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Show claims. Now what has he himself done? You've heard that he discovered dis-covered a pitchblende lake. That is true. He did. You've heard that he sold it for a good-sized fortune. That also is true. He did sell it But to whom? Why, to me! He sold that radium deposit to Welling, ton, Parke & Lovett whom he supposedly sup-posedly has been fighting all along ... What's that? you want proof? I have the proof here. Here are the claim papers. Look at them for yourself. Then go up to the government govern-ment land office and examine the official transfer record. He kept you men from selling your claims to me, but when his chance comes he sneaks across the river and secretly se-cretly sells me hisl" "I don't promise anything" P and started for the door, "if tn when you've followed my advice I might help you. but not before i you haven't changed your mind by tomonowmornfag .bout going back willing to be married as I suggest-ed. suggest-ed. you might come over to my cabin and let me know" Moments afterward, Dennis Northup stepped from behind a por-"ere por-"ere in the corner where Patricia hung her clothes. "Damn all," he remarked glum-ly. glum-ly. 'that man is a shrewd devil! IfiJpECTION ion w.Ww$'&iv, The huge red-headed miner seized the claim papers and thumbed them hastily. "My God!" he bawled out, to the others. "These is Tarlton's papers to that lake! Lovett'a telling us the truth. Tarlton did sell to the company, com-pany, like Lovett says." "Did Tarlton tell you." Warren asked, "that he sold the lake to me?" No one answered. The men looked around at one another, open-mouthed, open-mouthed, blank of face. They were i stunned. Tarlton had sold to the e actually delivered his ultimatum to you without incriminating himself him-self by ore single word." Patricia did not answer. She had slumped down on the cot and was sobbing at her abject failure to save Craig. "Don't give up, partner." Northup attempted encouragement. "We'll try Lovett again. We'll get him the next time." CHAPTER XVIII A while later Patricia roused herself her-self and wandered out into the cool night air. Her cheeks burned with fever; she felt sick and a little giddy. gid-dy. In the cabin she had cried her heart out over the wreckage of all her plans, all her happy castles; and a numb hopelessness had settled set-tled upon her. Wandering aimlessly In the darkness, dark-ness, she found a pine tree, leaned weakly against it and plucked at Its rough bark with her fingers, oblivious ob-livious to everything except the numbing anguish In her heart. In a dazed way she realized that she and Craig had lost their Ions i you've let me down. Don't let me down this time!" Warren looked at her through the smoke of his cigarette. "You say you'll 'do anything.' Just how much of that do you really mean?" Patricia went taut, quivering. She had broken down Warren's Indifference! Indiffer-ence! She had drawn him one step toward the trap. "I mean all of It! If I leave, Lupe won't have any cause to kill Craig. I'll start for Smith tomorrow morning; morn-ing; I'll get back home as fast as a plane can take me If you'll only send word to Lupe." Warren toyed with a spoon, cautiously cau-tiously choosing every word of his reply. "You may be right, dear, In think-Ing think-Ing that the Chiwaughlmis abducted Tarlton and are holding him a prisoner pris-oner somewhere. I don't know. You are surely right in thinking that I Lupe hates him because of you. Therefore I should say that the thing for you to do, if you really want to save Tarlton's life, is to convince Lupe absolutely that rtEB xnl-Continued -17- jon't seem-seem hopeful !f Northup admitted can-id can-id rm not banking very ,'poleon and Sam, either. uat bad a four-hour start; strong wind this morning Iran hut before Sam and aid have followed very far. iablygotan ideaofLupe's iirectlon. and they're fol-ier0ss fol-ier0ss country in hopes of jots him. They've got only le chance of doing that." what are you counting on :raig?" p got up, closed the door, 4 "We mustn't let any-ijou any-ijou and me together," "Remember that To an-r an-r Question, I'm counting on jlieve you can trap Lovett thinking around, all after d evening, how to free y there's just one way ILovett He was the per-(ordered per-(ordered Craig kidnaped, I the person who'll have to "Where Is He Now?" bitter fight, the men had lost this mining field, and Craig's splendid ambition for the years ahead was now only a dead dream. Out of the wreckage there was but one thing which might possibly be sal-vaged, sal-vaged, and that was Craig's very life. She doubted whether she could save even that. She was no match for Warren. Corporal Northup, for all his experience with crime, was entirely outclassed. Except for her surrender to Warren's ultimatum, she had no power left of any sort. Even if she did give In to that unthinkable un-thinkable bargain, Warren would likely doublecross her. She put no faith In any promise from him. He hated Craig with a primitive jealous jeal-ous