The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-03

must be drunk 70 0{1Fe Ike tuos Viii
can Of nitro giycerine under MS seat
Well. Sc see, they get 30 used 70 = I
s'pose thew forget sometimes. But I'm
Oh. So long, pard, !" and the sleighs eacn
Nella had. Of course, heard the dialogue
and looked around for the supposed tor
pedo man-as be Is usually called in the
Oil countries; and when she saw him IN
his light sleigh, urging his already nylng
horse down another road which skirted
the clearing. something In the appearance
Of the man startled her. She was sure she
had noticed that same man lettering about
the railway station from which she had
got into Bolts stage; a man, muf1ed 10
the ears, with his hat pulled over his eyes,
which peered disagreeably out of the
shadow. She knew him again by pecul-
iarity: he carried his head very much on
one shoulder; as if the muscles of his neck
had been injured on that side.
Yet why should such recognition
startle her: Because, with or without
reason she Just then remembered Bolts
description OF the wretch who had been
wounded by Tim Kinnard while spying
upon them. bleeding ike q stuck pig
from wound in the neck" And then
again came the memory Of the topers' Cos
sip in the 'sbotrling works''--of the crank
who threatened injury to Vance q Kin
nard, and the grisiy suggestion that wells
have been torpedoed into destruction for
spite before now.
why should an ordinary agent mufife
up his face like that?'' Nella questioned
have an enemy who would destroy them if
he had chance, and this would be the
chance If he was willy enough to seize it.
shall get there first and warn them or
drop on the way" And away she went,
skimming across the snowy ground as If
she had wings to her feet.
The torpedo man had long round to
drive in comparison with her short cut,
but her ground was exceedingly rough and
treacherous, besides bristling with stumps
left to rot, SO that the girl was almost ex-
hausted by the time she had reached the
road on the opposite side, with only few
seconds to spare. The torpedo man came
on, muffied up to the eyes as before, with
his head drawn to one side; but his eyes
hands and burst into a hySterical laugh.
Its Joel-Joel Hartmann" gasped she,
and as he was now abreast she stepped for
ward, pushing back her veil to show her
lovely, agitated face. "Stop, Joel! It's 1,
Nellaw cried she.
He gave savage cut to his horse, which
bounded on snorting with pain, and he
never looked back; IAN going mad 2"
shivered NelIa. 'sWhat in Heavens name
does it mean? That was Joel Hartman
it was-I'd know his eyes in spite of
hundred DISCUSSES. But his neck? True,
/ haven't seen him for SIX months, not
since Ned struck oil. He always wrote in
stead of coming. Yes, it was Joel, and he
knew me well enough. Oh! what does it
mean?" Meanwhile she was pressing on
after the torpedo man. The tall derrick
and clustering Offices of Kinnard & Vance
came into view, and she could make out
two well known figures hurrying out to
meet the stranger. She was flying over
the CLASSY road now, and was almost
within hailing distance, and the man was
about fifty feet from her on the one side,
and the two partners on the other.
He looked back over his shoulder at her,
at full speed already he gave him yet an
other brutal cut with his whip. Another
bound of the tortured animal, violent
jolt of the sleigh at his heels, and up shot
dazzling hame-man, horse and sleigh
were all enveloped in lt-and Nella knew
no more. The shock had mercifully
thrown her to the ground, stunned.
lying on the sofa in Ned's pretty parlor,
tenderly watched by her brother close at
hand, and by Tim at respectful distance.
Both looked pale and shocked.
MY precious girl, to think that this
should be your welcome home ~ said Ned,
kissing her tenderly. "And how did you
drop down here on foot, anyhow 2"
us he's he" shuddered Nella, and
could not finish the question. 80
Eyes, Nella, stone dead, !" returned Ned
sadly. "But what ever possessed him to
drive like that?'
sit was Joel Hartman" cried Nella,
bursting into nervous tears. ut was, in
deed, met his eyes and he knew me-"
and she told her little story as clearly as
she could.
The partners heard in consternation-a
ut all fits in uncommonly complete"
said Tim aside. Come, let's see what the
boys hev picked up." And when Ned had
shown his poor little frightened sister her
own dainty bedroom, and had made her
promise to lie down and recover her
strength and spirits by nap, the PAIR
went out to the shed. where some of the
workmen had laid out the poor remainx of
the torpedo man under sheet and such
articles as they could find on q bench. From
among these Tim selected charred men,
orandum book, and sure enough the name
they found on its first page was Joel Har-
riman's. Further on came rude diagram
of the ground plan of q well and its
as their own, and underneath was the first
draft of letter completing the description
and the address of an oil broker in Chicago.
~ guess Nella's right" muttered Ned,
shaking his head. "This wouldn't fit the
well now, though it would have to a dot
the night we struck it. Joel Hartman
was the spy disguised as darkey, and he
thought to sell our secret and ruin us. We
were too many for him then: SO this was
to hev been his revenge. That lump of
smash is his watch. Here's his initials in
side the case. and this here charm I've seen
hangin' on his chain thousand times.''
II wonder why he hated us 2" said Tim.
II guess he was jealous of you, Tim; an
after he'd heerd We tell that story about
him, he knew we'd never let him hev
Neila."
well, well, poor wretch, he's got his re-
ward" sighed Tim, and when they re-
turned to the pretty parlor, to find Nella
bewitchingly dressed in the soft silks Tim
had prophesied for her, and determined to
throw off the depression which did so little
honor to her home coming, not to speak
of the great deliverance of the two she
held so dear, then Tim found that he, too.
was to have his reward-the sweetest, most
satisfying reward earth could have given
him.
"You mustn't grieve about this. Nella.
for he amt worth it," Tim had ventured
to say in timid aside, while Ned was
busting about something in the other end
of the room.
81 can't grieye, Tim, for he died in the
attempt TO murder you" she said, looking
at him with her heart in her eyes.
AN you never really cared for him ?u
whispered Tim, with eloquent response in
his.
SAT his best, even when / believed him
Ned's good friend and helper, he told me
he was lending him capital for this ven
ture, when all his part in it was to try to
sell his knowledge of it-even then knew
that it would kill me to marry him.