Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1925-02-13

upon turfy hillock, waiting for him
to catch up with her.
"What was that?" she asked, look
ing at him with startled eyes.
Dynamite" Lee responded.
Dynamite? Why-whO would"
"Some prospector blasting rock on
his claim, no doubt" answered Lee,
and again there sounded detonation.
She seemed to muse moment or
two. at rather startled me- she
said. 81 have been afraid since those
two men left us-afraid some harm
may come to you from them. You will
be on your guard, won't your"
eyes, l promise you that" Lee an
swered; and she fixed her eyes on his
face with her peculiar scrutiny for
few moments, and then started her
horse. y
The afternoon began to wear away.
They were slowly descending toward
the northern pass of the range, beyond
which lay the immense territories
that they had seen. They began to
traverse precariouS detiles, overhung
by huge bOulders, prlsmatic from the
corrosiOn of the season. Underneath
them, at the bottom Of long descent,
in places nearly perpendicular, the tor
rent raced among the rocks.
1t was so still upon those heights
that the rush Of the torrent far under
meath them sounded thunderous; and
the air was SO calm, the sky so blue,
that it might have been an Italian
summer, rather than a Canadian au-
tumn. An eagle, floating motionless,
high overhead, seemed to have been
| pinned against the background of the
blue void
The girl reined in and waited for
Lee to ride up to her.
"Be very careful with that horse of
yours" he said. There's a difficult bit
| a little distance ahead, but it's the
| last, and then We'll have an easy jour
ney down through the pass"
She started off again, Lee following
some twenty PAGES behind her. But of
a sudden Lees horse baked, laid back
his ears and snorted, planted his fore
| 1tcl anu lSluoCu W IllONC'
It was almost impossible to dis
mount and lead him, for at that point,
the narrowest part of the trail, there
J was hardly standing room for man and
beast together. Lee held in the ami
NAL with a tight rein, and patted his
quivering f1anks.
He could not understand what had
alarmed it, but now some instinct, per-
haps communicated from the beasts
brain to his, seemed to tell Of danger
threatening.
He glanced at the girl, and saw that
she was almost across the danger
zone. He dared not call to her, for
fear Of startling her. And, indeed,
there was no reason to call, although
that baseless instinct was now becom-
ing so strong that 1t almost amounted
to conviction.
He could not see the least cause for
apprehension anywhere. His fears ap-
peared absurd; and yet that electric
message of warning went flashing back
and forth between his mind and thai
of his frightened mount.
Then suddenly there came the roar
of an explosion, muffied underground
the next the rocks over his heat
seemed to upheaVe. An enormous
crack appeared in the face Of the wal
of solid rock, which trembled and ap
Deared to move toward him, as Il
pushed by a gigantic hand; and before
the reverberations had died away Let
heard a faint, crepitating sound, Hk'
the ruStling Of paper-the sliding O.
the interior strata, one upon another
A little avalanche of stones, dis
lodged from the surface, came rush
ing down the face of the cliff midWa.
between the girl and himself. Ha(
Lees horse not stopped, 1t must have
been swept over the edge of the preci
pice.
Another roar, and huge rock top
pied and fell, this time behind, am
smashed into a score of fragment
which went rolling into the chasm be
low, waking a hundred reverberation
among the hills.
And with that Lee understood tn
devilsh scheme that was in the work
ing. The dynamiting which he ha
heard that afternoon was the prelim
nary work of the two men in prepal
ing their trap; now they had set fuse
among the rocks at the narrowest poin
of the trail, with the purpose of blow
| inc him tO destruction,
And 1t was murder plan tina
would leave no evidence behind /
surer and safer than rifle shot.
Another explosion; and between tn
sound of the dull roar and the uI
heaval, Lee, seeing the girl apparent
trying to urge her plunging animt
back toward him, stood up in his sti
rups and waved his hand franticall
toward her.
| uno LooI1t IN hQnll - hp shouted