San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-08-09

lifted, and the shrivelled features
of the woman who had been Judy's
custodian were visible in the center
of the voluble crowd.
They're going to block our
exit" .Chatterton said thoughtfully.
He looked at Judy. She was pale
and tense. Yet for one instant she
chung to him.
"You had better go away" she
said breathlessly. "There is long
garden at the back l think it
opens on some little lane. Go that
way. If they get you they will
kill you. The men all have knives
and they think you are an enemy
trying to steal me. Oh, go away
land don't be foolishp
Judy's words had come incoher-
emily. The hazel points of her eyes
were dilated in real terror for John
Chatterton. Only afterward did
she realize it.
A laugh came from Chatterton's
.lips.
"We'll get through" he said.
"That old harridan has stirred the
whole village up. We've dawdled
sufficiently, Judy"
mo hatp' he said with a boyish
laugh. "All right! We might get
a taxi with luck"
He swept her out upon the stair
case. In sheer physical strength
he was like some big, gentle animal
unconscious of it. On the stair
case Judy tried to shake his hand
free, but when they passed abrupt
ly out of the dark house into thet
sunlit center of the courtyard, she
was glad of his hold.
He strobe forward, and before
the very menace of his powerful
frame, the crowd gave way. On
the bridge a man clutched at Judy,
and Chatterton's fist, sweeping in
semi-circle, sent him Keeling with
blow that sounded like the contact
of a hammer upon wood.
"I'm going backW Judy STAN
mered TREMENDOUSLY. ,"If / don't
they'll kill you. Let me go backH
Chatterton caught her bodily
with one big arm as he heard her
words, holding her so that she felt
her ribs at the point of cracking,
and her breath suspended. He
trampled forward breaking way
by the mere weight of his body,
until they were in the cobbled
street of the village, with the
shrilling crowd struggling after
them. An exclamation left him.
a "Good' luck, by jove"
He was looking ahead. At the
top of the sloping street 3 mule
carriage stood, left there by its
driver. Judy, now very pale and
scared, cried out a warning, and
swinging around, Chatterton saw
the CLEAN of knife in the hand of
a picturesque ruffian who had
crept behind him. The knife
tinkled on the stone, and the man
went down like a log to blow
that was so swift that the girl did
not see it.
Here we areP'
He was like some schoolboy
caught in an enjoyable scrimmage
rather than man beset by vii
lage of hot-blooded Latins of Ital-
ian and Spanish descent. They
had reached the carriage, and be-
fore she knew it, Chatterton swung
Judy bodily from the ground and
lightly into it. AS he followed and
took the reins, a volley of stones
came. One of them scathed Judy's
check and drew blood. She saw,
fascinatedly, the whole expression
of Chatterton's face change from
one of stolid tolerance to savage
anger. He rose to his feet with a
roar like wounded bear.
81 can see the hound that threw
that" he breathed. "Wait a mo-
ment, little girl
He was actually gathering him
self to leap from the carriage
again, when Judy caught and held
him.
"I'm not hurtr' she gasped. Oh,
drive on, if you mean us TO get out
of the villager'
The mule, with the obstancy of
his species, stuck for moment.
Chatterton belaboured him with an
iron spike that lay in the carriage.
The astonished animal leapt for
ward with suddenness which all
but overturned his passengers, and
in few moments was chattering
out of the tortuous streets toward
the mountain road above.
"Hot-headed DEVILS" Chatterton
said laconically. "They were going
to marry you to de Barsac there in
the church. Did you know that"
He seemed to want no answer.
Judy chung to her seat while the
light carriage tore forward. Now
that the excitement was past, the
rebellion against his mastery was
coming slowly back. He. had
caught her up and snatched her
like child from the house with the
expresses. If she had wanted to
remain andmarry Leon de Barsac
it would. have been the same, she
supposed:
''Life is all contrasts, isn't it?"
he said. 81 was your prisoner yes
terday. Today you're mine. Have
you any suggestions to make as to
what / should do with you? 1t is
high time we went to Genoa |
think, to clear up everything about
the lease"
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