Show th black box a silence by feancis lynde lynda illustrations by 0 irwin myers r 9 ace j by horard Chain SYNOPSIS owen landis young inventor has d ov eloped an extraordinary el al 1 lonear ancor willell which to la stolen antoien fruit a 1 sate u to la in hla his laboratory landis Lii tells w aul wul al I 1 ly y markham his 1118 chum the only person beside himself hlin seK knowing kno winit me lite combination of the auto lit in lj beily e tt vinvent lawson with w whom I 1 1 om the inventor 0 r ly IK u in love A plaster P LLIS t er cast ul of u wom vorn ans ana footprint fo 0 tpring round found beneath the window tit of the tha laboratory tits onu one of 0 ju uettia duelly elly I 1 natty tells markham mr herbert bm canby p ou a as s I 1 a L promoter pio moler had drive ri 1 her r 1 home io m e the lie provi previous U m night nigh tand and that she had dozed in the cur the tha safe in tile the bank at t to la blown open and looted tho the noise of the lon xion being unheard mat last hla him black box to 1 in the hands hand a of crooks landis with goes to thre strangers atran ifera claiming to lu be b business men of u Lou lavill e aro are the th only possible suspect e ets a markham and landis decide dee to follow f 0 flow them at tit lit jon joaeph ph markham W learns canby la Is driving dri v I 1 w f e a t with hetty lawson arid and her or f father a t h r a as a guests in the car mark hams bamo car to la stolen and wrecked 11 lie buya buy a another and they KO go on at cop colah h they meet 1 hetty j 0 I 1 t y w who h 0 e explains x the r amon f tor 0 r h her e r a and n d h her e ft fathers hers journey A conversation between canby and the three louisville men convinces markham and 11 1 anilla they are on the right track T the ike commin eary of the cinnabar mine Is robbed a and n d two men killed again there was wait no found bound at bre brewster water they leaen leacil of the arrival of canby and his party william Ht arbuck mine owner tolls tells them of candys crookedness they meet canby ile he tells them ho he is in tho the west on business conn connected ac ted with ills his mine t the he old Quava pal dotty and her father are with him ihrl as guests landis and markham are assail assaulted d on the street by knife wielders wl eldera but boat beat oft their assail ants CHAPTER IX continued 11 isyou if you are out on tile the topaz road atop tit at the little alice im going out thero there shortly tile tho invitation was accepted condl tinned upon their driving that far As they were taking tho the roadster out of tile tho hotel garage landis asked what was to bo be the program for the day 1 1 I want to take a shot at trying to find nd out what canby did with those two unaccounted for hours yesterday morning 1 the shot was fired methodically by making inquiries on nil all tho w toads leading out of brewster and it led to nothing until tile tho round brought them to the rond over which they themselves had driven in here nt at tt a cottage Stor khaia stopped the car saying there was a light in this house when we came by yesterday morning I 1 noticed notice it its only another of the wild chances but well ask ash A woman answered their knock and markham began tile tho well worn formula pardon me but well bo be grateful it if you would answer a few questions for us um it you can you were tip early f yesterday morning you the woman nodded 1 I was all of that my bly baby was sick do you often notice tile tho passing of v caral 1 I very well help it could I 1 living that close to the road ilk like this then coln pointing I 1 ing to the roadster 1 I saw that car or one just like it go by a little after day yesterday lm morning ornIng 11 quite rights right and wo we were in it was it the only ono one you saw if no there were three more big cars nil all just alike two going into town and one coming out I 1 was biti ting by the window landis saw n possibility in this and caught nt at it IC could 30 uld you enn e you remember the times when these three cars just alike alia went pasty he asked not ot just but I 1 sh mhd d say any it was waa morne where near three when the first one went by going on to town con could id yo you it see tills this big car well enough to tell us how it looked it was a line fine closed car painted a kind of light yellow i a limmy they call item cm dont they j alark ham nodded 1 I suppose you see sea the people in it could you 10 only illy that there was two ot of lem cm in uie the front seat a man anti and a women exactly now the next one when did it come coma along maybe n half hour or so BO after that it was going the tha other way it tool looked ed like the same car anyway it was wag the same color I 1 and tho third one which way was 1 it going it was going in and it was a big yellow car too lust just like the others I 1 saw it goods good could you see the folks in it t 1 I could see bee only tho the ono one man driving t e an extraordinarily good witness I i that woman commented 1 when they drove on adding that was vaa a happy thought of yours owen e timing shosei three cars cam where does lt it land jand you 1 I think you know the three cars