Show gex X rs DARK LOUIS JO JOSEPH SEPH by VAD VANCE author of the filse false faces the lone H wolf etc ell R illustrated b by y IRWIN MYERS 1320 1920 by the author 1 41 1 ak fj 6 fi tl 6 6 ey fi tty q p q 1 h aj WI iama aj A I aa t A fl ip 01 MI 03 fm IV FLIGHT Contin continued tied 20 with the lie cessation of ltd its rut tible lilt eague bolso of rushing itt vir mischance find led ber it to n re the lie rund rond hall hemi been half wai ln d out fly by tile lie overflow front from a stream the showed tin nn unrelieved stretch etc I 1 of mire which for haide tle the thought of trying to go eo on oil tit the only thing to do 10 wits way to buck back alit loutit it she could and since it would mould lip lie impost sible to turn on thu jim trail kerp keep on backing iiii eifle oc regained rea the lie last fork on an tile the face ace of it no easy task but feasible with core care atilt patience hopefully she restarted the engine find and threw tile ho gnirs tile wheels moved with etli it sucking dolse nt at first sluggishly then worked free nil and spun briskly the h car nr hold held fust where it lind had stopped she S shut oft off the ignition and rot got down to investigate stepping into mud above liar ankles the sole pole result of tier attempt to 0 o flock out had been to hog bog down doun the wheela near ly to the lie hubs flubs when she hall strained ill lie motor for a few more minutes s without en cir she gave up tip the and cried a little into her muddled hands clie unhappy was hers to remain in the cur car till til site sho was found if she glio ever wag van or to pick her let any it hack back through th tile pitch dark foreit fore it 0 to o the iho first fork lit in the rond road elcher to walt there to 0 o tip ile fly by or else to push on into tile valley or wherever the lie road illicit lead till she come caino to humlin i either course was lit in nn an the forest ft Ight enod lier her indescribably to stop she wan wag perhaps hours of walting city light was still a long lone fline on oft in tile the solitude Boll tude and silence of the lie woods woodi encompassed by she dared not guess ahot perils from prowling beasts of prey and on this reflection sho she switched ahe the headlights off lest their shine at attention sho she recalled with painful vividness the fear of the forest that hall haunted contri conj ri on the morning of the day of tier her death of a sudden Bild den in blind willem panic adia tumbled out of the car and plowed back through tile the infra to the trail only to become still more blindly it a prey to imaginary terrors when she felt firm arni ground underfoot and to blunder insanely on clawed nt at by savage withered hands tripped and buffeted by malicious floun hounded ded by horrors terrors of the imagination unspeakable within two minutes bile he was oft off althe trail thrashing wildly through tile tinder undergrowth der growth that choked the woods hopelessly lost f j V valediction it was less ft a than an ant mated scarecrow that broke frontu it a deinse thic thicket liet and stumbled 1 into tile tho mountain trail in the hot blast bast 1 of mill morning iett blonk was gone and tier her slippers as aa well bare and bleeding feet and ankles shower through the real nants of what tint find been slik silk stockings iier ifer frock dripping water front from every avery fold thanks to a recent nils 1 adventure with a i brook was ana an affair ut of shreds find and tatters called caked with of mud and stal stalney nei with green slime ellmo ono one sleeve was missing entirely tile bored bared white arm lind had been cruelly scratched by thorns horns tile the hair falling failing round her shoulders was it net of tangles and knots lit in which v leaves and twigs had become eni twined tier her feco face was disfigured disfigure ti with minears of mud in which blitch tears lind washed cl palo pale channels her eyes were ure red and swollen 1 glicr er lips puffed her look was stupid to tho the point ot of witlessness she bhe panted and at times mooned feebly as she walked it abo could be pala pah to walk whose progresso was it a zig elg tog thing of yaw a and veers like that of a yacht under full still call in III a stiff breeze with no hand at taij helm in a shallow clearing of 0 one side of the trail stood a small shanty ot of the crudest kind a crazy structure of undressed logs logo and rough planks weather beaten to the shade of clatey gray it had a door however anti and the door was closed the girl opeil fd ed it simply by falling failing against it it flanged banged against tho the wall and swung buck back into place after admitting tier her atie room inside there was but oue one showed evidence of more or less lean recent occupation a hult loaf of stale bread on the table sonde some open una tins holding samples of food from which an odor exhaled several empty whisky bottles and one halt full empty cigarette cartons and a vast litter of cigarette stumps A trying frying pan on the sheet iron fron stove held I 1 u rasher of bacon in a pool of concu cited grease there were tumbled blankets on a rickety pot cot to in the corner rio the girl saw none of these things or it if she saw them they meant nothing to tier her As if her strength had only sufficed to austain her to the of a roof she bho dropped dropp cil to tile tho f floor and lay there panting and sub sch birg ond and quaking like a child that jas tn heon t n 2 i within three nit a enatt nine cattle rin inIng up tho idill lie ile na vivi slender unil anti wiry ulo of at stature and wore ow nil mi aged abid red bcd sweater with it pair of labaki trousers tro ills ilia face was us of a plowing t lovs liiK scarlet fillade end dripped with midi sweat which rail down into lila ills eyes anti was lit at least hast lit 1 part the caffe of the monologue of profanity clogged lila ills labored lie H lumbered on wearily ilke bite alio ho hns has run mil a lohr ever eer anti anil anon looking back anck over shoulder us its it lie feared fi tired pursuit pui pur sult ills right liand hand held nil pistol of heavy caliber remly ready for instant use mac at the inor door of tile linney ill lie paused eliut WN aps tight it to still belll tile noise idols of ills oin breath lux and listened listen with head bent to ono side apparently antly lie heard nothing A lual buol of fear lint hall clouded clomped ills his eyes parsed all bixl he grinned nn nil oil evil snarling grin as lie kicked open tile the door atilt went chit in the girl had flallen on oil tin the far side bide of the ho table where slie she was as not dontely visible lh lolo of lier her presence ia the tl mail closed the door and lurched to the one unglazed winlow anre lw lie to spy out ly I 1 peering town donn tile alio trall lie ho had just hii t traveled tind ond listening lint but the alif girl had been roused by his ent entrance ranco und nud first pushing lur biers up front from tile the lour floor with lier ninis presently fold hold field of the edgo edge of the alic table and binl pulled herself lito into 1 1 Leo leonora noral I 1 standing position the table rocked slightly ond and scraped tile the floor A whisky bottle fell vel on its side the 1 I ho man turned like ft a hunted an trual inin snarling saw him the woman standing tab there in tier her torn frock dripping front froin tier her hair and Vlot clothing hing aind ant I 1 screamed with terror like ilka a trapped wolf hla 1119 arm new flow tip lip and ills pistol spat AVO no shots in ili loss than as ninny many seconds lie ile fired point blank tit nt ft a distance ot of not lint more than five feet yet when the nath sh alist ot had licen been farel the girl wits still atilt standing unharmed storing blankly nt at limni then thea ho went utterly ln nile with fear ono one word Lc leonora onora pl vaili n ills shrieked valediction to tho the world orld ills pistol lad held a sixth cartridge ile iio thrust iho he muzzle tie tween lila ills teeth pulled rii lloil the trigger As fell wath the detective andrews Ai idres anti the wan ulan murlo broke into tile the shanty |