The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-10-31


 came to the foot of the stairs, he heard the dull thud of the baize door which led to the kitchen wing. When he reached it. the wind was blowing to meet him down the long stone passage.
 He dashed, his hand across his eyes and ran at top speed down the passage and out of the open door.
 The headlong instinct of pursuit carried him across the yard and out of the gate. There his mind checked him. He stood still and listened. It w.s no use just blundering on in the dark. He'd got to listen. and he'd got to think. If the thief was local man, he would take some side path or cut across the garden. If he was a stranger, he would probably stick 1 to the drive.
 | Jim caught the sound of crushed gravel and began to run again. The fellow was sticking to the drive. That looked like a stranger. He wondered how he had got here If he had car or motor-bike, he was as good as gone already. Remem- bering the wiggle-and-twist brand of fight the thief had put up, Jim didn't think he had to do with a novice. | He had almost reached the gate, when he stopped suddenly and ran back again past the house along a gravel path which wound between shrubberies. He had taken sudden decision. To catch lighter. faster man with a twenty yard start and the darkness to help him offered no chances. In a rapid survey of the possibilities he had seen only one real chance. - There are three ways out of Hazelbury West-the main north road, the Ledlington road. and the path across the fields to Hinton which was the nearest railway sta tion. If you walked to the station, you took the field path, and the dis tance was four niles. If you drove, you followed the Ledlington road, and it was six.
 The path along which Jim was running came out upon the field path to Hinton. cutting the corner. If the thief was making for Hinton with the idea of catching the last train there. Jim had a reasonable chance of intercepting him. He hadn't gone north; Jim had heard those running footsteps go off to the left before he himself turned back.
 A s he ran. Jim wondered whether 4 they had altered all the trains. Seven years is long time to bo away. There used to be a crawling local train that stopped at Hinton the twelve-twenty-fi arrived at Ledlington about one. It didn't go any farther.
 Jim kept steady pace across the fields. The farther he went, the more of a wild goose chase did the whole thing appear. He had had hunch. and he had followed it. Some. times lunches turned out all right; sometimes they let you down. He began to feel gloomily certain that he was going to be let down flat. 1 He crossed a stile, and came in sight of the lights of Hinton station. As he did so, the church clock Of Hinton St, Margaret chimed out the hour of twelve. If the train had not been altered, he had quarter of an hour in hand. and a couple of hun dred yards between him and the main road.
 The field path ended in gap with posts across it. Jim emerged crossed the road. and began to walk down the incline which led to the station. It is long incline. The clock had only just struck twelve. but the train was coming in. It might nov be anything from the eleyen-fifty-five to the twelve-fiye, but 1t couldn't any longer. be the twelve-fifteen. M T, | He started to run, and as he did so, something black began to bob up and down ahead of him. It was an other man. also running, and pre- sumably with the same object. Jim put on all the pace he could, gained a little, and then saw the black fig. ure draw away.
 They would hold him at the wicket. If they held him. he'd be likely to miss the train. Would they hold him? No. he was through. with a hand thrust out as if he were showing a ticket.
 He was across the platform and into one of the rear cars as the train began to move. Jim flung him self against the wicket, and saw the red tail-light slide off into the dark.
 He had shot his bolt.
 fcopyi0ht. f9ss. J. B. Lfppincott Co., |