Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1932-07-13


terrific power-dive, hoping against
hope that he would find the beach
suitable for a landing.
Jerry dived past the slowly-gliding
ship. With his own mighty engine
wide open the monoplane was cover
ing two feet to the amphibian's one.
Down, down, with the wind whistling
through the struts, the entire fabric
vibrating to the banshee shrek of the
motor. There was no time to drag
the beach to find out whether the
sand was hard or soft. 1t didn't mat
ter. He closed the throttle and piv-
oted the plane around on her wing
tip. As the fat balloon tires struck
the sand the heavy ship lurched and
faltered. Jerry braced himself, think
ing that she was about to dig In and
u over. Their she rolled heavily
to a stop.
Jerry leaped to the sand before
Stevens had opened the door on the
other side. The amphibian had Just
landed on the water, forty or fifty
feet from shore and was now drifting
In toward the beach under the for
ward momentum of it's glide. With
engine dead and its crew silent 1t
looked like a black ghost ship in the
night
Jerry, in a cold sweat Of impa-
thence could not walt for her to
reach the beach. He waded out into
the dark water, his hands itching to
wrap themselves around Lucci's
throat.
Zone shot out of that gun" came
Stevens calm voice from the beach.
and I'll give you the works."
There was no reply. The plane, its
forward way almost lost, was inching
steadily toward the shore. The water
was now up to Jerry's waist.
Throw your m~achine-gun over
board" The detectives voice car
ried far across the still water. u
want to hear 1t splash"
Still that eerie silence hung over
everything. Jerry felt a tingle run
through every nerve end. The air
seemed full of static electricity, like
the breathless moment between a
sharp flash Of lightning and the re-
sultant clap of thunder. He pushed
ahead through the water then, all
restraint gone, plunged forward and
began to swim with a powerful crawl
stroke. Somewhere in that drifting
black ship was Nancy. He had told
her Lucci should not nave her. Once
he put his two hands on that guy
nothing In the world could break his
hold. A dozen more feet and he'd be
able to Chamber aboard. They had
m-achine-guns and automatics, but he
did not care.
A vivid sheet of flame from the
amphibian's bow split the darkness
over his head. 1t was instantly re-
Elected in a stabbing fire from the
shore. The air seemed filled with
twanging bullets and the SOUND Of
cracking wood. The reverberations
from the machine-gun fire died away |
into silence, utter and absolute.
Jerry's cropping hand found a wet
strut. He jerked himself out of the
water and scrambled up the slippery !
side of the drifting plane. He swung
a dripping foot over the cockpit
wall. There was only n dark face
there. He reached for 1t with clutch
ing hands.
II give up!"' the mar screamed.
1t was not Lucci's voice.
His fingers met at the mans
throat. His thumbs clamped down,
pressing deep into yielding flesh.
stepped after him, stumbled on some
thing soft and lost his grip. There
was a heavy splash. The other man
had jumped overheard. jerry could
neal the sound of his strokes as he
swan toward shore. Frenziedly Jor-
ry looked for Lucci. He heard Stew
ems voice.
where's Lucci?"
The swimming man answered.
ION the floor of the cockpit, him
ana Sam. You got EN- both" 80.
Another $3.50, 600 shot to hell"
mourned Stevens Money goes aw-
full quick around here"
Jerry clattered Town the two steps
into the darkness OF the commodious
compartment within the fuselage.
rs that you, jerry" Nancys
voice was brave.
yes" he said briefly, choking
back the rush of words that came
to his lips. What use to try to keep
his thoughts away from her, to try
to ignore her very existenceY he
had loved her ever since he nae
first looked into her eyes,, candid and
level as a boys, back there on the
road. He clenched his teeth
to prevent himself from telling her
while she waited so silently Tor MN
TO find her there in the inky dark
ness. His wife. That spoiled 1t all,
for had he not promised to have 1t
annulled? How could he tell her
that he loved her now, when her /
would be warm with gratitude
toward him? And when they We're
hack in New York she would be
Nancy wentworth, not the helpless, ;
frightened little girl OF the tropics,
but the self-~reliant, light-hearted I
comedy star. /
His cropping hands touched hers.
They were icy cold ana clutched his :
own convulsively. -
all right?' {
Eyes Jerry" she replied calmly. =
Except that my ankles are bound
| am tied to this seat. q
His skillful hands united the knots =
md unsnapped the safety buckle. :
could feel her breath on his cheekl