'Kill you before I leave the house, anticipate death by a few hours. You are bound to die anyway. I can see it in your face. Your miserable victim is at my house, dying, and you are going fast, but I will not give you that chance, for I mean to kill you, Rodney Shaw.'
'At your house?' gasped Shaw.
'Yes, she dragged herself there to die, a victim to your treachery and cruelty. Even when you had stolen and dishonoured her you could not be true to her. You are too vile a thing to live, therefore you must die.'
'One word, Dennis. I wronged you, but not knowingly. I did not know she was your wife.'
'That makes no difference to me. You wronged her, that is sufficient. Leave me and my wrongs out of the question. I have waited for this day for years and have sworn you shall pay the penalty.'
Rodney Shaw was gasping for breath. The excitement and the moving of his body had caused his wound to bleed profusely, and he soon became exhausted, and fainted.
Jim Dennis watched him with a bitter smile on his face.
'I have been cheated at last. He cannot stand up and take the punishment I would give him. I cannot shoot an insensible man, it would be murder. Sal was right, it would be as cowardly with him as with her.'
He opened the door and called Benjamin Nix.
'He is insensible,' said Jim. 'His wound has opened again and he is bleeding to death.'