Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-01-12

| "Thought so" He dared open his
eyes mite wider. Hes pukka-true
to typel Rob first aad then kill"
AS he watched, the thief drew the
sheet back from Hyde's face, with
| trained fingers that could have taken
| spectacles from the victims nose with
out his knowledge. Then as fish glide
In and out among the reeds without
touching them, swift and soft and I'M
seen, his fingers searched Hyde's body.
They found nothing.
King moved In his sleep, rather
noisily, and the movement knocked a
book to the floor from the foot of his
berth. The noise of that awoke Hyde,
and King pretended to begin to wake.
yawning and rolling on his back (that
being much the safest position an UNI
armed man can take and much tire
most awkward for his enemy.
"Thievesw Hyde yelled at the top of
his lungs, cropping wildly for his pistol
and not finding 1t.
King sat up and rubbed his eyes.
The native drew the knife. and-be-
| lieving himself In command of the
ituation--hesitated for one priceless
second. He saw his error and darted
for the door too late. With move
ment unbelievably swift King was
there ahead of him; and with another
movement not so swift, but much more
disconcerting, he threw his sheet az
the retiarius used to throw a net In
ancient Rome, 1t wrapped round the
natives head and arms, and the two
went together to the floor In twisted
stranglehold.
In another half-minute the native
was groaning for King had his knife
wrist In two hands and was bending 1t
backward while he pressed the mans
stomach with his knees.
The knife fell to the floor, and the
thief made gallant effort to recover
1t, but King was too strong for him.
He seized the knife himself, slipped 1t
In his own bosom and resumed his hold
before the native guessed what he was
after. The train screamed Itself to a
standstill at waysde station, and
man with lantern began to chant
the stations name. The instant the
trains motion altogether ceased the
heat shut In on them as IL the lid Of
Tophet had been slammed. The prick
ly heat burst out all over Hyde's skin
and Kings too
There was plenty Of excuse for re-
laxing hold, and King made full use OF
1t. A second later he gave very good
pretense Of pain In his finger ends as
the thief burst free. The native made
dive at his bosom for the knife, but
he frustrated that Then he made a
prodigious effort, Just too late, to
clutch the man again, and he did sue
coed In tearing loose piece Of shirt:
but the fleeing robber must have won
dered, as he bolted into the backer
shadows OF the station building, why
such an iron-fingered. wide-awake
sahib should have made such truly
feeble showing at the end.
"Hang it!--couldn't you hold HINT
We're you afraid Of him, or what2" de-
manded Hyde, beginning to dress him
self. Instead Of answering, King leaned
out into the lamp-lit gloom, and In a
minute he caught sight of sergeant
Of native infantry passing down the
train. He made a sign that brought
the man to him on the run.
| HTlfd wan caa +hak r1.na xn,n " 1u ha
asked.
"Ha, sahib. saw one running. Shall
followT
mo. This piece Of his shirt viii
identify him. Take 1t. Hide It'll When
a man with torn shirt, into which
that piece fits, makes for the telegraph
Office after this train has gone on, see
that he Is allowed to send any teie-
grams he wants to Only, have copies
Of every one of them wired to Captain
King, care Of the stationmaster, Delhi.
Have you understood?"
"Ha, sahib."
"Grab him. and lock him up tight
afterward--but not until he has sent
| ulS ltlskTNIuS J.
"Atcha, sahib."
"Make yourself scarce, then"
Major Hyde was dressed, having per-
formed that military evolution In some
thing less than record time,
"Who was that you were talking
to?" he demanded. But King did not
seem to understand until the native
sergeant had quite vanished into the
shadows
The engine shrieked Of death and
torment; the heat relaxed as the en-"
CINE ELECTROMAGNETIC 60 lifted
at last, and trainload of hot passen-
gers sighed thanks.
what are you looking atT Hyde
demanded at last, sitting on Kings
berth.
"Only knife" said King. He was
standing under the dim gas lamp that
helped make the darkness more un-
bearable. He slowed the knife away
In his bosom, and the major crossed to
| bie ouu etdo