The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-08-06
CHAPTER xLvlIi.
Full Eliaht.

arm. Surely you don't think . . Z.
Surely, it must be accidental Z.
Surely 1t cant mean"
I'm afraid it does" Alan Law re-
sponded gravely. cycling the front OF
the Mountain house. "Our luck holds
consistently-that's all. It wouldn't
be US II we didn't pick out the n
place where Marrophat and Jimmy
chose to stop over night. Fortunate
ly, it's early; I doubt they're up.
With half a show we ought to be able
to find some way of putting a good
distance between US and this town
before they waken Tom"
But Mr.. Barcus was already at his
elbow, in thorough sympathy with
Alan's Interpretation Of the signin-
canoe to be attached to the card that
trembled in Roses hand.
"Sharp's the word!" he agreed.
"And there's a motor "a over there,
in front Of the blacksmith's. Prob
ably we can hire her"
"Trine's carl" Alan calculated.
swinging round and recognizing the
buLOulOUllc NJ d SioACc. AAASH
here, as Welt"
Looks like It," Barcus admitted.
"But so much the better. Well just
naturally take the darn thing of his
hands, and I'll bet a dollar there isn't
another car within a radius Of fifty
miles! Well be well out Of these
giddy mountains long before he finds
anything to chase Ut with"
But his confidence was demon
strated to be premature by the dis
covery, which rewarded the first cur
sorry examination, that the car was
very thoroughly out of commission.
Two minutes later, however. their
earnest Inquiries ELECTED the fact
that, although Rarcus was justified in
his surmise that the neighbofing
country was poverty-stricken In re-
spect Of motor cars, Mesquite itself
boasted two motorcycles whose own
ers we're not Indifferent to a chance
to sell them secondhand at a con-
siderable advance on the retail list
price Of the machines, when new.
And thus 1t was that, within ten
minutes from Roses discovery of that
chance-flung warning in the dust. the
party was again in rapid motion.
His 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 e 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 a series
Of passionate screams emanating
from the bedchamber Of Seneca
Urine, where the cripple lay posses
sed by seven devils of %insensate rage.
His screams brought attendance;
but it 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 well-earned 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
to be sheer, bull-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.
sponsible wayfarers who proved only
too susceptible to Marrophat's offer OF
double the cost of the car-f. o. b.
Detroit-for it's 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
q blast of blasphemy.
1t must have been an hour later
when Alan, checking his motorcycle
as It surmounted the summit of a
long upgrade. looked back and dis.
covered, several miles distant on the
far-fung windings Of the mountain
road, a small crimson shape that ran
like a mad thing tirelessly pursued
by a cloud of tawny dust like a gold
en- ghost.
A motor car, beyond all question,
and one Of uncommon road-devouring
quality; it might or might not con-
tain Marrophat and Jimmy, m 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 (and then by no can for
the first time), they had proved that
IL Rose were with Alan they would
include her ruthlessly in whatsoever
scheme they might contemplate for
his personal determination.
Nor would Tom Barcus be exempt.
II they were caught in company
though Judith might be. in view Of
Marrophat's i%nfatuation for the girl.
These two yer far ahead. out Of
sight, indeed; and must somehow be
overtaken and warned-no easy mat
ter, since the machine which bore
them was. IL ANYTHING. faster than