The Argosy — page 104: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

296 7 THE ARGOSY._ But how? That was the question. And when I thought of his words, that he was going to carry her still further away, I turned sick with rage and despair. CHAPTER XX.—THE RESCUR. I FELT as though the heat of purgatory was burning in my veins as I lay on the floor, with the remembrance of Devinsky’s blow and his words turning my blood to fire. If ever I were free again, I swore to myself over and over again, I would have his life for that blow. My anguish and rage that he should have Olga in his power were infinite tortures, and all the less endur- able because of my abject helplessness. The one chance I had of deliverance was that some one, perhaps Essaieff, should hear of the matter and follow me. But the hope was so feeble as to be little more than tantalizing, because, fool-like, I -had rushed off without leaving any intimation of what had happened. If he did follow me, it would be only after a long interval, and not until Devinsky would have had time to get far away. | Then I began speculating as to what he meant to do. He would scarcely dare to try to make Olga his wife against her will, though he was evidently villain enough to go to great lengths. In this way my thoughts ran over the ground trying to ferret out a means of escape, as well as seeking a key to the man’s motives ; and thus another hour or two slipped away without my hearing a sound or getting a sign of any one. The strain of suspense was enough to turn one’s brain. But a wholly unexpected and most welcome interruption came to break in upon my rey- erie. Outside I heard the tramp of horses ridden at a sharp trot into the courtyard of the house, with a jingling of arms and accouterments that told me the riders were either soldiers or mounted police. A sharp word of com-- mand brought them to the halt, and as soon as that happened I let out such a lusty yell for help as made the walls ring again and again. Then my door was opened and two men rushed in. ‘They ordered me to be silent, under pain of instant death, and put revolvers to my head. But I knew they dared not fire with such visitors at the door, and I continued to yell with all my lung power until, throwing down their weapons, they first clapped their hands on my mouth and then thrust a gag into my jaws. Some five minutes passed, and the tension of my impatience was unen- durable. Meanwhile the two men held me, while they cut the bonds from my legs and got ready to slip the gyves from my wrists. Presently the tramp of feet approached the door of my room, and when it was opened an officer of the mounted police entered with a file of men at his heels. Devinsky was showing the way and speaking as they all came in. ‘* As I have told you, he made an attack on the house in the night ; my men secured him; when I saw him I recognized him, of course, and should have released him, but he tried to murder. me—angry, I presume, at having been caught at such work. Ithen had him bound again, and was going to send today into the city for the police, when you came.’’ Ecomicbooks (Eo)