Omaha daily bee., 1914-09-27

From the street below came the unmistakabls
rattle of policeman's locust on the sidewalk
That damned maid" Alan OWNED thoughtfully.
The same" Judith agreed with ominous calm.
Has it struck you that,you may have some trou-
BILE getting away without my peTmssion?
I'm not SO stupid not to have thought of
that" he countered reproachfuly
Then be advised-and take me with you"
I'm what capacity, please? AS enemy or-ally?"
"As ally-you're right: can't be friends
until we overtake that special train After that
by your leave, III shift for myself"
TITS not such bad notion" he reflected: with
you under my eye, you can't do much to inter-
fere-"
'Tf promise" she suggested.
"IIl take your word" he agreed simply But
you're in for lot of hardship I'm afraid. The
one way to catch up with your father is by
plane-and I've got waiting
The police entered by the front door as the two
crept out of the area window
nI-vIA AIR LINE.
Not in the course of the next sixteen hours
but thousand times Alan questioned land, it will
readily be allowed, with all excuse) his sanity in
permitting himself in being influenced to humor
Judith's insistence and make her a party to this
wild aerial cross-country dash.
Between whies the plane flew fast and high
cutting direct line, the crow flies athwart the
eastern and western states.
Chicago they raised smudge on the northern
horizon about one O'Clock in the afternoon. It
was some hours later, though still daylight when
they picked up the special train flying like hunt.
ed thing across the levels.
There scant room for doubt but that IL was
the train they sought Specials are not common
Moreover Alan contrtved with considerable diff
Guilty to focus binoculars upon the platform of
the car, and caught fugitive glimpse Of a white
coated figure with black face that was watching
the biplane in the same manner, that is, with
glasses
The man in the white coat, Alan assured him.
self. was positively Barcus
And hardly had be comforted himself with this
assurance when his sardonic destiny struck the
motor dumb.
In response to his look of dashed inquiry the
aviator merely shook weary head and muttered
the words: Engine trouble"
Swiftly the earth rose to receive the volplaning
mechanism. Under Coasts admirable handling ID
settled down almost without jar the outskirts
Of a city whose name Alan never learned.
For the biplane barely at a standstill before
he out and reeling with the giddiness that
affects men after long flights. making his way as
best he might toward the managers office con.
nected with a trainyard Immediately adjacent to
the spot where they had come to earth.
Lavish disbursement of money won him his way
against oficial protests that what he demanded
was an impossbility. Within twenty minutes, leav.
ing Coast to follow when and best he might,
Alan and Judith were spinning through open coun-
try in the cab Of engine running light, with
only clear track between it and the special
The several hours that ensued before the rear
none too many for the task imposed upon Alan
OF overcoming the scruples OF the engineer and
fireman.
Another minute, and less than fifty feet separ@t-
ed the two-the special train and the light engine,
both hurtling through the night at top speed.
With word to the engineer Alan crept out
along the side Of the boiler, with only a greasy
handrail and foothold between himself
and what meant death, or something closely re-
sembling It, should he be shaken on by the tsaSA
ing wind and the swaying of the locomotive.
It seemed an hour before he worked himself up
to the cowcatcher-now within four feet Of the
rear platform Of the special.
On this last he could see woman's figure IN.
distinctly slhouetted against the light through the
door, and beside her man in a white coat cling
ing for dear life to the knob of the door-holding
It against the frantic efforts of some persons In
side to tear il open.
Another hour of suspense dragged out--or such
was the effect-whie the light engine with intoL
cradle slowness bridged those four scant feet
At length it feasible to attempt the thing.
Rose Che could see her strained white face quite
plainly now was half over the rail of the car
ahead ready to jump.
His heart failed him. II was too hazardous q
risk. He dared not let her take 1t.
Something very like a shot sounded from the
train and something very like bullet whistled
past his cheek, and proved the signal for several
more
Someone had opened one Of the side windows
and was emptying revolver at him.
Strangely, that knowledge steadied his nerves.
Straining forward and holding on to a bar so hot
that 1t scorched his palm. he offered a hand to
the girl the rail.
Her hand fell confidently into it, She jumped.
His arm wound round her she landed on the
platform OF the cowcatcher. He heard her breathe
his name, then hurriedly passed her between him.
self and the boiler to the footway the side The
fireman was waiting there to help her Alan
turned his attention to Barcus
To his dismay he found that the engine was
losing ground The space was widening rapidly
as Barcus released the knob and threw himself
the rail
BY a miraculous, flying leap, the man accom-.
pished that incredible feat and gained the plat.
form
An instant later ten feet separated the engine
from the special, the engineer applied the
brakes
ana this he did none too soon for at the same
time Marrophat and another appeared on the rear
platform and opened q hot hut thanla 70 tha