The Jasper news., 1919-07-24
EPISODE NO. 8.
COPYRIGHT, l7l7. BY MTA6RAPH
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE.

WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE.
Six pieces of chart flag are the only
Key to the location of treasure buried
years before on the Gulf of Mexico. Dick
and Polly Van Brunt have one piece and
Scarface another. He kills Polly's father,
gets her flag and starts after the treas
ure. Dick and Polly are joined by other
nag-holcers and they pursue Scarface,
who captures all but Dick, and placing
them bound in box-car, sends the car
down grade in the path of an on-com-
Inn train.
Certain that Folly and his friends
were confined and helpless within the
boN-car, and that they were speeding
to horrible death in the debris of
the railroad wreck that must come,
Dick grew cold as he swept his eyes
over the scene. The car was gaining
speed with every turn of Its wheels,
and 1t would be but short time be-
fore It's pace would be that of train
speeding on its way behind a loco
motive. And like rats in trap Polly
and the others would go To their death
"A death of mutilation and perhaps
horrible agony. He ground his teeth
and the frigid perspiration Of despair
beaded his forehead as he. realized
the awful fate that confronted them.
1t seemed like hopeless task to
try and head off that ponderous Jug
gernaut that was rumbling on its way
down the grade, and even should he
succeed in getting to a certain point
ahead of it to all appearance his race
would have been futile one. A hun
dred men standing in the path of the
rolling monster would have been swept
down as grass before a scythe. 1t
would go through a regiment of horse
as tank of war through line of
infantry, dashing them aside, crush
Ing them down, grinding them beneath
It's steel wheels. While with his great
strength he had been able to stem
the motion of the boulder for few
moments until Tomas had come to
his rescue the boulder had been but
an insignificant thing against this roll
Ing instrument of death which no liv-
ing thing could for second with
stand Yet though to confront 1t were
useless, to sit idly in his saddle while
those dearest to him were being swept
to death was both maddening and
cowardly, and with little hope thot he
could prevent the catastrophe he sunk
his spurs deep and darted forward.
Dick had ridden against Death many
time, but never a more desperate
ride than that across the big bend in
the railroad to overtake the runaway
box-car carrying to certain death Polly
and her companions who had been
placed, bound hand and foot, in the
cal by Scarface and his outlaw gang
and sent down the single track grade
against an oncoming passenger train.
Urging his tired horse up a steep
embankment, Dick gained the tracks
just at the foot of the bend and d.
rectly beneath a "tell-tale" stretched
across the tracks. Looking up the
line he saw the boX-car rounding a
bend and approaching at dizzying
speed; in the opposite direction could
plainly be seen the approaching pas
senger train, but around q bend so
1t was impossible for the engineer to
see the boX-car.
Realizing collision was inevitable,
Dick raised his eyes as II in prayer
and caught sight of the tell-tale. Like
IN inspiration he saw possible chance
to save his friends. Leaping from the
horse he climbed the pole and grasp
ing the leather thongs hanging yer.
tically from the frame, made his way
midway between the rails, just as the
cal flashed beneath.
Dropping to the roof of the car he
was carried by the momentum nearly
over the edge, but regained his feet
and making his way to the end threw
on the BRAKES with all his strength
AT the same instant a sharp whistle
told him the passenger engine crew
had seen the peril. Both acted in the
nick of time, for as the box-cal
stopped 1t just bumped the pilot OF
the locomotive just beginning to re
verse.
From the engine and cars of the
passenger train the crew and passen
gers came pouring as they demanded
to know what 1t all meant. As briefly
as possible Dick told them, and witt
muttered oaths at the cowardly gant
of outlaws who had plotted the death.
of all of them they lost no time II
bursting the door of the box-car ant
leaping inside. Dick, first of them all
was at Polly's side and bending ovel
her aA9fore his closest follower hat
ser foot upon the floor of the car. H,
raised her bodily in his strong arms.
"All Well?" he cried as he looket