Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1916-05-19

SO exclusively that II had the effect
OF i..'a.'iyu he stumbled on. nj first
Jos. .l1'1yuuy
'Nl.l oEe up just now it was as
ii. without my win, had been think.
ing 900 .D.r out in my sleep. saw
ms b 10 d" GIst time clearly as
H... beet oyer since ! can remember
..H r... .tu.aNtlcss. vain. rapaclous.
.".' ...-'ug in shadows and
''.. y an amazingly fine fel-
lp. ..lVcen coups I would
,'.. . ..'.man a bit. venture into
tln i..ju Hl wager in the haunts Of
,hr ro. stable IN my poor perverted
brain beloved there was something
fine and thrilling and romantic in the
aa...T OF great criminal and myself
q wonderful igure-an enemy OF so
ri..r.p potentially as deadly as a rattle
snake always ready to kill-if never
ttd.'
"Na do YOU say this to me?" she
demanded uhrlptly out of a phase of
profound tho rhtfulness.
tie lifted an apologize shoulder and
laughed With shoepsh air.
Because ! presume, I'm no longer
snlfsuUripnt. ] was all of that twenty
-four hours ago. but now I'm as lone
some a' a lost child in a dark forest.
! haven't a friend in the world. I'm
like @ stray pup, grovelng for sym.
pathy And you-are unfortunate
enough TO be the only person | can de-
clare myself to- It's going to be a
fight know that too well-and with
out something outside myself to strug-
gle toward I'll be heavily handicapped.
But if'-he faltered. with a look OF
wistful oarncstness-"if thought that
YOU, perhaps. were little interested,
that had won your faith and had that
to rc pcct and cherish-if dared hope
that you'd be glad to know had won
out against odds-it would mean a
great deal to me; it might mean my
salvation!"
Watching her narrowly hanging up
on hDg decision with the anxiety Of a
man prescribed and hoping against
hope for pardon, he saw her eyes cloud
and shift from his, her lips parted but
hcsitaut. and before she could speak
he hastily interposed:
Please don't say anything yet. First
let me demonstrate my sincerity. So
far I've done nothing to persuade you
brt-talk and talk and talk! But give
me- half q chance to prove | mean
what I say
How she enunciated only with
visible effort and no longer met his ap.
peal with an open countenance-"how
can you do that"
IN the long run, by establishing my
self in some honest way of life, how
ever modest; but now, and principally.
by making PREPARATION for at least one
crime I've committed that's not ir-
reparable."
He caught her quick glance Of in
quiry and met it with a confident nod
as he placed between them the moroc-
co-houHd jewel case
In London, yesterday" he said
quietly, Il brought OFF two big coups.
one was deliberate, the other the in
SEPARATION Of a moment. The one Id
planned for months was the theft Of
the Omber jewels-here."
He tapped the case, then resumed in
the same manner: The other-needs
a diagram. Not long ago a Frenchman
named IIuysman. living in Tours. was
mystcriousiy murdered-a poor in
veutor who had starved himself to
perfect a stabilizator, an attachment
for acroplanes which renders them
practically foOl-proof. His final trials
had created a sensation, and he was on
the eve OF selling his invention to the
government when he was killed and
his plans stolen.
"Circumstantial evidence pointed to
an international spy named Ekstrom-
Adolph Ekstrom, once chief Of the avi.
alton corps of the German army, cash.
tered for general blackguardism-with
a suspicion of treason to boot How.
ever, Ekstrom kept under cover, and
presently the plans turned up in the
German war office. That was q big
thing for Germany, already supreme
with'hor dirigibles, the acquisition OF
the Huysman stabilizator promised her
ten years lead over the world in the
field Of aeroplanes.
Now, yesterday, Ekstrom came TO
the surface in London with those self.
same plans to sell TO England. Chance
threw him my way. and he mistook
me for the man he'd expected to meet
Downing streets secret agent. Well
no matter howl got the plans from
him and brought them over with ne,
to turn them over to Frar ce,
to whom, by rights, they belong"
Without consideration ?" the girl In.
Quircd shrewdly.
Not exactly. had meant to make
no profit Of the affair-I'm a bit
sgucamish about tainted money-but
under present conditions, IL France in.
sists on rewarding me with safe con.
duct out Of the country, l sha'nt re.
fuse il. Do you approved"
She nodded earnestly. TT would be
worse than criminal IN return then, ~