just alike were one and the same car and the man driving it all three times aa canby checkl check I 1 the next question Is why did double back after ho he had left ule the professor and betty at the hotell hotel A walt said landis and after a brow L knitting bauve im trying to i coming over last night you repented repeated for roe me the talk you over oven 1 I heard between canby anti and the three in the colah garage you say any i about candys meeting the others allers an aa agreed von rot got itt it I 1 ile he did say just hat fiat why the F lee twIng shown up in brewster loft left it somewhere along the road and canby picked thern them up III and brought them in fit were framing the puzzle up EL a tilt hit at a time 1 I liello hello hero her w we anre at the little alice snail shall we ste stop 01 71 have to wont wo we it mr starbuck sees us hell think it queer it if we drive past without stopping singkham parked the car ant anil tia as lie was doing it starbuck came out you are just in the nick of time to have a noon enack with us ua was tile the mine owners greeting como on gocr to tho the mess mesa shack aback and meet the st staff aff 11 this was waa their introduction to the engineers and officer mens moss and ant after the meal Stai buck took them in hand and showed them through the mine after they had tramped for what vl lat be emed like miles in the network starbuck halted them in a well lighted heading whore where tho the chattering clamor of the air drills was deafening find and the silence when the drills topped stopped and tile the miners began to unlimber an and drag them back from tho the head heading III 9 wa was almost painful this Is our main lead starbuck explained when tho the stoppage or of the drill drift clamor rave gave him leave its what the old miners call a true fissure vein and they have a belief that eliat such veins grow richer tile the deeper you drive then they are aln ittig to loaf load the holes and fire and wed better move out As they wore were walking down the main tunnel landis said you spoke of the old time miners do they have it a ve many superstitions oil not more than men of other callings I 1 reckon hut but in that heading weve just left weve had a curious case of elnera ml nera nerves the men began to say they could hiar hear tile ticking 1 I 1 g or of a drath watch when the lie dr drills I 1 ila stopped wo we aldna pay any attention A it talk fast and valk talk straight if you want to go on Livin gill to it at first but atter after a while when shen the men in that heading began to take time oft off on one excuse or an other wo we investigated tile the ticking could be heard nt at times but it was probably only the trickling of water in some bamo underground cavity or so we concluded 11 As they came out of the mine colne at marte a rk ham asked the location of tile the qua capal starbuck pointed up the road toward lake topaz ita on tho the other side attic of the spur in n the next nest gulch it if you are going that way see the dump as aa you pass pasa tho the mouth odthe of the gulch they saw lt it hanging like a huge gray beard from tile the mountain side but a turn in the gulch hid bid the mine buildings the side rund rond was barri cadee against lq and beyond the barricade they saw BOW it a man with a gurt gun what do you make of that landis asked no visitors need apply I 1 wonder what canby has up his bis sleeve in there time way may tell what do we do now go on hunting for the fleet wing markharo made a sign agn of assent id like to know where those ti three re men left it and why also why canby went out to meet them they stopped nt at the hotel to glance over the register in search of the three names markham had copied from the tha record in st joseph the names did not appear arid and as they were driving out of the hotel grounds they met canby driving in not in the yellow limousine but tn in it a sport roadster the other occupant of tho the single sent scat was hetty betty lawson canby seemed not to see them but betty did and she waved to them you see sec said landis gloomily 1 I seo see that you are taking it lying down markham returned in a half growl you think I 1 break in tt if I 1 had bad nn an opening that I 1 dont care enough good lord wally id give the best ton ten years of my mi life it I 1 could go back to where I 1 stood with betty before I 1 begun began to bury my myself self in this cursed invention of minell ile he choked up nt at that and when ho he on show me tin an opening wally and ill walk into it tt it h I 1 la Is gaping on the other side of iti it I 1 how much im taking it lying down I 1 urn um that sounds more like it was Marld lanis gruft gruff approval and he drove on before they had gone far landis looking back waw a small car following a car that was apparently hav ing g trouble making tile tho grades since however slowly they drove it never overtook them after a time landis or of the struggling flivver that lizzle lizzie seeing to be making hard work ot of it he said when on oil one of the reverse loo pings they could see fie it across the intervening gulch it iva was s topped stopped and two