hatred. Through her numbed thoughts ran Warren's sentence of two weeks ago, "The guilt will lie with you!" By a mere word then she could you've given Tarlton up." "How can I convince him? Tell me!" "Shall I advise you, dear?" "Yes, yes!" Patricia begged. She knew that under cover of that word "advise," Warren was going to deliver de-liver his terms. "I believe," he said, with a wariness wari-ness that was maddening to her, "that Lupe would not be convinced by any mere promises, especially now that Rosalie is dead and Tarlton Tarl-ton is free to marry you. I believe he would demand some absolute guarantee of your sincerity. Your willingness to return to Chicago is all right, as far as it goes, but in this situation it hardly goes far enough. In my opinion" he dropped his cigarette into his tea dregs "there is only one earthly way for you to convince Lupe. It's drastic, but then ..." Iij freed, oupla days No, don't ob-wait; ob-wait; we don't dare hurry coupla days you ask Lov-d Lov-d your cabin. Some ex-11 ex-11 plan that. When he 1 be there, unseen. You ag about Craig. Let Lov-at Lov-at you're worried. Give jening to spring his bar ,ou. He'll be waiting for opening. He'll finally tell he'll free Craig if you do biinute he says that, the ie admits he has any con-rhatever con-rhatever with this kidnap-step kidnap-step into the picture, and 'e him dead to rights." two evenings later that acie over to Patricia's cable cab-le after dusk. rie laid you wished to see I I do, Warren. I I've got company and had told them nothing about the deall It was unbelievable of Tarlton. But they had to believe it. There were the incriminating papers, the proof positive. "Now, I'm not denying that Tarlton Tarl-ton has done you men some good turns and that he's had some big schemes in his head about wOTlng ' you all together into a prospectors' syndicate or something of that sort But when it comes to handing across a quarter of a million of his own money, his fancy Ideas couldn't quite stand the strain. Let me ask you something else Where is he now?" have saved all this disaster. And she had refused. The guilt did lie with her. She should have taken Warren's offer and gone back to Chicago. If Craig should be murdered, mur-dered, because of her refusal . . . It was a horrible thought. Over at the community house, 30 yards away, the windows and doors had been flung open. For some rea- "What is it? I'll do it!" Warren said slowly: "Your friend Northup is a magistrate. He can issue a marriage license and perform per-form the ceremony. If you and I should be married, here at the Bay, at once, and then you should go back to Chicago announcedly as Patricia Pa-tricia Lovett, I rather believe that Lupe would be entirely satisfied. Nothing short of that would do." Patricia drew back, shocked and incredulous. She had never imagined imag-ined that Warren would drive so merciless a bargain. Or so preposterous pre-posterous a bargain. Didn't he realize real-ize that she would never live with him? That she would divorce him the instant she could? But then she looked deeper into his ultimatum and saw that instead of being preposterous his bargain was a shrewd far-seeing play, based on the blunt realities of the months ahead. His marriage to her, however how-ever it might be, would give him a heavy advantage in his battle against Russell Parkes. After that Again that blank open-mouthed silence. si-lence. "Well," Warren answered his own question, "I suppose I'll have to tell you where he is. Three evenings eve-nings ago he came over to my cabin and we signed these papers. Fifteen Fif-teen minutes later he dropped out of sight No one, not even Miss Patricia, has heard of him since. He skipped! Exactly as Kessler did. That quarter-million went to his head. He took his money and skipped and left you men here holding hold-ing the bag." Across the entrance-way a girl's voice rang out: son the usual droning hum of conversation con-versation was stilled. Inside, a person per-son was talking. His voice was raised a little, as though he was making some sort of speech to the men. Occasionally, as he paused, Patricia Pa-tricia heard a low rumble from the listeners, a muffled outburst of surprise, sur-prise, or anger, or both; but the noise always died down quickly as the man took up his speech again. The voice sounded to her like Warren's. She stopped plucking at the bark and listened. The voice was Warren's. Unable to make out what he was saying, she left the pine and stum- rith you. Won't you have tea with me?" t stay long. I've got some-portant some-portant on for this eve-'atricia eve-'atricia ooured the tea. m have something particu-lind particu-lind that you wanted to about?" Warren asked, he sugar In his tea. t'i about Craig. I'm wor-thim. wor-thim. Terribly worried." is he 111, or something?" laodly Inquired. He's gone, Warren. ? ago he suddenly dis-He dis-He didn't tell anybody-Corporal anybody-Corporal Northup or me tended going away." 