, 1922-10-12
&c on With the Story.

Roon and Icverett.
&c on With the Story.
CHAPTER II.
On the edge Of Owl Marsh Cl.-ch
halted in the trail. and. as his men
came up, he counted them with a cold
eye.
Here's the runwa and this here
hazel sush is my station he said.
You fellas do the barkin.' You. sid
Hone, and o Corny. starr drivin'
from the west. Harve, you yeip EN-
from the north by Lynx Brook. Jim
and Byron. you get twenty minutes
20 go round TO the eastward and drive
by the Slide And you. Hal Smith"
-he looked around--where'n hell be
you. Halt"
Smith anne up from n bog's edge.
Send EN- out" he said in a low
VOC. I've got Jake's tracks In the
bog"
Clinch motioned his heaters TO their
duty. Twenty minutes he reminded
Hone. chase and Blommers. before
you start drivln'." And. to the Hast
ings boys; III you shoot. aim low for
their bellies. Don't cave no blood
around. Scrape it up. We bury what
we get"
lie and Smith stood looking after
the fly sIouchinE figures moving
WI 'n'rnrd Their blind trails. When
all hnd disappeared.
SHOW me Jake's mark he said
calmly.
Smith led him to the edge OF the
bog. knelt down, drew aside a branch
OF witch-hopple, A mans footprint
was plainly visible on the mud.
That's Jake" said Clinch slowly.
81 know them half soled boots o.
his'n." He lifted another branch.
There's another mans track.r
THE other is probably Leverett's."
Likely. He's got thin feet"
Il think I'd better go after them,''
said Smith. re~f1ectively.
rThe'n plug you, you poor jackasss
two o them like that. and one asset
tin up TO watch out. He'll! Be you
tired O. bgl an board?"
Smith smiled: Don't you worry,
Nike
AS he ~shouidered his rifle and start
ed into the marsh, Clinch dropped a
heavy hand on his shoulder; but the
young man shook 1t off.
shut up" he said sharply. you've
a private war on your hands. so have
1. IN take are Of my own
AS he started again across the
marsh, Clinch called out in a guarded
voice: Take good "a OF that packet
II you catch them rats. 1t belongs to
Eve" 81
I'm take good care Of it," replied
Smith. that its proper owner need not
Worry."
CHAPTER III.
The proper owner of the packet
was, at that moment. on the Atlantic
ocean. travelling toward the United
States.
-Four other pretended owners of the
Grand Duchess T~heodorica's Jewels,
totally unconscious OF anything i'm
pending which might impair their sew
ersl titles TO the gems, were now gath
cred together in a wilderness within a
few miles OF n another.
Jose Quintana lay somewhere in the
forests with his gang, fiercely plan
ming the recovery OF the treasure OF
which Clinch had once obbed him.
CIinch squatted on his runway, watch
ing the mountain flank with murder
Gus eyes. 1t was no longer the Flam-
ing Jewel which mattered. His mas
ter passion ruled him now, Those
who had offered violence to Eve must
be reckoned with first of all. The
hand that struck Eve Strayer had Of
fered mortal Insult to Mike Clincb.
As for the third ~pretender to the
Flaming Jewel. Jake Kloon, he was
now travelling in a fox's circle toward
Drowned Valley-that shaggy wilder
mes sof sltme and tamarack and depth
less bog which touches the northwest
base of Star Peak He was not hurs
rying, having no thought OF pursuit.
Behind him plodded Leverett. tbs
trap thief. very. very busy with his
own ideas.
To Leverett's repeated requests that
Kloon hall and open the packet to sec
what it contained, kloon gruffly re
fused.
What do we care what's in it, he
said. we get ten thousand apiece
over our rifles for-it from them guys.
Ain it a good enough job for you"
Maybe we make more IL We take
what's inside It for ourselves" argued
Leverett. Let's taxi a peek, any
way"
They plodded on. arguing, toward
their rendezvous with Quintana's out
post on the edge OF Drowned Valley.
The fourth pretender 10 the pearls,
rnbies. and great gem called the Flsm-
ing Jewel stolen from the young
Grand Duchess T~heodorica OF Es
thonia By Jose ouintana, was an un
conscious pretender. entirely innocen.