Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-01-10

L phv Nut AarSituuV kohO
from her body, leaning eagerly toward
me. her eyes alight with interest.
"Gone! Rene escaped them !" she
exclaimed, her voice choking. "Oh. tell
me that again. Was the girl surer
"Quite sure. She saw and spoke
with both the women before they left
in wagon. They were On the Under
ground, bound for Canada, and safety."-
~ am 20 glad-so glad" she said
simply. "Now am strong enough to
hear the rest. Lieutenant Knox. You
! must tell me-"
'sThere Is not 50 much to tell. that
am cock-sure about" began slowly.
"Kirby had you securely hidden away
| somewhere on the second deck, while
this Clark girl had been locked into
stateroom above, l possessed such a
growth Of beard and was altogether so
disreputable looking rs to be mistaken
for roustabout by the boats officers,
who set me at work to earn my pass
age. In this way l managed TO talk
with Elsie, but failed to locate your
quarters. The only glimpse / gained
Of you was when you were being taken
ashore. Then / followed. and little
later succeeded In getting you out OF
Kirby's hands. That Is about ALL"
ooh. no, 1t is not--you--you came
too late"
"Too latei Perhaps I may know
what you mean"
do you, Surely not to blame mel
IL wish to tell you, Lieutenant Knox,
but-but / scarcely know how. 1t Is
all so dim, indistinct in my own mind
and yet / remember. Have / been
druggedT'
without question. We have been
riding all night and you were strapped
to your horse. Probably you have no
recollection Of thts2'
She shook her head in bewilderment.
NO; the last remember was with
Kirby and another man. He-he was
dressed like minister, but-but he
was half drunk, and once he swore at
me. The place where we were was a
little shack In the side of hill, with
stone walls. Kirby took me there
from the steamer, together with man
he called Rale-Jack Rale. They
locked me In and left me alone after
dark. Then this other man, who
dressed like a minister, came back
with Kirby. They had food and some
thing to drink with them, and lit a
lamp so that we could see. It was
awfully dismal and dark in there"
She pressed her hands to her head
despairlngly. II can remember all
this, but later it Is not so clear; 1t
fades out, like a dream"
"Try to tell me all you can" urged.
"They fed your
"Yes, I managed to eat a little, but
I would not drink. They both became
angry then and frightened me, but
they did compel me to swallow some
of the stuff. Then I became daZed
and partially helpless. I had no will
of my own, no power of resistance"
"You were married to Kirby"
"Oh, God was I? I wondered; /
did not really know; truly did not
know. seem to remember that
stood up. and then signed some paper.
but nothing had any meaning to me.
Is that true? Do you know that It Is
true?"
grasped her hand and held 1t close
" within my own.
Il am afraid II 10 true" answered
II know very little law, and Il may
be that such q ceremony 10 not legal.
Yet imagine those men were certain
as to what they could do. Kirby had
planned to marry you from the very
first, as explained to you before. He
told me that on the Warrior the night
your father died."
YES you said so; but I did not
quite understandable planned then
why?
Because he Lad heard Of your
beauty and that you were rich. Were
these not reasons enough? But, after
he had mistaken you for Rene, the
only possible way In which he could
hope to gain you was by force. Jack
Rale suggested that to him and how
1t could be done. The other man was
q friend Of Rale's, renegade preach.
er named Gaskins; hs Is dead"
"Dead! KlledT
"fes; we brought you away after
fight with those feilowS We left Rals
bound and Kirby unconscious."
Unconscious, hurt-but not deadf"
He had q bad cash in his skull, but
was alive"
Kennedy, pufing happily upon q
pipe, came lettering about the corner
Of the hut and approached US. Eloise
staggered to her feet, shrinking back
against the wall Of the shack, her eyes
on his face.
THAT man here!" she cried in ter
ror. THAT man! Why, he was at
II