| Show the e blind B lind mans eyes E CHAPTER XVI continued 14 E baton a ton knelt on one knee behind his table babl e now he was wildly exultantly elc excited cited his blood leaped hotly to his hand pointing his pistol he panted A almost audibly for or breath but though his pune throbbed through his head too his mind was clear and coil as he be reckoned his bis situation and his chan chances chanced cei lie he had crossed the pacific the continent he had schemed and risked everything with ft ath the mere hope of getting into this room to discover evidence with which to demand from the world righting of the wrong which had driven him as a fugitive for uve five years and here he found the man who was the cause of it all before him in the same room a few paces away in the dark I 1 for or it was impossible that this was not that man and eaton knew now that this was he who must have been behind and arranging and directing the attacks upon him eaton had not only seen him and heard his voice but he be had felt his grasp that sudden instinctive A tive crouch before a charge and the savage lunge and tackle were the instant natural acts of an old linesman on a championship team in the game of football as it was played twenty years before that lift of the opp orient off his feet and the heavy lunge hurling him back to tall fall on his h head ead was what one man in the rougher more cruel days of the college game had been famous for on the football field that throw sufficed to knock a helmeted opponent unconscious here it v as meant beyond be ond doubt to do more upon no BO much at least batons mind at once was clear here was his enemy whom he must destroy it if he himself were not first destroyed other thoughts recasting of othir other relations altered or overturned in their bearing by the discovery of this ma man n hero everything else could and must wait upon the mighty demand of that moment upon enton eaton to destroy this enemy now or be himself destroyed enton shook in his passion yet vet coolly he now realized that his left shoulder which had taken the shock of his full fall wag numb he shifted his pistol over to cover a vague form which had bad seemed to move more but it if it had stirred it was still again now new enton eaton strained ned to listen it seemed that the noise of the shot if not the sound of the struggle which preceded it must have raised an alarm basil Sant olne as eaton ton knew slept above a nurse must be uniting g on duty somewhere near enton eaton lind seen the row of buttons which the blind man had within arms length with which he must be able to summon every sonant servant in the house so it could not last much longer now this deadlock in the dark and one of the two at least seemed to have recognized that enton eaton had moved warily and carefully but ile he had moved a revolver flushed flashed before him instantly and without consciousness that his finger pulled the trigger batons pistol unshed flushed back in front of him the flame flashed again and another spurt vf f fire spat at one side enton eaton fired filed back at this he was prostrate on the floor now and whether hether ft he had and been hit or not lie he did not yet know or whether the mood blood flowing down ills his face was only from a splinter sprayed from the table tehina which he had hid ile he fired gain holding his pistol far out to one ade ie to con confute fule the alm aim of tile the others tte fie thought that they too were doing the die same and allowed for it in his alm aim be le pulled his trigger a ninth time fie be had not counted his shots but he knew lie he had had seven cartridges in the magazine and one in the barrel and the pistol clicked without dis ile he rolled over farther way awny from the spot where he had last fired dred and pulled an extra clip of cartridges from his pocket the blood was flowing hot over his face he made no effort to staunch it or even to feel with his bin fingers to find exactly where or how badly he had been hit lie he jerked the empty cartridge clip from ills his pistol butt and snapped in the other lie he swept his leeve over his face to clear the blood from his brows and eyes and stared through the dark with pistol at arms I 1 length loaded and ready blood spurted over his face again another sweep of his sleeve cleared it and he moved his pistol point back and forth in the dark surely now the sound of firing in that room must lieve reached the man in tile hie room above surely he must be his servants enton eaton listened there was still no sound from tile the rest of the house but overhead over hend now lie heard an almost imperceptible puttering ering the sound of a barefooted man the floor and lie knew that the blind man in the bedroom above was getting up CHAPTER under cover of darkness basil Sant olne was oversensitive to sound as are most of the blind in the world of darkness in which he llvy sounds were by far the most and almost the only means he had of telling what went on around him he passed his life listening for or determining the nature of sounds so the struggle which ended in batons crash to the floor would lave waked him without the astol akots immediately following that roused him wideawake wide awake immediately