Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-04-19

excited his blood leaped hotiy { o his
hand pointing his pistol; he painted.
almost audibly. for breath, but though
bis pulse throbbed through his head
too his mind was clear and cool as
be reckoned his situation and his
chances. He had crossed the Pacific,
the continent, he had schemed and
rsked everything with the mere hope
af getting into this room to discover
evidence with which to demand from
the world Fighting of the wrong
which had driven him as a fugitive for
ave years and here he found the man
who was the cause of IL all, before
him In the same room a few PAGES
away In the dark
For it 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
be had felt his grasp: that sudden, In
stinctive crouch before a charge, and
the savage lunge and tackle were the
instant, natural acts of an old lines
man or a championship team in the
game, OF football as IL was played
twenty years before. That lift of the
opponent of his feet and the heavy
lunge hurting him back to fall on his
head WAS what one MANN the
r~ougher, more cruel days of the col
iege game-had been famous for. On
the football field that throw sufficed
TO knock a helmeted opponent uncon-
%scious; here 1t was meant, beyond
doubt, TO do more.
Upon so much, at least, Eaton's
mind at once was clear; here was his
enemy whom be must destroy II he
himself were not first destroyed.
Other thoughts, recasting of other re-
la1ons altered or overturned in their
bearing by the discovery of this man
here-everything else could and must
wait upon the mighty demand of that
momen upon Eaton to destroy this
snemy 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 a vague form
which had seemed to move: but, If 1t
had stirred, 1t was still again now.
Eaton strained TO listen.
II 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; 4 nurse
must be waiting on duty somewhere
near Eaton had seen the row of but
mi 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 n Of the two, at least, seemed
to have recognized that.
Eaton had moved, warily and care
fully, hat he had moved q revolver
flashed before him. Instantly and
without consciousness that his finger
pulled the trigger, Eaton's pistol
flashed back. In front Of him. the
lame flashed again, and another squirt
Of fire spat at one side.
Eaton fired back at this-he was
PROSTATE on the floor now, and
whether he had been hit or not he
did not yet know. or whether the
blood flowing down his face wps only
from a splinter sprayed from the table
behind which he had hid He fired
again, holding his pistol far out to one
side to confuse the aim of the others;
he thought that they too were doing
the same and allowed for 1t In his aim.
He pulled his trigger q ninth time
he had not counted his shots, but he
knew he had had seven cartridges In
the magazine and one In the barrel
and the pistol clicked without dis
charging. He rolled over farther
away from the spot where he had last
Gred and pulled an extra clip Of car
from his pocket
The blood was flowing hot over his
He made no effort to staunch
or ever to feel with his fingers to
ind exactly where or how badly he
had been hit He jerked the empty
cartridge clip from his pistol butt and
In the other. He swept his
sleeve over his face to clear the blood
from his brows and eyes and stared
through the dark with pistol at arms
loaded and ready. Blood
over his face again; another
uwsep of his sleeve cleared 1t; and
moved his pistol-point back and
In the dark. |
Surely now the sound Of firing In I
hat room must have reached the man (
n the Dom above; surely he must be I
his servants I
Eaton listened; there was still no Z
from the rest of the house. But I
overhead now, be heard an almost Inn I
.,erceptible p~attering-the sound Of a I
man crossing the floor I
md he knew that the blind man In 7
De bedroom above was getting I'D. +