Show ma 1 4 LE 01 THE S A or my baoy or the SOUTH ki VAS kenoi jw N 1 Is BY I 1 copyright A C Q mcclurg co woi SYNOPSIS jack keith a virginian now a border plainsman la in looking for roaming war partle parties of savages ire II 11 sees been a wagon iv team at full gallop pursued by mn men on po ponies le 3 when I 1 keith I 1 alth reaches uie the wagon the in raider aider era have massacred two men and departed lle iia searches the tha viet victims tais finding paper a and nd a locket with a woman 0 portrait keith Is arrested at carton carson jar city ity e charged barged with the murder him hl accuser be 1 ng a ruffian named black bart A neg companion in mr his cell named neb tells tella him that he know knew the keiths in virginia neb says one 0 of the tha murdered red men was war john other gen willis ellla walte formerly a confederate officer the plainsman and neb escape and later the fugitives come upon a cabin and and its mccu occupant to bo be a young girl whom keith thyn thinks nn he be saw a at carson city the girl explains that the she la Is in search of a brother who had deserted from the army and that a mr hawley induced her to come coma to the cabin while he sought her brother itaw 1 ley 11 appears and keith in il hiding recognizes 11 9 h him I 1 m a aa black bart there thera la is a ter terrific battle in the darkened fark ened room in which wh ch keith la is victor horses homes are appropriated and the girt who says that her name la Is hope joins in the escape keith ex explains la ln s his situation and the fugitives make mate f for 0 r port larned I where the girl Is left with tho the hotel botel landlady miss hope tells tella that she he Is in the daughter ter of general watte walts keith and neb drift into sheridan where keith meets an old friend dr keith meets the tha brother of ciopa walte wait 0 under the assumed name of ape fred red wll 1 loughry lough by CHAPTER continued just a little carelessly but what sort of a trick could he be te be working trying to make you acknowledge christie maclaire Macl alre as your sister willoughby did not answer shifting uneasily about on the bed keith waited and at last the boy blurted out oh it nothing much I 1 told him something when I 1 was drunk once that I 1 thought maybo maybe might have stuck to him odd he should make that mistake too for I 1 showed him hopes picture barts a schemer and I 1 know but what ho he might have figured out a trick though I 1 dont see how he be could it no more than a pipe dream I 1 reckon where did you meet hope back in missouri 1 I oh ive known her some time not long ago I 1 did her a service for which the be la Is grateful grat elul did you tou know she was wag out in this country searching tor for rou 41 out here in kaap kansas Is sure u that much of a fr trip vr or a ap spirited cited girl she got it la in her lead from your letters that you were in trouble and set out to find you and bring you home she tell me this but that Is the way I 1 heard beard it it was for her sake I 1 came in hero here why not go to her willoughby Willough br and then both of you return to missouri 7 the sullenness had gone out of the boys face ho he looked tired discouraged where Is hope elope he be asked fort larned lamed I 1 suppose she went to carson city first well that settles it shaking his head YOU dont suppose I 1 could go brows browall bro waln I 1 il round larn ad and not get snapped up do you they dont chase chasa deserters very tar far out here but thata the post I 1 skipped from and jug me all right besides im damned it if ill go back until I 1 get a stake I 1 want to seo sea a fellow first what fellow well its hawley haw ley if you lantto want to know so bad he said it I 1 would come hire here and watt wait for him hed put me on to a good thing thine was there a deeply laid plot back of all these preparations involving both willoughby and his bis sister what was it hawley was scheming about so BO carefully holding this boy deserter to in one hand while he reached out the other after christie maclaire Macl alre surely the man was waa not working blindly he ha must have a purpose in ih view wll loughey had bad acknowledged he had told the fellow something once when he was drunk about his farally family history no doubt for or he had shown him hopes picture what that family secret was keith had bad no means of guessing but hawley the moment he saw the face on the cardboard had bad evidently recognized christie maclaire Macl alre had thought of way in which what he now jiow kraw w could lu lm turned to arvail axe se the few cew facts which keith bad collected all seemed to point to such a conclusion hawley had sent cent tho the boy