The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-01-21

love with that same man whose death
she had pledged herself to compass.
Only when, as now, half mad with
jealousy, determined to see Alan dead
rather than yield him to the woman
he loved, her sister, might Judith be
counted upon to serve her father in
his lust for vengeance as he would be
served-and even so not without Mar
rophat at her elbow to egg her on
through her resentment Of his surveil-
lance. Neither could be trusted, in
deed, to work alone to the desired con-
summation; for Trine had secret rea-
son to fear lest Marrophat might,
given opportunity, connive at Alan's
escape in order that he might marry
Rose and so throw Judith back into
his, Marrophat's, aims.
Poor, deluded fool!
Such was the private comment Of
Marrophat's master.
For all that, it was the man and not
his daughter, whom Trine designated
to lead the expedition, cunningly
counting on Judith's chagrin to work
'.pon her passions and excite her to
one last, mad, blind attempt that
should prove successful.
Smiling his secret smile, Trine an
nounced his decision at the last mo-
ment, while Hopi Jim waited with his
horses and an assistant-one Texas
for whose utter innocence of scruples
Mr.. Slade unhesitatingly vouched.
Sullenly submissive, at least in out
ward seeming, Judith bowed to this de-
cision, marched out of the car, and
suffered Marrophat to help her mount
her horse.
Now, deliberately, as the little caval-
cade rode through the moonlit desert
night, the girl maneuvered her horse
to the side Of Hopi jim, and then
dropped back, permitting Marropllat
to lead the way with Texas.
AS deliberately she set herself to
work upon the bandits susceptibility
to her charms.
Within an hour she had him ready
to do anything to win her smile.
In that first rush of golden day a.
thwart the land, the party came quietly
into the town of Mesa, riding slowly in
order that the noise Of their approach
might not warn the fugitives, who
Hopi asserted confidently would still
be sound asleep in the accommoda-
tions offered by the towns one hotel.
It was to be termed a town only in
courtesy, this Mesa: a struggling
street of shacks, ramshackle relics Of
what had once been promising COM
munity. the halfway station between
the railroad and the mining camps
secreted in the Businesses Of the Paint
ed hills-camps now abandoned, their
very names almost faded out Of the
memory of mankind.
Midway in this string Of edifces the
hotel stood-a rough, unpainted, wood
en- edifce, mainly veranda and bar
room as to it's lower floor.
jealousy Judith watched the win
dcws of the second floor: and she
alone of the four detected the face that
showed for one brief instant we'll back
in the shadows beyond one Of the bed
room windows face that glimmered
momsntarily with the pallor of
ghosts against he background Of that
oDscurity, and then was gcne.
Her eyes alone, indeed, could>have
recognized the features Of Alan Law
in that fugitive glimpse. =
Two sentences exchanged between
Hopi Jim and a blear-eyed fellow
whom he reused from sodden slumbers
behind the bar sealed their confidence
with conviction: the three fugitives
were in fact guests Of the house, oc-
cupying two of the three rooms that
composed it's upper story.
In the rush that followed up the
narrow stairway, Judith led with such
spirit that not even Marrophat sus-
pected her revolver was poised solely
with intent to shoot from his hand his
own revolver the instant he leveled
it at human target.
Closed and locked 1fronted
them; and their SUM- .iuced no
response; while the fiji. Or, when
broken in by whole-sou-ed kick, dis
covered nothing more satisfactory
than an empty room, its bed bearing
the imprint of, a woman's body, but
that woman gone.
|, From the one window, looking down
khe side Of the house, Texas announced
SHAT the woman had not escaped by
jumping out.
SSo it seemed that the three must
have had warning Of their arrival,
afte " all; and presumably were now
herded together in the adjoining room,
which Hooked out over the veranda
roof, waiting in fear and trembling
for the assault that must soon come
and in facSimmediatelydid.
But it with more stubborn re-
sistance, than had been anticipated.
The door had been barricaded from
within REINFORCED by furniture
placed against it. Four minutes and
the united efforts Of four men (includ-
ing the bleary loafer Of the barroom)
were required to overcome its inert re-
sistance. But even when it was down,
lthe room was found to be as empty as
the first.
Only the fingers of two hands grip
ping the edge Of the veranda roof
showed the way the fugitives had
flown; and these vanished instantly as
the room was invaded.
Followed a swift rush Of hoofs down
the dusty street, and a chorus Of BIAS
phemy-in the hotel hallway: for Ju.
dith had headed the concerted rush
for the staircase and contrived to
block it for a full half minute by pre-
tending to stumble and twist her
ankle