The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-01-15
CHAPTER XVIII.
FuII FIIaht.

ShANtSs ~ must pc AcctueutAl
Surely IL can't mean"
I'm afraid It does" Alan Law re
sponded grayely. cycling the front d
the Mountain house Our luck holds
consistently that's all II wouldnt
be as II we didn't pick out the one
place where Marrophat and Jimmy
chose to stop over night. Fortunate
". it's early: doubt they're up
With half show we ought to be able
TO find some way OF putting a good
distance between us and this town
before they waken .. Tor1,"
But MIR. Barcus was already NJ his
elbow, in thorough sympathy with
Alan'a Interpretation OF the signifi.
canoe TO be attached to the card that
trembled In Roses hand,
"Sharp's the word" he agreed.
And there's a motor car over there,
in front OF the blacksmith's. Prob.
ably we can hire her"
"Trine's car" Alan calculated.
swinging round and recognizing the
automobile at glance. Then he's
here, as Welt"
Looks like It," Rarcus admitted.
But go much the better. Wen just
naturally take the darn thing off his
hands, and Ill bet dollar there isn't
another car within radius Of fifty
miles Wen be we'll out OF these
giddy mountains long before he finds
anything to chase as with"
But his confidence was demon
strated 70 be premature by the dis
coyery, which rewarded the first cur
sorry examination. that the car was
very thoroughly ont OF commission.
Two minutes later. however, their
earnest inquiries ELECTED the fact
that although Rnrcus was Justified in
his sarmise that the neighboring
country was poyerty.str in re-
spect Of motor cars. Mesquite itself
boosted two motorcycles whose own.
ers we're not Indifferent TO a chance
70 sell them secondhand at con-
siderable advance on the retail list
price OF the machines. when new.
And thus II was that. within ten
minutes from Roses discovery OF that
chance-fiung warning in the dust. the
party was again in rapid motion.
Ills beauty sleep disturbed by the
departure OF the machine bearing
Barcus and Judith, Seneca Urine
reused on an elbow and looked out OF
the window just In time TO see the
second motorcycle gathering momen,
tum. Alan steering. Rose In the seat
behind
Sixty seconds later a Haunting ban
ner OF dust was all that remained to
remind Mesquite that romance had
passed that way-that. and series
OF passionate screams emanating
from the bedchamber OF Seneca
Urine, where the cripple lay posses.
aed by seven devils OF insensate rage
His screams brought attendance:
but X was a matter OF many precious
minutes before his demands could be
met and Marrophat and Jimmy reused
from their crapulous slumbers In ad.
Joining chambers: and half an hour
elapsed before the chauffeur reused
from his own weIl-earued rest, sue
ceeded in convincing the pair that
pursuit with the motor car was out
OF the question
But the devil takes care OF his own:
within another half hour what seemed
10 be sheer buh-headed. dumb luck
brought a casual automobile to Mes
quite-a two-seated. high.power
racing machine of the latest and
speediest pattern. driven by two ire
sponslble wayfarers who proved only
too susceptible to Marrophat's offer Of
double the cost of the car-f. o. b.
Detroit--for Its immediate surrender
The two piled out promptly enough;
Marrophat and Jimmy jumped In:
Urine from his bedroom window sped
them on their murderous mission with
a blast OF blasphemy.
1t must have been an hour later
when Alan. checking his motorcycle
as 1t surmcunted the summit of a
long upgrads. looked back and dis
covered, several miles distant on the
far-flung wfadings OF the mountain
road, small crimson shape that ran
like mad thing tirelessly pursued
by cloud OF tawny dust like a gold
en- ghost
A motor car, beyond all question,
and one of uncommon road-devourlng
quality; it might or might not con-
tain Marrophat and Jimmy. once more
in pursuit. Whether or not. bitter
experience had long since educated
Alan in the gentle art of taking no
chances.
Though It was his life that they
sought SO pertinaciously, no later than
yesterday land then by no means for
the first time). they had proved that
IL Rose we're with Alan they would
Include her ruthlessly in whatsoever