to sheridan where he be would be out ot of sight with orders ordera to watt wait tor for him there and the promise of a stake to keep him quiet then he bo bad gono to Jn independence dependence and topeka seeking ir after christie maclaire Macl alre evidently he meant to keep keel the two apart until ho be had bad gained from each whatever it waa he sought mit what could that bat bo what family secret could willoughby havo have blurted out in lla LIA cups which had bad so BO stimulated the gamblers wits two things combined bombl ned to cause keith to determine he be would world uncover this rascality his desire to repay hawley and his bis interest in the girl rescued on the salt fork this lossa mer teb reb of 0 intrigue into which ho be had stumbled unwittingly was waa nathl nothing to him blin personally had it not involved both hawley and miss hope ho he would havu left it basu rod another thought but under the circumstances it beame his h own battle there was a crime he hidden as aa yet and probably axt t consummated involving erl lie ile would dig into this until he be wrong perhaps disgrace to the young uncovered the truth ho he would find and out what dirty trick dlack black dart bart was up to As he thought tala out not swiftly as aa recorded but slowly deliberately piecing the taft bits together within hla his mind blindly feeling hla his way to a final conclusion the tha boy had bad sunk back upon the bed overcome over como wua kith liquor and fallen asleep keith stepped over and looked down upon him la in the dim light ila ho could lecog nize something of her features in trio upturned face and his eyes softened there was no uso use seeking again to in arouse him even had he ha been sober he would not have talked freely keith gifted bitted the dangling feet into a more comfortable position turned tho the lamp lower went out and latched the door two men were tramping heavily up the and they turned into the hal bal at the very moment ho he disappeared within his own room ile ho still petal retained ned ills bla grasp upon the latch when a voice outside asked what number cumber did you say dill bill 29 keith alth straightened up as aa though suddenly pricked by a knife ho he could never forget that voice it was waa haw leys CHAPTER I 1 A at conspiracy leaning against the inside of bis big own door startled by the rapid sequence of events keith belth wax wag able from different sounds dounda reL reaching ching him to mentally picture most of what occurred in the next room ila ho beard dill sink down into the convenient chair and drink from the tha bottle while tb abe gambler gamber apparently advanced toward the bed where ho he stood looking down on its unconscious occupant the fool ts to dead drunk he declared disgustedly wo we cant do anything thing with him toni tonight glit 1 I say eay throw bucket water over him hiccoughed coughed the other genially jil allers lers sobers me off rawley mado made no response evidently finding a seat ceat on an one end of the washstand hardly worth while scott ho he rt returned finally Ier naps I 1 better have boroo understanding with christie ally anyhow how before I 1 pump the boy tiny any further if we caa once get her bor working with us willoughby wont nave have much hand in the play we chant need him blin thought I 1 told you to keep sober am tober sober solemnly aint ha bad d but six elx drinka just nathly alre out oh ob indeed well such a room as this would drive any man to drink pla PH you get what I 1 sont you here berei after 1 I 1 sure bure did bart and keith heard beard the fellow getto hla his toot foel unsteadily Il heres gilleres tho the pic picture an some letters I 1 take only what ho he bid bad in the grip hawley shuffled tho the letters leters over in hla his hands handa apparently hastily reading them with some difficulty in tho the dim light nothing there to give us any help he acknowledged reluctantly mostly advice as tar as an I 1 can see aea dania damn the light a glow worm wona would be bettor better there was a pause then ho he slapped his leg however its clear they live in springfield missouri and this photograph Is a peach just juat look here bore will what did I 1 toll tell you aint christie a dead ringer for this girt you bet she la Is dart bart admitted the other in maudlin admiration only I 1 reckon maybe some older well she ought to be ac accord cordin ln to Willough bys story an them papers bear him out all right so ao I 1 reckon hes told it straight this phyllls phyllis would be twenty six now and just about what christie ix Is it wouldn t have fit better it we had bad made it on purpose it tho the girl will only play up to the part we wont