence there, he was
gentleman, that was plain. And as
she scrutinized him Miss Donovan
thought she beheld mild similarity in
the contour of the mans head the
shape of his face, the lines of his body,
to the man who several weeks be-
fore, she had seen lying dead upon the
floor of his rooms in the Waldron
apal rents.
"F'- God" he cried in high voice.
81 thought I was seeing things. You
are really a woman-and alive|
Miss Donovan hesitated moment
before she answered, wondering
whether to tell him of her narrow es-
cape. This she decided to do.
"Alive, but only by luck" she said
in a friendly voice, and then recounted
the insults of CateraS, her struggle
with him, and capture OF his cartridge
belt and revolver, and how finally she
had left him bound and gagged in the
adjoining cell. The man listened at
tentively, though his mind seemed
slow to grasp tails.
But" he insisted, unable to clear
his brain, "why are you here? Surely
you are not one of this gang of out
laws?"
81 am a prisoner. That is true of
you also, is it not?"
"Yes. II am q prisoner. although