Show a- a Q i e ed d' d t hT a y M t. t I l 1 l tin t r I r tl rZ R ac i eor wu A rl 9 tab D f i ri t SERVICE J y iy f 1 H 11 In fn truth there existed heaps of ot Ah raw red gold somewhere In cave e n a In these mountains and there had been an any exactness In the thc descrIption description description tion In Gus Ingles Ingle's Dihle Bille then them the spot was not more than three or four miles sway away When he ha went to wake Gloria he first stood over her hel looking queerly queerly queer- queer I ly down upon her sleep Her tier lashes against her cheek check stirred and flew apart under his steady gaze lie looked Into her e eyes es sweet and soft heavy with sleep Time to be up he lie said He Ele turned on his heel and went back In haste to his tIre lire Gloria awake was ravenously hungry She came sooner t than m he hall hail expected ire Arc re you ou going back she asked aske colorlessly i No he returned as ns Indifferently 7 Its about four miles to the thc caves es Well We'll be there In a 0 couple of hours x r Then well we'll see what we wc see sec Oh Ole ver very well she salt coldly r t That was the thc whole of their conversation con con- J save for one curt cult remark and ond an nn Impudent laugh In answer at ot the end of a n scanty meal meat Gloria tossed a piece of ot bacon Into the fire King looked at her sternly and said Young lady Indy we may be up against the r real al thing thine right now Nobody Nobody No No- body but a tl fool would do a n trick Hick like that The laugh was Glorias Once on their wn way they climbed almost steadily King was keeping high on the rI ridges going about the head bend of at the ra ravine ine which lower down cut lIk like a knife across the timbered I tract headed fora or what hat he took to toI tobe tobe I be Gus Gus' Ingles Ingle's cave A mile away f f she saw It a great ragged black hole In a high muss mass of rock close closet L f t to the crest of the next rI ridge ge She watched King wonderingly ashe as ashe he hastened on did the man have havet I t no sense of bodily o lJ discomfort rt Certainly Certainly he gave e no sign In at last he waited for her and told her herto herto r to get bet down she had the suspicion on that he had gone mad Certainly here was ryas no spot to tarry It was ivas wason on her lips to demur But King holding Bu Bucks Buck's l s 's bridle looked about t r t him and at the sl sky Gloria said ald quickly we re better etter turn back now no 7 In what T he lie replied In that impersonal Impersonal Im- Im personal way which maddened her have you ran so altered as to be worth wortha a mun nuns mans s broken promise And then she knew that no thought of going back bael had hud had any part In his brief In Indecision lie He was merely seeking the best place to unpack t and a convenient spot to tether Duck Buck He lie dumped at nt her feet the roll ran from the horses horse's hack setting his hla ride down against It Then he lie led Buck away awny from sIght Bight beyond an monster crag When he rejoined Gloria she was staring off oft at nothingness her back to him He lashed the two canvas rolls roUs together swung them up to his hisS S 1 shoulders took pan frying coffeepot coffeepot coffeepot coffee coffee- pot and rifle l In his free tree hand band and nodded toward the small pack of oft t provisions which had been left over o v from Cram lunch Better r r bring those z r be advised briefly Theres no tells tell- tell J 1 5 s Ing what may bo be In the cards He went on along the knife edge of the 1 4 ridge down Into a little depression f up Dp be beyond ond She snatched up the parcel When she came up with him he had thrown n down his pack at the very edge of at the gorge gorse She came cameto cameto to his side leaned forward and looked down Far below plunged the wildest torrent she had ever e seen And King meant to go godown godown godown down to It to cross It to climb the dizzy cliff upon the further side sidel I She knew from his look 1001 without asking For Just across the chasm from tram them In the highest of at the cliffs was the yawning black black- mouthed place of at horrors I Slowly and with difficulty King made his wa way ivay down the steep wall I of rocks dragging and pulling the roll roU of at bedding betIdIng and provisions after him He lie went up upstream there lay I an old cedar lo log so that It spanned the current Its sturdy old trunk ten feet teet above abote the water venter For a moment King disappeared under an out thrust ledge then she sn saw whim him again the pack on his Ids shoulders He had J d climbed up to the top of the log he was crossing Where ho went she must follow 1 I i I t Unerringly he trod troll the tho rude rode L- L bridge underfoot gained the other oilier Bide ElLIe without mishap tossed down his bundle and lowered himself from tram the log after It On he lie went I stream down-stream again clinging to the steep pitch of at the gorge orte until he be was ivaa almost under the mouth of the I cavern ern It was a n hundred feet teet j above him and the cliffs from t Gloria sat Bat numb with the cold and dread looked insurmountable Yet he b was going Inc up them I And where he goes you will follow fol tal- low v. It was as ns though the wild waters below wore chanting It Into her ears I Slowly Slow tediously but with never ne nevera I a sign