'wren remarked. "Quite to think of it I haven't round here for several tre d'you suppose he know. I've asked every-o every-o one knows. You were wn to talk with him. Wared right after he Papers to the radium he drop you any hint, we he might be?" Warded her, poker-"ftton poker-"ftton isn't in the habit Personal business to 'at even a suggestion reabouts. But why are med about a little three- I know that something happened to him" Patted. Pa-tted. f e you think he's had J"- Warren asked, flwent to her misery K because those Chl-re Chl-re gone too, Warren. e at the same time wasn't any coinci- Mtes Craig. Lupe has , air tre winter to kill "e those metis now?" ' 1 haven't the faintest 'fe your men. Surely bere they are " .T Warren 'sted. to commit himself, ."way on little trips mUilS me. I presume e 8one fishing( Bome. f- He finished his tea, jT0- "No, no more. "Liar! Kidnaper! Doublecrosserl You kidnaped Craig. You're holding hold-ing him prisoner. You framed him and now you're framing these men!'' The prospectors whirled around and stared at the girl who was screaming the lie at Warren Lovett. As Patricia left the entrance-way like an embodiment of passionate fury, Warren called sharply: "Men! Pay no attention to her wild charges. Tarlton has taken her in too, even worse than he took you. She actually still believes in the fellow! You mustn't blame her for anything she says or does. Poor girl, she's beside herself." Patricia cut her way through the crowd, leaped upon a chair near where Warren stood, and faced the men, her eyes flashing fire. "Lies! Lies! Lies! Every word he's told you is a damnable lie! I tell you he kidnaped Craig. Those Chiwaughimis have got Craig somewhere. some-where. They'll kill Craig if you don't do something about it. Get that man there" she leveled, her arm at Warren "and make him tell where Craig is." (TO BE CONTINUED) bled nearer the community house. A few distinguishable words came drifting out to her then: "Tarlton radium lake disappearance " In spite of her faintness she knew that Warren was putting across some bold stroke with those prospectors. pros-pectors. He must have gone straight from her cabin to the Den. This must be the "something important" which he had mentioned, with elation ela-tion in his tones. The tense quiet of the prospectors sounded ominous to her, but even more ominous were those rumbling outbursts whenever Warren paused. She had heard that same ugly ground-swell once before on the March night when Phil Kessler betrayed be-trayed the men and skipped their wrath. In alarm she started around toward to-ward the main door, to And out what Warren's move was and to fight it. In the entrance-way she stopped and looked across the main room. A strange scene confronted her. At the far side of the Den, over next the kitchen. Warren was standing on an up-ended drum of kerosene, talking to the prospectors. They t,aH crowded up close to him and ft 'WiM.t A! Mf ;?vi2? Trotting American in Origin In the first quarter of the last century there came into existence in New York a fashion, which later became a furor, for driving fast trotting horses on the road. Out of it grew the national sport of horse trotting or harness racing. American Ameri-can in its orign and development which spread to all parts of the world. Through these amateur and professional pastimes there was evolved a new breed of horses, at once among the most versatile and useful ever known, and' by new methods on part of the breeders, who made authenticated records of public performance the basis of registration reg-istration in their stud book and closed the door to all blood alike that failed to meet this test. were listening intently. In his hand he held a sheaf of papers, documents docu-ments of some kind. He had evidenUy been talking to the group a considerable time, for he was bringing his speech to an end when she came in. Over the heads of the miners Pa-tnxia Pa-tnxia could hear his sharp words Ttinctly. He spoke in a curt emo-Ses emo-Ses way that was more dev-Sating dev-Sating than any bombast or rant- 'For almost a year." ne sa.d. Tarlton has kept you men here. wSout money or clothes -r any-Sg any-Sg cept empty Psh"e nTrsuade- you. if not indeed brow-S brow-S you into not selling me your Warren Came Over to Patricia's Cabin a Little After Dusk. when he had her in Chicago, had the firm in his grasp again, had control con-trol of the Wellington interests and her family's fortune-he could just about dictate his terms to her. Warren saw how she recoiled from the thought of marrying him. "You don't seem to like my advice," ad-vice," he snapped. Formerly . he would have argued patiently, out now he was sharp and hard. All right, "don't take it!" He got up to go. Patricia caught his arm. t She was panicky with defeat. ''Warren please-I haven't refused-I will Listen to me!" His stoniness S'lt."Y0U'Ve ot t0 i Its a question of inu6' "ose Chiwaug-gi'ng Chiwaug-gi'ng him prisoner f will kill him. un- te- 1-rm the i t ," this on Craig. f to save him. Be- ft killed, I'll do I away, rU g0 back " Promise not to see e- Every time that ' n you. Warren, |