The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-09-02

feet. The Pearlhunter leaped the hay
and charged through the dense dark
straight at the horse. 1t wasn't there.
From the passage came the clatter of
hoofs.
Followed by the stumbling sheriff, he
CROPPED his way to the mouth of the
passage. He was barely in time to
hear a splash, and the click of steel
upon the rocks of the pool.
CHAPTER XVII.
Captured.
The candle fingered long that night
in the cabin. of the three gables. The
old man was more than usually rest
less. The girl lowered about his chair
constantly. 1t seemed the presence of
SO many men in the woods that day
had excited him to the point where
even the calm of night failed to lull
him. Times without number she had
led him up and down the floor. She
had played to him. sung to him.
She succeeded at last in coaxing him
down in his chair, where he sat groan-
ing; mumbling in his. beard; and whet-
ting the knife on the palm of his
hand. She had smoothed the cushions
behind his head and stood stroking his
least warning. the door flew open, and,
sharply outlined against the dark back
ground of the night, a man with a red
mask over his face stalked across the
threshold.
He was, of course, quite unaware that
the girl already knew his identity. That
probably explained why he had put on
the mask. 1t would be impossible to
describe the startling transformation
it wrought on his sinister face. From
out of all its many terrors the night
could not have selected a more appalling
one to fling into the cabin.
The girl screamed and chung about the
old man in the chair. Her scream
seemed to rouse him. He glanced up,
rubbed his wide, pitifuI eyes. and, with
a wild cry-more that of beast than
handspring from the chair with n
that sent the girl Keeling. His
sleeping senses seemed to wake, to rec
ognize the object for which his ghostly
eyes had searched the woods for weary
years. bit of red cloth with a certain
face behind it. His giant frame seemed
to swell with a strength tremendous.
He raised the knife and leaped toward
the intruder
A giants strength. but with the dis
ordered unwieldiness of a stricken
mind. The knife barely grazed where it
was meant to kill. Before the gray
giant could recover his ponderous
strength to strike again. the Red Mask
had him by the wrist, and seemingly
to risk the sound of a shot,
was raining blows upon his head with
the butt of his heavy revolver. 1t was
a horrible thing to see. The girl stood
with laced fingers, helpless with horror.
The first blow brought the blood stream
ing out over the white hair and disabled
the old man so frightfully that he
ceased the struggle and stood quivering. |
But the merciless arm struck again and
again until the vast frame dropped, |
shrank together, the knife fell from his
fingers, his knees gave way and he
sank groaning to the floor-writhed, |
Strengthened and lay still.
The revolver was foul with blood and |
gray hair. The murderer noticed it. has !
lily wiped it away on a corner of the
fallen mans coat, thrust it back into his |
pocket and faced the girl. \
The spell was broken. She started as |
f from a nightmare and sprang back |
If the chair. Like man pressed for
lime. he dashed after her. With the |
hair between them, she managed for a |
5are moment to keep beyond his hands. |
He kicked the chair out of the way. She |
larted toward the kitchen door. probably |
With the hope of escaping to the woods, |
1ut he was too close on her. She |
vhirled toward the door of the bedroom. |
rhe turn was fatal. His hands reached |
Ter and drove her back into the corner /
# the room at the head of the couch.
She fought as only Il woman fights
or stake infinitely higher than lifo |
Itself. Since time began he earth has
staged that struggle. Her dress was
orn, her body bruised, her hands grad
tally driven together behind her back;
hot wild face near her own. A step
reaked the plank at the door. Her as
ailant whirled at the sound and she
ank painting against the wall.