The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-04-07

from their crapulous slumDefs IN eo'
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 lire
sponsible wayfarers who proved only
too susceptible to Marrophat's oher OF
double the cost Of the car-f. o. o.
Detroit-for its Immediate surrender.
The two piled out promptly enough;
Marrophat and Jimmy jumped In:
Trine from his bedroom window sped
them ON their murderous mission with
. blast Of blasphemy.
Il must have been an hour later
when Alan, checking his motorcycle
~ It surmounted the summit OF a
long upgrade. looked back and dis
covered, several miles distant on the
far-hung windings Of the mountain
road. q small crimson shape that ran
like Q mad thing tirelessly pursued
by q cloud Of tawny dust like 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. 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 80 pertinaciously, no later than
yesterday land then by no means for
the first time). they had proved that
II 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 infatuation for the girl.
These two were far ahead, out Of
sight, indeed; and must somehow be
overtaken and warned-no easy mat
/, ter, since the machine which bore
them was, II anything, faster than
Alan's. just as the racing automobile
was faster than either.
Alan kept his gaze steadfast to the
road before them, daring not once 10
look up and round or back.
| So sinuous and meandering was Its
course, indeed, that Alan seldom could
see a hundred yards of 1t ahead. but
must pelt on in panic fight. hoping
for the best-that Judith and Barcus
would soon show up in front. that
! something might happen to hinder the
pursuit-never knowing whether the
latter lost or gained
| And thus catastrophe befell
! Round the swelling bosom Of a wood
ed mountainside the motorcycle swept
like q hunted hare, and without the
least warning came upon Barcus and
Judith. dismounted. Barcus bending
over his cycle and tinkering with iti
motor.
For one horripilating instant COLI
sion seemed unavoidable. Barcus anC
Judith and the motorcycle occupied
most of the width of the road; there
was little room between them and the
declivity, less between them and the
forest. To try to pass them on the
latter side would be only to dash his
brains out against the trees; while tc
make the attempt on the outside would
be to risk leaving the road altogether
and dashing of into space
And 1t was impossible to stop the
cycle-so brief was all his warning
In desperation Alan chose the outside
Of the road: and for the space of 9
single heartbeat thought that he might
possibly make it, but with the mex
realized that he would not-seeing the
front wheel swing of over the lip o.
the slope.
At this he acted sharply and upor
sheer instinct. AS the cycle left tn.
road altogether he risked a broker
knee by releasing his grasp of thu
handlebars and Strengthening out hi.
leg and driving 1t down forcibly
against the roadbed. The effect OF thi,
was to lift him bodily from the sad
die: the machine shot from beneath
him like some strange projectil,
hurled from the bore of a great gun
and Rose crashed against him In tn,
same fraction of a second.
Headlong they plunged as one dowI
the hillside. struck its shelving sur
face good twenty feet from the brinl
OF the road, and flying apart tumblet
their separate ways down the re
mainder Of the drop and into tn,
friendly shelter Of the underbrush.
Something nearly miraculous save,
them whole. Beyond q few scratches
and bruises and a severe shaking up
they escaped unframed. And the,
were picking themselves up and re
! gaining their breath and re-collectin,
their scattered wits when, with i'm
petus no less terrific than their owl
had been. the pursuing motor ca
swung round the bend and hurled il
self directly at the two who RENAME,
upon the road above
CHAPTER XIX.