Show GIVEN IN MARRIAGE Madge and Hugh Come ComeTo To Branching of Trail By ADELE GARRISON My f feet were ere on t the tle e ground literally literally liter mex- ally and figuratively as as after climbing climb climb- ing ng down from the drivers driver's scat of he the car I handed Katie the revolver r which Hugh had given me mc me and told her ler that I 1 was going after my my boys But Katies Katie's tremulous v voice h halted me nc as I 1 took my first step toward the tortuous woodland path down which Hugh Grantland end and Jim Jiri had Oh 1 Graham she walled wailed but ut softly so that no on one one save myself I could hear her You gale me your gu gun Vere your gun gun You must not noto go o in dot dark place mit to fight miL Im not Katie I answered In a murmur which she only could hear I I have a small revolver with me I could f feel l it against my palm as asI asI I spoke the little revolver with a silencer attached which Lillian gave me years ago go and arid which h she insists upon my carrying whenever er I am embarking upon any errand which has las an clement element of danger in itOh it Oh OhI Ohi Katie breathed a sigh of relief re- re lief that th-at seemed to come from her toes I feel lila lits better Now you hoost remember you remember you r-you you see anything Coony cony you shoot revolver first A- A Ask questions time Ill Til remember I 1 told h her r. r too tense for the silent laughter with which I otherwise would have greeted this advice Youre s sure re you wont won't be frightened Me liMe she countered superbly I Ino Ino 1 no fraid Any gang mans koom round here he going going going go go- ing be so busy picking bullets out of ot he no time for devilment ent Me I going shoot first talk next I 1 halted in sudden alarm This was the second time she had mentioned men men- tinned this drastic program and I 1 had a sudden vision of what dire consequences consequences con con- s sequences it might entail con I You c cant can't nt do that Katie I told her sharply You must be very careful Suppose Mr H Hank or Mr Bill or Junior or Roderick Boderick or Major Grantland or Jim came up hurriedly and you began shooting first and asking ask ask- ing lag questions afterward Katie giggled giggled always always her first reaction reaction re re- action to anything out of the ordinary re-I re nary Then she became indignant Indignant- her next re reaction two times out of three I You tink I no have sense to coom coorn in rain she said acc s- s You tink I shoot before I know who coom Me Mc I got sharp eyes I l' l kin tell ann anny of our folks Vay vay off oIl But eef no b bees bees- ness round dees cor car coom up dey better look First I say Hands cop und I hat haf dem covered before I open mine So eef cef f dey get fresh vill be too bad Say you ou better hurry eef et you vant to find verc vere Major Grantland Grantland Grant Grant- land und go You are ore right Katie I I said and with a little prayer that no state trooper or local police officer would stop at the parked car to see sec why Kat Katie e was sitting there alone I w went nt along the winding tangled path timorously tim tim- oro sly cautiously but with a determination determination deter deter- that I knew nothing could shake For if the tracks of lh the bicycle tires Ures told anything they signified that somewhere in this strip of forest before before be be- fore me I should find my small son and his cousin as aswell well as Dicky's two older nephews Why they should have come here at this hour was an unfathomable mystery but the fact remained ned that the tracks of their bicycle tires entered entered en en- t this is path and end did not come com out again Hugh and Jim had made sure of ot that before they left I 1 would have trodden that path if It had been so fraught with danger that lh there re seemed no escape escape any anywhere anywhere any any- where and if the thorn thorny vines and uneven pl places ces in the path had been beena a hundred times more difficult As AsIt AsIt Asit it was I had not progressed far along the trail before belore I felt my dress being caught and and- torn and realized that thai the uneven footing of the trail as I 1 hurried along it in the dark was taking tak take ing log toll of my Injured ankle For one thing I 1 was thankful The dawn ghostly but unmistakable was wasat wasat wasat I at hand and I was soon able to see sec seemy seemy my footing also the thc tracks of the bicycle bicycle bi hi- cycle tires as well as the prints of ol Hughs Hugh's sh shoes s and those of or Jim evidently evi dently the only persons to come into the wood after the bicycle riders ar are ar- ar rived Then suddenly I 1 came t to a division of the path and saw that tie the bicycles had parted company One large tire track and one small one went straight ahe two remaining ones turned to the right Which should I 1 follow |