Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1915-01-30
CHAPTER XVIII.
Full FIiqht.

Surely il can't mean"
I'm afraid it does" Alan Law re
sponded gravely. cycling the front o.
the Mountain house. Our luck holds
consistently-tha all. II 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 4 show we ought to be able
to find some way of putting a good
distance between US and this town
before they waken Tom"
But Mr.. Barcus was already at his
elbow, in thorough sympathy with
| Alan's Interpretation OF the signifi-
canoe to be attached to the card that
| trembled in Roses hand.
"Sharp's the world" he agreed
And there's a motor car oter there
in front of the blacksmith's. Prob
ably we can hire her"
"Trine's carl" Alan calculated.
swinging round and recognizing the
automobile at a 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 III bet 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 poverty-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 a con-
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-fung 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
he window just in time to see the
second motorcycle gathering momen.
,um, Alan steering, Rose in the seat
behind
Sixty seconds later a Haunting ban
Ter OF dust was all that remained to
'emind Mesquite that romance had
passed that way-that, and a series
" passionate screams emanating
rom the bedchamber of Seneca
Urine, where the cripple lay posses
ed by seven devils of insensate rage.
His screams brought attendance: .
tut 1t was a matter Of many precious
before his demands could be {
net and Marrophat and Jimmy reused ,
rom their crapulous slumbers in adj ,
dining chambers; and half an hour 3
lapsed. before the chauffeur, reused g
rom his own well-earned rest, sue
eeded in convincing the pair that =
ursuit with the motor car was out :
the question. =
But the devil takes care of his own: +
ithin another half hour what seemed r
, be sheer, bull-headed, dumb luck. f.
rought a casual automobile to Mes
Utica two-seated, high-power Il
lcing machine of the latest and a
oeediest pattern. driven by two IRE II
,onsiole wayfarers who proved only "
70 susceptible to Marrophat's offer Of e
)uble the cost Of the car-f. O. b. ! n
etroit-for its immediate surrender ID
The two piled out promptly enough; h
arrophat and Jimmy jumped In; s,
line from his bedroom window sped 81
EN- on their murderous mission with II,
blast of blasphemy.
1t must have been an hour later
hen Alan, checking his motorcycle
1t surmounted the summit of a
1g upgrade, looked back and dis
vered, several miles distant on the pr
r-fiung windings of the mountain &C
I'D, small crimson shape that ran
e a mad thing tirelessly pursued W,
a cloud OF tawny dust like a gold TO
ghost. so
A motor car, beyond all question. re
d one OF uncommon road-devouring pu
atty; II might or might not con.
n Marrophat and Jimmy. once more to
pursuit. Whether or not. bitter ca
oerience had long since educated tn,
IN in the gentle art Of taking no ar
lnces. ba
Though It was his life that they tire
Ight so pertinaciously. no later than TO:
terday land then by no means for
first time), they had proved that Alb
Rose were with Alan they would It
lude her ruthlessly In whatsoever mo