Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-06-13

tied Darkness to the hitching rail
beyond the general store and climbed
the worn steps to the porch. AT the
hollow sound of her booted feet on
the floor. Parks. fat and oily and
wide eyed, came swiftly from the
open door Of the back region of the
store. He was hastily putting some.
thing In the pocket Of his white
linen vest as he came, and fumbled
his damp hand free to greet her.
Sonya hated to shake hands with
this man, who always insisted on
the formality. There was something
30 unctuous about him. a secretIve
sense Of common understanding,
which irrltated her.
Now, as he reached out his hand,
the small object which he had so
hastily hidden in the sagging pocket
tumbled out 1t struck the floor
with a strange sound of weight and
for some reason Sonya stopped and
picked II up even before the man
could catch 1t as 1t fell.
"In take It." he said quickly, "give
1t here"
But again for some dim reason
Sonya held the little thing and
looked at 1t curiously.
1t was a fiat. narrow can about
the size Of the little can In which
Serge Savarin got his tobacco for
his pipe. and 1t was shaped very
much the same, having a rounded
top and a fiat bottom.
But there the similarity ceased,
for this c~ontainer was made of solid
brass and thickly and beautifully
carved with Chinese characters,
while at the lower edge the small,
belligerent figure of a fighting cock
stood boldly out In bas relief.
And 1t was unbelievably heavy for
its size.
This much she saw and felt be-
fore the proprietor Of the store
reached out and took II from her so
quickly as to be rude. He fairly
snatched 1t and dropped 1t once
more In the sagging pocket, this
time making sure 1t was safely In.
Then he laughed unctuously. rub
bling his wet palms together.
"A new tobacco. Miss Sonya," he
said, "for my personal use. Very
select and, | may say, costly. Now,
what can I do for you today?"
Looking at him ~curiously Sonya
named her small purchases, and he
hustled about, getting them from
shelf and bin. And turning idly the
girl looked directly into two dark
faces under Mexican hats which
peered furtively at her from around
the door jamb. She knew with a
thrill Of portent that they were the
same two men whom she had seer
that day long back with Starr Stone.
when he had brought her purchases
out to the car In Parks place.
Chilled and frightened, she gath
cred her things and went swiftly
out, mounted Darkness and rode
from the town at a long lope. She
knew in~stInctively that she had
stumbled on something Of impor-
lance, and that Parks was, in some
dim way. q part of 1t.
oh, what was 1t all abouti Where
was Starr Stone. and what would
his master do TO him2
Starr Stone - and Parks - and
planes-and contraband sent east
from somewhere along the Border
about the middle-about here.
She knew-deep In her heart she
knew-what Mr.. Marston would
give a lot to know, what he had
come here to find. What Rod Blake
would help him find II be knew.
Rod Blake-Rod Blake on Starr
Stones trail. He would be as unre
ienting as FL Captain II once he
knew all the shining things, the
sweet things. that Sonya knew, the
dark things, the evil things which
she knew. too. The whole terrible
thing was too much for one girls
loving heart to hold, and Sonya felt
as II the bottom were falling from
the universe. as If soon she and all
her little world would be destroyed.
And then, from high up and far
away. a sound fell on her ears, the
thin small sound Of engines In the
blue coming rapidly nearer. She
stopped and looked up anxiously,
and presently she saw it-a tiny
speck that grew and lowered until
1t was circling ove her. seeking a
place to land.
1t was the little gray ship she
had seer before, the powerful blunt
nosed thing which could land and
take of with such incredible swift.
ness. 1t was down. its bouncing tail
stilled, Its engine throttled down
but running. and a mar was climb
ing over the side, coming toward
her across the sand. Was 1t, could
1t be, Starr Stonef
She peered hard for a CLINT of
bronze hair beneath his helmet, but
could not 9 II, nor his eyes behind
the disfguring goggles.