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Show .""' " ' THE PRESS-BULLF.TI- BTNGHAM. UTAH. 1 ftysjajiwejw)WfjwJWw 1 i ' ii:! The Strange Case of By Randall Parrish : ! ! ( ' I ) Author of ' j : i vL&viffl(LMlm "wx- - u I " -- -- Copyright by Randall Psrrlah ! t"',fVVVVV n f ' ret of a huge castle. The sun was di-rectly overhead when Moore turned his team suddenly to the left, and drove down a sharp declivity leading into a ravine, i J "Drop the $anvas, Joe,'! he said shortly, ""there's only 'bout a nille more." ; , . 4 :. i The passage was so narrow, and so diversified by sharp turns, that Miss Donovan, shut in behind the closed cover, couJd perceive little of its na-ture. The cliffs arose precipitously on either side, absolutely bare. To the left nothing could be seen but black rock, but on the other side an open space yawned, perhaps twenty feet across,. Its bottom imperceptible. The horses stumbled over the rough stones, held only by Moore's firm grip on the reins, and the light began to fade as they descended. At last noth-ing appeared above but a narrow strip of sky, and the glimmer of sun had totally vanished. Almost at the same moment the driver released the creak-ing brake, and at a trot the wagon swept forward between two pinnacles of rock, and came out into an open valley. The transition was so sudden and startling as to cause the girl to give utterance to a cry of surprise. They were in a green, watered valley, a clear stream wandering here and there A they approached, the shapeless figures of two men appeared in the gloom, one at the head of the team and the other holding back the canvas top. Her guard gripped her arm, and peered about through , the darkness. , ;. " 'Isn't Ned here yet?" . ''"Yes, all, right," answered a muffled voice to the left.- - "I Just came out; here are the grips and other things." "And about the note?" "She wrote that, and pinned it on the pillow." " "Good, that wiU leave things In fine shape,"" he laughed. 'Td like to see Jim's face when he reads that, and the madder he gets the less be will know what to do." , ! ' ' ' :, "And you want us to stay?" asked the other doubtfully. . , , "Stay of course; I am going to stay myself.!, It is the only way to divert suspicion. Good Lord, man, If we all disappeared at once they would know easy enough what had happened. Don't you believe Westcott Is that kind of a fool. All ready, Joe?" ' The man at the wagon muttered" some response. "Then up you go, miss; here, put your foot on the wheel ; give her a lift, will you?" Anxious to escape further indigni-ties, and comprehending the useless-nes- s of any further struggle, with a man on either side of her, Miss Dono-van silently clambered into the wagon, and seated herself on a wide board, evidently arranged for that purpose. The fellow who had held back the top followed, and snuggled into the seat beside her. She noticed now he held a gun In his hand, which he deposited between his knees. "All set?", "Sure." - "Well, keep awake, Joe, and mind what I told yer. Now, Moore, up with you, and drive like h ; you must be In the bad lands before daylight." A fellow clambered to the seat In front,' his figure outlined against the sky, and picked up the reins. "Whoa, there, now; quiet, Jerry. Did you say I was to take the ridge road?" "You bet ; it's all rock and will leave no trail. Take It easy and quiet un-til you are beyond Hennessey's ranch, and then give them the whip." The nest moment they were under way, slowly advancing through the darkness. ; .;' ' CHAPTER VIII. ' In the Shoshone Desert Excited as she was, and frightened, the girl was still composed enough to grasp the nature of her surround-ings, and she had time now,' as the. wagon rumbled forward, to think over all that had been said, and fit it into the circumstances.. , i What did they propose doing with her? The question caused her blood to run cold. That these people were desperate she had every reason to be-lieve; (they were battling for big stakes ; not even murder, had hitherto stood In their way. Why then, should they hesitate to take her life, if they actually deemed it necessary to the final success of their plans? tShe re-membered what Beaton had said