of at hesitation King made his wa way up the cliff Nor was the task the Impossible one It seemed from tram a distance There were cracks and crevices there were seams of at a harder material which better withstanding withstanding with with- standing the attacks of time were thrust out beyond the general level leve on them a n man might stand King had drawn up after him stage after stage the roll of bedding bed ding using Blackie's tie rope to haul baul It up and to moor It briefly At length he came safely to the caves cave's mouth Then he drew v up to his feet the dangling roll with It In his hisarras arras arms he was gone Into that yawning yawnIng yawnIng yawn- yawn Ing hole She waited breathlessly for tor his return She saw him come again into the light he had the rope In his hand was coIlIng colling It He began begun to come down He was returning returnIng re re- returning re- re turning for her She did lid not stir while he made the slow descent I am aUl going to spend the day up there he told her In his studied aloof manner Ill know soon enough now what truth there Is In Inthe Inthe Inthe the story of Gus Ingles Ingle's gold Theres There's room In the cave to sleep and theres there's shelter of a sort Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow To To- morrow morrow- morning If It I find Ond nothing Ill I'll start back with you ou If It you care to come up now Ill I'll help you jou What else Is there to do cried Gloria with the first flash of at pas pas- sion slon What else do you ou leave me He lIe slipped sUpped a loop of at the rope I about her waist taking slow pains not to touch her with his hands and turned downward again She followed fol tal- lowed Like one moving through the fearsome steps of ot a nightmare 4 Y YG t G i iI iI I I 1 She he Came to Kings King's Side at the Gloomy Entrance of Gus Ingles Ingle's Cave she the went on clinging to Kings King's hand his hand tight upon hers cold hands which met because the they mast At last the torrent was behind her It was another nightmare climbIng climbing climb climb- ing up the cliffs to the cave e King Ring ordered and she obeyed Stage by stage wear weary stages fraught with terror she tolled up and up and up An And so at last she came canie to Kings King's side at nt the gloomy gloom entrance of Gus Ingles Ingle's cave She crept by I I King with never a backward glance and threw herself herselt face race down on uneven floor CHAPTER VIII KING ING looked at his watch not yet et eleven o'clock Need heed for tor haste the day would be short Here was one of ot Gus Ingles Ingle's caves another another another an an- other he knew was directly below and at the base of ot the cliff clift i the third should be near He De recalled the words In the old Bible DIble We come to the First Calve CuI and then I I we come to Calve Clive num number er Hire thre and two 1 I There lay significance In the tho order of Ingles Ingle's numerals i first three and two Two of the caves were for tor anyone to see ce before now v King had been In both of them theta Hence It must be that Gus Ingles Ingle's treasure lay In the third That Illat one King must locate I I I I Taking his rope with him King made what haste he could going down the cliffs lIe He gathered as heavy a load loud of at dry branches brunches a abe as os ashe osbe s be he could handle bound them about with his bis rope tied and clambered again agai n to the tho upper cave cuve Gloria had no not t I stirred sUrre He Be moved mo about her ber wen wena went wenta t I a n dozen paces deeper Into Inlo the great grent I cavern and threw down bin bis wood Breaking branches Into short lengths length s he quickly got Jol a lire tire going He e brought the bedding roll bedding cl closer er nn and 1 opened It Into a u roub rough ready and read y be bed Then hel lie he c called rr to Gloria Gloda loa I cold there She rose listlessly and came forward forward for tor- ward word dropping down Into a sitting position upon the blankets her chilled hands out toward the blaze blazeI I dont don't like the looks of at this storm he told her It U Is s up to us to hurry burry I am going to look around now You are going to leave me here I wont won't be far tar With that be he beset beset set fire to a n dry pine fagot the best bat torch available a and left her going deeper Into the cave e She sat tense and still sUB listening trying to probe with tired eyes through the dark Then It seemed to her that he had been gone a long time She roseto rose roseto roseto to her feet tempted to follow v him But pride restrained her and she sat down again to Walt wait In an attitude attitude atti attl tude of at Indifference B But t the minutes dragged on She went a n little way in the direction he had taken stood peering into dark darl listening breathlessly and rigid Never a sound She Site went back to the front of at the cave care looking looking look look- ing down staring out into the gray sky across the ridge Gloria trembling with a new excitement excitement ex ex- was down on her Jer knees before before before be be- fore the pack when King returned She sprang up to face ince him Gloria was excited Kings King's excitement was no less Where she ha had at nt least the clew to his altered expression he had bad none to hers Its here I he burst out And found It Tons and tons of