Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-21
FROM NOW ON

| OBVIOUSLY and very earnestly prefer the
| hundred thousand dollars. His lips
| tghtencd in sort of mercilcss irony.
! well, Badly NiCkera would have q
chance at least to exercise his prefer
chce "A few miles farther on, just a
lew miles, the road, in a wooded tract
hadc an abrupt, almost right -anglcd
turn. lie remembered that turnyand
he had banked on that, too, if by then
speed alone should have failed him. He
could hold out that much longer. TIE
inches did not accumulate fast enough
10 overtakc him before he reached that
turn-he was not afraid of that-but
every one OF those inches made of him
better target.
lie was motionlcss. like figure
carved in stone, as he hung over the
wheel. The car rocked to the furious
pace-but it did not swervc. A Swcrvr
meant the gift of another of those
inches to that gray thing behind. He
hCId the center of the road, driving with
all the craft and cunning that he knew,
MS arms like steel bands, his fingers
locked in an iron grip upon the wheel.
lie did not look behind now. It was
useless. Nearer and nearer the graz
car was creeping up, he was well aware
or that; but. also, nearer and nearer
came that wooded stretch ahead. lie
coGld see it nova mile down the road.
But mile at this rate of speed did
not take long to cover.
The shouts grew more exultant behind
him; the shots came thicker. Murder
crs! The angry hum of bullet past
his ear reused fury in his soul that
was elemental, primal, and he cursed
now under his breath. Nurdcrers
"SiX feet of earth in
cold blood " or if they winged
him, the car. amuck, slanting from the
road to up-cnd itself, would do their
bloody work for them " " Boolic
lived through this
Rookie Skarvan " it was
strange that all their shots had missed
even if the back of his car
was protection they wouldn't
have many more chances the
woods and the turn of the road were
just ahead now, and
There was a crash, the spintcring of
glass. and bullet shattered the wind
shield scarcely a hairs breadth to the
right of his head. a dcmoniaCal yell
OF triumph went up from behind. They
had him n0w-and, with him, one hun
drcd thousand dollars. Again that
grimaCe of mercilcss irony was twisting
at Dave Henderson lips. 1t was the
psychological moment, not only be-
cause that wood was Just ahead, but
because. realizing that his chances were
desperate now, he would logically be
expected to sacrifice anything-even
that hundred thousand dollarS-to save
himself
Something. like the flick of a fiery
lash, bringing n hot, burning sensation,
was laid suddenly across his leg above
the knee. 1t did not hurt very much
Il bullet DETECTED probably from the rim
of the steering whccl-but they had hit
him at last. lie laughed savugcly-and
SnatChed at the empty black hand bag,
and hurled it with all his might far out
across the side of the road.
a chorused yell answered his act. He
looked back--and laughed again. 1t
had not failed! They were stopping.
Wolves. Again he laughed. And like
wolves with sIavering fangs they were
after their prey. 1t would give him a
perhaps two - but that was
enough!
The car swept on, and rounded the
turn. and the trees blOtted out the view
of the road behind. He iammed on the
brakes, sicwed the car half round, full
across the road, and lcaping from it,
dashed in among the trees. The foli-
ngc was thick. lie ran on. He was
safe for the moment here in the woods
and presently it would be dark, and he
would make across country to the rail-
road, and work his way East.
The roar of the gray car coming on
again Mt full speed reached him. lie
laughed as he ran, harShly. without
mirth. They wanted vengeance now
because he had not let them
murder him. Well, he did not mean to
liSappOint them. He had disappOint-
cd them oncc-wlth an empty bag! He
would not disappoint them again. 1t
was perfectly logical that there should
DC-vCngcancC. There was hardly room
to stop that car around the turn
a wild cry, echoed by another, and
still another. Shrill in terror, rang OUT
from the road over the roar of the
speeding Car-and then a terrific crash
I'll SCreum-SilCnCC.
lie had stopped mechanically. The /.
wolves wouldn't bother him any more. |.
1t wasn't Badly Vickcrs now, that
smash would have taken the fight out of
Badly NickCrs, if it hadn't taken any
thing mOre--it was the police. lie .
'lcnchcd his hands in sudden, passionate
'ury He was safe from Baldy Vickcrs .
lcrc in the woods, anyhow; but, for al! .
hat, he had played and lost lie was
l hunted man now. He was not whin-