need any other evidence keith could hoar hear the beating of tits his own heart in the silence that followed here was waa a new thought a ne new w understanding a complete now new turn to affairs christie then A let UPI damn aerl he called himself jack keith I 1 was waa not Willough bys bister hope the girl he bo rescued on the desert the girl with the pleading brown eyes and the soft blur of the south on tier her lips was waa not the tha music hall singer ile he could hardly grasp to tha truth at first it antagonized so BO sharply with all he be had bad previously believed yet it this were true his own duty became clearer than ever aye and would be more willingly performed but what did hawley knewt did he already realize hat bat tho the girl he bad first mat tea on the stage coach and later inveigled into the desert was hope and not tho the music hall ball artist ile he of course fully believed her tobe to be christie maclaire Macl alre at that time but something might hive occurred since to change that belief anyhow tho the man was not now seeking hope nut ut the tha other apparently tho the latter was waa either cither already here in sheridan or expected soon and exactly what was it tho the gambler desired this Macl maclaire alre woman to dor dof this was waa the important matter and for or its solution keith possessed merely meely a low few hints a few vague suggestions she bho was expected to represent herself a as 11 phyllls phyllis phyllis who somo some phyl it lla surely whose physical resemblance to hope must bo be sufficiently marked to he be at once noticeable willoughby had evidently revealed to hawley some hidden family secret having money involved no doubt and la in abich the discovery of this mysterious erlo phyllis dign figured red sh she might perhaps be a sister or half sister who had disappeared and remained ignorant ar aa to any inheritance hopes picture shown by tho the boy and ro hawley at once of christlo maclaire had been the baste of tho the whole plot exactly what the details of that plot might bo be keith could not figure out but one thing was reasonably certain it was proposed to d defraud lope hope and who in the very truth was hope it suddenly occurred to him as aa a remarkably strange fact act that he possessed not the slightest inkling as aa to the tha girls name hame tier her brother had assumed to bo be called calledo alt loughry when he enlisted in the army and lite his companions continued to call him this it if ho he could interview tho girl now for only five minutes ha be should bo be able probably to straighten out the whole intricate tangle but where was shot ebe would she bavo remained until this time at fort larnce larded with kato murphy there was waa a noise of movement in 1110 next room apparently as hawley haw ley arose carelessly from his edge of the washstand ho he had bad dislodged the glaira glas a which tell fell shivering on the floor COOT scott swore audibly nt at the loss shut up dill snapped the gambler irritated youve got the boula bottle letl left im going theres nothing for or any or of us to do now until after I 1 see sea understand T remain hero here Dam lime it that drunken tool fool jant waking up there was a rattling of the rickety bed and then the sound of b bys bya voice thick from liquor almighty glad to see you dart bart am indeed want money blit Bill abl both want money cant drlak drink without money cant eat without money shay when you coln stake us ill see bee you again in the mor aias fred returned the other briefly 00 ua oo on back to sleep alse 11 will when I 1 kit git good an ready 7 go sleep stay atay wake just na as I 1 please dont care damn what dogot new new now A now new friend T who hawley spoke with aroused interest oh hes heb all right hiso hes mighty ino fine fellow corao como in n in invitation called balled her llope Ho you tool fool hart hawley think my sister alstor christie christie dalfino damfino the calemy my bister hope dont want yer money my my now new friend hell stake roe me he ha knows my sister bister hope the gambler glaspe grasped d the speaker shaking him into somo come blight sem semblance of sobriety I 1 now look hare hero willoughby I 1 want tho the truth and mean to have it he be insisted has some one been in bete bera while scott was gone sure I 1 just tell friend alend e 0 hones HODOH who was waa he be speak api upi I 1 want the name there was a faint gurgling sound bound as though the tha gamblers vice like nn germ gera were at the tha loys boys throat a blight struggle and then the cho choked ady e f bolce voice gasped out 1 let apt up damn aerl ho called himself jack keith TO DEI BE CONTINUED s MITI ft |