men were wera apparently patently ly doing something to tile the motor gave the alio halted car only a passing amassing glance tills Is the gulch v beto wo we saw the iro night before last tio fie pointed out 11 suppose wo we climb down there and havo have a look 11 they got out and scot scorched scotched ched the wheels with tones tho the descent into the gulch was waa down a precipitous slope before they had gone very far they cume came upon what appeared to be a rough trail with crushed and broken bushes to mark its course been happening here landis asked more afore rock rolling looks like ilk 0 it well find out when we get ge t to tile the bottom at tho the bottom 0 of the gulch they tb ey found themselves in a boulder strewn strew n stream bed and tural turning ng to tile the left fer t they struggled upward toward the place where they had seen the fire it was in a dry stream bed that they came suddenly upon the thing they were searching for the remains of tho ire fire wedged in tile the bottom of tile tho gulch was waa the wreck of a large car crushed into n shapeless heap of junk and with everything burnable bur blackened and destroyed now wo we know what made the scarred se trail said markham Alark liam that car ran off the road and came down here and burned up Is it tile the before landis could reply there came a vicious spat on the face of the rock beside which they were standing followed by tho the crack of a rifle ride they ducked behind the boulder arid and at that there was another report and the clang of a bullet upon the iron work of the wrecked car what the Alar markham kharn choked grabbing for his pistol but landis waa cooler easy he counseled its those follows fellows up at the flivver dont waste your ammunition the automatic automat lc wont carry half that far D nl gritted gritter markham wore were penned up hers here like rats in a trap I 1 no trouble about getting out of it with all these rocks to dodge around worming their way cautiously among tho the boulders they were soon out of range from the road above though the unseen rifleman kept on firing but tho the bullets went wild after they readied reached a hollow that was waa out of sight from the marksmann marks mans position markham AlArk linin looked apprehensively at the bare slope they would have to climb to rench reach their car well have to go farther he panted wo we cant scramble up there in plain sight 1 I dont mean to said landis then in it 11 sudden of passion ive had bad about enough of this d d am bushing business you there Is good cover on ahls other side aid P of tho the gulch well climb out that way wal and see it if we cant do a little of the am bushing ourselves 1 As he had pointed out there was fo resting enough on the western slope of tiro tire gulch to afford fairly well con cover as they tolled rolled up through the undergrowth markham was ivas striving to flog his estimate of his boyhood chum and col logo mate around to the new point of view lie ile had always thought of lan dis als as a dreamer a thinker a student as aa anything but a fighting man but here was was an entirely new dp development v the dreamer pale of face to be sure but with his jaw and the light of battle la in his gray eyes was storming up tile the steep ascent at a pace that made ills his heavier follower pant and blow thus thua it camo came about that landis was waa tho the first farst to step out of a thick growth of little spruces spruced at the level of the road SIar liliam burst out of the cover a moment later and what he saw was a further proof that a lifelong friendship may not reveal the whole roan man even to his closest intimate the small beall dusty rattletrap car was standing as they had seen it from the opposite side of the gulch beside it were two men with their hands above their heads in deference to landis covering pistol and at their feet lay tile tho rifle with which one of them had bad been firing into the gulch before barkham could get his breath landis was grilling the pair snappily lly what did you fellows mean linean by firing at us when we were down there talk last fast find and talk straight if you want to go on living 11 G g great scott Scot till 1 stuttered the taller of tho the two are ye mcanen deanin to s say hit was wag you all down yonder in the gully you know d d well it was I 1 your game gains who sent you here to kill us off talk quick I 1 fore gowd mister y you ou got us all wrong 1 we aint alman to kill nobody I 1 I 1 you was waa a bar so help roe me I 1 did I 1 they told us down along that we might meet up with a var bar comin through these mountains and when we looked down yop yon ler der we a shore you all wua auz one we jeff appealing to hit bli mate good gravy I 1 you yon dont donl reckon wed shoot at a man knowin it auz a wan man do ye yell at this point markham toot took a nand liand where are you follows fellows framl in demanded were front from tennessee been tc utah heeln it if lilt auz a fittin country for white folks lilt aint and we were ire almin to so g back where vve w come from did you stop in ter stop only long choup in buy us some grub 1 TO nta CB l |