"THE WEB."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8559, 19 October 1907, Page 2

"THE WEB."

CHAPTER XI.- Continued. "Remember." caffco* 'the other voice in deep, solemn tones, "what the Patriarch said to you. He Who puts his hand to the plough and turns back is in great danger. He shall know no peace in this world; he shall never enter within the precincts of the Holy City of the New Jerusalem. Did you not tell him yourself that this son of evil had referred to the keeper of the flying scroll as a charlatan and a fraud? And do you still hesitate to do the deed?" '"lt's not that," retorted the other voice, speaking in awed tones. "But his father, my old master—he was very good to me." "These temporal affections are but the bonds that bind you to Satan. If you would free yourself yeu must give yourself entirely to the Patriarch, the Holy Moses. His command is that this evil man, John Strangways. is to be cut qff. Ar d you have been selected as the instrument of his just wrath, as a trial and test of your loyalty—of your fitness to partake of the bliss of citizenship in the new Jerusalem." Connell made an effort to reply, but the other went on—; "Did he not laugh and make a mock of you? Did he not tell you your were a fool because of your faith? Why then do you hesitate? You need have no fears for the results. No one will see you fire the shot. After you have made this sacrifice we can reach Skipton on our bicycles and be in London by daybreak. No evil will overtake you. On the contrary, your reward in this world and the next will be endless joy and peace." The last words were spoken in an unctuous snarl'. "I will do it," said James Connell. •"I wildcat him off from the land of the liv.'rg." I will make his scoffing lips bite the dust." His voice rose, in a frenzy of fanaticism. "His | blood shall be the price of his bias-1 phemy. Joy shall be mine! Joy shall be mine, and peace!" He began to rave like a madman, tossing his arms above his head dnd mouthing an incoherent gibberish. For some seconds the other watched him in silence, as a keeper watches a lunatic through the trap of the padded cell Then, as if tired of this scene, lie broke the silence with a business-like abruptness that contrasted strangely with the pseudo-solemnity of his previous carefully arranged periods. "Well, here, take the gun, and ■we'll be moving. You'll get him sure, coming back. It's half an hour since he passed here, allowing him ten minutes to get to the Farm and twenty-five minutes stay there; by the time you get stationed on the road he will be along. We'd better get a move on." Behind the wall the girl heard the sound of bicycles being wheeled . across the pine needles. She pulled herself up the lower- part of the wall and looked over. In the gloom of the cluster of trees she could dimly perceive the figures of two men making for the rough side of road which curved off the main road and led to Intake Farm. As if fascinated by some spectral horror, she watched them reach the white moonlit ribbon of road, mount their bicycles, and ride off. Then she descended; and walking quickly across-the patch of heather until she reached the moorland track, began to run swiftly towards Intake Farm.

Strangways had enjoyed his walk across the moor: His greeting at the Farm had been most cordial. It was clear that his father's humble friend harboured no doubt as to his innocence. Lying .on his bed in the old fashioned bedroom, the very first words the dying man spoke were ones of commiseration that such a terrible suspicion could have been cast upon any member uf the Strangways family. Knowing that Mr Emmet hud long enjoyed a very close intimacy •with his faVner, for old Mr Strang u ways chose his, friends regardless of class, Strangways sought to elicit from him information which might throw a light on the mystery of his father's death. . "I can tell you nowt, Master John," replied Emmet,. "The man that done such a foul deed deserves ' worse than hanging if he's caught. iFor he killed one of the best men that's evi>r breathed or walked." Then they had fallen to talking .about less serious matters, and when Strangways had partaken of a" tankard of ale ha took his departure. As he reached the path across the moor he lit a cigar, and with his bands plunged deep into his pockets began to'saunter slowly homewards, enjoying to the full the splendour of the night. The path cut off the loop of ths road which led to the Farm, running in an almost straight line to "The Gappe." JJat owing to the •curve on the road, some quarter qJ a mile from the house, he came Within a few y my]s of it. Strangways was walking vith his. head in the .stars, blissfu-.y dreaming of Lady Violet, when iiij meditations were suddenly broken into by a cry. He looked up suddenly,; the cry was repeated, and to his amazement he saw that it proceeded from a white figure that was moving rapidly up the track -across the moor towards him. He s'oppeH, more then startled by this apparition. The cry was repeated, this time louder than before. The figure was evidently shouting to him, but what the words were he could not make out. Nearer and nearer it came. And soon all doubts as to it being a psychic phenomenon were dispelled. He could see that it was a woman, and by the way she was running and shouting he concluded that nhe was in some danger, •and taking his cigar from his mouth -he began to run towards her. At

PAUL URQUHART.

