The Adair County news., 1918-03-27

uown a great, ranlike shaft Of light
across the snow vista. saltwater
Pete passed behind him on his way to
the stable and called a cheerful good
morning in his direction.
Mrs. Olson had put the stove outside
the tent and Gordon lifted it to the
spot where they did the cooking.
"Good morning, neighbor," he called
to Sheba. 'Sleep well?"
The little rustling sounds within the
| tent ceased. A face appeared in the
doorway, the flaps drawn discreetly
close beneath the chin.
"Never better. Is my breakfast
ready YETI"
"Come and help me make it. Mrs.
Olson is waiting on Holt"
| "When I'm dressed" The smiling
face disappeared. dublin Bay" sound
ed in her fresh young voice from the
tent. Gordon joined in the song as he
lit the fire and sliced bacon from
| frozen slab of it.
The bowling Of the huskies inter
rupted the song. They had evidently
heard something that excited them.
| Gordon listened. Was it in his fancy
only that the breeze carried to him the
faint jingle of sleigh-bells? The sound,
| if it was one, died away. The cook
turned to his job.
He stopped saving at the meat, knife
and bacon both suspended in the air.
On the hard snow there had come to
| Il Io Of hnh ind
Whose? Sheba was in the tent, Swift
water at the stable, Mrs. Olson in the
house. Slowly he turned his head.
What Elliot saw sent the starch
| through his body. He did not move an
inch, still sat crouched by the fire, but
every nerve was at tension, every
muscle taut. For he was looking at a
rifle lying negligently in brown, steady
hands. They were very sure hands,
very competent ones. He knew that
because he had seen them in action.
The owner of the hands was Colby
Macdonald.
The Scotch Canadian stood at the
edge of willow grove. His face was
grim as the day of judgment.
"Don't move" he ordered.
Elliot laughed irritably. He was both
annoyed and disguised.
"What do you want?" he snapped.
"You." !
"What's worrying you now? Do you
think I'm jumping my bond?"
you're going back to Kusiak with
me-to give a life for the one you
took"
whats thatT cried Gordon, sur
prised.
"Just as I'm telling you. I've been
, on your heels ever since you left town.
You and Holt are going back with me
as my prisoners"
'But what for"
"For robbing the bank and killing
: Robert Milton, as you know well
enough"
SIS this another plan arranged for
me by you and Selfridge?" demanded
Elliot.
Macdonald ignored the question and
lifted his voice. "Come out of that
tent, Holland come with your hands
up unless you want your head blown
off,"
'Holt isn't in that tent, you idiot. If
you want to know"
"Come now, if you expect to come
alive" cut in the Scotsman Ominously.
He raised the rifle to his shoulder and
covered the shadow thrown by the sun
on the figure within.
Gordon flung out wild protest and
threw the frozen slab of bacon at the
head of Macdonald. With the same mo-
ton he launched his own body across
the stove. A fifth of q second earlier
the tent flap had opened and Sheba
had come out.
The sight of her paralyzed Macdon-
aid and saved her lovers life. 1t dis
tracted the mine-Owner long enough
for him to miss his chance. A bullet
struck the stove and went off at a
tangent through the tent canvas not
two feet from where Sheba stood. A
second went speeding toward the sun.
For Gordon had followed the football
players instinct and dived for the
knees of his enemy.
They went down together. Each
squirming for the upper place, they
rolled over and over. The rifle was
forgotten. Like cave men they fought,
crushing and twisting each others
muscles with the blind lust of primor-
dials to kill. As they clinched with
one arm. they struck savagely with the
other. The impact of smashing blows
on naked flesh sounded horribly cruel
to Sheba.
Continued next week