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“LEONTE,
THE “TYPE
TRRITERD
vor woman, as though
zt she had heard.
in IT have killed my
is dsing? Oh, girl, do
wet ras some? Haveyou
‘idea what it nreans to be all alone in the
world with a weight like that upon your con-
.; science ?
a ‘‘ Hush!” cried Leonie, earnestly. ‘You
:} have not killed Ben. You have only stunned
>? him,.and if he returns to ‘consciousness to
*.. find us still here, I would not give much for
; any of our lives, Do. you hear me, Liz?_ Do
you not see the necessity of our taking’ Dick
away before he returns to life?” :
For the first time the woman seemed to be
aroused. ~ :
She lifted herself and looked wildly about
her,
“You are right!’ she exclaimed hoarsely.
‘We may not be dead—child, it would be
better if I had killed him, for when he
awakens he will kill us all. What shall we
do? Help me to think! My brain seems to
be on fire!”
“Ts there no one whom you know to whom
we could go for protection ?”
“With him?” cried Liz, pointing to the
child. ‘You must be mad. Do you think
any one is going to risk a disease like that
for his sake or mine? There is nothing that
we can do, but you can go. There is no
reason that you should die because we must.”
‘“‘Do you think I am such a coward that
I would leave you here alone? I would
rather die with you.~ No, Liz! -If one of us
‘; must remain we must all do so, but—I have
an idea, Liz. It is a hopeless situation for
you anyway, and therefore, it cannot be any
worse. Every moment may be precious to us
_. now, and therefore, we must act quickly. We
‘: must call upon the police for protection. We
must have an officer here and have Ben ar-
rested when he awakens.”
6 But——”
“There is no time to argue it, Liz.
last resort.” .
“Then you go. I will keep the child.”
“No. I must remain, If he were to
awaken and find you here without me, he
would kill you without the hesitation of a
second; but if he should recover during your
absence, I could invent some story that would
keep him talking until your return. Do not
fear for me, Liz, but, for God’s sake, hurry!”
For only one second Liz paused; then, with
not a glance in the direction of the prostrate
man, she murmured a word of blessing upon
the head of the girl who had, at the risk of
her own life, befriended her, and hastened
ad
It is a
away.
With a heart that seemed to stand still with
dread, Leonie awaited. ;
Only once she looked at the child. The
great eyes were fixed pleadingly upon her, as
though beseeching her not to forsake him.
She pressed her hand over them, to close
the burning lids. :
*‘Don’t fret, Dick!’ she said. ‘‘ Nothing
shall harm you, my poor little one, until I
have been killed first.”
The sound of her own voice, in the terrible
stillness that had fallen upon them, was un-
‘canny. She shivered ‘with fright.
* She turned from the unfortunate child, and
: east a look of dread upon the man beside her,
' and, to her horror, found the hideous, glar-
_ ing eyes fixed upon her. .
She could not prevent a little shriek of ter-
ror. She watched him as though fascinated,
while very slowly he arose to his feet, never
once removing his terrible, glassy eyes from
her face. - ~
It seemed ages until he had gained his feet,
and after he had, he still stood glaring at her,
slowly rolling up his sleeves ina manner that
seemed to paralyze her with horror.
CHAPTER XXII.
LIKE a bird that is magnetized into inactiv-
ity by the movements of a snake, Leonie sat
and watched Ben Mauprat. . .
Slowly, and showing his teeth in a hideous
manner that was peculiar to whim, Ben con-
tinued to approach, until within a few feet of
her he made asudden spring.
"How it was that she escaped him she could
never have told, but she became conscious
that she had leaped by him, and was standing
a few feet away holding:the child who was a
heavy burden ‘in spite of his being a physical
wreck,
- .But she forgot it, She did not even re-
member in her fright that she had him in her
arms, but stood there clasping him closely to
her, panting with terror.
The man turned toward her again, but be-
fore he had advanced many inches, she
seemed to realize the necessity for immediate
action, knowing but too well that his next at-
tempt would not be attended with failure.
Hastily she laid Dick in an old ragged
chair and placed herself before it. With cold
defiance she lifted her handsome head.
** Now, Ben Mauprat,” she cried, her voice
ringing out with clear determination, ‘‘I am
only a weak girl, but I am determined that
you shall not touch that boy, and if you do,
it shall be over my dead body, You may not
know it, but I was never one to threaten use-
lessly, There is nothing in life that makes it
valuable to me, therefore there is no reason
why I should not keep my word. But for
your own sake listen to me a moment. I have
sent Liz outof the room. It will be utterly
useless for you to attempt to find her, but if
you harm me, she will hand you over to the
police within ten minutes, You will not have
a possible chance of escape. She is deter-
mined that she willsave the life of her child,
and she knows that upon mine his depends,
Now, Ben, listen toreason! You say that you
have a purpose to accomplish, You destroy
your chance of doing it, and send yourself to
the gallows.” :
She paused, her strength almost deserting
her. She was trembling in every limb, but
there was little evidence cf weakness about
her. She seemed like a marble statue imbued
with life and unchangeable resolution.
‘*T shall not send myself to the gallows!” he
exclaimed, his eyes blood-shot, either from
the -blow on the head, or his rage, Leonie
could not quite determine which. ‘I am
going to give that boy the beating that I have
promised him.. I am going to give you one
for your interference in my affairs, and then
after that I shall settle with Liz, and before I
am through with her she will wish she had
never been born. Do you understand that,
young woman ?”
