New-York tribune., 1920-08-01

main road, and then drop him out
} to do the roping. I'll stay in Carey
J vile with you. He's to give US the
signal as soon as he locates young
Whately. Give me the lay Of the
, land, will you? There's the rain"
A few scattered drops began to
patter on the hood. "You1l get wet
enough to show you've been out all
night, anyway" he said to Barney,
and spread the map on his knees.
Barney was peeling off his clothes.
II can swim," he volunteered pertly,
"if don't get cramps"
Babbing nudged his operative with
a secret elbow. They had their heads
together over the map. Here's our
road now," Babbing said. "Where
does Langton's property begin?"
The highway from the Beaverton
station ran for five miles up q tilted
valley to the top Of ridge of rolling
land whose slopes had been cleared
for farms. Where the ridge joined
the shoulder of Knob Top the road
began to wind down to the Carey
vile Valley, in falling turns and
angles; and at the first turn mar
rover road forked off into the woods
of Knob Top, to find the Langton
bungalow where it sat above Carey
: vile with it's back to the mountains.
= At the entrance to this wood road
tho auto slowed in sightless
downpour, blinded by lightning,
deafened by thunder that shook
the hills, struggling against stam-
pede of wind and rain that had
gone wild with the night. A hand
raised the storm curtains; the door
opened; Barney jumped out, and the
cold rain doused him dripping wet
in an instand, as if buckets had been
emptied on him. He hunched up his
shoulders, pulling down his hat, and
ran for the shelter of the trees,
crouching. A bright explosion Of
lightning that burst the sky showed
a blanched world of rock and field
in gray greens, the wood before
him lashed and reeling, the road
ankle deep in muddy torrent. 1t
was all blotted out instantly in a
roar of thunder. When the next
stab of lightning cut the darkness
the auto had vanished down the
Wountain side and Barney was hid
den by the woods.
Babbing and the men in the auto
had torn the band from his hat
:, and stained the light felt with spots
4 Of oil artistically. They had pried
the heel off one of his shoes and
split the other at the bend of the
= toe. They had broken apart pair
= of handouts, snapped one on his left
wrist, and fastened his shirt cuff
over it to conceal it and it's dangling
,, chin links. AS further disguise
Of guilt they had made a sling for
his left arm out of handkerchief
end buttoned his coat over the
bandage. And all the time that
= they had been thus making him up
;, as fugitive from justice they had
. been coaching him in the story that
he was to tell in the Langton bunga-
low when he should come upon it in
the morning after a night spent in
the woods.
"Gather all the mud and scratches
, you can, now" Babbing counseled
finally. "And don't forget to be
+ hungry. l don't suppose you'll be
] able to look thirsty if this storm
keeps up. Go ahead"
Barney had gone ahead, his mind
] fixed on the moment of his arrival at
Langton's door. He had overlooked
the interval that must elapse, and
when the touch Of the wet leaf
. startled him he was standing shiver-
ing in the mud and water, facing
, the impossible prospect of a whole
night spent in this storm mad
+ wilderness.
q He began to move forward nerv-
ously up the road, with a vague idea
Y that he might find some sort of
i shelter; but the darkness was so
{ intimidating that after a few hesi-
4 tating steps he stopped again and
waited for the lightning. 1t showed
: him the road rising before him in
a long, uneven slant. He began to
t hurry, tripping over stones and
t floundering into ruts and puddles.
G Soon panic was in Barney's legs.
G He had forgotten the loss of his
= boot heel, and the road seemed to
e rock under his uneven steps. A tree
k fell with splitting crash Of
4 branches somewhere near him, and
: he leaped to escape 1t. His heart
n stampeded him. He ran blindly, fell
on his elbows, scrambled up and
g stumbled into some bushes.