The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-13
Joseph Vance

so rank with smoke that Alan's evesI
watered and his throat ached With
coughing. And ever and anon thcI
wind would bring down the roar on
tho holocaust. dulled by distance. bud
not unlike the growing OF wild anil
mails feeding on their kin
The nearness OF his peril dwarfcd tn a
trcachcry OF the Indian. Alan DELAYED n
long enough only TO swallow. hald
chewed. few mouthfuls OF raw food
gulped water from n spring. and sed
out at dog trot on the trail to Spiri.|
Luke.
For hours he blundcrcd hl!ndly onl
holding to tho trail mainly BY instinct
the roaring OF the flames ever more,
loud and omnibus. the cloud OF smok 4
ever more dense and choking. the hcat
moment BY moment more intense.
A. length. painting. gaspinR. half.
blinded, he staggered into littlcI
natural clearing. tripped over so-nc un.
seen obstacle. and plunged forward
headlong. 30 bewildered that he COULD
not have said whether he va. trippedl
or thrown; for even as he stumbled III
heavy body landed on his back and|
crushed him savagcly to earth
In less than a minute he was over
come. his wrists hitched together his
ankles bound with heavy cord.
when his vision cleared suIicienti,|
TO enable him to identity his assail
ant lie found Jacob within ward
s0uatted on his heels regarding HIM
with face as immobile as though id
had been cast In tho bronze II re
scmbled
Beyond. to one side. a woman in al
mans hunting costume stood cycling
the captive as narrowly as the In :.
diaa. but unlike him with counte
nance that seemed aglow with a nercc
eSultanCy over hin downfall
But for that look he could have
believed hers the face that had brought
him overseas this mortal pass Fea !
turs for feature, even 10 the hue of
her tumbled hair. she counterfcitcd tn e
woman he loved: only those eyes
aname with their look OF inhuma nj
ruthlessness. denied that the two were
one
He sought vainiy 10 speak The
breath rustlcd in his parched throat
Ike wind whispering among dead
leaves
the woman knelt In his place by Alan's
head.
80" she said .weetiy-"so. MI Alan
Law"
lie made no effort to reply; the
thought in his mind was that the lisht
in those eyes was less of madness than
OF inhumanity: that this was less a
-
brought into the world without a soul.
No she said. and smiling cruelty
shook her head--"no. I Am not your
Rose. But am her sister. Judith. her
twin, born in the same hour, daugh-
ter of-can YOU guess whose daugh-
teri"
lie made a slight negative motion
OF his head
You thought ii merely silly girls
romantic nonsense that made Rose re
fuse your love because OF a secret
barrier between YOU But see this,"
She flashed n card from within her
hunting skirt and held it before his
eyes. You know IL. Ell? The trey
of hearts-the symbol OF Trlne-Trine.
your fathers enemy. and yours. and
Roses father and mine, So, now per-
haps you know"
y gust of wind like furnace blast
swept tho glade. The woman sprane
up. glanced overshouldcr into tho FOR
est. and signed TO the Indian.
I'm ten minutes" she said, these
woods will be your funeral pyre
She stepped back. Jacob advanced
picked Alan up. shouldered his BODY,
and strobe back into the forest. Ten
feet In from the clearing he dropped
the helpless man supne upon bed
of dry logs and branches.
Then, with single movement, he
disappeared.
Overhead, through n rift in the fol.
iagc, sky was visible whose cbor
darkness called to mind "A thunder
cloud. Beneath it wells. whorls and
strange shapes of smoke OF a yellow
ish shade. fed athwart the wreck like
harried ghosts
Tho heat was nearly intolcra BILE; the
voice OF the fire was very loud, snap.
pings and cracklings and curious sharp
detonations making an embroidery OF
sound upon a texture of sustained roar
ing like that of a heavy surf.
4 heavy, broken crashing by
made Alan turn his head. and he saw a
brown bear cover and plunge or into
tho farther thickets--forerunner of A
mad rout of terrified forest folk. deer
porcupines. a fox or two. wildcat
rabbits. squirrels. partridgcs-a dozen
more.
Two minutes had passed OF tho ten
omethinE was digging uncomfortable
into Alan's right hip. IIe shifted his
position, without relief. then remem-
bercd the automatic pistol in his hin
pocket. of which Jacob had neglected
to relieve him. But that thought had
only crossed his consciousness when n
sharp, spiteful cracking brought him
suddenly TO a sitting position. to find
that the Indian had thoughtfully
touched a match to the pyre before de-
parting. At Alan's feet the twigs
were blazing mcrrily.
Continued Tomorrow