The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-11-18

Nov you have got me climbing up
tree" laughed Markham. "Why
shouldn't we both trust your"
"Why, indeed? I'm sure / don't
know Where are you taking me to-
day?"
"Out to meet some friends Starbuck
has found for us; the John Smiths.'
distinguished name," she giggled.
'But know who they are Mrs. John
is the daughter of Col. Dexter Bald
win, the Timanyoni wheat king"
"Right. And the colonel's home,
and the -Hillcrest-is show
place."
"But 1 understand they are not at
home"
They are not; they're touring the
Yellowstone. It's the Smiths we're
calling upon. They are running the
big ranch in the colonel's absence"
In due course the blue roadster was
parked in the Hillcrest garage, and
in Corona Smith Miss Betty speedily
found a kindred spirit. And when
RAlltA NuluO dIIu duuCu HIS fu-
sistence to Corona's urgings that the
callers stay to dinner, Wally rejoiced
afresh. For Betty accepted the in
vitation, calling the Stillings house
over the phone to let her city hostess
know where she was.
After she was through telephoning.
Markham called up Lands.
"Any developments? he asked.
"NO," came the answer. "Where
are your"
"Out at Hillcrest, and we are stay
ing for dinner. You're not forgetting
that this is the showdown day-the
twenty-eighth"
mo; but nobody has turned up yet.
Pm watching the register"
fright again. I'll be with you
later. Call me If anything breaks
loose"
After Smith had smoked an after
dinner cigar with his man guest in the
colonePs den. he said regretfully that
he'd have to excuse himself; that he
was due to meet the westbound Flyer
which was bringing some of his bust
ness associates from the East.
'It's perfectly all right" Markham
assured him. "We'll have to be going,
too. | promised Mrs. Stillings
wouldn't keep Betty out late"
When the goodbys were said, Smith
went with Markham to the garage.
"You'll beat me to town." he said; "I'll
have to stop and fill up. And that re-
minds me; there's been a good bit of
whisky running from the hills north of
us lately, and today the sheriff gave
me tip. It's likely he and some of
his deputies may be on the road be-
tween here and town. If you're
stopped, just take it easy. Harding
won't be rough with you"
"Mueh obliged for the hint. I'll be
law-abiding"
After they had driven out Of the
Hillcrest grounds, Markham told Betty
of the warning Smith had given him.
"Just so you won't be scared stiff if
we should happen to be stopped" he
added
Il don't scare so easily as all that"
was the ready answer. "Didn't Mr..
Smith say he was going to town, tOo?"
Eyes; but he had to stop and fill up
with gas"
1t was not until the distant lights
of Brewster came in sight that their
headlamps showed them an unlighted
car half hidden under the roadside
cottonwoods. Markham slowed down,
and as he did so, two men stepped
out and signaled him to stop.
Miscalculating his distance slightly,
he ran little way past the men, and
when they came up he was ready with
an apology. Before he could make it,
the door ON his side was jerked open
and he was seized and dragged out
Of the car, one of the pair clamping
him in vise-like grip while the other
threw blanket over his head It was
done so quickly that he was half
smothered before he realized that this
didn't at all square with what Smith
had told him of the sheriff and his
methods; that he had to deal, not with
officers of the law, but with the mystic
rious assailants who had tried from
time to time to efface him and .Landis
And then the fight was on.
With his arms fast clamped In the
grip of the man behind him, Markham
could not get at the holstered pistol
under his coat. But his legs were
free, and a swift kick doubled the
blanketholder up and made him lose
his hold long enough to enable Mark
ham to shake his head free of the
sitting folds. Instantly he backed the
clamper violently against the stand
ing car, bending him over the fender
until he was forced to let go to save
himself from having his back broken.
At that, Markham got his weapon
out but now the two were between
him and the car and he couldn't fire
without taking a chance of hitting
Betty. The thugs saw their advantage
and flung, themselves upon him. the
shorter of the two crouching low to