it It such knobs and nuggets of pure gold goldas as never man laid eyes on r We have old Ben made whole and full tuU of or power again She saw that In each hand he carried what looked like a big rough stone she saw from the way he be carried them that the they were heavy The fire leaped higher brighter In their eyes Now she saw the way to make Mark King pay for tor all oi of his brutality to her i to pay to the uttermost I have nothing to say to you she said as stiffly as site she knew the way I care to hear henr nothing you have to say I have tolerated all u that I mean to tolerate from you Her bearing no less than her words astonished him He stared at her wonderingly I dont don't understand understand- Gloria treated him to cool laughter laugh laugh- ter You will in a minute I am go go- Ing Going You In Gods God's name t. t I I I I where WU le r Deep silence answered him He frowned at her in puzzled fashion a moment then suspecting the I truth he dropped to the fireside the things in his hands and went swiftly to the caves cave's mouth Then hen he saw For a long time he i stood studying It H seeking to make sure It was a column of smoke I I Some one had bad encamped no great I distance away on the same stream Some one Why then Gratton and Brodie Brodle and their crowd He swung about and came back to Glorias Gloria's side You saw that smoke be he de de- You plan on going to them You know who they are No but that doesn't matter Which means as plain as print he said thoughtfully that you ou would go to any man to be rid oi 01 me He laughed unpleasantly Do you know he asked that they are probably Gratton and Swen Brodie and their outfit You know that Gratton has set out to ruin your father That hes he's a double dealing scoundrel That Brodle Brodle Bro Bro- dle die Is worse That neither Is hardly hardly hard hard- ly tile Hie sort for tor a girls girl to trust Herself tier Her sel self to In a place like this I am not given much choice a fact be he conceded with witha a grun grunt t. t King made his decision She was after all aU Ben Den Ga Gaynor's nors daugh daughter ter and furthermore the apple ol 01 olBen's Bens Ben's eye She was In Kings King's keeping keeping keep keep- I ing he had been eminently to blame for bringing her here his was the responsibility You are not going he lie said suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly turning upon her I wont won't allow you to put yourself In Gratton's Gratton's Grat Grat- tons ton's or Brodle's Brodies dirty hands I A quick light was In her e eyes cs a quick Spurt purt of at satisfaction In her hei heart In Kings King's decision she site read the h assurance that he was still mail mad mn mailly ly ln 11 In love with her that now his bis Jealousy stirred him Stand aside please she com com- I am going I tell you When she came to his sl side e and he lie did not stir sUr she sought to brush by him Thore Thare was no hesitation in the way In which he put out his hand and held her back buck I There can cnn be only one captain to toan toan toan an expedition In adventure he tol told her seriously I have ha been elected to the Job You are not going to desert desert de de- desert sert ship By what right do you Issue orders orders orders or or- ders to me she cried Let us say he returned In the coin of ot her own harshness by the tile theold theold old right of a husband If It that Isn't sufficient you ou can cnn add to It by bj the honored tune right of at the lord and I master I Walt a n minute he ad added ed sternly as he lie saw her lips opening I In n a rush of at words I would be he glad to have hu you ou go were conditions less exacting Now I have thought mutters matters over ever and It appears essential essen essen- that certain of our marriage vows be remembered For my part port I fully intend to keep leep my obligation atlon of or protecting you ou n against your our own foolishness the storm Gratton Brodle Brodie and the devil U himself And finally I mean to keep my promise to your OUr father rather Gloria tried to stare him down to wither him hint with the fire of her scorn tp to bravo ru 0 by him But th the inn man ai ill J m I io having Ing re receded ed d front from his s was once once more like so much rock rack but rock endowed with dormant power of aggression On the Instant It became hemme clear to tober her ber that physically King Dins Ing was as the master So for the first time she began a certain logical line of thought seeking to shape her own plans Please listen to me seriously King said quietly to her I cant can't talk long to you Heres Here's the point this Is ls trove treasure i w we got here first Its It's up to us to hold it Can CanI I count on you sticking on the Job your fathers father's and your own Job aa ns much as mine until we make n a goof go goat goof of at it it Glorias Gloria's spite was Uvel lively and bitter In her distorted vision blurred by passionate anger she cried out quickly So now v that the odds are against you you come corne cringing to tome tome tome me do you Again Agnin she site was misled into fanc fancying ing that she site held a whip- whip hand over him Answering your question I would trust rust Mr Ir Gratton any da day rather than you ou He lIe at nt least Is not quite the brute and buU bully that you are arc King was hardly disappointed At |