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Show 3 CTie fj IDATER I BEARER j ? i: A Bn j alu-.u nmn 1 c lA rtulor of C ' UAH TO HIS MATS" C , ' 'lllMlitjCK T8AIL" g ! (gt 11 fjo.j.l. Wti(l & Co. WNU H( vie. CHAPTER XII Continued 19 -Vi.ii mean Mr. r.axlcr? V'ch, I saw lil. ii. lie 1 1 7t H (joint down tn Ciiyuli'." The repression (if Ills tune drew M nrlii 'h tt 1 1 1-ii 1 1 ri . She tiirneil ami 1 1 1. k '-it lit Mm. I lie 1 1 1 n i Ii. lllisli.-iilril, in lier hmiil, IIh light Tull en Cnleli's fare. Kli(! gasped imil I lien a sort of lialeful Joy (lilleil over her swnrlliy fare. "Madre. lie lios! Vou met lieem. K'glllo! An' you fought wcctli lleem. Huron! I liope you spoiled for lleem Unit hnn'soine fare. Way lie never re-' turn Hint I'.axler! Kef lie does, eet l.i lietler for lieem that lie does not meet Piidillii. SI, for I'adilla weel not uxe his feesls. An' now you luus' wnsli Unit lilond from your face, senor. I weel hrreng warm waler to tlio room whore you sleep before. After you eat. you weel llnd all ready." Her speech, llerce lit tlie shirt, had noflened. She bestowed ii nod of approval ap-proval on f'uleh, lir eyes kindly, and nwi'pt out. II was plain that Baxter had lost favor at Kl Nido. It was equally plain that Maria had meant to convey that niueh to Caleb, together wllli her emphatic Indorsement of the tight that he had not contradicted. The coffee and sandwiches finished. Caleb went through the patio to the room, finding a lamp, warm water and towels. He made himself more pre-denhihle, pre-denhihle, though fhe bruises and abra-Hlons abra-Hlons where the sleel wire hud marked Ills flesh slill'perslste.'l. Cleansed and refreshed, lie lit his pipe and strolled through hie patio to where the three cars were parked, Kennedy's, Baxter's roadster and Conklln's machine. Conk-lln Conk-lln had a chauffeur, his practice was evidently larger and more profitable than that of the physician from Coyote. The man spoke to him civilly, civil-ly, lie was examining -Baxter's car. "Anything wrong with it?" asked Caleb. "Nothing wrong with the car. Only Willi the bean of Hie guy that owns it. Let his nailery run down. No juice. Tlie Spanish dame says he cussed it up miid down when he tried lo start it. Kothln' doln' an' he has to hoof it way down the canyon." It seemed to piece up now the idea that Baxter had offended Betty Clinton and had been summarily dismissed. So summarily, that, finding his car batteries useless, he had decided to leave the car lo be sent for and stalked off down canyon in a mood that Caleb bad been ready to match. "Mr. Warner?" Doctor Conklin had come out of the house. Caleb Joined him. "There's nothing more t lint I can do. I must get back to Baloinu. I've suggested sug-gested that you go with me. There's a nurse needed. It would be a good Idea to get Burton, though Kenneily will stay, ami Is doing all that can be done. The trouble culminates rapidly, but Miss Clinton naturally wants Burton. Bur-ton. "He may not be able to get here In time. It's touch and go. Clinton is not a strong man. lie got caught In the hills in tlie storm. Drenched! Then Ids horse wrenched a fetlock In fording the swollen stream nnd Clinton Clin-ton led It home l d foolishness! I have suggested that you can got In touch with Burton as soon as you reach a phone. I can get you to .Villoma In time for the ten o'clock train last one tonight. And you may be able to arrange about a nurse. She'll have to come back with Burton In his car." "Of course." Caleb replied. "I ll see that a nurse arrives. If you'll give me some addresses nnd names to round up If I can't get one through Burton." V. "Good. I knew you'd tackle It, Warner. War-ner. Told her so. Hop In. We haven't too much time." They started without a chance for Caleb to see the girl again. But he was In her service and she would know that. i At Valoma station with a few minutes min-utes to spare, the doctor wrote down the address of a nurses' home and the names of the women he preferred on such a case. ' "If you can't get any of these, try tbe second address." he said. "Mention "Men-tion Burton's name with the case. Carries more weight than mine. And get that nurse over here tonight. If vou can't r:;ise Burton here's a note