The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-18
Cost River.

BY JOSEPH ARTHUR.

! rushing at Bill 'I've been looking for
Bob stepped between them.
He's had enough for the present" .1e
! laughed
Bill Loucks staggered up stairs to his
room On the landing he paused.
glanced threatening back at Bob, and
growled, between his teeth:
Curse you! You may not paw YOUR
%orkmen, but you'll pay ME- for that
Meantime Claude was busy explaining
| to Bob.
You see,' he said, its was this way:
MISS Ora introduced me to a Jolly little
girl named Angie Vollmer-a friend of
neIs: 1t seems Ezra Cookus is sweet on
angie, just as our friend Bill seems to be
| on MISS Ora. The two fellows came along
looking for trouble And T guess tba12
found it all right, all right. Thev r1shed
me- side-stepped and then was all over
them l handed out bunch Of uppercuts
TO Ezra and he ran, with me after him
lie hid somewhere and came back IN
finish the other one"
'Claude!' called Gladys from the door,
the horses are ready. Take me back to
the HOTEL
If you insist on going" said Bob.
9TH take you"
mo, thanks sneered Gladys, TN
leave you here with your Madonna in
the Sunbonnet' Claude will go with
me-"
II say, Bob!' whispered Claude as he
and his sister were about to start, You'd
better follow pretty quickly. / didn't like
the look that Loucks fellow cave YOU
Look out for him. He may get back at
YOU
Don't worry laughed Blessing. 81
fancy can handle either or both of those
worthless
He turned back into the room, to find
Ora weeping bitterly.
Don't cry" he begged. IT'S only Miss
Middleton's way, that's all. She may
change her tune before long,, he added
under his breath
" faint that sobbed Ora. Its only
I'm so ashamed Of Bill and Ezra actin up
like that when there was company"
Don't think of it. Wen have a jolly
dinner after all, you and granma and II
mo, no! You mustn't wait. A thun-
derstorm is comm up, and, besides, Bill
and Ezra may. They'd be two to one
against you. Go now while you have
time. You've got your wheel there at
the gate. Take the towpath along the
river. That's the shortest way back to
the hotel
"And leave you unprotected, eh?' No,
thanks!''
The girl walked over to the stove and
lifted the kettle, with it's boiling contents.
I'm not so unprotected as / look
she said. This d hold Bill for a while.
I guess. And, anyhow, it's not me he'd
harm. It's you. You've made him hate
you. Look out for him!
'If I go now will you promise to per-
suade your grandmother to bring you to
the hop at thee hotel, week after next?'
''Yes!" promised the girl, viewing the
approaching sto m with alarm. But
go!'
''Then good-by, little girl" and he
stopped and kissed her hand before
mounting lis wheel
AS he sped away in the gathering
gloom a second figure crawled from be-
hind the cottage sprang on a bicycle and
followed him.
Quick as the pursuer was Oras keen
eyes saw him.
"Bm Loucks"' she exclaimed to her
SELF He'll overtake Mr.. Blessing on
that lonely towpathr'
For a moment she stood irreso1ute.
Then she ran quickly indoors, emerging
an instant later with rife under her
arm.
Hurrying to where her bicycle stood
she mounted and dashed down the tow
path in pursuit.
The storm broke in all it's fury.
The rain fell in cataracts, while crash
after crash of thunder shook the whole
earth.
From time to time the pitchy darkness
was lighted up by a binding lightning
flare
One of these flashes revealed the tow
path with Bob Blessing pedalling along,
head down and eyes straining to trace the
indistinct track.
A second flash revealed another Wheel
man close behind, gaining at every Sec
ond on the foremost rider.
The pursuers front wheel slowly over
Tapped Blessings rear wheel
Yet in the deafening roar of thunder
and rain Bob did not hear him.
The pursuer's right arm was at last
raised above Bobs bent shoulders
A long, wicked-looking knifeblade
cleaned in the lightning.
Before it could reach its mark third
rider appeared. but too far behind to
warn Blessing Of his danger.
The girl seeing her voice would be
drowned in the uproar of the storm, rails
ed her rifle and fired.
A crash of thunder drowned the re-
port.
Bill Loucks fell from his wheel and lay
motioniess among the wayside bushes.
Bob Blessing, all Unheeding his narrow
escape from death, rode on
CTo be continued.)