Gunnison news-champion., 1923-02-16
CHAPTER XVII
Under Cover Of Darkness.

under Cover Of Darkness
Basil Sautolne was oyersensitive to
s1und. ns are most Of the blind; IN
the world OF darkness In whah he
lived. sounds were by far the most
signlficant-and almost the only
means he had OF telling what went on
around him: he passed his life listen.
Ing for or determining the nature OF
sounds. So the struggle which ended
in Eston's crash TO the floor would
have walked him without the pistol
shots Immediately following. Tba,
reused bin y wideswake Immediately
and brought him sitting up In bed. for
getful Of his OVID condition.
His hand went at once 10 the bell.
board. and he rang at the same time
for the nurse outside his door and
for the steward.
Sanioine did no; consider the pos
sibility OF robbery Of plate or jeweiry
long enough to have been said to con-
slider II at all: what he felt was that
the threat which had been hanging
vaguely over himself ever since War
denis murder was being fulfilled. Bui
IL was not Santolne himself that was
being attacked; IT was something San
tulne possessed. There was only one
sort Of valuable article for which one
might enter that room below. And
those articles
San,olne pressed all the bells again
and then got up. He had heard nbso
luicly no sound outside. as must be
made by anyone escaping from the
room below: but the battle seemed
over. one side must have destroyed
the other.
The blind man stood barefooted on
the floor, his hands clasplng In one Of
the bittercst moments of his rebellion
against, and defiance Of. his helpless
ness Of blindness. Below hin-as be
believed-hIs servants had been sacri.
fcing life for him: there In that room
he held In trust that which affected
the security. the faith, the honor Of
others; his guarding that trust In
yolved his honor no less And partic-
ularly. now, he knew he was bound,
at whatever cost. to act: for he did
not doubt now but that his balf-pris-
oned guest. whom SantoIne had not
sufficiently guarded. was at the bot
tom Of the attack. The blind man be
lieyed. therefore. that II was because
Of his own retention here of Eaton
that the attack had been made. his
servants had been killed. the private
secrets of his associates were In dan
ger. Undoubtedly there was danger
below: but that was why he did not
call again at the other door for some
one else TO run a risk for him
He put his hand on the rail and
started to descend the stairs. He was
almost steady in step and he had arm
grasp on the rail: he noticed that now
to wonder at It. When he had aroused
at the sound OF firing. his blIndness
as always when something was hap
peninE about him. was obtruded upon
him. He felt helpless because he was
blind, not because he had been in
5ured. He had forgotten entirely
that for almost two weeks he had not
stirred from bed; he had risen and
stood and walked. without staggering.
to the door and to the top Of the
stairs before. now. he remembered So
what he already had done showed him
that he had merely again to put his
injury from his mind and he could
70 on. He went down the stairs al
most steadily.
The blind count stairs, and he had
gone down twenty -one-and realized
fully his futility; hut now he would
not retreat or merely call for help.
~who Is heref' he asked distinctly.
''Is anyone heref Who b herer
No one answered. And row San
toine knew by the sense which let him
feel whether II was night OF day. that
the room was really dark-dark for
others as well as for himself; the
lights were not burning. So an exAl-
fntion, sense Of physical capabflity.
came to Ssnioine; In the dark he was
n At. as capable as any other man.
He stepped down on the door. and
In his uncertainty as to the position
Of the furniture. felt along the wall.
There were bookcases there, but he
felt and passed along them swiftly,
| until he came to the case which
concealed the safe at the left side cf
the doorA The books were gone from
that case: his bare toes struck asainat
them where thsy had been thrown
dswn On the Aoor. The blind man. his
palsa beating tumultueusay. pst NJ
haod threugh IL case aA1 fa1t IL
pana behinl 1Aat was ~ ba<8,
0posfng tie safs: an1 ~ door q
| ~ aaSb stood epsA 1anfaanSs
lAn1e feat wtthaa ~ .au1s sua11lv. n
n rucpne6 NJ n enanane -