The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-17
CHAPTER Lxx.-To THE RESCUE.


Leaning out as he swept up. without
drawing rein. the man wrapped an arm
around the woman and lifted her light
~ from the ground. setting her in the
saddle before him In the flutter OF a
heart beat.
AS IL the added weight were but a
stlmulant, his horse let out It's stride.
AT this, Judith heard an oath NUT
tered beside her and saw Marrophat
! Jerking a revolver from its holster. The
weapon swept up and to level; but
AS the hammer fell, Judiths horse car
omed heavily against the other.
swinging it half a dozen feet aside, and
detecting the bullet hopelessly.
The shock of collision was 30 great
that Marrophat kept his seat with diff
hculty. He turned toward Judith a
face livid with rage.
simultaneously. as IL taking the shot
as the signal for a fusillade. Judith saw
Alan lean back over his horses rump
and open fire.
An instant later his companion, Bar
GUS Initiated his example.
In immediate consequences, Texas
dropped reins, slumped forward over
the pommel. wabbled weakly In his sad
die for a moment, then losing the stir
rups, pitched headlong to the ground:
while Hopi Jim's horse stopped short.
prcctpltAtlnS MS rluer overhead, and
dropped dead.
In the ten minutes delay necessitat-
ed by this reverse, number OF more or
less innocent bystanders picked up the
man Texas and carried him off to
breathe his last beneath a roof: Hopi
Jim picked himself up, brushed his per-
son tolerably clear OF clouds of dust
and profanity. and departed In search
of mount to replace the horse that
(. had been shot under him; and Judith
cat her horse calmly. smiling sweet In
science into the exasperated counten-
ance OF Marrophat.
Incidentally the fugitives disap-
peared round n bend in tho road that
led directly into the wild and barred
| heart of the Painted Hills.
"It WAS simply an accident" was all
the satisfaction Judith would AFFORD
Marrophat in return for his insistent
eNpostulations.
But for her, he asserted, the chase
would have ended with the pressure
of his finger on the trigger.
II had him covered, I tell you. he
raved. IF you'd minded your horse.
we'd be on our way back to your father
now with the body of Alan Laww
You fatter yourself" she retorted.
What was 1t we were saying, only last
night, about the quality of your marks
manship7" @
Aumbling his Indignation. the man
swung his horse round and trotted off
after Hopi Jim, leaving the girl to
smile openly at his discontinue
But she smiled prematurely, II an
peared: for in tho brief interval that
elapsed before his return with Hopi
Jim. Marrophat contrived TO persuade
the bandit that Judith had been, at
least indirectly. responsible for the
catastrophe, with the upshot that.
temporarily blinded to her destinations
by the glitter OF $4,000 In the near
distance, Mr.. Slade maintained his dis
lance and deaf ear to her blandish-
ments The only information as to
their purpose that she was able to ex-
tract from either man. when the pur-
suing party turned aside from the main
trail. some distance from Mesa, was
that Hopi Jim knew short cut
through the range via what he termed
the upper trail, by which they hoped
20 be able to head the fugitives off be-
fore they could gain the desert on the
far side Of the hills:
And the trail proved rough, narrow
and tortuous, winding along the ridge
pole OF an unholy wilderness. Seldom
was 1t wide enough to permit one
horseman to pass another. For hours
on end they rode In single Ale. Hopi
Jim leading, Judith bringing up tho
rear; while the sun mounted toward the
zenith and smote the Painted Hills
with such might that the arid valleys
of mesquite and chaparral became cald-
rons of superheated air, and the hills
reeled and danced like living things in
the grim orgy of some internal danse
rnacabre.
Only at long Intervals did they draw
rein to permit Hopi Jim to make recon
noissance OF the lower trail that
threaded the valley on tho far side of
the ridge pole.
Toward noon he returned in haste
from the last OF these surveys-scramb-
ling recklessly down the mountain side
and throwing himself upon his horse
with the advice:
We've headed 'em-can make II now
IL we ride like all get-out."
Continued To-morrow.J