about her room the condition In which It hnd been left. They, had removed all her things, and left a note behind in womanly handwriting to explain her hurried departure. There was a mas-ter criminal mind, watchful of every detail, behind this conspiracy. He was guarding against every possibility of rescue. The uncertainty, the fear engen-dered by her thought, the drear si-lence almost caused her to scream. There was no mention of names, yet these people could scarcely fail to recognize that this had reference to the Cavendish case. - . The thought of personal danger i never once entered her mind. Timidity was' not part of her nature and she gave this phase of the matter no thought. , But she must communicate with Westcott, tell him all that had occurred. She would send him a note the first thing In the morn-ing. ,V , l:; J Somewhat reassured by this reason-ing, she was still seated there, staring out into the night, when Enrlght and Beaton returned. Stella heard the tread of horses' feet, before her eyes distinguished the party approaching, and she drew back cautiously. In the glow of the light she could perceive four men in saddle halt in front of the hotel, three of whom dismounted and entered the building, the fourth grasping the reins of the riderless ani-mals and leading them up the street. She henrd the murmur of voices be-low and the heavy steps of the men as they came slowly up the stairs. Then a door opened creakingly and she caught the sound of a woman's voice. ;"Is that you, Ned?'V '"Sure; what are you doing up at this hour?"' i "Never; mind that. Who have you got with you?" "Enrlght and Lacy why?" "I want you all to come In here a minute ; don't make so much noise." A voice or two grumbled, but feet shuffled along the bare floor and the door creaked again as it was carefully closed behind them. Stella opened her own door a crack and listened; the hall, lighted only by a single p at the head of the stairs, was desert-ed and silent. She stole cautiously for-ward, but the voices in Miss La Rue's room were muffled and indistinct, not an audible, word reaching her ears. The key was In the lock, shutting out all view of the Interior., Well, what was the difference? She knew what was occurring, within the stolen tele-gram, was being displayed, and dis-cussed. , That would not delay them long and It would never do for her to be discovered lnithe hall. Convinced of the uselessncss of re-maining, she returned to her own room, closing and bolting the door.- - This time she removed some of her clothing, and lay down on the bed, conscious of being exceedingly tired, yet in no degree sleepy. She rested there, with wide-ope- n eyes, listening until the distant door creaked again, and she heard the footsteps of the men in the hall. They had not re-mained In the chorus girl's room long, nor was anything Bald outside to arouse her suspicions. Reassured, Miss Donovan snuggled down into her pillow, unable to distinguish where the men went, but satisfied they had sought their rooms. They would at-tempt nothing more that night, and she had better gain what rest she could. It was not easy falling asleep, in spite of the silence, but at last she dropped off into a doze. Suddenly some unusual noise aroused her, and she sat upright, un- - sage ended in a door. This was un-locked, and yielded easily t6!the grasp of her hand. It opened upon a nar-row platform, and she ventured forth. ' At the bottom she was in a gloom al-most Impenetrable, but her feet felt a cinder path and against the slightly lighter sky her eyes managed to dis-tinguish the gaunt limbs of a tree not far distant, the only one visible and doubtless the cottonwood referred to in the note. Shrinking there in the black shadow of the building she realized suddenly the terror of her position the Intense loneliness ; the silence seemed to smite her. Still it was not far to the tree, and surely there could be no dan-ger at this hour. If there had been Westcott would never have asked her to come. The very recurrence Of his name gave her strength and courage, i. It was a rough path, sandy, Inter-spersed with small rocks, and led down Into a gully. The tree stood on the opposite bank, which was so steep