The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1923-01-18

terrible cold. But her voice vas hard
and lifeleSs when she spoke.
You mean you've killed him?" she
asked simply.
I'VE amt killed him. We've Just
been teaching him a lesson" Dave eN-
planned. simon warned him not tn
come up-and we've had to talk to him
u little-with fists and heels"
Linda cried out then, one agoniZed
syllable. She knew what fists and
heels could do In the fights between
the mountain men They are as much
weapons of torture as the claws and
fangs Of the Killer. She had an In
stant's dread picture Of this strong
man of hers lying MANNED and broken,
a battered, whimpering, ineffective
thing In the moonlight of some distant
hillside. The vision brought knowledge
to her. Even more clearly than in the
second of their kiss, before he had
gone to see Hudson, she realized what
an immutable part of her he was. She
| gazed with growing horror at Dawes
leering face. "Where is heT" she
asked. She remembered, with singular
| ~steadfaStness, the pistol she had con
cealed in her W room.
"IIl show you. If you want TO get
him in you'd better bring the old hag
with you. It'll take two of you to car
ny him."
"TIl come" the old woman said from
across the Swallowed She spoke
with a curious breathlesSness. "Tll go
at once"
The door closed behind the three Of
them, and they went out into the moon
lit forest. Dave walked first. 1t was
wholly characteristic of him that he
should find a degenerate rapture in
showing these two women the terrible
handiwOrk of the Turner's. He re-
jOiced in Just this sort of cruelty. Lin
da had no suspicion that this eXcur-
sion was only a preteXt to get he two
women away from the house, and that
his eagernesS arose from deeper
causes. 1t was true that Dave exulted
in the work, and strangely the fact
that it was part of the plot against
Bruce had been almost forgotten in
the face of a greater emotion. He was
alone in the darkness with Linda
except of course for a helpless old
woman-and the command of Simon i'm
regard to his attitude toward her
seemed suddenly dim and far away. He
led them over a hill, into the deeper
forest.
SO intent was he that he quite failed
TO observe a singular little signal be-
tween old Elmira and Linda. The wo-
man half turned about, giving the girl
an instant's glimpse of something that
she transferred from her breast to her
sleeve. 1t was slender and Of steel,
and it caught the moonlight on its
shining surface.
The girls eyes glittered when she
beheld ii. She nodded, scarcely per.
ceptibly. and the strange file plunged
deeper into the shadows.
Fifteen minutes later Dave drew up
to a halt in 4 little patch Of moonlight,
surrounded by a wall of low trees and
brush.
There's more than one way to make
a date for a walk with a pretty GIRL
he said.
The girl stared coldly into his eyes,
what do you mean?' she asked.
The man laughed harshly. 81 mean
that Bruce amt got back yet-he's still
on the other side Of Little river, for
all / know"
"Then why did you bring us here?''
"Just to be sOciable," Dave returned,
"Tll tell you, Linda. wanted to talk
to you. I amt been in favor Of a lot
of things Simon's been doing-to you
and your people. | thought maybe you
and J would like to be-friends."
No one could mistake the emotion
behind the strained tone, the peculiar
Ianguor in the furtive eyes. The girl
drew back, shuddering. I'm going