Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-08-18
that was all. But now, low and distinct

tnat was all. But now, low and distinct
1t came again; and, as before, Con
stance saw 1t catch Henry and hold
him. His lips moved. but he did not
speak; he was counting. 1.-TWO" she
saw his lips form.
The sound Of the Drum was continu-
ing, the beats few seconds apart.
Twelve" Constance counted to her.
self. The beats had seemed to be
quite measured and regular at first :;
but now Constance knew that this was
only roughly true; they beat rather in
rhythm than at regular intervals
'Twenty-twenty- twenty two p"
Constance caught breath and waited
for the next beat; the time of the In
terval between the measures of the
rhythm passed, and still only the
whistle Of the wind and the undertone
of water sounded. The Drum had
beaten it's roll and, for tire moment
was done.
Twenty-Five had been her count. as
nearly as she could count at all; the
reckoning agreed with what the Indian
woman had heard. Two had died,
then, since the Drum last had beat
when It's roll was twenty. Two more
than before that meant five were left
Constance caught up her wooden
hood from the table and put it on. Her
action seemed to call Henry to him
self
what are you going to do?" he de-
manded
I'm going out"
He moved between her and the door.
"Not alone, you're not!" His heavy
voice had deep tone of menace in it !;
he seemed to consider and decide
something about her. "Theres a farm
house about mile back; I'm going to
take you over there and leave you with
those people,
II will not go there!"
He swore. "Tll carry you, then !"
She shrank back from him as he
lurched toward her with hands out
stretched to seize her; he followed
her, and she avoided him again; if his
guilt and terror had given her mental
ascendency over him, his physical
strength could still force her to his
will and, realizing the impossibility
of evading him or overcoming him,
she stopped.
mot that !' she cried Don't touch
me!'
"Come with me, then ~ he command
od Qn6 no tn fhn door lai
his Snowshoes on the snow and
stepped into them, STOPPING and tight
ening the straps; he stood by while
she put on hers. He did not attempt
again to put hands upon her as they
moved away from the little cabin to-
ward the woods back of the clearing j;
but went ahead, breaking the trail for
her with his snowshoes He moved
forward slowly; he could travel, if he
had wished, three feet to every two
that she could cover, but he seemed
not wishing for speed but rather for
delay. A deep, dull resonance was
booming above the wood; it doomed
again and ran into rhythm. No
longer was it above; at least it was not
only above; it was all about them
here, there, to right and to left, before,
behind-the booming of the Drum.
Doom was the substance of that sound
of the Drum beating the roll of the
dead.
Henry had stopped in front of her,
half turned her way; his body swayed
and bent to the booming of the Drum,
as his swollen lips counted its sound
ings She could see him plainly in the
moonlight, yet she drew nearer to him
as she followed his count. Twenty
one," he counted-"Twenty-two" The
drum was still going on. Twenty
Observation-Disclosures" " Would
he count another?
He did not and her pulses, which
had halted, leaped with relief. He
moved on again, descending the steep
side of little ravine, and she fol-
lowed. One of his snOwShoes caught
in protruding root and, instead of
slowing to free it with care, he pulled
it violently out, and she heard the dry,
seasoned wood crack. He looked down,
swore; saw that the wood was not
broken through and went on; but as
he reached the bottom of the slope, she
leaped downward from little height
behind him and crashed down upon his
trailing snowshoe just behind the heel.
The rending snap of the wood came
beneath her feet. Had she broken
through his shoe or snapped her own? ?
She sprang back as he cried out and
swung in an attempt to grasp her; he
lunged to follow her, and she ran a
few steps away and stopped. At his
next step his foot entangled in the
mesh of the broken snOwshOe, and he
stopped cursing, to strip it off and
hurl it from him. then he tore off the
one from the other foot, and threw it
away, and lurched after her again but
now he sank above his knees and fioun-
dered in the snow. She stood for a
moment while the half-mad, half
drunken figure struggled toward her
along the side of the ravine; then she
ran TO where the tree trunks hid her
from him. He gained the top of the
slope and turned in the direction she
had gone. assured then apparently,