“J understand that you area very foolish
man who arerisking yourown neck to gratify
a miserable spiritof revenge. Ben, there was
a time when you were my mother's husband,
Because of that connection with one who
would have been dear to me had I been old
enough to know her, and who was the one
sacred thought of all my young life, I plead
with you to spare yourself the shame of dying
upon the scaffold!”
** You are talking like anidiot, Iamafool
that I have listened to you at all, but I am
through now. Stand from before that boy!
I shall settle with him first and you may come
after.” :
«TI will not.” ]
“¢ What, defiance ?” .
** Anything that you choose to callit, but
I say determination. You shall not touch
him!” : .
** Once more, stand aside!”
“ And again, I will not!”
‘‘ Then take the consequences!”
He strode toward her, his brutal face pur-
ple with passion, his heavy fist clinched as
| though to enforce obedience, but instead of
thinking of the words that she had been
speaking to him, Leonie had been making a
plan of action. : ,
She was too busy thinking how she was to
save herself and the boy, whose life seemed
to depend upon her, to wonder at the con-
tinued absence of Liz.
As she saw Ben coming to her, she sprung
aside for the moment, and almost before he
realized that she had moved, she was back
in her place before Dick again, a broken
pitcher filled with water, clasped firmly by
the handle in her hand.
As the man approached her, she pitched
the contents into his eyes.
With a growl of rage, Ben turned aside,
but only for an instant,
With the water still dripping from his face
and falling over his clothes, he made a desper-
ate spring upon Leonie!
She lifted the pitcher, and was about to
bring it down with all her force upon his
}
head, when the door suddenly opened and Liz
entered! * Te
The wonian took in the situation at 4 glance
A low cry issued from her lips, and a single
word. Itwas: 2-80 te 8 Tae ts
“Quick!? . °- “og . ,
A man in the blue uniform and brass but-
tons of a police officer sprung into the room.
With his fist poised in the air, Ben turned.
He understood what had happened, and
Leonie’s meaning. . os
He fell back with an awful oath. :
“What are you doing here ?” he demanded;:
savagely.
mand you to get out of it!”
“Tam going to do so at once,” answered
the officers serenely, ‘‘and youare going with -| , “
me! : :
“Tthink you will.miss your reckoning in
that!” answered Ben, bracing himself in a
manner that the officer understood at once to
mean fight. - :
The policeman lifted his club threaten-
ingly... : oe
“T don’t want to have to use any force
with you, my man,” he said calmly, but with
every evidence of meaning precisely what he
said; ‘* but if I must do so, you will find that -
I know how to use a club with good effect.
This woman has sworn out a warrant for your
arrest. I have never been sent out yet for a
man that I did not take him back with me,
dead or alive, and Ido not propose to make
you an exception to the rule. ~ My record shall
remain unbroken. Now, are you ready to go
with me quietly, or must I use force?” .
**You can use whatever you please,” re-
plied Ben, looking over the man’s shoulder at
Liz; ‘but before you do it, 1 have a little
debt to settle.” :
‘He paused for a moment as though con-
sidering, then spoke to Liz:
‘*So T owe this to you, do 12”
“It was to save Dick’s life, Ben,” answered
the poor woman, hopelessly.
‘Oh, was it? Well, I hope, as you have-
taken so much trouble to save it, you may
enjoy it. You have played the devil with
me, and I have never allowed any one to do .
that yet without giving them what they de-
served. Iam sorry thatI have not time to
at least allow you one prayer, but it is inipos-
sible on this occasion.”
Almost before he had ceased speaking, he
had drawn a revolver from his pocket, and
pointing it at the woman’s head, pulled the
trigger. : : :
Accustomed as he was to such scenes,,the
officer had not contemplated such an act upon
the part of the man, but Leonie seemed to
understand perfectly what was coming.
Perhaps it was the suggestion of fear, since °
cowardice often makes one more wary than
the coolest bravery. —
As the pistol was leveled, she threw out the
pitcher that she held and struck the man’s
arm, sending it in an acute angle,’
The bullet passed, perhaps, not two inches
above Liz’s head, but, as the smoke cleared
away, Ben saw her standing there unharmed.
What he might have done to Leonie under
the circumstances can better be imagined
than described, but before he had an oppor-
tunity to allow his fiendishness swing, he was
caught by the officer.
With a foul oath Ben turned upon him.
One blow from the revolver across the
man’s head cut the flesh until the blood
streamed across his eyes, and the next instant
an escape might have been effected that
would have cost them all their lives, but that
Leonie seized the piece of wood that had
served Liz so well, and planted another blow
upon the back of Mauprat’s head. *
It did not stun him, but brought him to his
knees, giving the officer time to recover him- ’
self. s : ,
Before Ben had staggered to his feet, the .
‘* braclets” were slipped over his wrists, and
he found himself powerless.
Even then his efforts at escape did not
cease. He made a leap in the direction of
the fire-escape, but before he could reach it,
the burly hand of the officer bad himina .
vise-like grip. :
“If you try that again,” he exclaimed
hoarsely, wiping the blood from his eyes with
the back of one hand, ‘* I'll settle you with
this club! Do you understand me? I never
beat aman if J can help it, but when he
.
“‘This house is mine, and I coms .
vile