The daily star-mirror., 1915-02-15
CHAPTER XIX.
ontinued From Last Saturday.
Sacrifice.


accident.
Alan, he told himself shrewdly
would never have run his cycle at SO
fOOlhardy a pace without good rea.
son; and under the circumstances good
reason was synonymous solely with
pursuit.
He was therefore on the alert, quick
to see the racing automobile when it
came hurtling round the bend, and In
the very nick of time grasped Judith $
arm and swung her bodily with him
. back out of harms way, amid the
trees that bordered the inside of the
road.
Of necessity his motorcycle suffered.
Abandoned in the middle of the road,
it was struck by the buffers of the
motor car and flung aside as if it had
truss of straw-landing halfway down
the embankment, hopeless tangle Of
shattered tubing and twisted wire.
At first blush the circumstance
seemed surprising that the car did
not stop. But then Barcus reminded
himself that Marrophat and Jimmy
could not possibly have witnessed the
accident involving Alan and Rose, who,l
together with the wreck Of their ma-,
chine, remained well-cloaked by the
underbrush at the bottom of the cam
yon. In all probability, then, the as
sassins had assumed that Alan had
hurried on; and since their own first
business was concerned exclusively
with them, they sh3a done likewise.
reasoning that they could return and
deal with his unfortunate friend at
their convenience after overhauling
their quarry, whose life they most
coveted. Sss@~
AS for Rose and SAlanAheaven alone
knew what had happened to them. So
Barcus set himself to- find out what
ever Providence knew without more
delay. The racing car was barely out
/, of sight when he sprang from the
sheltering, trees and, Judith at hia
heels, pelted headlongi down the slope
to the spot where the others had van
: ished.
To find them not only alive but
practically unscathed affected that
loyal soul almost to tears.
But when congratulations had been
mutually exchanged; there fell all
awkward pause Theaeges of the four
sought one another's ruefully, each
pair quick with. the unuttered but In
exorable inquiry: What next?
In the outcome, it was Mr.. Barcns
nj
was adopted-though this was it's re-
ception more through lack of better
than for any actual appeal intrinsic 4
in the proposition.
when we broke down, saw" he
ventured, with a backward jerk of
his thumb to indicate the road, "a can
yon branching off from this one about
a quarter of mile over yonder If it's
all the same to you people, we might |
stroll round that way and see what its
natural attractions may be-if any.
But it's sure a mighty poor sort Of a
canyon that doesn't lead anywhere
and nothing could possibly be more
fatiguing to our mercurial and rest
less tempers than to squat down here
and fold our hands in our laps and
wait for something to turn up-and |
anyway we can't be worse off than we
are-and-"
Sufficient" Mr.. Law interrupted
with a bleak smile.
Crooking a deferential arm, Barcus
offered it to Judith.
Everything is lovely in the formal
garden" he insisted-"so sweetly ro-
mantle. Are you game for an idle
saunter, just to while the idle hours
away?'
The woman found spirit enough for
a wan smile as she tucked her hand
gratefully beneath his arm.
You're the cheerfulest soul I ever
met" she said demurely. What I'm
going to do without you when-if ever
we get out of this awful business,
goodness only knows"
Lets talk of something else," he
suggested hastily
Unless, of course" she pursued
with unbroken gravity, Il marry
you.
Heaven" the young man prayed
fervently, "forfendl"
THAT Is hardly gallant"
Il mean-heaven forfend that you
should throw yourself away"
"Humph! she mused Perhaps
you're right
Their banter was not without a
subtle object, namely, to reassure the
girl who followed, supported by her
lovers arm.
In the course of the last "a hours
Roses jealousy Of her sisters new
found friendliness with Alan had
become acutely evident The least :
courtesy which circumstances now !.
and again demanded that he show :,
Judith or seem boor, was enough
to cloud the countenance of Alan's ,,
betrothed. !.
Nor, indeed, was Rose altogether
destitute Of plausible excuse for this
ceiling. 1t was undeniable that be- !,
,ween Alan and Judith bond Of SYM
1athy had grown out OF the trials. and !,