The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-01-23
THE SKYLINE
OF SPRUCE
BY EDISON MARSHALL
Copyright. is.a Little. BROWN q Company
BY EDISON MARSHALL
Outright isss Little. Brown . Company

OF ford and steep. made serious On.
roads on the morale OF the three mon
just the work OF urging on the 90
hausted horses drained their nervou
energy In a frightful stream the I'M.
certainty Of their quest. the danger
tho scarcity OF any food but meat
and most OF all the burning hatred
In their hearts for the man who hac
forced the expedition upon Then
combined to torment them. oven nov
Hon Darby had received no lltti
measure OF vengeance
No experience OF their individual
lives had ever presented such a DAILY
ordeal of physical distress, none had
ever been 80 devastating 20 hope aud
spirit There was not ono moment
Of pleasure. one INSTANT of relic
from the days beginning 60 its end
A. ntFht they went 20 sleep on hastil'
made beds. eursing at all thing IT.
heaven and earth; they biaspheme'
with growing savngery all that mrr
hold holy and true: and cegenerac,
grew upon them very swiftly. The
quarreied over their task. and the,
hated each other with q hatred onl'
second 20 that they Dor, Darby him
self All three had always been rcck
less, wicked. brutal m-n. but nov
particularly IN IN. cn-~ 81 Fay sns
Chan. the ordeal brought cut and
augmented the laten, asncrmalitic'
that made them criminals IN the be
ginning. developing tho-e cdd auirt
IN human minds that make toward
perversion and this most fiendish
crime.
Jeffrey vcfison had almost fnrroi
ten the issue OF the claim by now
He had told ire truth. those weary
weeks before. when n. has wished
he hsd never seen r. Hfs only
thought was ~ his daughter tho cap
tive az relentless. rserciir-- man IN
those far wfids Never the moon
rose or the sun declined hut that he
was aek with haunting fear for nor.
tho rar'srr This was Nelson's fond
est wish. the enrordinw oblivion ~
Wild waters would b. infinitely better
than the fate Hen hsd limited ~ IN
his letter Yet he dared not turn
hack. she might VT tive. h>h prfs-
oncr In some far-cx csv~.
AZ FIRST an three arr~~d on snfs
point: THAT they must not turn back
until either ben was crushed under
their heels or thny had made sure OF
his death. Ray had not forgotten
that Ben aion@ stood between h'rn
and the wealth and power he had
always cravef Tie dreamed. AZ ffr~s.
that the deadly hsrd.h'p~ Of the
journey could he asonef for tyv YEAR,
also haunted with dark coni~ctur~-
a. 70 the nate Of Beatrice. nut i~ai-
cusy. rather than concern for her.
wn. the moving irnpul0.
Nefi-on knew his yvunv partner
now. He ssw c1earfy Ut Last shGA
Ray w. not and haA nsvw ban .
fAishfui ccnfederutn. but fnd.sA b
malicious and besfsr snsuy. sufy
waiting his chance b ovvvshrvv m
Loader. rnsy v~sS sein par<sws N
thsfr efrc<t - r~~rus ~ m cd ~
her ab6uofury Okhsrv4ss thsy wWD q
swurds DefntA AnA snsr~ vvui6 -
rncr~ shaa panfn. svffs
staying. nov. n Neflsun cgu3d rsad
ArfKht. the actual phyx1cai change
that had becn wrought IN Rays fAcs
no ordinary end for Bsn. His
features wers cur1ousfy drawn. and
his eyes had . fixsd. magnetic. svfl
light. Occasionally IN his darker
hours Nelson fore~aw evvn more
gfos~fhff'tt>s IN thi. change In
Ray: tho abnormal intensity mani
fest IN every look ana word. thu
weird. svfi prcoccupation that seemed
rvcr upon him There was not only
ths fate Of Ben - consider. hut that
of Beatrice. too. cut IN shees desciase
forests. hut surely Rays Degenerate
Impulses could Be master.d Nefison
need not fear this. at least
Chan Hemfnway. also. had dsv~i-
oped rnsrvciousiy IN the journey. He
also was more ss-srtive. ie~s the un-
dariins ne hal been. He had dev-i-
oped brutality that. tho u contained
nothing OF the exquisite finenssa OF
cruelty OF which Ray's diseased
thought might conceive. was mover
theles- tho full expression Of his de-
PRAYED nature. He no longer covered
In fear OF Nelson. Rather he looked
10 Ray az his leader. took him ss his
example. tried 60 initiate him. and at
last began 10 share In bis mood In
cruelty 70 the horses he was par
ticuinriy adept; but he was also
given 10 strange. savage bursts OF
insane fury.
we must be close on them now"
Nelson wa'd one morning when they