Year: 1878

a soft felt hat pulled down to his eyes.
l could only see that his face looked
swsrthy, and his features were those
of q half-cas s.45 ~


1t was Mario Cropt--come now after
a lapse of almost twenty years, Tor
what? Was it to fulfill his cath! I,
so, what should l do? The idea of
crying for help had been dismissed the
moment he entered, and laid aside as
only last resort: because to your
desperate villain an outcry is the sig
nal for the death stroke. The man
looked at me, then stared carefully
around the Office, and next sat down
and threw off the muller, winding it
carefully around the left forearm.
Then he raised his hat without entire
ly removing it, looking straight at me-
and said Mr.. Thomas efferson Lev
erett, do you know me?'


'Of course l do replied.


Speak my name, then.'


when l knew you, years ago, you
was called Mario Cropt.'


well, if your memory's as good as
that pursued my visitor, in quiet,
whispering way, without betraying
emotion of any kind, 'p'r'aps there's
something else you can remember.


AS he spoke the last word his whole
manner changed as though he had been
a piece of pyrotechnic contrivance
touched by the match of the exhibitor.
He leaped to his feet, his whole face
ablaze with fierce vengeance, and,
while with his right hand he drew an
enormous bowie knife, with his left
he grasped me by the throat, kissing
between his te eth, Yon don't forget
my oath! l have never forgotten it
| never! I've hunted for you, and I've
found you!. You put me on! What
did you gain by doing so? Take
thatv


the qnickness of thought, and the
strength of desperation, caught his
right wrist with both of my hands and
held him at bay. 1 held that awful
knife suspended, but the grip on my
throat was choking me. l could not
cry out, and, as his grip tightcned, l
found it difficult to breathe. Several
times he sought to free his right hand.
but, finding my two hands more than
he could overcome, he turned his at
tentlon to my throat. Thus far his
grasp had been below the larnyx but
he now raised his great broad thumb
above the strong bony cartilage and
pressed it upon the soft part, pretty
soon changing the position of the fin
gers so that it seemed as though he
were literally tearing both gullet and
windpipe from my neck. A moment
so, and then my breath was stopped
entirely. l thought of using my right
hand to remove the grip from my
throat; but, if did that, the knife
would find my bosom. 1 was child
in the hands offs master; for that man
was a rerfect Hercules-a literal Sam
son-while was slim-framed man


With one last effort of strength
reeled backward, and we both went to
the floor. overturning the table and
two chairs as we went down.


My hold had relaxed, and in the fall
his right hand had been freed, the left
still gripping my throat. I saw the
knife cleaning in the dim, uncertain
light. l thought of that scene in the
courtroom twenty years before-the
jury's verdict-the sentence-and the
half.caste's oath--I thought, too, of
the loved ones at home--and then
A blaze-a crash roar, as of the
wreck of worlds-a falling of the
weight from nv bosom and from my
throat-and all was darkness and
chaos.


When came to myself, my office
was full of people. Two physicians
were supporting me while my wife
was telling story to the crowd and
pretty soon the last part of her story
was told to me:


She had been TO the school-house,
with all umbrella to escort home the
children. On the way she met man
whose peculiar appearance attracted
her attention. She took him for one
of the old forest rangers and trappcrs,
who come to the settlements to obtain
jobs as guides to emigramts over the
prairies and rs he passed her she de
tected something familiar in the small
portion of the face she saw. All tile
way home she tried to think where
she had seen those features before
and just as she reached the sitting
room and saw the pistol upon the
mantle, the truth flashed upon her.
The moment her mind was tarned into
that channel, she had no lOubt--not
particle. She felt sure the victim had
gone TO fulfill his wild oath and with
only one idea in her mind she caught
up the pistol, made sure it was loaded,
and started upon the run. She reached
the Office just as we went over; the
crash of the table and chairs prevented
us hearing her. She saw the knife
raised Tor the fatal blow; and heaven
itself must have lent nerve to her hand
for when she had fired, and had seen
the half breed roll over, she sank down
faintihg and powerless; but she soon
revived, her anxiety for me giving her
strength, and was able to help the
neighbors when they came in.


AS for Mario Cropt, he probably
never knew what hurt him. The bul
let had entered the left temple, coming
out just over the righ, ear.