The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1920-07-16

lieve; they were battling for big
+ stakes; not even murder had hitherto
stood in their way. Why then, should
they hesitate to take her life, if they
actually deemed it necessary to the
+ final success of their plans? She re-
membered what BeatOn had said about
her room-the condition in which it
had been left. They had removed all
her things, and left a note behind in
womanly handwriting TO explain her
hurried departure. There was Il mas
+ ter criminal mind, watchful of every
detail, behind this conspiracy. He
was guarding against every possibility
j of rescue.
The uncertainty, the fear engen-
dered by her thought, the drear 81
/ Ience almost caused her TO scream.
/ But she conquered this.
The gray dawn came at last. spec
/ trail and CHASTITY, gradually yielding
glimpse of the surroundings. They
were travelling steadily south, the
horses beginning to exhibit traces of
WEAKNESS, yet still keeping up a
logged trot All about extended a
wild, desoIate scene of rock and sand
bounded on every horizon by barren
ridges. Nowhere was there slightest
sign of life-no bird, no beast, no
snake even. crossed their path. All
was dead, silent, stricken with desola-
ton.
Stella stared about at it, and closed
her eyes, unable to bear the sight; her
head dropped YEARLY, every nerve Civ
ing away before the depressing scene
outspread in every direction. Skies.
watching her slightest movement,
seemed to sense the meaning of the
action.
bad. amt itT' he said expressive
Nv. you know whar we are?'
"No; but 1 never before dreamed
any spot could be so terrible"
This is the Shoshone desert; thar
amt nobody ever comes in yere 'cept
wunst in a while prospector. maybe,
er band o. cattle rustlers. Even the
Injuns keep out"
She lifted her eyes again, shudder-
ing as they swept about over the dis
nal waste.
The sun rose a red ball of fire. color
ing the ridges of sand. and painting
the grotesaue rocks with crimson
streamers In the shadow Of a bald
cliff the wagon was halted briefly. and
the two men brought forth materials
from within, making a hasty fire. and
preparing breakfast. Water was given
the team also. before the journey was
resumed: while during the brief halt
the girl was left to do as she pleased.
Then they moved on again, surround
ed by the same drear landscape, the
very depression of it keeping them
silent
They settled down to the same
monotony, mile after mile. The way
became rocker, with less sand. but
with no more evidence of life Far
away ahead a strange buttress of rock
rose into the sky resembling the tur-
ret of huge castle. The sun was d.
rectly overhead when Moore turned
his team suddenly to the left. and
drove down a sharp declivity leading
into a ravine.
Drop the canvas, joe" he said
shortly, there's only bout a mile
more"
The passage was so narrow, and so
diversified by sharp turns, that Miss
Donovan, shut In behind the closed
cover. could perceive little of its ma
ture. The cliffs arose precipitously
on either side. absolutely bare. To
tho left nothing could be seen but
black rock, but on the other side an
open space yawned. perhaps twenty
feet across, its bottom imperceptible-
The horses stumbled over the rough