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Show cf'KlIJl4B 2 MEREDITH NICnjMfflJiJ trvrmeitr eon ay mr MM.i'iiratM l cruMtir f " "?S 3i IS 8YN0P8IS. Thomas Ardmoro and Henry Malno Orlswold stumble upon Intrigue when tho governors of North nnd South Carolina nro reported to havo quarreled. Orlawold allies himself with Uarbara Osborne, daughter of tho governor of South Carolina, Caro-lina, while Ardmoro espouses the causo of Jerry Dangerfleld, daughter of tho governor of North Carolina. These two young ladles nro trying to fill tho shoes of their fathers while tho latter are missing. miss-ing. Both states are In a turmoil over one Applewelght, an outlaw with great political Influence. Unaware of each other's oth-er's position, both Orlswold and Ardmoro sot out to make the other prosecuto Applewelght. Ap-plewelght. Ardmoro organizes a big hunt, ttrlswold nlso takes the Held. Frank Collins. Col-lins. Atlanta reporter. Is arrested by Ardmoro, Ard-moro, but released to become press agent for tho young millionaire's expedition. rlswotd's men capture Dill Applewelght. CHAPTER XIII. Continued. "Now we'll bco what's happened," said Habersham. "It looks almost too easy." Tho members of Grlswold's party who had been thrown round to tho farther s'ldo of tho church began to appear, ono at a time. Thero was no nervousness among any of tho band a fact that impressed Orlswold. They were all risking much in this enterprise, but they wore outwardly unperturbed, nnd chewing their tobacco to-bacco silently whilo they awaited tho return of the two actlvo agents in tho conspiracy who had dealt directly with Applewelght. Habersham counted count-ed heads, nnd announced all presont or nccounted for. The tall leader who had ridden tho mule was the first to rise out of tho underbrush, through which he hnd crawled circuitously from tho rear of the church. Ills companion followed a few seconds later. "VVe'vo got Bill, all tied and gagged and n-sitting of his hoss," drawled tho leader, "and tho hoss Is tied to tho back fenco. Rest o' his boys thought ho's gone ahead, but thoy may miss him and como back. He's oafo enough, and of wo keep away from him we'll bo ready to light out of tho gang scents trouble and comes back to look fer Bill." "You'ro suro he's tied up so ho can't break away or yell?" "Ho's as good as dead, a-settin' of his hoss In tho thicket back then." "And now," said Habersham, "what wo'vo got to do Is to mnko a run for It nnd land him ncross tho border, nnd stick him Into n North Carolina Jail, where ho rightfully belongs. Tho question ques-tion Is, can wo do it all in ono night, or had wo better lock him up some-whero some-whero on this side tho lino and tako nnother night for it? Tho sheriff over thero in . Klldnro is Applowolght's cousin, but we'll lock him up with Bill, to make a family party of It." 1 "We'd better not try too much tonight," to-night," counseled Orlswold. "It's a big thing to havo tho mnn himself. If it were not for tho matter of putting put-ting Gov. Dangerfleld in a hole, I'd fnvor hurrying with Applewelght to Columbia, Just for tho moral effect of It on tho people of South Carolina. We'd make n big killing for the administration ad-ministration that way, Habersham." "Yes, you'd mako n killing all right, but you'd havo Bill Applewelght on your hands, which Gov. Osborno has not until lately-been anxious for," ro-plled ro-plled Habersham, in a low tone that was heard by no one but his old pro-coptor. pro-coptor. "You'd bettor get over tho idea that we're afraid of this outlaw," rejoined re-joined Griswold. "Tho governor of North Carolina dare not call his soul his own where theso hill people nre concerned; but tho governor of South Carolina Is a different sort." Whilo thoy thus stdod on South Carolina soil, waiting for tho safe and complete dispersion of tho- Mount Nebo congregation boforo seizing tho captlvo thoy had gaggod and tied nt tho rear of tho llttlo church, the- fates wore ordering a S'ery different termination ter-mination of tho night's business. Miss Jerry Dangerfleld, galloping away from tho duke of Ballywlnkle, with no thought but to widen the distance dis-tance between them, turned'off at tho first cross-road, which began woll enough, but degenerated rapidly into a mlsorable trail, through which sho was obliged to walk her horso. Boforo Bo-foro sho was uwuro of it sho was in tho midst of a clearing whero laborers had lately beon cutting tlmbor, nnd sho found, on turning to mako hor way out, that alio was quite lost, for three trails, all seemingly alike, struck oil into tho forest. Sho spoko aloud to tho horse to reassure hor-self, hor-self, and smiled as sho viewed tho grim phalanx of