Evening star., 1927-09-29

Dul ne dld not turn his
nedu u toward her Il thought thev'd
pe on our trail before long. Sorry, but
we ~ nave TO give them a run for it,
His tone was gallantIv CAV os
though he welcomed the chase and
Janet's heart beat exultantly. but MT
IN unison with that Of her abducto,.
1er fathers friends had not failed
her. They had discovered the truth
ana by miracle had followed the
tralI. how a rescue could be at
tempted in mid-air did not enter her
calcuiatlons; it was enough that thev
We're there and coming on, closer and
closer! '-''
Could 1t be Nat? The young man
who had effected her escapeo The
latter must have been summoned bv
Mats alarm when she and Afford
We're so boldly taken by the agents
OF the man Norman" and surely
there were others besides.
She couldn't have spoken again tn
Marlott had she wished. for the wind
was 3 steady, roaring, sale as their
speed, snefeased andn they mounted
higher and higher. but the pursuing
plane was gaining on them. if ever
SO SLOWLY: as the sound of its motor
grew louder in their ears.
The cold was intense again and
glancing downward, Janet beheld
only a misty gray curtain, driving in
layers like clouds below. Soon the
TWO planes must draw near together
ana then what? For the first time the
question entered her mind. knowing
her to be a passenger. her ally would
hardly attempt to wreck the ma.
chine which carried her. or even open
fire upon it: they could only follow
ana wait till Marriott was forced to
land for lack of gas. She knew this
must be soon, for she had read OF
long distance fights in Europe and
remembered that the planes were
forced to stop for petrol after at least
night in the air. What would hap.
pen when the two machines came to
earth? Did Marriott anticipate the in.
evitable issue?
He was glancing back and above
more and more frequently as though
puzzled, and Janet realized. all at
once, that they were descending in a
gradual slant. Looking behind. her.
self, she saw that the pursuing plane
was much closer and evidently max.
ing no effort to maintain its former
strategic position above. for it, too,
was dropping; it was below them even
now, though still coming on.
Could both be landing with a
mutual desire to meet on the ground?
Was Marriott making for some OBJ
Jectlve point near, where it had been
his original intention to land and
where reinforcements awaited him?
Only one plane pursued. but with her
to side, naturally. with her rescuer,
the contest would be an unequal one
unless her captor could count on con-
federates. and Janet could not imagine
him submitting tamely to defeat
Then her eyes sought the other
plane again and her heart gave a
sudden leap. for in the dawning light
and with the decreased distance be.
tween them. she saw that it carried
two. also. Had Marriott surmised that
all along?
The other plane was more powerful
than the one carrying her, for its
motor almost drowned their own, and
now 1t came suddenly on with q ter.
rife burst of speed; on and upward
till 1t was on level with them. a
trif1e to the left. but turning. heading
straight in their direction. Could the
pilot have lost his senses? Did he mean
to ram them and crash the two planes
to eartho
Janet's low cry Of terror was driven
back in her teeth by the wind and she
stared in Mortified fascination at the
menace approaching. Then she caught
her breath with a strangled gasp. for
ngure was rising from the passeil-
ger seat, tearing at the garments
which swathed it. and the plane had
s"erved; it was coming up abreast of
them. but frightfully close! Now 1t
was rising once more and so were
they as though both were lifted by
some current of air like two floating
leaves.
Marriott had noted that other figure;
he had taken his hand from the
wheel and was fumbling III SINE
pocket OF his coat, and now, lndeed,
Janets scream rose above the tuMui.
or throbbing engines and roar OF
wind, for that standing figure III the
carriage was climbing out. craving
like some huge. SprawlinG insect upon
one of the wings OF the pursuing
plane,
1t was almost above them now ana
the machine In which she sat was
swaying and bucking Jerklly. as
though Marriott were jockeyinS IN an
attempt to evade 1t. Then something
dropped with a sickeninG, scramohhs
thud on one of their own wings ana.
at the same instant. Janet caught tne
flash OF a revolver in the hand OF
the pilot beside her, and guessed tnat
the rarest of all aerial feats had oeen
the transfer in fllSnt OF
a passenger from one plane 10
another. but under conditions never
before known! .------------
= 1Cor1irned in I'onorrow's starr