Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-08-17
FOURTEENTH EPISODE.


He still had Tommy's knife and with
this he cut great pile of tender balsam
for Celestia TO lie on. BY good fortune
the night was not cold. Celestial lay till
morning without moving or closing her
half-open eyes. And Freddie stood guard
over her. then sat guard. and then slept
Stilliter also slept after time. He had
found his way to the hut. and had con-
trolled his panic-stricken mind sufficiently
to reason that IL he was to find help OF
II help was to find him it would not be
at night, but in the day time.
He had many Nightmares.
Toward dawn he walked in a cold
sweat. In his sleep he had asked himself
this question:
How Will know when 1t is day.
Tommy found his candle at last, lighted
it. and retraced his steps by means of the
chalk marked at the turns and forks TO
the mouth of tile cave. He had not ex-
pected to find Celestial. And yet, it
shocked and unnerved him not to find
her. He called to her at tire top OF his
lungs, twice. then thrice. and to Frod-
die. He had no answer. To continue
shouting was a waste of breath. lie
would need all his breath perhaps to
catch up with Stilliter and Celestial. Al
ready he was on his way down the trail
which led eventually 10 where ne had left
the purloined automobile. and along which
somewhere or other he hoped to come up
with the psychological and his victim.
Stinlter. Tommy treasured. on coming
UP with the abandoned automobile, must
have left his own. taken to the woods
and reached the vicinity OF the cave by
this very trail.
Why hadn't Freddie the Ferret given
warning? Tommy thought that the poor
boy had probably been shot down in cola.
blood. There was no time to look for
the body. Tommy proceeded at dog trot
mot q run exactly, but that gait. lit
tie faster than walk that makes the
least demand upon the wind and muscles.
He kept this up. with occasional lapses
into fast walking, until the moon set.
They must have had a tremendous
start of me-" he thought. "or eIse," and
his heart sank, they're gone some other
way" He paused abruptly and hesitated.
why" he thought. che would make the
poor child take this long tramp again
without good rest. Even 1 don't like
Il any too well. and Pm strong as a horse
11o BI0bAbil ldhCn ncI OllCHuGIC JUST
out OF the ear-shot OF the cave, he may
know OF some shelter. and I've been get
ting further and further from her instead
OF nearer to her"
still Tommy could not make up his
mind to go back to the cave. Nothing
! was sure. II Stilliter was somewhere
ahead with Celestia. and Tommy gave
up following, the game was up. II they
were merely resting near the cave they
would be coming along in the morning
and he could ambush them somewhere
along the trail And he hurried on al
best he could in the darkness.
His own car was as he had left H. Still
liter's was standing just behind It. The
driver had wrapped himself in a lap robe
and was sound asleep In the tonneau
Also in the tonneau was a good-sized
wicker picnic basket. which on examine.
ton proved to be we'll stocked with sand.
| witches. cold chicken and thermos bottles
containing hot coffee and soup.
| Tommy carried the basket into ths
! woods without asking permission OF tn.
sleeping chauffeur and ate square meal
He had not until now realized how hun
cry and thirsty and tired he was. Tn,
choicest provisions in the basket he pu
aside for celestia. III I'm hungry AM
tired he thought, think what she mus
bel But suppose stilliter tells her tina
she's just had a square meal and Rh'
believes the dog. but that can't last for
ever"
( Having eaten Tommy rested for hal
an hour, took up the heavy basket. am,
once more hit the traii. Hut now he wen
slowly and stopped often to rest tie hat
seldom been so tired in his life. sni
only for an overmastering love ais'
anxiety for celestia kept him going.
II was no longer night II wasn't We
dawn; but that lovely interval betweei
when IN what appears 70 be pitch dark
/ ness, things become suddenly visible