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"Speak again!" he said, thickly "Either I'm drunk or crazy!"

But Joan could not speak She held out hands that shook--swept theasp she stood revealed

If she had stabbed hihastly Joan saw hiuration

that caht of what

constituted that change After that check to her e

of joy

"Jim!Jim! It's Joan!" she breathed, with lips alasped, and the sound of his voice see from horrible doubt to certainty

Like a panther he leaped at her, fastened a powerful hand at the

neck of her blouse, jerked her to her knees, and began to drag her

Joan fought his iron grasp The twisting and tightening of her

blouse choked her utterance He did not look down upon her, but she

could see hiidity of his body set in violence, the awful

shade upon his face, the upstanding hair on his head He dragged her

as if she had been an e a dark

place--a hole to hide her She was strangling; a distorted sight

led instinctively Suddenly the

clutch at her neck loosened; gaspingly cas; the dark-red veil left her eyes She was still upon her