Evening star., 1921-09-23
Continued from Yesterdays Starr


Like some sinister, ominous thing.
silently. attracting no attention from
the passers-by. the big gray car main
tanned its distance fifty yards behind:
That grim humor. deadly in Its cold
composure, was upon Dave Hender-
son again. He meant to be taken by
neither Badly Vickers nor by the po-
lice: nor did he intend that certain
package containing one hundred thou
sand dollars in cash should fall into
the hands Of either Baldy Vickers or
the police. Some day. even yet. he
might find use for that particular
package himself!
Block after block was traversed.
corner after corner was turned. as
Dave Henderson threaded his way
through the streets. heading steadily
for the outskirts of the city, and the
road on which he had already trav-
eled ninety miles that day. And fifty
car. They were well content. no
doubt-the occupants of that car! He
was playing their game for them! He
was playing the fool. In the city
their hands were tied. Out in the
country they would be free to do
silently behind him. Well. that was
all quite true-perhaps. But out In
the country. if he got away from
them. he would not at least jump
| from the pot the IRE ana nave
the police at his heels the very next
instant: and. besides. there was that
hundred thousand dollars! The fur
ther away he got from Frisco the more
inviolate became Mrs. Tooler's old
pigeon cote.
Fifty yards. He glanced behind
him again: 1t was still fifty yards
start. Well. fifty yards was fifty
yards. and he might as we'll take it
now. He was we'll in the outskirts
the houses were becoming scattered.
an open road was ahead, and
He bent suddenly low over the
| wheel. and flung the throttle wide.
The car leaped forward like thor
oughbred answering to the spur.
There was a burst of yells from be-
| rush of the wind. the creak Of the
| swaying. lurching car. and the sing
| ing throb Of the sixty horsepower
engine. unleashed now, in full stride
under the lash.
A mile, two miles-the speed was
behind-just the roar of his own car
in his ears. The houses were fewer
now-it was the open country. An
other mile! He was at his absolute
maximum Of speed now. He straight
ened up slightly, and shot a quick
glance over his shoulder. The big
gray car was fifty yards behind
A shot rang out-and then a fusil-
lade of them. He was low over the
wheel again. his Jaws set rigidly. Was
was not sure but that it was less
he was only sure that 1t was not
more.
The shots ceased for a moment. A
car. coming in the opposite direction.
had taken to the extreme edge Of the
road. half into the ditch. He had a
flash of woman's face. as he swept
by-great dark eyes that stared out
Of death-white face-a beautiful
face even in its terror-it haunted
him, that face.
A furious sustained racketing. like a
thousand echoes reverberating through
a rocky, high-walled canon. stilled the
roaring sweep Of the wind and the roar
ing of his car. He shot through the main
street Of a town like q meteor. and
escaped by the fraction Of an inch.
and, tail down. scurried with a sharp
yelp for the sidewalk: there was a
dash for horses heads at the curbs:
dows. peering out: women screamed;
| men yelled hoarsely: a fat woman. re-
treating wildly as she was about to
cross the road. dropped laden bas-
ket to shake her fist in panic fury.
1t was kaleidoscopic-itw was gone.
town was passed-still another. The
big gray car was not fifty yards be-
hind now-it was less than thirty
SO near that now there came from
time to time an exultant yell.
Dave Henderson's face was drawn,
tense. its lines hard, sharp. strained:
but in the dark eyes was still that
smoldering light of grim. debonair
humor. The race was almost at an
end-he knew that now. He knew
now that he could not shake off that
gray streaking thing behind. 1t
gained only by inches, they were we'll
matched. the two cars, and 1t was a
good race; but few more miles would
end it as those inches heightened into
| feet and yards.
Well. then. since he could not escape
this way. there was still the other
| way: and If that failed, too, in the
last analysis he had a revolver in his
pocket. But 1t was not likely to fail.
almost from the moment he had made
| his escape from the Toolers' house.
AS between himself, Dave Henderson
and the hundred thousand dollars.
| Bal6y vickers, II Baldy Vickers could
not get both, would very obviously
dred thousand dollars. His lips tight
l ened in a sort Of merciless irony.
Well. Baldy Vickers would have a
| chance at least to exercise his pref
erence! 4 few miles farther on, just
few miles. the road, in a wooded
| tract. made an abrupt. almost right
angled turn. He remembered that
| turn-and he had banked on that. too.
| If by then speed alone should have
failed him! He could hold out that
much longer. The inches did not ac-
| cumulate fast enopgh to overtake him
| before he reached that turn-he was
not afraid OF that-but every one of
those inches made of him a better
target.
He was motionless. like a figure
carved in stone, as he hung over the
wheel. The car rocked to the furious
pace. but did not swerve. A swerve
meant the Eift Of another Of those
inches to that gray thing behind. He
held the center of the road. driving
with all the craft and cunning that
he knew. his arms like steel bands.
his fingers locked in an iron grip
upon the wheel.
He did not look behind him now.
1t was useless. Nearer and nearer the
gray car was creeping up; he was
well aware of that; but. also. nearer
and nearer came that wooded stretch
ahead. He could see it nova mile
down the road. But a mile at this
rate Of speed did not take long to