Nell of Shorne Mills

"Keep off, you fool, or I'll shoot you!" he growled hoarsely.

"Give in," said Drake again. "The game's up!"

Ted laughed shortly, and aimed the revolver again; but as his finger

pressed the trigger, a cry rose from behind him, his arm was struck

aside, and once more the bullet whizzed past its mark, and Drake was

saved.

He saw the figure of a woman struggling with the burglar, saw the man

raise his hand to strike her from him, saw her fall to the ground, and

knew, by some instinct, that it was Nell.

In that instant the capture of the man was of no moment to him. With a

cry, he flung himself on his knees beside her.

"Nell, Nell!" he panted. "Is it you?"

She remained quite motionless under his words, his touch, and he raised

her head and tried to see her face.

The lamp he had dropped some moments before.

Suddenly a great shudder ran through her. She sighed, and opened her

eyes.

"Drake!" she murmured; "Drake! Is he----"

He thought she referred to the man.

"Never mind him," he said eagerly. "Are you hurt? Tell me?"

She put her hand to her head, and struggled to her feet, swaying to and

fro as if only half conscious, then her hands went out to him, and she

uttered a cry of terror and anxiety.

"He--he shot you!" she gasped.

"No, no!" he responded quickly. "There is no harm done, if the brute has

not hurt you."

She shook her head and leaned against the tree, trembling and panting.

"I was in the garden. I--heard you and the man running, and--and--I--ran

across the path----"

"In time to save my life," he said gravely. "But I'd rather have died

than you should come to harm."

As he spoke, he heard the noise of a struggle behind him. He had

absolutely ceased to care what became of the man whom he had been

pursuing so relentlessly for a few minutes before; but the noise, the

hoarse cries, which now broke upon them had recalled him to a sense of

the situation.

"They are struggling at the gate--I must leave you," he said hurriedly.

And he ran down the path.

As he approached the gate, he saw Falconer and the burglar struggling

together. Falconer was losing ground every moment, and as Drake was

nearly upon them, Ted got his opponent under him; but Falconer still

clung to him, and Ted could not get free from him. As he shot a glance

at Drake he ground his teeth.