she had to grasp its outcropping roots in order to pull herself up. Even after gaining footing she saw nothing of Westcott, heard no sound Indicating his presence. Suddenly something moved to her right, and she shrank back against the tree, uncer-tain If the shapeless thing approach-ing was man or beast. He was almost upon her before she was sure; then her lips gave utterance to a little sob of relief. "Oh I You frightened me so!" The, man stopped, scarcely a yard away, a burly figure, but with face in-distinguishable. "Sorry to do that," he said, "but no noise, please." She shrank back to the edge of the bank, conscious of the grip of a great fear, i , "You you are not Mr. Westcott?" she choked. "Who are you? What is it you want?" ' M "You've been playin' in a game what's none o' your business. Now I reckon) It's the other party's turn to throw ;some cards. Thought yer was comin'j out yere ter meet up with Jim Westcott, didn't 7'Lfi $ tk"" i She made, no 'answer, aesperately seeking some means of escape, the full significance of her position clear be-fore her. ' "Got a nice little note from Jim," the fellow went on, "an lost no time a gittin' yere. Well, Westcott is not liable to be sen din' fer yer again very soon. What ther h " She had dashed forward, seeking to place the trunk of the tree between them, the unexpected movement so sudden, she avoided his grasp. But success was only for an instant An-other hnnd gripped her, hurling her back helplessly. "You are some sweet little lady's man, Moore," snarled a new voice raspingly. "Now let me handle this business my own way. Go get that team turned around. I'll bring the girl. Come on now, miss, and the less you have to say the better." She grasped at the bark, but the fellow wrenched her loose, forcing her ' 4 tella A PRISONER i Synopsis. Frederick Cavendish, New Yorlt man of wealth, receive a letter from an old friend, Jim Wesrtcott, urging him to come at once to. Colorado. Deciding to go, he employs a lawyer,, Patrick En-rlght, tn draw up a will leaving most of his estate to charity, with a mere pittance to John Cavendish, his cousin and only relative, a dis-solute youth. That night Frederick Cavendish is murdered In his apart ments. No will being found, John Cavendish Inherits the estate. Two months later Enrlght Informs John CandiBh of the existence of the will and offers, for $100,000, to say nothing of It. Jtbn agrees. Stella Donovan, newspaper writer, learns from Frederick Cavendish's valet that he Is not satisfied the body found was that cf i'is ' employer. She U directed by Farriss, city edi-tor of the Star, to folrow up the rase. Stella learns of the will En-rlght had drawn up, also of John Cavendish's Infatuation for Celeste Ia line, chorus girl. A conversa-tion Btella overhears between Ce-leste and John Cavendish convinces her Frederick Cavendish Is alive, the victim of a conspiracy engi-neered by Enrlght to 'secure his fortune, and that Celeste knows where he is hidden. Ned Beaton, notorious gunman, Is also men-tioned. Celeste is about to leave for Haskell, Colorado, and Stella is ordered by Farriss to proceed there at once. At Haskell Stella, repre-senting herself as a magazine writer, makes the acquaintance of Jim .Westcott, Frederick Caven-dish's partner, Westcott, resents the Interest taken in Stella by Beaton, whom he knows only as a visiting New Yorker, and worsts him In a fistic encounter. Stella confides in Mm, who believes Cavendish Is alive. Celeste and Enrlght join Beaton at Haskell. WhUe visiting his mine an attempt Is made to shoot Westcott .Tracking the as-sassin, Westcott listens to a con-ference between Beaton, Enrlght and Bill Lacy, local desperado. He learns that Frederick Cavendish Is alive and i a .prisoner of Lacy. Caught listening, Westcott escapes, but leaves evidence of his presence and becomes a marked man. Ce-leste visits Stella, r f - r ' ' '; k ,. CHAPTER VII Continued. Whatever her purpose, she was gone scarcely, a moment, gliding silently back to .the chair beside the window, with watchful eyes again fixed on the closed door. Miss Donovan smiled and straightened up, well satisfied with her ruse; It hnd served to demonstrate that the girl was far from