Ben was uppermost, and soon would have vanquished his adversary, when something flashed before his eyes and he felt the thrust of a knife in his breast.
With his remaining strength he blew a blast on his police-whistle, and then a faintness overpowered him and he knew nothing more.
CHAPTER XII IN THE SICKROOM
The house in which Beth lived was a dreary structure perched on the northern slope of the steep hill above the Works. A dispute, common in the settlement of property boundaries in California, had arisen in regard to the land on which the house stood, and in consequence it had never been painted nor the ground around it inclosed by a fence.
From the interior, however, one overlooked these deficiencies, because of the gorgeous panorama of bay, mountain, and sky that was framed by every window.
Dame Trot, as Ben called her, was the wife of Beth’s stepfather; for the girl’s own mother had died shortly after her second marriage. The home was not congenial to the young girl; but as Mr. Hodges had used all the money which her mother had left, she was compelled to remain under his roof.
Sydney Chalmers was the son of the present Mrs. Hodges by a former marriage.
It was in Mr. Hodges’ house that Ben regained consciousness on the morning of the encounter at the Works.