The Washington herald., 1914-10-25

old man broke out in evaporation that threatened
to wax into fury: Judith What do you mean
by this? Has It indeed come to this that my own
daughter denes me to my face?"
Apparently" she shot back. with short laugh.
Judge for YOURSELF"
Have you forgotten your toIme7"
No. But take It back and cancel it: that is
my privilege, believe. Silencei" she stormed
as he strove to gainsay her. "sflence-do you
hear?-or 1t VIII be the worse for you!"
As well command the sea to still its voice: her
father ragged Ike the madman that he was, for the
time being Invested Of his habitual mask Of frigid
heartlessnesA
And seeing that there was no other way Of quiet.
ing him, the girl turned to the third man.
Nov, Jimmy" she said crisply Into that car
and be quick about it-and gag him!"
IF you do" her father foamed, I'll have your
life"
A flourish of her weapons gained instant obedi
ence.
She stepped up on the running board and shot
a quick, searching glance at the face Of the ehauf-
feur.
Straight ahead, my mani" she said Make for
the nearest pass through those hills yonder and
don't delay unless you're anxious for trouble. on
you go!"
The car began to move. She swept the three
men in the desert mocking bow, jumped into the
body Of the car and slammed the door
They made no effort to plead their cause and Sc
passage even as far the edge of the desert;
doubtless they knew too well the futiIty Of that
she thought, as she settled back in a seat chuck
ling with the memory Of those three masks OF dis
may unmitgated.
It was not until FIVE minutes later when she
Strengthened up from making Alan comfortable that
she realized what had made them so content to
abide by her will
Then she heard their voices lifted together in a
long, shrin howl that quickly answered by
fainter yells from distant quarter Of the desert,
then by pistols popping and flashing some two
miles away, then by growing rumor Of galloping
hoofs.
The night glasses in the car afforded her flashes
Of body Of several horsemen-some six seven.
she tudged-making at top speed toward the spot
where Marrophat, Hicks and Jimmy waited beside
. beacon which they had built and lighted.
Half dozen sentences exchanged with the chauf-
feur advised her that these were horsenen from
the town Of Mesa who had charged themselves with
the duty Of ayenging the death Of Hopi Jim slade.
sardonic chuckle from within Trine's gag goad-
ed the girl into sullen fury.
Exacting his utmost speed from the chauffeur,
under penalty Of her displeasure, she set herself
to revive Alan.
With the aid Of such stores Of food and drink
as the car carried, this was quickly enough
complished.
Strangling with an overdose Of brandy too little
diluted with water, Alan sat up, grasped the con-
ditions in a fash, and gained further information
as he deyoured sandwiches and emptied a canteen.
The mountain pass was now, he judged, a mile
distant The light the hillside, according to the
chauffeur, was that Of a prospector who had camped
there temporarily. There nothing, then, to be
feared from that quarter. but solely from the rear
where the horsemen, having picked up Mario
phat and his companions, had instituted hot pur-
suit and were strung out in a long. struggling
line, three borses carrying double the farthermost
perhaps a mile and half away-one with a sim
gle rider the nearest, well within threequarters of
a mile.
Nobly mounted this last came on like the wind
gaining the motor with every stride; for his
horse trained to such going, whereas the car
at best could only labor heavily in dust and sand.
None the less, It had to a point within a
quarter of a mile from the pass before the horse
got within what he esteemed the proper range,
and opened fire.
He fired thrice. His first shot winged wide, his
second by ill-chance ripped through a tire Of
the car, thus placing upon it additional handi-
cap while this third sought the zenith as his hands
few up and he dropped from the saddle, drilled
through the body by Alan's only shot.
long-range pistol duel was in progress before
the car had covered half the remaining distance to
the pass.
BY the time It entered this last, which proved
to be a narrow ravine with towering sides Of
crumbly earth and shale and broken rock. the pur-
suit not hundred yards behind. while the
firing was wellnigh continuous.
Two hundred feet above the trail two men were
working WIN desperate naSIe at sOMo mysterious
business-though none noticed them
Only the chauffeur aware Of woman run
ming down the hillside at angle, to intercept the
several hundred yards from the mouth Of the
pass.
As it drew near the spot where she paused wav-
ing both arms frantcally the head Of the pursuing
party swept into the mouth Of the ravine.
At the same time the chauffeur noticed that the
two men on the hillside were following the woman
peIlmen throwing themselves down the slope with
gigantic leaps and bounds.
And then a great explosion rent the peaceful
hush Of night-that till then had been profaned
by the pattering cracks Of the revolver fusillade
AS the roar Of dynamite subsided the entire side
of the hill shifted and slid ponderously down. chok
ing the ravine with debris to the depth Of some
thirty or forty feet, burying the leaders of the
pursuit beyond hope Of rescue.
Only an instant later the motor car jolted to a
halt and Alan pulled himself together to find that
Rose and Barcus were standing beside the door
and jabbering joyful greetings, mixed with more or
less incoherent explanations of the manner in
which they had come to seek shelter for the night
in the prospectors shack and reused by the noise
Of firing and recognizing Alan in the car by the
aid Of night glasses, had with the prospectors aid