The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1915-01-08
CHAPTER XLVlu.
Full EIinht.

surely, II must De dCCluenLhl
Surely it can't 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. 1t wouldn't
be us if we didn't pick out the one
place where Marrophat and Jimmy
| chose to stop over night. Fortunate
ly. it's early; l doubt they're up
With half a show we ought to be able
to find some way of putting good
distance between us and this town
before they waken D.. Tom"
But Mr.. Barcus was already at his
elbow, in thorough sympathy with
Alan's Interpretation of the signit-
canoe to be attached to the card that
trembled in Roses hand.
"Sharp's the world" 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 Well"
Looks like it," Barcus admitted.
But so much the better Well just
naturally take the darn thing off 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 US 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 Barcus was justified in
his surmise that the neighboring
country was pOyerty-striCken in re
spect of motor cars. Mesquite itself
boosted two motorcycles whose own
ers were not Indifferent to a chance
to sell them secondhand at con
siderable advance on the retail list
price of the machines, when new.
And thus it was that, within ten
minutes from Roses discovery of that
chanCe-hung 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 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
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 adj
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
If the question.
But the devil takes care of his own:
within another half hour what seemed
% be sheer, bull-headed, dumb luck
brought a casual automobile to Mes
luite-a two-seated, high-power
'acng machine of the latest and
3peediest pattern, driven by two ire
'ponsible wayfarers who proved only
90 susceptible to Marrophat's offer of
louble the cost of the car-f. O. b.
Oetroit-for its immediate surrender.
The two piled out promptly enough;
Marrophat and Jimmy jumped in;
rrine from his bedroom window sped
hem on their murderous mission with
blast of blasphemy.
1t must have been an hour later
when Alan, checking his motorcycle
is it surmounted the summit of a
ong upgrade, looked back and dis
Overed, several miles distant on the
ar-fung windings of the mountain
Dad, a small crimson shape that ran
ike a mad thing tirelessly pursued
~ cloud of tawny dust like gold
n ghost, {
A motor car beyond all question,
nd one of uncommon woodworking
uality; it might or might not con-
ain Marrophat and Jimmy, once more I
n Dursuit Whether or NOT hitter | ,
experience had long since educated {
Ian in the gentle art of taking no
hances.
Though it was his life that they t
ought so pertinaciously, no later than
esterday land then by no means for
he first time), they had proved that
Rose were with Alan they would /
include her ruthlessly in whatsoever l