Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-06-03
THIRD EPISODE.

You can't keep on fooling me-" he
said. Come now. what's your real
name?"
'Celestia" she said.
"All right. if you don't want to tell. me
yet; 1t will keep. it's bound to. But tell
me then are you"-he hesitated and
blushed. ''Td really like to know. You
see I'm rather crazy about you. You're
net Mrs. Somebody or other. are your"
The embarrassed smile froze on his
lips. He leaped to his feet and stood lis
tening. Faint ana clear, sounding cheer
full rather than ominous. there rose to
them from the valleys below a baying of
dogs, Tommy had gone once with
posse of deputy sheriffs to see how a
murderer is hunted down with the blood
hounds. Whole scenes Of that pursuit
flashed through his mind. and he knew
that the baying. which now sounded I'm
his ears. was not that of .deerhounds
running out of season. but the blood
hounds following a human trait.
He climbed swiftly to the top Of the hub
end stood listening. his field glasses
glued to his eyes.
That there would ever be any difficulty
Of evading such a man as stiiiter in the
lie had pictured stilliter a man of re-
source in a laboratory or in dissecting
room with an insensible guinea pig
staked out on the operating table. but
not out of doors. The man was fat. un-
healthily white and. appallingly near
sighted. That such man could be so
hot. upon their trail had about It a SIMS
lter--quality that brought Tommy's heart
into his mouth.
A glimpse of two bloodhounds and four
men, one of whom was Stilliter and an
other a full-blooded Indian, crossing an
open space, recently crossed by Celestla
and himself during their unhurried es-
cape and in the same direction, brought
Tommy down from the Hub in a great
hurry.
As for Celestia-well, she couldn't be a
movie actress; no movie actress playing
ltruant would be hunted down with blood
hounds and he felt that she must be ac-
counted for upon some other hypothesis
but later when there was more time
Meanwhile there was nothing TO be
thought of but instant getting together
Of such things as might prove most use
full and flight.
We've got TO beat 1t. Celestial" he
said. I'm sorry. because you are tired
but that man." then by encircling his
eyes with his hands he indicated Prof
StilliteTs eye glasses-''is after us.
She rose obedient1y to her feet II
don't know why he wants to catch YOU"
said Tommy. and either you don't know
or you won't tell But you dislike him.
and you're afraid of him, and that's
enough"
kettle. frying pan. salt. tea and
matches rolled into a blanket and
strapped to his shoulders. his field
glasses, axe and fishing tackle were about
ali that Tommy could carry and make
speed under. Especially * he had TO help
Celestia under difficulties His rifle he
abandoned. II would be better, he
thought. TO be unarmed than to attempt
with light twenty-five to oppose re-
'peating rifles Of a heavy caliber. And
furthermore, Tommy, though prepared
to stand up for Celestia's right and 20
fight for them. was not prepared TO kill
anybody In an affair which was entirely
q mystery to him.
They were soon under way, following
the higher ground. where the granite
outeroppings neither received any i'm
press from their feet nor long held the
OF the ridges were not all granite, and
Tommy knew very we'll that in places
they were making what woodmen call a
broad trail. A trail OF footprints and
bent and broken branches which an In
dian will read as casually as a com
lnuter reads his newspaper and which.
BY bloodhounds, he viii follow as
easily az small boys follow a procession
through a city street
That broad reaches of unbroken granite
would occasionally BATTLE their pursuers
was all that Tommy could hope for. He
couhted on these bafflements for making
up for the difference il speed between
men and dogs. travelling light. and a
girl ALREADY too tired and utterly unused
10 tho woods
lie had at first only a vague idea as 10