Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1917-01-11

| Hardy waved to him imperatively.
| go on" he shouted. "Guard Miss
Dupont. May be more of them. Send
the police around to flank"
| Vandervyn's pinto leaped out Of
sight. A shot grazed the mares with
ers. In flash he flung up his rifle
and fired at the down-peering devilish
face. 1t vanished as he pressed the
| trigger.
Swift as puma. he sprang around
the mares head and dashed I'D the
slope, keeping large bowlder In line
between himself and his enemy. A bull
let came pinging down over the bowl
der and passed under his appraised
arm. A few seconds more and. safe
behind the huge stone, he slowly edged
his hat above the top. The ancient
ruse drew shot. Instantly he scram-
bled obliquely upward towards another
bowlder. 1t was a desperate move. A
bullet grazed his thigh as he flung
himself behind the bushes beside the
second bowlder. Hardy waited.
The twilight was fast fading. Still
Hardy waited, his gaze scanning the
cleft and the rocks on either side. 1t
was time for the police to come creep
ing around on the flank of the assas-
sin. A little more and the dusk would
render close shooting difficult. Yet
the precious moments slipped by, and
no sign of the police.
Over on the far side of the cleft
there was faint CLINT Of metal in the
deepening shadow. Without q mo-
ment's hesitation Hardy aimed and
fired. The mountainside rang with a
shrill yell. The bullet had found its
mark. Hardy leaped to his feet and
dashed up the mountain-side, keeping
behind shelter where it was available,
but in places boldly rushing up over
open spaces.
There, on the spot where he had
seen the CLINT, he found q trace of
blood. The wounded man had crept
away up the cleft. For several yards
Hardy followed the trail by the splash
es of crimson on the leaves and rocks.
| Then the traces ceased. But over In
one of the many clefts on the far side
Of the gap he thought he saw some
thing move among the powders. He
sprinted down the slope and across the
gap, his face flushed with exertion,
but his eyes still cold and hard.
Among the heaps Of broken rocks In
the bottom Of the gap Hardy lost sight
of the cleft forswhich he was heading.
When he started to return along what
he supposed to be the passage by
which he had entered, he soon found
himself in a cui-de-sac. Dusk was
now deepening into night. He came
out and into q steep ascent between
overhanging lodges. This certainly
was not the way by which he had en-
tered, but he kept to 1t, eager to es-
cape out OF the maze.
| Night had fallen when at last he
reached the top Of the cleft and clam
bered up on ridge crest. But the sky
was clear, and the starlight enabled
him to see the outlines Of the noun
tains that cut the skyline. A star lower
| down than any Of the others caught
his eye. He peered at 1t fixedly. The
little twinkling point Of light was
| not a start was fire, two or three
| miles away across the intervening val
ley. Hardy took his bearings by the
stars and started down the mountain
side directly toward the fire.
Once clear of the rocks Of the shat
tered mountain top, he found the going
unexpectedly easy. Almost from the
first he had lost sight of the fire and
at 10 time did he see any trace of the
trail to the mine. OF to tie left he
heard the diminutive roar Of noun
tain rill dashing down a ravine to join
the main stream In the valley.
At last he came up over the edge of
the ridgetop, or terrace, On which the
rill headed. The moment his eyes
cleared the low underbrush below the
few scattered pines he perceived the
flicker of the fire for which he was
looking. He could make out the ap-
pearance Of the dark forms around the
| fire, bat their number and the half
dozen white tepees grouped around the
fire told him that he had not found the
| camp Of his party.
He had no more than made this dis
| covery when a number Of yelping,
| snarling mongrel dogs rushed out at
hira like a pack of wolves. He met
| their attack by swinging his rife bar
| rel around In q circle. The cowardiy
ours closed about him, but were afraid
| to leap Ii within reach Of the club. He
1 III Nor Iyl
be pause or hesitsts when over the