being as calmly indifferent as she had assumed and It. had made equally evi- - dent the fact that her visit had an ob-ject the discovery of why Miss Dono-van was In Haskell. Doubtless she hnd made the call at Enright's sugges-tion. Very well, the lady was quite welcome to all the information ob-tained. Stella opened the door and the eyes of the two met. "The Chlnnman seems to have gone home," the mistress of the room said quietly. "At least he Is not on this floor or in the office, and I could see nothing of Timmons anywhere." "Then I suppose we don't drink," complained Miss La Rue. "Well, I might as well go to bed. There ain't "A Pleasant Day, Senor," He Said Gra clously. "" ' ' :w i... '. i''. "' - through its center,, shadowed by groves of trees. This valley was nearly square, possibly extending not over a mile in either direction, merely a great hole rimmed by desert, a strange, hidden oasis, rendered fertile and green by ' some outburst of" fresh water from the rocks.' Emerg-ing upon It In midst of the barren desolation through which they had been tolling for hours, blinded by al-kali dust, It seemed like some beau-tiful dream, a fantasy of Imagination, Miss Donovan doubted the evidence of her own eyes, half convinced that she slept. It was Moore's voice which aroused her. , "Mendez must have got back, Joe," he said eagerly. "There are horses and cattle over yonder." The other pushed up the canvas and looked out "That's right. The fellow is comln now see?" He was loping along carelessly, Mexican from high hat to jingling spurs, sitting the saddle as though molded there, a young fellow, dark faced, but with a livid scar along one cheek. "Juan Cateras, the little devil," muttered Sikes, as the rider drew nearer "There's some pot brewing If he Is In It" The rider drew up his horse, and lifted his hat,' his smiling lips reveal-ing a row of white teeth, r "A pleasant day, senor," he said graciously, his dark eyes searching the faces of the two men, and then dwell-ing with Interest on the woman. "Ah, "your pardon, senorlta; your presence is more than welcome here." He rested one hand on the wagon box, the expression of his face hardening. "Yet an explanation might tiot be out of place the Senor Mende may not be pleased." "We came under orders from Lacy," replied Moore confidently. "You have seen us both before." "True, but not the lady you will tell me about her?" ' Sikes climbed down over the wheel. "It is like this, senor," he began. "Lacy did not know your party af here; he thought you were all south for another month yet. He would keep this girl quiet, out of the way for a time. She Is from New York, and knows too much." ' ' '' ' "She was took in a wag-on down the desert road." (TO BE CONTINUED.) But she conquered this. The gray dawn came at last, spec-tral and ghastly, gradually yielding glimpse of the surroundings. They were traveling steadily south, the horses beginning to exhibit traces of weariness, yet still keeping up a dogged trot. All about extended a wild, desolate scene of rock and sand, bounded on every horizon by barren ridges. Nowhere was there slightest sign of life no bird, no beast, no snake even, crossed their path. All was dead, silent, stricken with desola-tion. - Stella stared about at it, and closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight; her head drooped wearily, every nerve giv-ing away before the depressing scene outspread in every direction. Sikes,' watching her slightest movement, seemed to sense the meaning of the action. "Bad, ain't it?" he said expressive-ly. "You know whar we are?" "No; but I never before dreamed any spot could be so terrible." "This Is the Shoshone desert; thar ain't nobody ever comes in yere 'cept wunst in a while a prospector, maybe, er a band o' cattle rustlers. Even the Injuns keep out." She lifted her eyes again, shudder-ing as they swept about over the dis-mal waste. The sun rose a red ball of fire, color-ing the ridges of sand, and painting the grotesque rocks with crimson streamers. In the shadow of a bald cliff the wagon was halted briefly, and the two men brought forth materials from within,, making a hasty fire, and preparing breakfast. Water was given the team