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

one I was taken away in? It's too
far for me to see the ace of spades"
mo. Nat will never fly her again
and he's heartbroken, for she was one
grand little boat, but the authorities
confiscated her, of course"
why? Did we do any serious dam
age whe we came down among those
trees?"
mo, but she was unknown, un-
licensed, and he couldn't claim her."
the young man responded briefly, as
he rose. If you've finished now we'd
better be on our way"
They were soon started again, and
as Janet accustomed herself once more
to the motion of the motor cycle she
realized that he had not cared to
pursue the subject. So that had been
an outlawed plane and they were all
defiant of the authorities, these men
who had befriended heri But then
she was an outlaw, too! The thought
came to her with little adventurous
thrill that would have shocked her
immeasurably a week ago. She was
one of them, she had been given a
card a secret designation. when the
old talisman of her father had be
come futile. Was Daddy. too. one of
this pack? She had been assured that
his part in the mystery was highly
worthy one-as though she had to be
told that! Yet at the same time it
would injure him in some way to have
the attention of the authorities called
to It! Whatever the game" that
this designation of the people involved
in 1t suggested, she would play it
with himl
But that was what Mr.. Padmore
had advised her not to do! He had
said that her father himself would
not wish it. But that was yesterday,
in the shelter of her own home; to-
day she had taken to the road again,
and she must go on to the end!
The highway now ran parallel with
what, from it's high bed and wide
spread of shining rails, Janet took to
be one of the principal roads of travel,
but she was puzzled that for mile upon
mile no trains appeared, and she no.
ticed that her companion glanced at
it every now and then, as though
curious or worried. Several freights
passed going in the opposite direction,
and one express passenger train, but
none were going their way and she
supposed they themselves were trav-
cling at too great a speed to be over
taken, yet not fast enough to catch
up with one that might be ahead
Curiosity had got the better OF her at
length and she leaned forward with
her lips close to her drivers ear.
"Why aren't there any trains going
north?"
did you get that, too?" he called
over his shoulder. Either a wreck
back there somewhere or the lines
are cleared for special, and if that's
the answer :"
The rest of his sentence was borne
| away on the wind, but Janet under
stood. If that, indeed, were the
answer it must mean pursuit in dead
ly earnest.
She looked up in the sky, but at
first only a few fleecy little white
clouds broke the broad expanse. Then
she became aware of a tiny dot that
dipped and wheeled, but came nearer
and nearer, enlarging with every Sec
ond until the body and widespreading
wings of the plane could be plainly
discerned. AS it swooped lower Janet
touched the shoulder of the man in
front of her and pointed upward.
He nodded, slackened speed and
| watched the descending plane closely.
Did Nat mean to land? The girl won
dered if a message of some sort were