follow her uncle; but the
captain, who firmly held the air-gun, saw nothing but the glaring face
of a devil.

The man jerked furiously at the gun, but the captain's grasp was too
strong. Then the fellow released his hold upon the gun, and, with a
savage fury, threw himself upon the older man. The two stood near the
top of the steps, and the shock of the attack was so great that both
fell, slipping down several of the stone steps.

Olive tried to scream, but in her fright her voice utterly left her. She
could not make a sound. As they lay upon the steps, the captain beneath,
the man seized his victim by the neck with both hands, pressing his
great thumbs deeply into his throat. Apparently he did not notice Olive.
All the efforts of his devilish soul were bent upon stifling the voice
and the life out of the witness of his attempted crime. Olive sprang
down, and stood over the struggling men. Her uncle's eyes stared at her,
and seemed bursting from his head. His face was growing dark. Again
Olive tried to scream; and, in a frenzy, she seized the man to pull him
from the captain. As she did so her hand fell upon something protruding
under his woolen jacket. With a quick flash of instinct her sense of
feeling recognized this thing. She jerked up the jacket, and there was
the stock of a pistol protruding from his hip pocket. In an instant
Olive drew it.

A horrid sound issued from the mouth of Captain Asher; he was choking to
death. In the same second that she heard it Olive thrust the muzzle of
the pistol against the side of the man's head and pulled the trigger.

The man's head fell forward and his hairy hands released their grip, but
they still remained at the captain's throat. The latter gave a great
gasp, and for an instant he turned his eyes full upon the face of his
niece. Then his lids closed.

Now there were footsteps, and, looking up, Olive saw a negro cabman in
faded livery and an old silk hat, who stood staring. Before she could
speak to him there came another man, a policeman, who, equally amazed,
stared at the group below him. Only these two had heard the pistol
shots. There were no other people passing on the avenue, and as it was
past office hours there was no one in the great public building.

Until they reached the top of the steps the policeman and cabman could
see nothing. Now they stood astounded as they stared down upon an
elderly man lying on his back on the steps; another man, apparently
lifele