The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-10-20
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BIZ MAx SALIMARsti,.

/ dirty, ana lit only by q single
| candle. Ottilie sat there proppad
against the wall, deathly pale.
eyes closed, q crimson handker-
chief bound across her mouth. She
was still wearing the dark b'ue
pajamas in which / had last seen
her, but now they were torn ard
dusty, and her wrists and ankles
were bound with heavy rope. For
an instant ] thought that she wss
ldead, and q wild rush Of fury seized
me, SO that ] would have torn tire
shutters apart to reach the. wild
beast who had done it. but Fleuriet
seemed to sense my impulse. for
he caught my arm with a steely
grip. At the same moment / saw
her open her eyes suddenly and
look at the man before her, and
knew that she was very much
alive, for never have I seen such
a look of defiant rage on any hui
man face.
Cess was perched on an up-
turned packing staring at her
| in his turn, with his blank opaque
eyes, while slowly. between bis
long fingers, he turned something
flat and Shining that I realized with
an uncomfortable shudder to be a
azor-sharp palette knife. Il was
a dreadful sight. made all the
more CHASTITY by the complete
silence that enveloped il.
/ saw the girls eyes shift from
his face to the knife and back to
his face again, out she never
blenched, and took of my hat to
her for the braveSt creature had
ever known. And then suddenly
Cess spolze., and his voice seemed
suddenly to, break the spell that
held US.
My Life Fer Yeursfox
|"VOUr know, = he said s''itrWas d
4 very clever idea of mine to
Bking YOU with me, for + I'D not
think thaynWiu find lssHere for q
long time, and when they do, with
this sharp biadeiacfossayouf 4ilfoat.l
they will think . long time before
they shoot. and during that time
I shall be able to make terms with
them-my life for yoLrs.H
Fleuriot touched my shoulder
softly. ut is timeP' he whispered.
I'VE must move quickly. But the
words died on his lips and he
sprang to his feet with something
between a groan anG q sob. for on
that instant, from the night shad-
ows that ringed US, came the sound
Of q cracked. shrill voice raised in
song. Noah More was a funny
chap. for he lived until he died. -.
The man inside the room heard
1t too. and like flash he was on
his feet. giaring round him like a
wild beast, With one swift spring
he was beside the PROSTATE girl.
slashinR with his knife at the cords
that bound her ankles
They are herelp he muttered.
$50 soon they are here!" and he
dragged her, helpless, to her feet
and thrust her in front Of him,
facing the door in the opposit
wall.
The singing voice had seemed to
come from the other side of the
house, but as ] waited. suddenly
there came a pause. and next in
slant it echoed again. startlingly
near, from somewhere just round
the corner Of the building.
"And you'll hear no more OF
poor Noah More" it sang, "for poor
Noah More's no morel
Cess heard it too, for he swung
round swiftly. facing the window,
dragging the girl after him, and
her once more against his
breast. the cruel blade across her
throat. ] leaped to my feet. thrust
my fingers between the slit in the
heavy shutters. and pulled with
ell my strength.
BE quicki" I heard Fleuriot's
voice behind me.
AZ / tugged and strained, my
head seemed bursting, and could
feel the muscles in my back crack
inc under the efforts but suddenly
The shutters gave, with q rending
crack of breaking wood, and as
they swung open ] saw Cess
motioaless. q bare two
yards away from me, peering out
over the girls shoulder with eyes
that looked blind and yet were
allied with q dreadful expectancy.
ssYoul" he said, and gave q sud-
len shrill cackle. 1T IS always you
but this time, / think. I have the
better of IL. Her life against mine,
nv young friendl I 90 free and
you take her back to our poor
dugo--is il q bargain?"
hesitated, my gaze fxed, shud-
iering, on the thin, sharp steel that
Az across Cttiliess golden throat.
aieifiot had vanished, and IL
g.iessed that he was afraid the
light OF him might startle the crea-
ture inside into f1assy ectlon.
Everything. I thought hopelessly.
hung on me and on the next words
spoke--and then. as ! waited.
-tiad. knew that I was
wrong and that everything hung
on something very different for
The door behind Cess was slowly
opening. and as I looked. I saw
1ugo's lace. hard and dangerous.
peer cautiously round Il.
Hugo leaped forward. hurting
the whole weight Of his hundred
and ninety-six pounds full on the
others back. while at the same
time one sinewy hand caught &C
Tie wrist that held the knife.
Ottilie. suddenly freed, stag
pered sideways. as the two wres-
fling bodies crashed together to
he h0or. Al sudden wind blew the
candle out and left the room in
darkness.