also, before the Journey was resumed; while during the brief halt the girl was left to do as she pleased. Then they moved, on again, surround-ed by the same drear landscape, the very depression of It keeping there silent. They settled down to the same monotony, mile after mile. The way became rockier, with less sand, but with no more evidence of life. Far nwny ahead a strange buttress of rock rose Into the sky resembling the tr-- uble for the moment to comprehend what had occurred. Then something tingled at the glass of her window, sharply distinct, as though a pebble had "been tossed upward. Instantly she was upon her feet, and had crossed the room, her head thrust out The light in the office hnd been extin-guished, and the night was black, yet she could make out dimly the figure of a man close In against the side of the house, a mere hulking shndow. At the same instant he seemed to move slightly, and some missile grazed her face, and fell upon the floor, striking the rug with a dull thud. She drew back In alarm, yet immediately grasped the thought that this must be some secret message, some communi-cation from Westcott. ' " Drawing down the torn ' curtain,' she touched a match to the lamp and sought the Intruding missile. It had rolled beneath the bed a small stone with a bit of paper securely attached. The girl tore this open eagerly, her eyes searching the few lines. "Must see you tonight. Have learned things, and am going away. Go down back stairs, and meet me at big cottonwood behind hotel; don't fail. J. W." Her breath came fast as she read, and crunched the paper Into the palm of her hand. She understood, and felt no hesitancy. Westcott hnd made dis-coveries so important he must com-municate them at once and there was nq other way. He dare not Cpme to her openly at that how, Well, she was not afraid not rf Jim Westcott. She paused In her hasty dressing, won-- , flerbg at herself, dimly aware that a now feeling partly actuated her desire to meet the man again a feeling thor-oughly alien to the Cavendish mys-tery. She glanced Into the cracked mirror and laughed, half ashamed at her eagerness, jt utterly unable to suppress the quickened beat . of her pulse. She was ready almost in a minute, and ana blown out the lamp. She al-most held her breath aa she opened the door silently .and crept out into the bail. Twenty feet down this pas-- ' ' ' ' .' t '.'' ' : i J a ' ' much else to do In this jay town." She got up and moved toward the door. 1 "If you're only here viewing the ecenery, I guess you won't remain long." "Not more than a day or so. I am planning a ride Into the mountains be-fore leaving," pleasantly. "I hope I ehnll see you again." "You're quite liable to," an ugly curl to the Up, "maybe more than you'll want. Good-night.- " Miss Donovan vtood there motion-less after the door closed behind her guest. She was conscious of the sting in those final words, the d threat, but the smile did not desert her lips. Her only thought was that the other was angry, irritated over her failure, her inability to make a report to her masters. She looked at the valise on the floor, and laughed out-right, but as her eyes lifted once more she beheld her traveling suit draped ver the head-boar- d of the bed, and In-stantly the expression of her face changed. She had forgotten hanging It there. That must, have been where the woman went when she disap-peared. It was not to rummage the bed at all, but to hastily run through the pockets of her Jacket. The girl swiftly crossed the room and flung coat and skirt onto the bed. She re-membered now thrusting the telegram from Farriss Into a pocket on the morning of Its receipt. It was gone I Her first thought was to search else-where, although she immediately rea-lized the uselesness of any such at-tempt. The message had been In her pocket, as she recalled distinctly; she had fully Intended destroying It at the fame time she had torn up the letter ht instruction, but failed to do so. Now It was In the hands of the La Rue woman, and would be shown to the others. It was some time before she could recall to memory the exact wording of the telegram, but finally it came to ber bit by bltt ' "If any clues, advis immediately. Willis