stumps. She must, howover, find her way back to Ards-ley, Ards-ley, for thero wore times whon Jerry Dangerfleld could bo serious with her-solf. her-solf. though it rarely pleased her to b) s'li'tous with other people; and sha knew that tho tlmo had long passed for her return to tho houso. She did not know then that throe men bad witnessed hor flight from the duke, or that they had taken swift vengeanco upon him for his unpardonable unpardon-able conduct in tho moon-blanched road. It was not Jerry's way to accept ac-cept mlsfortuno tamely, and nftor circling cir-cling tho wall of timber that shut her in, in tho hope of determining whero sho had entored, sho choso n trail at random and plunged Into tho woods. Sho assumed that probably all the roads and paths on tho estate led moro or loss directly to tho groat houso or to somo lodge or bungalow. Sho had lost her riding-crop In hen mnd flight, and sho broko off a switch, tossing its leaves into the moonlight and laughing softly as they rained about her. Suddenly ahead of her through tho woods floated tho sound of singing one of thoso strange, wav6rlng pleux cantlques peculiar to tho south. Sho rodo on, thinking to find help and a guide back to Ardsley; then the music ceased, and lights now flashed faintly boforo her, but she went forward guardedly. "I'm much moro lost than I thought I was, for I must bo away off tho estate," es-tate," she roflectcd. She turned and captors. In n moment tho mnn was gathered up, bound, and flung on his saddle. Sho had a bettor view of him, now that ho was hatlcss, though a gag had been forced Into his mouth nnd a hnndkerchlof tied over his eyes, so that ho presonted & grotesque appear-nnco. appear-nnco. Jerry was so absorbed thnt she forgot to be afraid; never In hor llfo had she witnessed anything bo amazing amaz-ing as this; and now, to her mors somplcto bowlldorment, the captors, after cnrotully inspecting their work and finding it satisfactory, Boomed to disappear utterly from tho faco of tho earth. In tho woods to her loft sho thought sho hoard a horso nolgh; then she saw shadows moving in thnt direction; and again, from tho road, sho heard the brief debato of tho two mon as to tho whereabouts of "Bill;" and it struck Jerry humorously that ho would not soon seo his friends unless they camo and holped him out of his prcdlcamont It may help to an understanding of Miss Jerry Dangorliold's character If It Is recorded hero thnt novor In hor short lite had sho failed to respond to tho call of Impulse Sho was lost In tho woods, and strange men lurked about; a man had been attacked, seized, and loft sitting in a Btato of absurd helplessness on a horso presumably pre-sumably his own, nnd there was no guessing what dlro penalty his captors cap-tors had in store for him. Quiet reigned In tho neighborhood of tho church; the lights had blinked out; the bang of tho closing shutters reassured Jerry, and stio cropt on her knees toward tho unconscious "captlvo, loosed his horse's rein and led it rapidly rap-idly toward hor own horse, a llttlo farther back In the woodB. Hor blindfolded blind-folded prisoner, thinking his original captors were carrying him off, ronow-cd ronow-cd his efforts to free himself. Jerry gained hor own snddlo In tho loast bit of a panic, and when she Renewed His Efforts to Free Himself. rodo back a few rods and dismounted, and tied her horso to a sapling. Sho was disappointed at not finding a camp of Ardmore's wood-cutters, to vhom Bho would unhesltntlngly havo confided herself; but it seemed wlso now to exorciso caution In drawing to herself tho attention of strangofd. Sho did not know that sho had crossed tho stato lino nnd was in South Carolina, or that tho singing alio hud heard floated from tho windows of Mount Nebo church. Sho became now tho nstonlshod witness wit-ness of a series of incidents that occurred oc-curred so swiftly as fairly to tako tier breath away. A tall, loosoly- artlcu-' lated man came from tho direction of tho church and walked toward her. Sho knelt nt tho treo and watched, tho moonlight giving hor a clear view of a rustic somewhat past mlddlo ago, whose chief characteristics seemed to bo a grizzled board and long arms that Bwung oddly at his side. The brim of his wool hat was turned up sharply from his forehead, and sho had a gllmpso of the small, keon, gray eyes with which ho swopt tho forest before him. Ho freed n horso which sho had not boforo noticed, nnd sho expected blm to mount and rldo away to join others of tho congregation whom sho heard making off In a road boyond tho church. Then, with a quickness and deftness that baffled hor eyes, two men roso beside him Just as ho was about to mount; there