Evening star., 1934-01-03
Ii FORBIDDEN VALLEY
(AEzze SY lJiIiam Byaon (1lowsw

1t, Their Mortified eyes were on Curtis
broken plane as 1t twirled downward
at a terrific speed, its propeller gone,
| its engine roar changed to g high
pitched scream.
AT 1000 feet small manikin object
detached itself from the falling wreck
age. For five or six seconds it came
down and down, turning slowly, head
over feet, TILL the demolished plane was
lOo yards below it and we'll to one side.
Against the blue Of the sky tiny
bit of white flashed A moment later
a long streamer of white shot out.
While the two wrecked craft were
plummeting on down, to hit the lake
with a tremendous splash and sink
out Of sight, the streamer caught the
air, fiared out and burst into a white
sky-f1ower.
"Oh-oo!" broke from both of them
a cry OF unavoidable thankfulneSs. re-
leasing all their s2ellbound reats <
those last terr BILE minutes. Even then
they could not fully realize that Curt
had saved himself. 1t came home to
them only by degrees, as they watched
| the packchute stop swinging and drift
in their direction,
1t was Sonya who first saw Curt
tugging at the gnide lines and under
stood the danger he was fighting
| against.
PAUL Get q canoe! He'll come
down in the lake! We've got to get
out TO him!"
Paul Sprang back the path to a canoe
near the cabin. BY the time he got it
! to water, he saw that the craft would
not be needed; the wind was carrying
| the chute south against the mountain
slope. Four hundred feet high it passed
Ovpr tbpir bpojc o,,I ('r1rt 1oOI1oJ Jn,.,,
and waved assurance to them. Fall
ing slowly, he brushed low over a clump
OF spruceS and lodged in a tall pine
just above the little knoll
Paul hurried up to help his part
ner, but Sonya could not move When
she saw that Curt had landed and was
safe, she sank down on the canoe. faint
and trembling. A wing of Karakhan's
plane was bobbing in toward shore, but
the ship itself had disappeared, and
Karakhan with it-doWn in the icy
depths of the lake.
AS her eyes followed that piece of
bobbing WreCkage. she strove to realize
that he was dead. dead-the man who
had cruelty sent her father and Carl to
their innocent deaths. Her long hunt
was ended.
At Russian Lake old John came
walking into the fireglow of Curtis
camp, where Curt sat talking With
Supt. Marlin, who had flown up from
Vancouver that afternoon.
I'm havin' leetle git-together over
at my tent dreckly, like we had that
time afore, Curt; an fggered YOU men
'ud like to jim us. Paul an Tenn-Og
an some more air there Already. an the
others all said they're comm"
Thanks. John. We'll be over" Curt
accepted. Our trip really started there
at your fire. and it ought to end there"
When old Paxton had gone, Marlin
handed Curt another newspaper. Here's
the Times Tribune. Read this"
The streaming headline
KARAKHAN TAKEN BY FORMER
MOUNTY
brought Curt a glow of hard-earned
pride; but he was more gratifled by
the Subhead, with its emphasis on
Karakhan's money:
Enlbezzler Of Huge Sums
Killed in Resisting
Arrest
The Karakhan hunt had cost him
a heavy price personaly-his MANNED
hand his brushes with death. the suf-
fering it had dragged him through, and
the destruction of the plane he had
bought with the savings Of several long
years. As pay for all that he was to
receive less than 5000
But the hunt had gained him cer-
tain, priceless things: not to be meas
ured in money. He and AK we're
back on the old footing again; he had
found himself after a year of groping
around and he had found Sonya.
He laid the paper and stack Of others
inside the tent. II suppose we'd better
start over to old Johns 'sociable.' AK.
You'll be the guest of honor there to-
night. and they're probably waiting"
Marlin did not get up. In a moody
silence he looked cut upon the twilit
lake. drumming absently on the chop
ping block.
Tomorrow. Curt meets Sonya on
new footing.