The Holly chieftain., 1923-04-05
By
William MacHarg
Edwin Balmer

"What do care what happens to
me, II we catch them7" she cried
Harriet" he repeated her name
again.
Phillip"
She felt him shrink and change as
she called the name 1t had been clear
to her, of course, that, since she had
known him, the name he had been
using was not his own. Often she had
wondered what his name was; now
she had to know. "What should I call
you" she demanded of him.
my name," he said, "is Hugh"
"Hugh" she called 1t.
yes"
Hugh" She waited for the rest :;
but he told no more. "Hugh" !" she
whispered to herself again his name
now. "Hughr'
Her eyes. which had watched the
road for the guiding of the car, had
followed his gesture from time to time
pointing out the tracks made by the
machine they were pursuing. These
tracks still ran on ahead; as she
gazed down the road, red glow be-
yond the bare trees was lighting the
sky. A glance at Hugh told that he
also had seen 1t.
"A flre7' she referred to him.
Looks like it."
| They said no more as they rushed
on; but the red glow was spreading
and yellow flames soon were in sight
shooting higher and higher; these
were clouded OF for an instant only
to appear faring higher again, and
the breeze brought the smell of sea-
soned wood burning.
"It's right across the roadw Hugh
announced as they neared 1t.
TITS the bridge over the next ra-
vine," Harriet said. Her foot already
was bearing upon the brake, and the
power was shut off; the car coasted
on slowly. For both could see now
that the wooden span was blazing
from end to end; it was old wood,
swift to burn and going like tinder.
There was no possible chance for the
car to cross 1t. The girl brought the
machine to stop fifty feet from the
edge of the ravine; the fre was so
hot that the gasoline tank would not
be safe nearer. She gazed down at
the tire-marks on the road.
"They crossed with their machine. I"
she said to Hugh.
"And fired the bridge behind. They
must have poured gasoline over 1t
and lighted 1t at both ends"
She sat with one hand still strain.
Ing at the driving wheel, the other
playing with the gear lever.
"There's no other way across that
ravine, I suppose" Hugh questioned
her.
'The other roads back more than
mile, and two miles about" She
threw In the reverse and started to
turn. Hugh shook his head. THAT'S
no use."
no" she agreed, and stopped the
car again. Hugh stepped down or
the ground.
The double glare from the head.
lights Of motor shone through the
tree-trunks as the car topped and
came swiftly down rise three quar-
ters Of mile away and around the
last turn back on the road; another
pair of binding lights followed. There
was no doubt that this must be the
pursuit from Santoine's house. Eaton
stood beside Harriet, who had stayed
in the driving-seat Of the. car.
"I'm going just beside the road
here" he said to her, quietly. "Tm
armed, Of course. If those are your
people, you'd better go back with
them. I'm sure they are; but I'll wait
and see."
She caught his hand. mo; mo-" she
cried. "You must get as far away
as you can before they come! I'm
going back to meet and hold them"
She threw the car into the reverse
backed and turned 1t and brought 1t
again onto the road. He came beside
her again, putting out his hand: she
seized It, Her hands for IN instant
clung to 1t, his to hers.
"You must go-Quick!" she urged !;
"but how am to know what becomes
of you-where you are7 Shall I hear
from you-shall I ever see your"
mo news will be good news" he
said, until"
Until what7"
"Until-" And again that unknown
something which thousand times
1t seemed to her-had checked his
word and action toward her made him
pause; but nothing could completely
bar them from one another now. "Un-
til they catch and destroy me, or
until I come to you as-as you have
never known me yet"
An instant more she clung to him.
The double headlights fared into
sight again upon the road, much
nearer now and coming fast. She re-
leased him; he plunged into the
bushes beside the road. and the damp,
bare twigs lashed against one another
at his passage; then she shot her car
forward Rut she had mpda oplv n