that will get you oxygen two tanks that must come with the nurse. It may make all the difference. Here comes your train. Good luck to you." Caleb got a working wire to Golden at the Oakville. Ferry and he let the boat go, pulling In the twenty minutes before the next one to making arrangements, ar-rangements, ne got a nurse and told her to hold herself In readiness. He also got the oxyien. Burton was on a case and could not leave. rrived across the bay he found car anil nurse awaiting him. Fifteen minutes min-utes saw the oxygen loaded in the car and thej caught th midnight ferry for th return. They slid off the boat lo llm apron at Oakville Estuary at the fir-it moment unJ went rucketlus through the night to Villoma and onto the sideroad, plowing up that with the f :'l energy of tlie M-.-li-powtred car, ru-lillig iirro-, the valley and sounding the strld.-nt klaxon to let the ranch know that they were coming. Kennedy stood waiting to meet them. "It's toii'-h and go," he said. "Where' the oxygen? Did you get It? 'I hank liuil! It may save hlrn. Come, nurst-." Maria came out for the nurse's grip. "She stay here tonight," she said. "i if course. I am going bark for Do' tor Burton. How is Mr. Clinton?" "Ah. he U see. !; s.-erk ! I pray-but pray-but I do not know, senor. I am 'frald." Ili-r fare worked with the emotion expressed ex-pressed in her voire, the car lamps showed her eyes red with weeping. At four o'clock Caleb got In touch with Doctor Burton, sleepless from long vigil. "A cup of coffee and I'm off," he said. "It's over one way or another by this but I'll go, of course. Clinton and his girl are old friends as well as patients. As for you, young man." he added suddenly bending his gaze on Caleb, "you're all In. What the devil have you been up to? A hot hath and bed for you. Instantly. You look as as If you had been taking part In a riot." Caleb felt like It. Despite his anxiety, anx-iety, he succumbed to sleep In the cab. He dropped Into unconsciousness the moment he stretched out between the sheets. The sun was flooding the room when he awakened. It was a glorious morning, vital, hopeful. Caleb went Immediately to his telephone. "Are there any messages for me?" he asked the operator. The girl gave him the oflice number of Doctor Burton, Bur-ton, that had been left wdth her and, on his request, got him the connection. The doctor's olllce nurse spoke briefly. Caleb hung up the hook softly. Betty Clinton's father was dead. CHAPTER XIII Baxter Strikes Caleb did not feel that his present relations admitted of his writing a letter of condolence to Betty Clinton nnd he would have been at loss how to word It. To send flowers, much a3 he desired to do something to express y" I . msNI ,' It-'-U" ; "You've Had a Falling Out With Bax-ter?" Bax-ter?" He Said Abruptly. the sympathy that he felt for her supreme su-preme sorrow, was the function of relatives and friends more intimate than he. But Mrs. Carquinez helped him out of his quandary. lie met her on the street, on her way to the Ved-ders. Ved-ders. Betty, she told him. was almost prostrated, but was now bearing up bravely. "She takes things standing up," said the artist's wife. "She told me of all you did for them the night her father was taken ill. She Is very grateful. I shall tell her that I have seen you." she ended, ns she shook hands. "Is there any message you would like me to give her?" "My sympathy, my wish that I could do something. That is all." Hinckley had a suite of offices In the building of the Crystal Springs Water company. He turned over to Caleb one of these rooms with Its draughting equipment, and there Caleb Ca-leb worked hard over his plans while Hinckley, with tlie engineering staff, was making fuller investigation across the bay with a view- to confirmation of the project. Options were already I : bein? carefully negotiated. A few days should see the deal assured and . artnal work commenced In the field. j Caleb caught only a glimpse or two of MHry Morgan. Cox's offices whera the worked In her capacity of ussist- I ant to the president's secretary were j on another floor from Caleb's room. , He knew, through his bank, that she had received the money, he Imagined that she had given notice to the company