[Published By* Special Arrangement.] [All Eights Reserved.]

last he could distinguish the words. "Lie down," the voice shouted, "lie down." The advice was so ridiculous that he concluded that something had upset the girl's mental equi ibrium. He redoubled his pace, and was just reaching the spot where the path became almost a tangent to the road when again the woman's voice cried out, this time in more anguished tones than before—"For God's sake, lie down." So insistent were the tones that he stopped, and began to look about him in some perplexity. As he did so, the sound of a shot rang out in the dear, moorland air. Instinctively he bent down, stumbled, caught his foot in a tangle of heather and fill face downwards into a whin-bush. As he fell he heard the whistle of a bullet above his head. Gorse is not the most comfortable thing to select for falling upon, and for some seconds Strangways lay sMll, his- hands and face pierced by thousands of prickles. Indeed before he could rise, he felt a light hand upon his shoulder, and a panting voice exclaimed: "Mr Strangways, Mr Strangways!" He tried to answer, but the position in which he had fallen and the grip whinh his mouth had of some of the best specimens of prickly-gorse prevented him from replying at once. The girl evidently thought he was dead for with something like a sob she tried to raise him. He thereupon disengaged himself as gently as he could from the embrace of the whinbush and slowly rose to his feet. Then he turned round to face the girl who had apparently attempted to save his life. To his amazement it was Miss Rentoul. He stared at hjr for some seconds in absolute bewilderment, while she retuvnedhis glance, her face distorted with some unknown terror. . "What on earth does all this mean?" Strangways found strength to ejaculate, and then seeing that the girl was greatly alarmed about something, he went on—"I am all right, my dear Miss Rentoul, I can assure you. I stumbled just in time. But what on earth that bullet mean't I don't know. I can't make out?" He uttered the last words questioningly, expecting that she would tender some explanation as to how she came to be flying over the moors to warn him against a bullet that was clearly intended to take his life. But Miss Rentoul made no reply. She just stood staring at him with the same fixed horror in her eyes. He moved restlessly, picking the ' prickles from his clothes. Then bethinking himself of his unknown assailant who had evidently fired at him from over the wall which separated the moor from the road, he turned to her again and said—"lf you'll just wait here a moment, Miss Rentoul, I'll go and take a look • after this man who's been-so kindly potting at me." As he moved in the direction of the wall she made a gesture to stop him. "For Heaven's sake don'tj-un anymore risks," she panted,'speaking with difficulty for the first time. "Oh, the sort of gentry that go in for this game don't wait long, I'm afraid, after they've fired their shot," hs retorted as he approached the wall. His words proved true. On climbing the wall there was not a j sign of anybody. He crossed the road and looked over the wall on the other side. But there was no one there. Not a trace of his as- i sailant could he discover. He looked round him on all sides, scanning the roads as far as he could see. But search as he could, he could see nothing. Above his head the thickly clustered stars looked down at him, : silent, mysterious, sphinx-like, like 1 a million cold flashing eyes that saw 1 all thingsSind knew* all things, and kept th°ir secrets hidden in the im- ! penetrable beyond. I • What on earth did it all mean, he ' wondered. What were these mysteri- . ous forces that were concentrated against his life? His father had fallen before them, he himself had escaped once, and now a second at* ' tempt had been made upon him. For the first time he felt something like ' a quiver of nervousness. If he could have seen something tangible against 1 ' which to fight and to protect himself he would not have minded.. But this 1 unknown, mysterious force which had struck 4iis father down and now ; sought his life, why or wherefore he i knew not, filled him .vith an uncanny - feeling. Pulling himself together with an effort, he.clambered over the wall again and approached the spot i where Miss Rentoul stood, gazing i seemingly at ' nothing, with that - same horror and fear in her eyes. i (To be Continued.)

A Ttnant Dispossessed. A tenant which 13 quickly dispossessed by Dr. Hholdjirs New Discovery is a cough or cold. Cures when nil elae fails. Price la'kl. and iSa, Obtainable from H. E. Eton s, Chemist,