Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-01-19

stance known as nitroglycerin, nor
did he explain TO her, at the end Of
his quiet yet hurried labors. that the
looped line hanging at the tunnel
mouth was In any way connected with
the illuminate caps which he had
placed so pregnantly close to his bur
fed mine. But 1t was well, he remem-
bered, TO be prepared for such men
as Legar and his followers.
Now" said the masked figure, turn
ing to the girl, Il want ycu to stay
here until l get back"
Waiting for her leliverer's return,
however, proved neither a pleasant
nor a tranquilizing pastime. The girl
became restless. Then sne became
worried. Then she even ventured to
creep out along the rough-shored pas-
sageway, to where the tunnel opened
en- a shelf OF rock and gravel half way
up the hillside. Screened as 1t was
with shrubbery she could see little of
the valley before her. The only point
OF life that met her gaze was a black
touring al crawling along the valley
road. When that car turned off the
read and twisted and rocked in be-
tween the bushes below her she
thought, at first, that 1t was her I'M
known guardian returning to her. But
when she saw five men cautiously
emerge from that half-hidden car and
creep still closer through the under
brush, she felt sure that they were
not approaching as friends. For a mo-
ment her heart leaped up into her
mouth. Then she breathed again, for
she saw that they were not approach
ing her hiding place. but apparently
seeking one Of their own. And as they
foregathered behind a screen of scrub
oak not more than thirty feet below
her she knew both by their guarded
tones and their general conspiratorial
aspect that they stood intent on their
own ends, quite oblivious of her and
her hiding place.
Her face paled, however. as she
heard the clearer and mere |authorita-
tive tones OF one of those speakers.
For that voice, she knew, belonged to
Legar, and only to Legar.
The girl, pushing her cautious way
through the bushes, leaned even closer
over the ledge. Then she held her
breath, for she saw that her move
ments had lcosened the gravel at her
feet and sent a covey Of powders
%careening down the hillside. The
voices below at the same time came
to a sudden stop. In another moment
she could hear the crash Of hurrying
feet through the tangled shrubbery.
Before she could turn and fly Lee
gar and his four evil-faced followers
were charging up the slope. They
we're upon her, cutting off her retreat
before she could dodge back into the
passageway. Yet she did not surren-
der without a struggle. She fought
them back as best she could, standing
at bay with her back against the rocky
hillside. 1t was not until Legar's hand
clamped like a wise on her arm that
she screamed, and screamed again.
A masked figure picking his eau
tious way along the crest CT the hill
above them heard that cry and seemed
to understand its meaning. For, on
hearing that repeated scream, he no
longer picked his way, but ran fran
tically. and with all his speed. So pre-
cipitately did he scurry down that
rocky hillside, in fact, that he de-
scended in a flying leap in the very
midst Of Legar's followers clustered
about the girl. He landed like a
fallen plumb bob, heels down, knock
ing one Of the conspirators sprawl
ing Owe the cliff edge as he came. An
other he sent with a well-aimed blow
in the same direction. The third was
not disposed OF so easily. But an
adept jiu-jitsu twist of the body socn
sent this opponent diving headfore-
most into the loose gravel. 1t was
then that Legar, seeing his men going
down about him like %ninepins, re
leased his clutch IN the girls arm to
draw his revolver.
At the same moment that he did
so the man in the mask, swinging the
girl sharply about, darted for the tun-
nel-mouth. He was through It before
Legar could level his gun and fire. He
was half-leading, half-dragging the
painting girl down the narrow passage
before any OF the band could follow.
But before he lodged for the hidden
powder house he threw up his free
hand and caught at the loop which
hung there at the end OF his limo. And
he pulled It vigorously as he ran.
The result of hat simple movement
was both prompt and appalling. The
thunder Of a great defamation SHOOK
the earth. The rocky hillside erupt
cd into a sudden volcano of flying
earth and gravel. finging fits tons o.
debris into the echoing valley. AnC
under the debris could be seen the
still struggling limbs of Legar and hi
men.
But the man In the mask did no
linger to Witness those struggles. HI
|. darted with the white-faced girl on
OF the broken tunnel mOuth, dragged