com-pany and was waiting for Its expiration expira-tion before going away. Baxter had seemingly dropped out of sight. Caleb had changed his living liv-ing quarters at the beginning of the month, which was a week after the meeting In the canyon, and he had not , met him. though he had occasionally heard him leaving or entering his room, or moving about It. He knew : that Baxter wns "posted" on the de- ! linqueney board at the Altruists for ! dues and dining-room chits. It was , plain that the sale of Hermanos val- j ley had fallen through. Co.x came one morning Into Caleb's oflice and discussed general progress for a few moments before he took a seat' across from the high stool on , which Caleb worked at his drawings, j "You've had a falling out with Baxter?" Bax-ter?" he said abruptly. "He's after your scalp and seems to be tolerably cocksure he's going to get It," he went on, not waiting for comment. "He came to me this morning with a proposition prop-osition that Involved, with our acceptance accept-ance of It, your dismissal, or at least the relegation of you to a subordinate position, so far as your Identification with the project is concerned. I was busy and I made an appointment for three o'clock. I should like you to be present." "Thanks," said Caleb. "I'll be very glad of the opportunity." He did not offer and Cox did not seem to expect any explanations. He could not tell exactly what Baxter had for weapops but he rather fancied he knew the principal one that would be employed and he was ready with a parry that would prove a bit disconcerting. discon-certing. This weapon wns a boomerang boome-rang he had long known the existence of nnd looked forward to seeing It launched only to return, and strike the thrower. It was only since his talk with Mary Morgan at Haight's that he had considered Baxter as likely like-ly to use It. Baxter was the type of man who would never "blnme himself under any conditions. To the score against Caleb Ca-leb lie would undoubtedly set the denial de-nial of the loan, the loss of the Hermanos Her-manos valley sale, his dismissal' by Betty Clinton on the night of her father's fa-ther's sickness and death, and the fight on the bridge In which he had been first worsted and then rescued by Caleb. The rescue would be an ignominy. It was doubtful whether Baxter had been normal since his mother's marriage. His brain had been under stimulation or depression of alcohol practically continually. He had brooded over his reverses and now Caleb was placed as sole author of all his troubles, the tnrget of nls vindictiveness against conditions. Vrepared as he was in a measure for the interview, it struck him that here was a lest to see how far he could depend upon Cox where the company's best interests were at stake. Cox knew about the boomerang. boom-erang. It was the decent thing for Cox to do to ask him to be present. Mighty decent. Caleb's face was grim when he entered en-tered Cox's office at three o'clock, his eyes were narrowed and his lean jaw jutted, bossed with tense muscles. Cox pushed oyer cigars with a greeting greet-ing genially modulated as usual. There was a difference- though ; Cox's eyes were cold as shadow ice. As Caleb lit his cigar in his chair the buzzer sounded and Cox took up his desk-phone desk-phone with a little nod at Caleb. The nod was confidential warning, despite de-spite the frosty eyes. "All right, show him in," he said. Baxter entered, jaunty, well-dressed, Ids head held confidently. But he looked the worse for wear, for all his mien. He srnelled of the barber shop, but massage had not changed the flab-biness flab-biness of his putty-colored flesh nor taken the rings from beneath slightly bloodshot eyes. He stared hard at Caleb and then sneered. Again Caleb recollected Field's prediction. pre-diction. It looked as if It was swiftly coming to pass. Baxter's eyes had lost humanity; there was no more soul In them than there would have been In artificial orbs of transparent glass back of which crimson light was burning. burn-ing. The sneer was more of a snarl, that of a beast. His whole face was animal. . "I understood this was to be a confidential con-fidential Interview," he said. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |