The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-01-08
FORBIDDEN VALLEY
Be WllaAM BqlsoA IIIowe,ui

/, out behind It, ana within a thousand
feet the whole mass was wrapped
In fierce flames.
But Paul and Sonya scarcely saw
Il. Their Mortified eyes were on
Curtis broken plane as It twirled
downward at q ter life speed, its
propeller gone. its engine roar
changed to a high-pitched scream.
At two thousand feet small
manikin object detached itself from
the falling wreckage. For five or siz
seconds it came down and down.
turning slowly, head over feet. till
the demolished plane was hundred
yards below It and well 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, fared out and burst into a
white sky-fower.
"Oh-oo!" broke from both OF them
Ia cry of unavoidable thankfulness,
releasing all their spellbound feare
OF those last terrible minutes. Even
then they could not fully realize that
Curl had saved himself 1t came
home to them only by degrees. as
they watched the rackchute stop
swinging and drift h their direction1
It was Sonya who first saw Curt
Juggling at the guide lines and under
stood the danger he was lighting
against. 80
ePaull Get canoe! He'll come
down in the laket We've got to get
out to hint"
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 1t passed over
their heads. and Curt looked down
and waved assurance to them. Fall
Ing slowly. he brushed low over a
clump Of spruces and lodged In o
tall pine just above tn. little knoll.
Paul hurried up to help his part
ner. but Sonya coule 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 II
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 cruell.- sent her father
and Carl to their innocent deaths.
Her long hunt was ended.
At RUSSIAN LAKE old John
came walking into the flreglow
OF Curtis camp. where Curt sat talk.
ing with Superintendent Marlin who
had flown up from Vancouver that
afternoon.
"I'm havin' q leetle git.togetheT
over at my tent dreckly. like we had
that time afore. Curt; an figgered
you men 'ud like to Tin as. Paul an
Tenn-0g an some more air there
Already. an the others all said
they're comm"
Thanks. John. wen be over
Curt accepted. "0ur trip really
started there at your fire. and II
ought to end there"
When old Paxton had gone. Mar.
lin handed Curt another newspaper.
Heres the Times-Tribune. Read
this"
The streaming headline:
KARAKHAN TAKEN BY FORMER
MoUNTY
brought Curt q glow o. hard.earned
pride: but he was more gratitied by
the subhead. with TT emphasis on
Karakhan's money:
Embezzler OF Huge sums
Killed In Resisting
Arrest
The Karakhan hunt had cost him
a heavy price personally - his
MANNED hand. his brushes with
death, the suffering Il had dragged
him through. and the destruction OF
the plane be had bought with the
savings OF several long years. As
pay for all that he was to receive
less than two hundred dollars.
But the hunt had gained him Ger.
tain priceless things. not to be meas.
ured In money. He and AK were
back on the old { citing again: he
had found himself after a year OF
cropping 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
'eociable.' AK. You'll be the guest
Of honor there tonight. and they're
probably waiting
Marlin did not get up. In moody
silence he looked out upon the twiiit
lake. drumming absently on the
chopping bs-ck.
fcopsrs0Af. WiIisam B. Morervl
Tomerrew. Curt meets sonya on
q rev foetina.