and nd bi ought him sitting up in bed forgetful of his own condition his bis bud band went it at ones once ta the bell xv by WILLIAM MACHARG MAcH ARCI v EDWIN BALMER copyright by util B brown be e mw oj calpas board and nd he rang at the same time for the nurse outside his door and for the steward Sant olne did not consider the possibility lity of robbery of plate or jewelry long enough to have beer said to consider it at all what he felt was that the threat which had been hanging va vaguely guely over himself ever sine since wardens murder was being fulfilled but it was not Sant olne himself that was being attacked it who was something san wine possessed there was only one sort of valuable article for which one might rn ight enter that room below and those articles Sant olne pressed all the bells again an and d then got up he had heard absolutely 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 clasping in one of the bitterest moments of his bis rebellion against and defiance of his helplessness of blindness below him is he believed his servants had been crl dicing life for him there in that room he held in trust that which affected the security the faith the honor of 0 others his guarding that trust involved his honor no less and particularly artac u larl y now he be knew he be was bound a at whatever cost to act for he did not doubt now but that his half balf pris boned guest whom Sant olne had not sufficiently guarded was at the bottom of the attack the blind man believed therefore that it was because of his own retention here of eaton that tile the attack had been made his servants had been killed them the private secrets of his associates were in danger undoubtedly there was danger below but that was why he did not ell call 11 again at the other door for some one else to run a risk for him lie ile put his hand on the rull rail and started to descend the stairs he was almost steady in step an and he be had firm grasp on the rall rail lie he noticed that now to wonder at it when he had aroused at the sound of firing his blindness as always when something was happening about him was obtruded upon him ile ho felt helpless because he was blind not because lie he had been injured ila iia had forgotten entirely that for almost two weeks he had not stirred from lied bed he bad risen and stood and walked without staggering to tile the door and to the top of the stairs before now he be remembered so what he already had done showed him that he had bad merely again to put his injury from his mind and he be could go on he wont went down the stairs almost steadily the blind count stairs and he had gone down twenty one and realized fully his futility but now he would not retreat or merely call for help who Is here he asked distinctly Is anyone here who Is here no ko one answered and now san tolne colne knew by the sense which let him feel fed whether it was night or day that the room was really lark dark dark for others as well as for himself the lights were not burning so an all exaltation a sense of physical capability came to Siinto lne in the dark he was as fit as capable as any other man ile he stepped down on the floor 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 come came to the case which concealed the safe at the left side of the doors the books were gone from that case his bare toes struck against them where they had bad been thrown down on the floor the blind man his pulse beating tumultuously put his hand through the case and felt the panel behind that was slid back exposing the safe and the door of the safe stood open San hands felt within the safe swiftly the safe was empty he recoiled from it choking back in an ejaculation the entry to this room had been made for the purpose which he supposed and tile the thieves must have succeeded in their errand the blind man in his uselessness for pursuit could delay calling others to act for him no longer ile he started toward the bell when some scrape on the floor not of the sort to be accounted for by an object moved by the lie wind whid sounded behind him san tolne colne swung toward the sound and stood listening again and then groping with his hands stretched cheil out before him he left the wall and stepped toward the center of the room lie he took two steps three four with no result then his foot trod into some fluid thick and sticky and not cold Sant olne stooped and put a fingertip into the fluid and brought it near his nose it was what he supposed it must be blood he could hear now someone breathing more than one person from the house still shut oft off by its double soundproof sound proof doors he fie could hear nothing but someone outside the house was hurrying up to the open window at the south end of the room that one came to or just inside the window parting the curtains he was breathing hard from exertion or from excitement who Is it Sant olne challenged clearly basil I 1 BIatch Blatch forda fords voice exclaimed his recognition in amazement basil that Is you yos what are you doing down heberl here blatchford started d forward what brought you here Sant olne demanded instead of reply you ton were running outside why what was wag out there what did you see seel see I 1 see any anything