The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-01-01

LeNotY aud his Indian allies take
Sony0 nearer Rdr0khdn.
Chapter ~
THE MEETING
C0NYA made herself stop thinking
- Of anything beyond tomorrow
morning. She would need all heI
strength and poise for her meeting
with Karakhan. 1t would be fata
to brood about the future and let Il
unnerve her. The future must take
care of itself.
All that day her thoughts ha6
been running on her father: anG
now. on the trip up the dark river
they came back to him. and sht
tried to feel that he was with hel
In spirit. watching over her safety
again as he had done during thai
white Siberian winter.
AS she looked above the tree tops
and saw the Sacred W hanging in
the northeast sky. she remembered
the long ago evening in distant
Irkutsk when he had first pointed
1t ont to her and Carl. and recalled
winter nights In the Lena Woods
when the three of them had lair
luddled together. without fire OF
shelter listening for enemies and
watching the cancellations swing
around the pole star.
Now he and. Carl were gone. and
under the far.northern Canadian
sky she was watching those con
stellatlons alone. Dead. he and Carl
her .neffolk who had been all the
world to her-she dared not let her
sell think OF them as dead. for Il
was only recently that rhe had
pulled herself out OF the black bot
tomIess tragedy OF their deaths anC
found heart to go on living.
.Karakhan was reading a batch OIL
month-oId newspapers that mid
night when. the three runners came
into his cabin with LeNoir's report
The moment he heard about the
escape of Ralston and his partner
he made up his mind to get away
in his plane as soon as he had light
enough for flying. The reinsurance
which LeNoir relayed-that those
two had fed south and the main
band was coming north as guard
treasured him not at all.
Sharpened By twenty years Of
keeping ahead Of the law. his intui
tlon told him It was time to go
That fellow Ralston had q charmed
life.
He wavered over what to dc
about Sonya. On Helen Mathieson
or any of the others, he would mol
have wasted a thought: but Sonys
Voikov stood out by herself. one Of
the rare personalities OF his life
time. In the last few days he had
been thinking Of her till she had be
come a madness In his blood: and
ali tie clafnorUus impulses within
him rebeiled at the thought Of leav
Ing her there.
She would 90 along with him will
ingly: her passionate letter left nc
doubt that she would follow him Il
the worlds end. On the swift flight
to Mexico she would be an impedi
ment. true enough-an extra person
would cut down the gas load. and
inquisitive officials along the coast
might ask questions. since he would
be flying with q gil. But the risk
was slight. his burden would be q
precious burden, and when he got Il
Mexico he would have her there with
him!
After throwing his personal ef
fects into q DUNE bag. he went down
to the hangar. turned the Speedair
so that II headed lakeward: and
united all the mooring ropes except
one slip-hitch around q pontoon
brace. Once be started to make bis
getaway: Il would be distinctly
wise to 60 In o hurry.
He wanted to be skimming oui
upon the lake. beyond canoe and
rife reach. before his intention
burst upon LeNoir and Siam Klale
They were going to turn ugly when
they realized he was escaping and
letting them hold the sack.
The Speedair was so vital 70 him
that be ordered pair Of Klosohees
two OF his bodyguard whom be could
trust. to stay there at the hangar
and guard the ship. Il was JUS
possible that LeNoIr might suspect
him OF wanting 20 escape and might
try TO cripple the plane
Al dawn. when the ten canoes
came swinging around the timberec
headland. be was standing on the
log pier. waiting. Strung out for
several hundred yards. the notIlIs
skirled up along the shore toward
him till at last. with pulses ham.