Meade County news., 1917-03-22
Hardy waved to him imperatvely.

I Hardy waved to him imperauvely.
"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 fash he flung up his rife
and fred at the down-peering devilish
face. 1t vanished as he pressed the
trigger.
Swift as puma, he sprang around
the mares head and dashed up the
slope, keeping large bowlder in line
between himself and his enemy. A bull
let came plnging down over the bowl
der and passed under his upralsed
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 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
WINS 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 a mo-
ment's hesitation Hardy aimed and
fired. The mountalnside rang with a
shrlll yell. The bullet had found its
mark. Hardy leaped to his feet and
dashed up the mountain-side, keeping
behind shelter where 1t was available,
but in places boldly rushing up over
open spaces.
There, on the spot where he had
seen the CLINT, he found trace of
blood. The wounded man had crept
away up the cleft. For several yards
Hardy followed the trail by the splash
j 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 th&.1ieaps pf,broken rocks IN
the bottom Of the gap Hardy lost sight
of the cleft for which he was heading
When he started to return along wha3
Ehe supposed t6s!ResSthe passage by
which he had entered, he soon found
himself in a cul-de-sac. Dusk was
now deepening into night. He cane
out, land into, q. steep ascent between
overhanging ledges. 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 a 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 fxedly. The
little twinkllng point Of light was
not 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 no time did he see any trace of the
trail to the mine. OF to the left he
heard the diminutive roar of a noun
tain rill dashing down ravlne 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-
peafance of the dark forms ar0tnd the
fire, but their number and the half
dozen white tepees grouped around the
fire told him that he had not found the
I c6np 0tdKis party.
He had no more than made this dis
Ecovery when ar7number of yelping
snarling mongrel dogs rushed out at
I'him like a pack of wolves. He met
| their attaek BY swinging hisyIffie bar
ffel around In q circle. The eowardiy
ours closed about him, but were afraid
to leap in within reach Of the club. he
had not stopped his advance. Nor did
he pause or hesitate when oyer the