Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-11-16
CHAPTER Con roorY


Alan, he told himself shrewdly,
would never have run his cycle at SO
foolhardy pace without good reason;
and under tho circumstances good rca-
son was synonymous solely with pur-
suit
He was. therefore, on the alert. quick
TO see the racing automobile when 1t
came hurting round tile bend. and In
the Very nick Of time grasped Judith's
arm and swung her bodily with him
back out of harms way, amid the trees
that bordered the inside of the road.
VI necessity his motorcycle suffered.
Abandoned in the middle of the road,
it was struck by the buffers of the
motor car and lung aslde as IL II had
been nothing more ponderable than
truss OF straw-landing halfway down
the embankment, a hopeless tangle OF
shattered tubing and twisted wire.
Simultaneous with the collision he
saw Jimmy seated beside AIarrophat.
VINO drove, swing q magazine gun
round and let II off at hopeful random.
yard from the elbow of Mir. Barcus.
An instant later Judith whipped her
revolver from the holster OIL her hip
and fired in response. But her shot
flew wide-and the yacing car flew on.
as if on the wings OF the wind
seemed surprising that the car did not
stop. But then Barous reminded him
self that NIarrophat and Jimmy could
not possibly have witnessed the ACCT
dent involving Alan and Rose. who~to-
sether with the wreck Of theft ma
chine. remained well-cloaked by tho
under brush ut the bottom of the cam
yon. In all probability, then, the MS
sassins had assumed that Alan had
hurried on; and since their own first
business was concerned exclusively
with them, they had done likewise,
reasoning that they could return and
deal with his unfortunate friend at
their convenience after operhauling
their quarry, whose lite they most COW
eted.
knew what had happened to them. So
Barcus set himself to find out what
ever Providence knew without moro
delay. The racing car was barely out
Of sight when he sprrng from the shell
tering trees and. Judith at his heels.
pelted headlong over the slope to the
spot where the others had vanished.
To find them not only alive but prac-
tically unscathed affected that loyal
soul almost to tears.
But when congratulations had beer
mutually exchanged, there fell an
sought one anethers ruefully. each
pair quick with the eInuttered but In
eNorable inquiry: What next
Where next to turn7
me roaG was nov DarrcQ 10 them,
AT any moment the racer might return,
They confronted the necessity OF tread
ing afoot a wild and mountainous
country of whose geography they We're
absolutely ignorant.
In the outcome. il was AR, Barcus
who advanced the suggestion which
was adopted-thcugh this was Its req
ceptjon more through lack Of a better
than for any actual appeal intrinsic
In the proposition.
When we broke down, UP there"
he ventured, with backward jerk OF
his thumb to indicate the road. IN cam
yon brapched off from this one about
quarter of mile over yonder. II
it's all the same to you people, we
might stroll round that way, and see
what its natural attractions HAY be-
II any. But fits sure a mighty poor
sort Of canyon that doesn't lead any
where-and nothing could possibly be
more fatiguing to our mercurial and
restless tempers than to squat down
hero and fold our hands In our laps,
and wait for something to turn up
and anyway we can't be worse off than
we are-and-"
Continued To-Morrow.)