Connecticut western news., 1920-03-25

him to hold father a prisoner There." Says that, does she-that she over
 heard us plotting?"
 of course she did not overhear
 what you said. You took good care of
 that. But she knew you were conspir-
 ing"
 Just naturally knew it without
 overhearing," he derided. And of course if l Was ;a plot I must have
 been -the-spot a good deal of the time. Hung round there a-plenty, I expect?"
 He had touched on the weak spot of Mrs. Wylie's testimony. The man who had saved Cullison's life, after a long
 talk V b Blackwell. had gone out of
 Ihe I; of ueartS and had not re- turncG so fur as she knew. For her iOr.ie, husband had sent her on an errand just before the prisoner was had helped him.
 Kate was silent.
 "How would this do for an explana- tion?" he suggested lazily. Wen say just for the sake of argument that Mrs. Wylie's story Is true, that I did save your fathers life. We'll put 1t that I did help carry him downstairs where 1t was cooler and that I did have long talk with the fellow Black we'll. What would I be talking to him about. if 1 wasn't reading the riot act to him7 And after he had said he was sorry why shouldn't I hit the road out of there? There's no love lost between me and Luck Cullson. wasn't under any obligations to wrap him up in cot ton and bring him back this side up with care to his anxious friends. If he chose later to take a hike out of town on p.d.q. hurry up business I ain't to blame. And I reckon you'll find a jury will agree with me-"
 She brushed his explanation aside with a woman's superb indifference to logic.
 You can talk of course. don't care. It is all lies-lies. You have kidnapped father and are holding him somewhere. Don't you dare to hurt | him. If you should-Oh, If you should | you will wish you had never been | born." The fierceness of her passion | beat upon him like sudden summer | hail.
 He forgot for the moment that he | was man with the tolls of the law | closing upon him, forgot that his suc- cess and even his liberty were at stake. ] He saw only a girl with the hunger of | love in her wistful eyes. and knew that it lay in his power to bring back the laughter and the light into them.
 Suppose l can't fight fair any long CT. Suppose I've let myself get trapped and it isn't up to me but to somebody else. Up tc your father, say?"
 My fatherf"
 "Yes. How could I turn him loose when the first thing he did would be to swear out a warrant for my arrestY
 But he wouldn't-not If you free him."
 He laughed harshly. "I thought you knew him. He's hard as nails" He langKed again, bitterly. Not that it matters. Of course I was just putting a case. Nothing to it really"
 He was hedging because he thought he had gone too far, but she appeared not to notice it. Her eyes had the far away look of one who cOmmunes with herself.
 "If l could only see him and have talk with him. l think could get him to do as l ask. He nearly always does" Her gaze went swiftly back to him. Let me talk with him. There's a reason why he ought 10 be free now, one that would appeal to him."
 This w:is what he had come for, but now that she had met him half way he heSitated IT she should not succeed he wOuG re worse off than before. He free Ter to lead the pack of the law to his hiding place. On the other hand if CulliSon thought they intended to keep h"r prisoner he would have to co:Ht':, ..:.>2. .-e dared not leave her m the hands of Lute Blackwell. Fer trick decided to take chance. At the worst he could turn them both free and leave for Sonora
 All right. I'll take you to him. But you'll have to do as I say" 'Y"s." she agreed.
 'I0u've got to persuade Luck to ,0me through with an agreement to , ct go of that Del Orc homestead and 0 promise not to prosecute us. He won't do it to save his own life. He's [ got to think you come there as my 1 prisoner. See? He's got to wrestle with the notion that you're in the q