The Adair County news., 1922-11-21

The Blade GIittere.; Dut Linda Was
Afraid to Look at 1t Closely.
afraid to look at it closely. you
might need that, too" the old woman
said. at may be wet-I can't remem-
Der. But take it, anyway"
Linda hardly heard. She thrust the
blade into the leather of the saddle,
then swung on the horse
She rode swiftly until she began to
fear Simon might hear the hoOf beat
Of her mount; then she drew up to
a walk. And when she had crested
the hill and had followed down its
long slope into the glen, the moon
went under the clouds for the first
time.
She lost sight of Simon at once.
Seemingly her effort to save Bruce had
come to nothing, after all. But she
didn't turn back. There were light
patches in the sky, and the moon
might shine forth again.
She followed down the trail toward
L
tivated. She went to their very edge
1t was a rather high point, so she
waited here for the moon to emerge
again. Never, it seemed to her, had 1t
moved so slowly. But all at once its
light flowed forth over the land.
Her eyes searched the distant
spaces, but she could catch no glimpse
of Simon between the trees. Evil
IDENTIFY he no longer walked in the
direction of the house. Then she looked
out over the titled lands.
Almost a quarter of a mile away
she saw the flicker of a miniature
shadow. Only the vivid quality Of the
moonlight, against which any shadow
was clear-cut and sharp, enabled her to
discern it at all. 1t was Simon, and
evidently his business had taken him
into the meadows. Feeling that she
was on the right track at last, she
urged her horse forward again, keep
ing to the shadow Of the timber at
first.
Simon walked almost parallel to the
turned off into the titled lands. She
rode opposite him and refined in the
horse to watch.
When the distance had almost OBJ
scured him, she saw him stop. He
waited q long time. then turned back.
The moon went in and out of the
clouds. Then, trusting to the distance
to conceal her, Linda rode slowly out
into the clearing.
Simon re-entered the timber, his in
spectiOn seemingly done, and Linda
still rode in the general direction he
had gone. A curious sense of i'm
pending events came over her as she
headed on toward the distant wall of
forest beyond.
Then, the clouds slowly dimming un-
most imperceptible encrOachments. At
first it was only bright enough to
show her own dim shadow on the
grass. The utter gloom that was over
|. the fields lessened and drew away like
receding curtains; her vision reached
ever farther. the shadows grew more
clearly outlined and distinct. Then
the moon rolled forth into a wholly
open patch of sky-a white sphere
with sprinkling of vivid stars around
it-and the silver radiance poured
down.
1t was like the breaking of dawn.
The fields stretched to incredible dis
tances about her. The forest beyond
emerged in distinct outline; she could
see every irregularity in the plain.
And in one instant's glance she knew
that she had found Bruce.
His situation went home to her in
one sweep of the eyes. Bruce was
not alone. Even now a great, tower
ing figure was creeping toward him
from the forest. Linda cried out,
and with the long strap of her rein
dashed her horse into the fastest pace
it knew.
Bruce did not hear her come. He
lay in the soft grass, waiting for
death. A great calm had come upon
him. a strange, quiet strength that the
pines themselves might have lent to
him; and he made no cry. In this
dreadful last moment of despair the
worst of his terror had gone and left
his thoughts singularly clear. And
but one desire was left to him: that
the Killer might be merciful and end
his existence with one blow.
It was not q great deal to ask for:
but he knew perfectly that only by the
mercy of the forest gods could it come
to pass. They are usually not so kind
to the dying; and it is not the Wild
animal way to take pains to kill at
the first blow Yet his eyes held
straight. The Killer crept slowly
toward him; more and more of his
vast body was revealed above the tall
heads of the grass. And now all that
Bruce knew was great wonder-a
= strange es-rlt s.t.HC- and aTva Of who Z