Evening star., 1927-10-08
THE BLACK JOKER
BY ISABEL OSTR4NDER.

breast pocket of her blouse for the
papers she had s.creted there when
| she dreSsed--the message thrown in
her window, the pages she had used
i'm deciphering it and the paragraph
torn from the newspaper on the tram
relating to the attack on child by
| the Great Dane.
When she had regained her breath
she peered cautiously around the cor.
ner of the wall and saw man in his
shirtslecyes come out of the stables
! with bucket of water and start for
the pigeon cote. More of them would
he about presently-She must chance
/ everything now,
Running like a deer across a broad.
open space of level lawn straight to-
ward the masSed shrubbery which
! marked the eastern boundary OF
| Daneholm, Janet thought that she
! heard a distant shout behind her. but
! dared not pause TO look back, diving
! headforemost under the low hanging
| branches of a thick. Towering bush.
There. secure from observation, she
! halted for n moment, then Wormed
| her way through and stopped to take
note of her immediate surroundings.
| The border of shrubs was deeper than
| she had imagined. but beyond them
a
of recently planted young naples. she
saw a low, vinecovered wall with
nothing rising back of it but a distant
hill, the arch of delicatelv blue-gray
sky above shot with broad rays her.
aiding the coming Of the sun.
As she rose on one knee. preDara-
tory to dash for the wall and the
freedom which lay beyond. she
thought all at once OF her watch and
lifted her wrist to her ear. 1t had
stopped with the hands pointing to
half past ], but she quickly adjusted
it to and started forward.
After a few steps. however, Janet
paused. for a long-drawn Snore came
to her ears. and she crept around a
amp of hydrangeas to discover a
man lying prone on his back. He was
red-faced and unshayen. as had been
the gamekeeper of yesterday, and,
like him. dressed in the rough cordu-
roys, but no gun lay beside him and
there seemed TO be something unnat-
ural in his pose and stertorous
breathing
That was not ordinary sleep, but
Janet did not wait to consider him
further. She flew to the wall and
swarmed up it. digging the toes OF
her stout little boots into crevicAs of
the stones. and when she reached it's
top beheld a vast plOwed field be.
fore her with scarecrow posed lack
adaisically in its center and a man in
a broad-brimmed farmers hat hoeing
industriouSly nearby, where q deep
ditch traversed the field.
Drawing deep breath, Janet
dropped from the wall and ran
straight toward him, and at her ap.
proach he Strengthened. leaning on
his hoe and watching her. He was so
tanned and had such fine. sun-drawn
lines about his mild eyes that his age
was indeterminate. but she had con-
tdently expected different type of
man, and her heart fell Neverthe.
less. she drew up close to him, and as
his eyes sought and found her watch
he chuckled.
''You got that message, then?
Smart gal. I swan I thought you was
a boy just now runnin' crost the field.
You'd have to be smart. though, to be
workln' at your age for the Black
Joker
''The Black Joker" she repeated.
He had swept off his hat as il in
greeting, but held 1t ostentatiously
so that she could see inside of the
crown, and to her amazement play.
ing card was pasted there-the four
Of clubs. Where had she seen a card
before. just recently? Then in a fash
she remembered and stammered:
You mean the ace of spades, the one |
that's painted. on a certain airplane?" |
No. ma am, I don't mean Nat, but |
It's all right. I've got instructions |
for you-'
He paused abruptly, for sound of |
several masculine voices raised in ex. !
cited shouts, distant as yet but COM
ing rapidly nearer. burst upon their |
ears, and the mans ruminative man. |
ner changed.
"Quick"' he ordered. "There. that
trench was dug for you during the
night. but they'll search it first now.
There's only one shelter for you.
Come onv'
He dropped his hoe and sprang for
the scarecrow, and divining his pur.
pose even before he had stripped the
framework, she was at his heels.
1ere, rest your arms on them