The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-11-11

summation; for Urine had secret rea-
son to fear lest Marrophat might.
given opportunity, connive at Alan's
escape in order that he might marry
Rose and so throw Judith back into
his. Marrophat's arms.
Poor, deluded fool!
Such was the private comment of
Marrophats master.
For all that, it was the man and not
his daughter. whom Urine designated
to lead the expedition, cunningly
counting on .Tudith's chagrin to work
upon her passions and excite her to
one last, mad. blind attempt that
should prove successful.
Smiling his secret smile. Urine an.
nounced his decision at the last mo.
| ment. while Hopi Jim waited with his
horses and an :ssstant--one Texas
for whose utter innocence OF scruples
Mr.. Slade unhesitatingly vouched.
Sullenly submissive, at least in out
| ward seeming. Judith bowed to this de-
cisiOn. marched out of the car, and
s'b'i'u iop1IAI " NClP llSl lIIoo1It
| her horse.
Now, deliberately, as the little caval-
cade rode through the moonlt desert
night, the girl Unanswered her horse
10 the side OF llopi Jim, and then
dropped back, permitting Ala-rophat
to lead the way with Texas.
AS deliberately she set herself to
| work upon the bandits susceptibility
to her charms.
Within an hour she had him ready
to do anything to win her smile.
In that first rush OF golden day a.
| thwart the land, the party came quietly
into the town Of Mesa. riding slowly in
order that the noise of their approach
| might not warn the fugltives, who
Hopi asserted confidently would still
be sound asleep In the accommOda'
lions offered by the towns one hotel
1t was to be termed q town only in
courtesy, this Mesa: struggling
street OF shacks ramshackte relics OF
what had once been promising com.
munity, the halfway, station between
the railroad and. the mining camps
secreted in the Businesses Of the Paint
ed hills camps now abandoned, their
very names almost faded out of the
memory OF mankind.
Midway in this string Of edifices the
hotel stood-a rough, implanted, wood.
Ell edillce, mainly veranda and bar
room as to its lower floor.
Jealously Judith watched the win.
dows Of the second floor: and she
alone of the four detected the face that
showed for one brief instant we'll back
in the shadows beyond one Of the bed
room windows~-a face that glilumered
momentarlly With the pallor OF
ghosts against the background OF that
obscnrity. and then was gone.
Her eyes alone indeed. could have
recognized the features OF Alan Law
in that fugitive glllnpse.
Two sentences exchanged between
IJopi Jim and a bleareyed fellow
whom lie reused from sodden'slumbers
behind the bar sealed their confidence
with conviction: the three fugitives
were in fact guests OF the house, oc.
cupying two OF THO three rooms that
composed it's upper. story.
In the rush that followed up the
narrow stairway. judith led with such
spirit that not even Marr0phat sus-
pected her revolver was poised solely
with intent to shoot from his hand his
own revolver the instant he leveled
1t at human target.
Closed and locked doors confronted
them: and their summons educed 10
response; while the first door. when
broken in by wh0le.souled kick, dis.
covered nothing more satisfactory
than an empty room. its bed bearing
the imprint OF woman's body. but
that woman gone.
From the one window, looking down
the side OF the house. Texas announced
that the woman had not escaped BY
jumping out.
So it seemed that the three must
have had warning Of their arrival,
after all: and presumably were now
herded together in the adjoining room.
which looked out over tho rerandl
roof, waiting in fear and trembling
for the assault that must soon come
and in fact Immediately did.
But it met with more stubborn re.
sistance than had been anticipated.
The door had been barricaded from
within - REINFORCED by, furniture
placed against it. Four minutes and
the united efforts OF four men (includ-
ing the bleary loafer OF the barroom)
were required to overcome its inert re-
sistance. But even when it was down,
the room was found to be as empty as
the first.
Only the fingers OF two hands grip
ping the edge. of the veranda roof
showed the way the fugitives had
flown: and these vanished instantly az
the room WAS invaded. a.
Followed swift rush of hoofs down
the dusty street. and q chorus OF bias
phemy in the hotel hallway: for Ju.
dith had headed the concerted rush
for the staircase and contrived to
block it for Il full hall minute by pre-
tending to stumble and twist her
ankle.
In spite of that alleged injury, she
never limpcd, and wasn't yard be
hind the first who broke from the
hotel to the open. nor vet appreciably
behind him in vaultins to saddle.
Well up the road a cloud OF smoky
dust half obscured the shapes OF three
who rode for their very lives.
The pursuit was off in Il twinkling
aud n.an hun nl - Al y nhnf's DlnllNf