, 1922-11-01

between him n the ambush. In an
instant they were in the darkened
room. Bruce stood up, once more
wholly master of himself.
You're not hurt bad?' she asked
quickly.
NO. Just a deep scratch in he
arm muscle near the shoulder. Bullet
just must have grnzed me. But It's
bleeding pretty bad
Then there's no time to be lost.n
Her hands in her eagerness went
again to his shoulder. Don't Won
see-he'n be here in a minute. Wen
steal out the back door and try to
ride doWn to the courts before they
can overtake us"
In n instant he had grasped the
Idea: and he laughed softly in the
gloom. II know. I'll snatch two
blankets and the food. You get the
horse"
She sprang out the kitchen door
and he hurried into the bedrooms.
He snatched two of the warmest
blankets from the beds and hurled
them over his shoulder. He hooked
h camp ak on his beat, then fastened
'fNO hhC AANAit AN%AC- Iie IOOh III
the little sack containing a few pounds
of 'jerked venison, SPILLED out a few
pieces for Elmira, ard carried it
with a few pounds of flour-out to
meet Linda. The horse still stood
saddled, and with deft hands they
tied on their supplies and fastened
the blankets in a long roll In front Of
the saddle.
Get on" she whjsnsred. "Pll get
up behind you"
She spoke in the utter darkness;
he felt her breath against his cheek.
Then the lightning anne dlmly and
showed him her face.
"No, Linda" he replied quietly.
You are going alone"
She cut him off with a despairlng
cry. "Oh, please, Bruce-I won'ti
I'll stay here, then.
Don't you see?" he demanded.
You can make it out without me.
I'm wounded and bleeding, and can't
tell how long l can keep up. We've
only got one horse, and without me
to weigh him down you u get down
to the courts"
"And leave you here to be muir
dered? Oh, don't waste h precious
seconds any more. l won't go with
out you. 1 mean it. If you stay here,
L do, toe. Believe me if you ever be-
lieved anything"
Once more the lightning revealed
her face, and on 1t the determination
of a zealot. He knew that she spoke
the truth. He climbed with some diff
Guilty into the saddle. A moment
more and she swung up behind him.
The entire operation had taken an
, astonishingly short period of time.
Bruce had worked like mad, wholly
disregarding his injured arm. Just
beyond, Simon with ready rifle vas
creeping toward the house.
(Which way?" Bruce asked.
"The out-trail-around the noun
tain,' she whispered. Simon will
overtake us on the other-he's got a
magnificent horse. On the mountain
trail Wen have a better chance to
keep out of his sight"
She spoke hurriedly, yet conveyed
her message with entire clearness.
They knew what they had to face.
these two. Simon and whoever of the
clan was with him would lose no time
in s%pringing in pursuit. They each
had a strong horse, they knew the
trails, they carried long-range rifles
and would open fire at the first glimpse
of the fugitives. Bruce was wounded;
slight as the injury vas it would seri-
ously handicap them in such a test as
this. Their one chance was to keep
| a.. thn rapnpta trof1S tn tnrIy ttpcann in
the thickets, and try to break through
to safety. And they knew that only by
the doubtful mercy of the forest gods
could they ever succeed.
Linda took the reins and pulled out
of the trail, then encircled a heavy
wall of brush. She did not wish to
take the risk of Simon seeing their
forms in the dimming lightning and
I opening fire so soon. Then she turned
back into the trail and headed into
the storm.
Simon had clear enough memory of
the rifle fire that Linda had opened
upon the clan to wish to approach
the house witt care. 1t would be
wholly typical of the girl to lay her
lover on his bed, then go back to the
window to wait for a sight of his
assassin. She could look straight
along a rifle barrel A few moments
were lost ms Young Bill and himself
encircled the thickets, keeping out of
the CLEAN of the %smoldering tree. Its
light was almost gone; 1t Missed and
glowed in the wet nov
They crept up from the shadow,
and holding their rifles ready, opened
the door. They were somewhat sur
prised to find it unlocked. The truth
was 1t had been left thus by design;