The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1915-01-25
CHAPTER xxxvIII.
The Upper Trail.

PlChcu up lu0 1u9u loXdS ana carried
him off to breathe his last beneath a
roof; Hopi Jim picked himself up,
brushed his person tolerably clear of
clouds Of dust and profanity, and de
parted in search of a mount to replace
the horse that had been shot under
him; and Judith sat her horse calmly
smiling sweet insolence into the exas
perated countenance of Marrophat
Incidentally the fugitives disap
peared round bend in the road that
led directly into the wild and barren
heart of the Painted hills.
In the brief interval that elapsed be.
fore his return with Hopi Jim, Mario
plat contrived to persuade the bandit
that Judith had been, at least indi
rectly, responsible for the catastrophe,
with the upshot that, temporarily
blinded to her destinations by the gilt
| ter Of nineteen thousand dollars in the
near distance, Mr.. Slade maintained
his distance and a deaf ear to her
Establishments. The only information
as to their purpose that she was able
to extract from either man, when the
pursuing party turned aside from the
main trail, some distance from Mesa,
was that Hopi Jim knew a short cut
through the range, via what he termed
the upper trail, by which they hoped
to be able 20 head the fugitives off be-
fore they could gain the desert on the
far side of the hills
Only at long intervals did they draw
rein to permit Hopi Jim to make re-
connoissance Of the lower trail that
threaded the valley on the far side Of
the ridge.
Toward noon he returned in haste
from the last of these surveys
scrambling recklessly down the noun
tain-side and throwing himself upon
his horse with the advice:
We've headed 'em-can make 1t
now If we ride like all get-out!"
For half an hour more they pushed
on at the best speed to be obtained
from their weary animals, at length
drawing rein at a point where the trail
crossed the ridge and widened out
upon long, broad ledge that over
hung the valley of the lower trail, with
a clear drop to the latter from the
brink of good two hundred feet.
One hasty look back and down into
the valley evoked grunt of satisfac-
ton from Hopi Jim.
"Just in time" he asseverated. Here
they come! Ten minutes more
His smile answered Marrophat's
with unspeakable cruel significance.
"Texas will sleep better tonight
when he knows how I've squared the
deal for him!" the bandit declared.
what are you going to do?" Judith
demanded, refining her horse in beside
Marrophat as the latter dismounted.
A gesture drew her attention to a
huge boulder poised insecurity on the
very lip of the chasm.
Were going to tip that over on
your friends, Miss Judith" Marrophat
replied, with a smack of relish in his
voice. "Simple-neat-effi
What more can you ask?"
She answered only with an irrepress-
ible gesture Of horror. Marrophat's
laugh followed her as she turned away.
For some moments she strained her
vision vainly, endeavOring to pene-
trate the turbulent currents of super
heated air that filled the valley. Then
she made out indistinctly the family
marked line of the lower trail; and
she caught a glimpse of
three small figures, mounted, telling
painfully toward the point where death
awaited them like bolt from the blue.
Hastily she glanced over-shoulder:
Hopi Jim and Marrophat, ignoring her, |
we're straining themselves against the |
boulder without budging it an inch,
sor all it's apparent nicely Of poise. For
an instant wild hope flashed through |
ler mind, but it was Immediately ex-
orcised when Hopi Jim stepped back
and uttered few words of which only
and se"-reacheG
Ter ears.
Kneeling beside the boulder he dug |
)usily for an instant, then lodged the I
'tick to his satisfaction, attached the I
uoO, dAu VI Odh1A6 O1l, Ou6Ou OI hAo
belly to the edge Of the cliff and
ooked down, carefully calculating the
ength of the fuse by the distance Of
he party down below from the spot
where the rock must fall.
But while he was so engaged and
aided him, all eager inter-
st, Judith was taking advantage of
heir disregard Of her.
Hurriedly unbuttoning her jacket,
he whipped a playing card from her
rocket, trey O. hearts, and with the
tub of a pencil scrubbed three words
n it's face-"Danger! Go back!"
Then finding small, fattish bit Of
ock, she bound the card to it with
bit of string; and with one more
ackward glance to make sure she
Tas not watched. approached the
rink. p
Hopi Jim was meticulously. shorten
lg the fuse, Marrophat kneeling by
Is side.
In the canyon below the three were
'ithin two minutes of the danger