tiling except the window here open when I 1 came up but I 1 heard shots basil what has happened herer here Sant olne felt again the stickiness at his feet three or four persons fought in this room wallace some or one was hurt theres blood on the floor there are two here I 1 can hear bear breathing I 1 suppose hurt probably the rest are gone get help I 1 think those who arent hurt are gone they must be gone but get help first wallace and leave yo you u here blatchford rejoined he had in not 0 t halted again the blind man heard beard his cousin still moving along the wall the electric electro C switch clicked and Sant olne kne knew W that the room was flooded with light Sant Stint olne straightened strained turning his head a little better to listen with the flashing on of the light he had heard the sharp involuntary 15 start ta rt of blatchford as he saw the room and besides that santola Sant olne 0 heard movement now elsewhere in the room then the blind man heard hla his friends cry good godl what Is it Sant olne cried good godl basil 11 1 who to Is it wallace the blind man knew now that his friends I 1 incoherence coherence came from recognition of someone not alone from some sight sigh t of horror 1113 basil asil I 1 it to Is it must be I 1 know himl him I 1 it Is A shot roared in front of Sant olne the blind man starting back at the shock of it drew in the powder gas A shot roared in front of Sant olne with his breath but the bullet was not for him instead he be heard his friend scream and choke an and half call half cough Wal wallace lacel 1 Sant olne cried out but his voice was vas lost in the roar of another shot this was not fired by the same one who had just fired at least it was not from the same port part of the room and instantly from another side a third shot came then in the midst of rush and confusion another shot roared the light was out again then all was gone the noise was outside the room was still except for a cough and choke as blatchford somewhere on the floor in front ot of the blind man tried again to speak basil Sant olne groping with his hands found him lie ile was still conscious Sant olne knew that he was trying his best to speak to say just one word a name to tell whom he had seen and who had shot him but he could not Sant olno put his hand over a hand of his cousin Blatch fords fingers closed tightly on San they chev did not relax but now remained closed though without strength the blind man bowed and then lifted his head his friend was dead and others were rushing into the room the butler one of the chauffeurs avery aery more men servants the light was on again and amid the tumult and alarms of the discoveries shown by the light some rushed to the windows to the south routh in pursuit of those who had es escaped capell from the room avery and one or two others rushed up to Sant Olne now the blind man beard above aboe their cries and alarms the voice of his daughter she was beside him where w liere he knelt next the body of blatchford and she put back others who crowded about father what has happened why fire are you here oh father cousin wallace V I 1 he Is dead Sant olne said they shot him I 1 they were three at le least ast one was nas not with the others they fired at each other I 1 believe after one shot him San hand was still in Blatch fords 1 I heard them below he told shortly how he fie hud had gone down how blatchford had en and been shot the blind man still kneeling heard the ordering and organizing of others for the pursuit now women servants from the other part of the house were taking charge of affairs in the room there had bad been no signal ignal heard Sant olne was wa had told d upon any of t the he bells which he had tried to ring rial fro from his room eaton baton was wag the only non pe person from the house who was missing fags they came cam e at least some of them came Sant olne had risen fighting down his bis grief over lits bis cousins death for what was la in your safe ear harriet 1 I know I 1 saw it open what to Is gone gonet rantoine Bant Rant olne demanded he heard beard her picking up the contents of the safe from the floor and carrying them to the table and examining them why nearly all the formal papers paper seem to be gone lists and agreements relating to a dozen different things none of the correspondence r no that all seems to be here Sant olne was breathing q quickly the th trust for which he had bad been ready to die for which blatchford had died seemed safe W we e dont know whether he got it then t en or noff not I 1 it was averys votes voice which broke in upon him santola Santo Sant oln tn merely listened re he who he heard his daughters challenge why eaton baton it Is plain enough w what hat happened here it A avery very answered he came here to this room for what he was w as after for what he has been after from the first wh whatever a bever that tha t may have beell becal he came prepared to force the safe and get it I 1 but he was surprised by whom 7 the blind man asked by whoever it to Is that has been following him I 1 dont attempt to e explain z who they were mr Sant olne for I 1 dont know but whoever they were in doing this he Is laid id himself open to attack by them they were |
