Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-04
M fLAMINGM
rs JEWEL!;Sf
By ROBERT W CHAMBERS 'S
ROBERT W CHAMBERS
G 1902 GEORGE H DoRAN coMnAsTY

come out Oh mere, ne Sald as
tiEctly.
After a few seconds Smith came
uut.
Good Cod" said Stormont in a
low voice. What are you doirg
here, Darragh?
Darragh came close and rested
n hand on Stormont's shoulder:
Don't crab my game, Stormont.
[ never dreamed you were in the
Constabulary or I'd have let you
know"
Are you Hal Smith,"
4 sure am. Where's that girl ?"
"Handcuffed out yonder."
Then for Gods sake go back
and act as If you hadn't found me.
Tell Mayor Chandler that I'm after
bigger game than he is"
"Clinch? ?"
"Stormont, Pm here to protect
Mike Clinch. Tell the mayor not to
touch him. The men I'm after are
going to try to rob him L don't
want them to because-well, I'm
going to rob him myself"
Stormont stared.
you must stand by me-" said
Darragh. $50 must the Mayor. He
knows me through and through.
Tell him to forget hat hold-up. l
stopped that man Sard. l frisked
him. Tell the mayor. I'll keep in
touch with him."
"Of course" said Stormont, that
settles it."
Thanks, old chap. Now go back
to hal girl and let her believe that
you never found me-"
A slight smile touched their eyes.
Both instinctively saluted. Then
they shook hands: Darragh, alias
Hall Smith, went back into the
hemlock-shaded hole in the rocks;
Trooper Stormont walked slowly
down through the spruces.
When Eve saw him returning
empty handed, something flashed in
her pallid face like sunlight across
snow.
Stormont passed her, went to the
waters edge, soaked a spicy hand
full of ~sphagnum moss in the Icy
water, came back and wiped the
blood from her face.
The girl seemed a~stounded; her
face surged in livid colors as ne I'M
locked the handouts and pockesed
them and the little steel chain.
Her lip was bleeding again. He
washed it with wet moss, took a
clean handkerchief from The breast
of his tunic and laid it against her
mouth.
Hold it there" he said.
Mechanically she raised her haEd
to support the compress. Stormont
back to the shore, recovered
her rifle from the shallow water,
and returned with it.
AS she made no motion to take 1t,
he stood it against the tree to which
he had tied her.
Then he came close to her where
she stood holding his handkerchief
her mouth and looking at
him out of steady eyes as deeply
blue as gentian blossoms.
Eve" he said, you win. But
you won't forgive me-. l wish
we could be friends, some day. :.
never can now. Goodby.'
Neither spoke again. Then, of a
sudden, the girls eyes filled; and
Trooper Stormont caught her free
and kissed it-kissed it again
and again-dropped it and went
away through the under
brush which was now all rosy with
the rays of sunset.
After he had disappeared, the
SIIls GNe WtIl u tAC SIc1I III 'N%C
rocks above.
Come out" she said contemptu-
.usly. TITS a good thing you hid,
because there was a real man after
you; and God help you If he ever
you!"
Hal Smith came out.
Pack in YOU meat" a the
girl CURLY, and flung his rifle across
shoulder.
Through the rudy afterglow she
led the way homeward, a mans
handkerchief pressed to her wound
ed mouth, her eyes preoccupied
the strangest thoughts that
had stirred her virgin mind.
Behind her walked Darragh with
MS load Of venison and his alias
ind his tongue in his cheek.
Thus began the p~reliminaries
the ultimate undoing of
Mike Clinch. Fate, Chance and
Destiny had undertaken the job In
earnest.
(%Continued in Our Next Issue)