Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-03-05

p2l!Ol were good pistol shols, anu
given half a chance could probably
disable the brute. And now as the
trail ran downward again they broke
into a fast trot once more.
Motior!ess the one upon the cleft
watched them until they had come
within a couple OF hundred yards, eye
ing them with the motionless alert
ness Of an eagle upon his eyrte, the
spreading his wings launched himself
into open space. TIE noise OF his
heavily beating wings came plainly 10
their ears. his fight was irregular n
labored Ike that OF a hawk bearing
away a chicken, or an eagle a LAMB.
and so long as the travelling was good
the struggling pair in pursuit nearly
kept pace with him. Halt a mile fur.
Their on however, the canyon bed
again became a steeply rising tumble
OF rocks. and up this they went la
boriously. And once again when they
reached the summit they saw the OBJ
!ect OF their pursuit Just arising from
the trail after a moments rest and but
a stone throw ahead OF them, yet still
shielded as c~unningly as ever BY the
body OF the girl. So on and on they
wen with the Precipitation streaming
from their bodies and their hearts
thudding heavily, but with the grim
determination to follow until eI.
haustei nature bereft them Of the
power OF movement and left them
prone and gasping upon the rocks.
Tolliver, still a few PAGES IN advance,
threw aside his coat with a curse OF
impotence at its weight, and March.
after a minutes consideration, did
likewise. II bid fair TO be a chase that
would draw their strength to the last
ounce and wear their endurance to the
bone, therefore one could not well
travel too light. His collar and vest
quickly followed the first garment, and
feeling far more free OF action and
breath by thus having rid himself oil
those numbering things, he q~uickened
his pace with a step which once more
fell lightly.
An hour had passed with no perman-
ent change in their see-saw positions.
As the Flying Man had led the air
craft By a distance unvarying to the
eye, so now did he lead the toillng two
who hung so grimly on his course.
When by reason Of the %steepness or
roughness OF their path he got so much
as half a mile ahead, he would prompt
" stop and refresh himself until they
had come up within a few hundred
yards, whereupon he would founder up
with difficulty and resume his fight
with heavily beating wings. Noon with
its horizontal sun found both pursuers
suffering acutely. Despite the cool.
ness of the mountain air their clothing
was drenched with perspiration, their
limbs racked, their heads swan, their
feet tortured, their breath came In
wheeling gasps. Yet without pause
and without a word uttered they strug.
gled on, first one forging to the lead
and then the other, passing and being
passed alternately as the footing ia.
yored or retarded, sliding down sharp
inclines to the rattle OF following
stones, scrambling up painful ascents
where they left the blood OF their
hands and knees upon the sharp rock
edges, sometimes stumbling into a fall
that tore ragged gaps in their clothing
and raked the skin from their limbs,
their mouths half open, their limbs
shaking, their breath whistling, their
eyes forever glued upon the re~treating
one who, with a brief rest for every
mile, still bafied them as maddeningly
during the first hour. And above
all was the incesgant torment Of their
One o'clock found them upon the
edge Of a ~ravine, deep and precipitous.
its bottom a !umbled mass Of huge
boulders that through the untold CEN
OF the past had gone crashing
to its bottom from the mountains top.
Just ahead OF them the winged one
was tapping in direct fight for the
other side. while they travelling upon
their blistered feet must first descend
It's dizzy slope to its lowest depth,
Chamber across its chaotic bottom and
struggle painfully up the other side
q good mile Of heart.breaking struggle
against q half miles unimpeded fight.
CTo BE coNTINUED)