was no outcry and no sound of scuffling, scuf-fling, so quick was the descent and so porfect tho understanding botwoon tho had mounted and mado sure of the leading-strap with which her prisoner's prison-er's horso was provided, sho rodo on at a rapid walk until sho reached tho clearing, whero tho stumps ' again grimly mocked her. Sho stopped to listen, nnd hoard through tho still night ilrst ono cry and thoh. many voices In various keys of alarm, and rage. Then sho bout townrd Hyy prisoner, pris-oner, toro the bnndngb from lils oyes, and with more difficulty freed him of tho gag. Ho blinked and spluttored nt this unexpected dollveraneo, thon blinked nnd spluttered afresh nt Boeing Boe-ing that his captor was a young woman, wom-an, who wob plainly not of his world. Jerry watched him wonderlngly, then addressed him in her most agrocablo tone. "You were caught and tied by two 'men over there by n church. I saw them, and when thoy went off and loft you, I came along and brought you with mo, thinking to snvo your llfo. I want to got homo ns quickly as possible, pos-sible, and though I do not know you, and am quite suro wo novor met boforo, bo-foro, I hope you will kindly guldo mo to Ardsloy, nnd thereby rondor mo n service I shall always doeply appro-clato." appro-clato." Mr. Bill Applewelght, alias Poteet, was woll hardened to the shocks of tlmo, but the pleasant-voiced girl, coolly sitting her horse, and holding his own lank steed by a strap, was tho most amazing human being that had yet dawned on his horizon. He was not stupid, but Jorry's manner of speech had baffled moro sophisticated H minds than Applowolght's, nnd tho H sweet s ncorlty of hor tono, nnd hor H frank countonnnco, hallowed as it was H by the moonlight, wrought In tho out- H law's mind a bcfuddlomont not wholfy HJ unlike that which had possessed tho H wits of many young gallants south of H the Potomac who had laid slcgo to H Jerry Dnngorflled's heart. But tho H cries behind thorn wero moro pro- H nounccd, and Applowclght was noth- H Ing If not a mnn action. H "Thero theso things oft'n mo,'' ho commanded fiercely, "and I'll seo y' H snfc to H "Not In tho lenst," replied Jerry, H who was hcrsolf not unmindful of tho H voices behind. "You will kindly toll H mo tho way, and I will accommodate H my pneo to that of your own somo- H what lll-nourlshed beast. And as H thcro's a mob looking for you back there, all read yto hang you to ono of thoso noblo forest trees, I advise J you to use moro hasto and less cau- H tton in pointing tno wuy." 1 Applowolght lifted his hoad and H took his bearing. Then ho nodded to- H ward ono of tho threo trails which H had so baffled Jerry when first sho ' broko Into tho cloarlng. "Thot's tho nlghcst," said Apple- H weight, "and we'd better git" H Sho set tho paco at a trot, and was H rolloved in a fow minutes to pass ono or two landmarks which sho romom- H bcrcd from hor flight through the' H woods. As thoy splashed through tho brook Bho had forded, sho was quits 'H confldent thnt tho captlvo was play- Ing hor no trick, but that in due H courso sho should striko tho high- H rond to Ardsloy which sho abandoned to throw off tho duko of Ballywlnkle. H It was now ten o'clock, and the H moon was sinking behind tho forest H trees. Jerry took advantage of an H occasional straight strip of road to go H forward at a gallop, but thoso H stretchos did not offer frequently, and H the two riders kopt protty steadily to H As thoy walked their horses through H a bit of sand, tho prisoner spoko; "Who air y'u, little gal?" H Jerry turned in tho saddle, so that H Applewelght enjoyod a full view of her H "I am perfectly willing to toll you H my nnmo, but first It would bo more H courteous for you to toll me yours, particularly as I am delivering you H from a band of outlaws who undoubt- H edly Intended to do you harm." H Ho laughed a curious, chuckling laugh. Ho had ceased to strugglo at H his bonds, but seomod reslgnod to his r trnn go fate. Ho had not answered Jerry's question, nnd had no Intention H of doing so. Tho suddon attack at H the church hnd aroused all his cun-nlng. cun-nlng. Applowolght, alias Poteet, was an old wolf, and know well tho ways H of tho trapper; but tho bold attempt H to kidnap him wns a new fenturo of H tho gamo as heretofore playod along H tho border. Ho did not mako It out; H nor was he wholly satisfied with tho H girl's explanation of her prcsonco in H thnt out-of-the-way place. H Ho had several times called out di- H rcctlous ns thoy crossed other paths H In tho forest, nnd they now reached H the main trunk road of tho estato. H Tho red bungalow, Jorry know, was H not far away. Hor prlsonor spoko H (TO HE CONTINUED.) |