The Glenwood post., 1923-03-15

back had recOlled In the darkness.
Eaton got to his feet but crouched
and crept about behind table, aim.
Ing his pistol over it In the direction
in which he supposed. the other men
must be. The sound of the shot had
ceased to roar through the room; the
gases from the powder only made the
air heavier The other two men In
the room also waited, invisible and
silent. The only light, in the great
curtained room, came from the single
electric torch lying on, the floor This
lighted the legs of chair, corner
Of desk and circle of books in the
cases on the wall. AS Eaton's eyes
became more accustomed to the dark
ness, he could see vague shapes of
furniture. If man moved, he might
be made out; but If he stayed still,
probably he would remain lndistin-
guishable.
The other men seemed also to have
recognized this; no one moved in the
room, and there was complete silence
Eaton knelt on one knee behind his
table; now he was wildly, exultantly
excited; his blood leaped hotly to his
hand pointing his pistol; he painted,
almost audibly, for breath, but though
his pulse throbbed through his head
too, his mind was clear and cool as
he reckoned his situation and his
chances. He had crossed the Pacific,
the continent, he had schemed and
risked everything with the mere hope
of getting into this room to discover
evidence with which to demand from
the world righting of the wrong
which had driven him as u fugitive for
five years: and here he found the man
who was the cause of it all, before
him in the same room a few PAGES
away in the dark
For 1t was impossible that this was
not that man; and Eaton knew now
that this was he who must have been
behind and arranging and directing
the attacks upon him. Eaton had not
only seen him and heard his voice. but
he had felt his grasp; that sudden, In
stinctive crouch before charge, and
the savage lunge and tackle were the
instant, natural acts of an old lines
man on championship team In the
game of football as it was played
twenty years before. That lift Of the
opponent off his feet and the heavy
lunge hurling him back to fall on his
head was what one MANN the
rougher, more cruel days of the col
lege game-had been famous for. On
the football field that throw sufficed
to knock helmeted opponent uncon-
scious; here it was meant, beyond
doubt, to do more.
Upon SO much, at least, Eaton's
mind at once was clear; here was his
enemy whom he must destroy If he
himself were not first destroyed.
Other thoughts. recasting of other re.
lations altered or overturned in their
bearing by the discovery of this man
here-everythlng else could and must
wait upon the mighty demand of that
moment upon Eaton to destroy this
enemy now or be himself destroyed.
Eaton shook in his passion; yet
coolly he now realized that his left
shoulder, which had taken the shock
of his fall, was numb. He shifted his
pistol over to cover vague form
which had seemed to move; but, If 1t
had stirred, it was still again now.
Eaton strained to listen.
1t seemed certain that the noise Of
the shot, If not the sound of the
struggle which preceded 1t, must have
raised an alarm. Basil Santoine, as
Eaton knew, slept above: a nurse
must be waiting on duty somewhere
near. Eaton had seen the row Of but
tons which the blind man had within
arms length with which he must be
able to summon every servant in the
house. So 1t could not last much
longer now-this deadlock in the dark.
And one of the two, at least, seemed
to have recognized that.
Eaton had moved, warily and care
fully, but he had moved; revolver
flashed before him. Instantly and
without consciousness that his finger