digging hard. Letter of lnstruc-- . kn fnTUwa. ' , ' TAIUtlSa." "Keep tftill, You D Tiger Cat," He Hissed. forward. "Keep still, you d tiger cat," he hissed, "or I'll quiet you for good." ,, "What Is it you want of me? Who are you?" "We'll discuss that later. Just now, move on yes, straight ahead. You see that wagon over there? Well, that Is where you are bfmnd at present. Move on pronto." ' She realized the completeness of the trap into which she had fallen, the futility of resistance. She was as helplessly In his power as though bound and gagged. Before them ap-peared the dim outline of a canvas-covere-wagon silhouetted against the sky, to which was hitched a team of horses. i 'iilwlSiy Colds .; :Ul 'JM v Get instant relief with . , t . Tape's Cold Compound" i ' h ' ' " .,: Don't stay stuff ed-u- f I Quit blowing ; 0 and snuffling i A dose of "Pape's Cold Compound" taken every .two hours un j j til three dosea are taken Usually breaks j ap a cold and ends till Jgrlppe misery, j . The! very first , dos open J your ? clogged-u- p nostrils And j the $lr Jpftss ;' ages of your head ; stops nose running , relieves the headache, dullness, fever-lshnes- s, sneezing, soreness, stiffness. "Pape's Cold Compound" j is: the Quickest, surest relief known and costs only a few cents at drug stores. It acts without assistnnce. Tastes nice. Con-tains no quinine; Insist on Pape's! Ad. ?: iJ CASCARETS ' . , ,; ', "They Work while you Sleep" Do you fel all "unstrung?" bilious, constipated, headachy, full of coldl .' Cascarets tonight for your liver and bowels will have you tuned . up by tomorrow. You will weke up with your head , clear, stomach right, breath sweet, and skin rosy., No grip-- , lng no Inconvenience; Children love Cascarets too. 10, 25, 50 cents. Adv. DYERIGHT Buy only "Diamond Dyes" Each package of "Diamond Dyes contains directions so simple that any woman can diamond-dy- e worn, shabby skirts, waists, dresses, coats, gloves, stockings sweaters, draperies every-thing, whether wool, silk, linen, cotton or mixed goods, new, rich fadeless col-ors. Have druggist show you "Dia-mond Dyes Color Card." Adv. Cuticura Comforts Baby's Skin When red, rough and Itching with hot baths of Cuticura Soap and touches of Cuticura Ointment. Also make use now and then of that exquisitely scent- - ' ( ed, dusting powder, Cuticura Talcum, one of the indispensable Cuticura Toilet Trio. Adv. , Important to Mothers Examine carefully every bottle ox CASTOltIA, that fumous old remedy Cor infanta and children, and see thut it Bears the ,mm In Use for Over 80 Years. Children Cry for Fletcher's Caetoria , When a married man falls down-stairs he Is sure to blame hia wife for the mishap, " - n w ! ' ;; , ' i If a sure-enoug- h fool killer were to come around every man on earth would ' try to hide. . JftZ . If they Tirdtch, oa QSl? Smartor Burn, it Sore, YftliitCifcC Imitated, Inflamed or lUURLlM Granulated.uaeMurine Often. Coothea, Refraahea. Safe for Infant or Adult At allDruggista. Write for Pre Eye Book. !UrbEn ftMf"iU.Qria No Favoritism Allowed. "How much are the life guards paid at this bathing resort?" . , "From $40 to $00 a week, I under-- '' '' " " ' " stand." ," ; "A soft job, eh?" ' "Not especially. They have to show as much alacrity In saving a fat man ' , or elderly spinster as they would a beauty in distress." , Adaptability. ' "Of course," you are In favor of ' ' ' votes for women." :: "Of course," answered Senator Sor-ghum. "A man who hopes to hold his ' own In politics must do his best to be In favor of anything that anybody wants." Washington Star. ,, , Modest Apprehension. "That audience cheered you for at least half an hour." "Yes," replied Senator Sorghum; "I began to suspect that the folks would rather listen to their own demonstra-tions than to lienr me speak." Hunting Trouble. "What makes you thins-- the hates peace?" "I understand he is anxious to get ! back to Berlin." This Bird la a Quick One. The champion fly catcher is the Wll son warbler, says the American For estry Magazine of Washington. Thesi birds catch an Insect on the wing. Red-haire- d people, it la stated, an less liable to become bald than thorn with hair of any other color, .J - .' .' |
