The Jasper news., 1919-08-07

the location of a buried treasure. Dick
and Polly Van Brunt hold one piece and
"Scarface" holds a second and schemes
TO get the others and the treasure. He
kills Polly's father and gets her flag and
heads across the desert for Mexico. Other
holders join Dick and they pursue him.
They are surprised at night, their flags
taken and they are doomed to death.
Dick had simply dozed while the
others slept about the camp fire, and
II was sudden premonitlon of dan
ger that brought him to complete
,wakefulness. Selling his pistol he
woke the others, but before any could
make a move, the automobile was
lacked into the light of the fire. Scar
face was manning the machine gun,
'other outlaws supported him with
their rifles.
I'VE got the drop on you. Hands
up or I'll fill you full of lead" shouted
Scarface, and seeing the futility of
resistance, all hands surrendered and
were securely bound, including Steb-
lins, nearly dead from the strangling.
1t was an evil night that the pris-
oners passed through. With their fet-
tiers cutting into their wrists and
limbs and tortured by thirst it took
all their hardihood to endure their
sufferings with resignation. And in
addition to their physical tortures their
thoughts gave them little mental rest.
After all they had passed through it
now seemed as though their struggles
End hardships had been for naught,
and that Scarface and his devilish
gang were destined to win and be-
come heir to the vast treasures which
belonged to Polly by right. Also, that
Scarface would think up some new
end diabOlical way to torture them
when the morrow came they had lit.
tie doubt. The man was a human
as a serpent and nothing would de-
light him more than to watch their
sufferlngs as they slowly expired be-
meath some ingenious torture. The
thought of Polly being in the clutches
of this human devil made Dick grind
his teeth, and time and again he eX-
crted his great strength against the
result, however, was to cause the
thongs to sink deeper into his flesh,
and at last he was forced to desist
and save his strength for some later
occasion when it might serve him to
some good purpose. Turning his head
he spoke in low voice to Polly.
"Are you suffering much pain, lit
81 -. n,1., II, l,r
darkness came her voice equally
guarded, bravely uncomplaining.
"No, am getting along very nicely,
was her answer. "And how about
your"
"Fine as fiddle" he returned witt
equal nonchalance despite the bitini
pain. But though her voice had beer
calm he knew that she must be suf
fcring severely, and his fingers closet
like talons as he pictured the hou
when he would have the throat of tn,
wretch who was torturing her thu
between them. Could Dick have burs
his bonds at that moment and fallel
upon Scarface, he would have snuffet
out the life of that outlaw with a
little cOmpunction as he would hav,
destroyed a Gila monster. Thus al
night long they lay suffering uncom
plainlngly, their brains whirling lik
horoscopes as they devised and re
jected vain plans of escape, their wild
open eyes fastened upon the slowl.
sailing moon and mocking stars.
When daylight came, Scarface ha
the prisoners marched through the dr.
grass and trees to the cliff back O
the camp. Then stepping up to Die
and Polly, he demanded:
''Ill take that last piece of flag
gave you last night. And you had bet
ter hand 1t over without any monke
work either. for I am in no humo
to palaver long this morning. And |
YOU want little free advice I'll Civ
1t to you. Heretofore l have bee
rather easy with you, and you prob
ably have got 1t in your heads that
um afraid to hurt you because l huv
Eeen lenlent in the past. But If tina
is the case you are going to &c
fOOled now. knew you would escap
when l hung you from the cliff an
when l rolled that boulder down upo
you l missed you on purpose just bt
cause hated to kill you and wante
10 give you chance to come to you
senses. But that Is all past now and
mean business. From now on / al
not going to put up with any nonsense
and If you won't be reasonable-we
the consequences will be on your ow
heads"
Mrhnnk unn for ynnr INST Kindness