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Show BU MMHaMHHBeaaMMaaHHHHa9aBSBgMaaMMHnMIHaalaaaMl I The Trey O' Hearts H A Norelixcd Version of the Motion Picture Drama, of the Same Namo Bl Produced by the Universal Film Co. 2D; LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE I Author of "Ik, lortono llunlf,""TU Ihta JW.""rfa Block Dot." otc I Illoitrtted wltn Pnotoirspks from las Plttnrs PfoJactloa 1 BBl CopjrlcM, 1H, by loafs Joseph Vance ! 8YNOP8I8. I Tho trc-y if ht-nrta 1(1 tlm "ilenlh-alKij" vmploynl liy Hcnccii Trlna In tho P1"v"'e H war of cnBcnticp which, through xnp accncy of lila daughter. Judith, a woman of violent pnimlon llko hli own, he wagca ag-alnat Alan l.nw. not! of tile mnn (now dead who win Innocently n-aponsllilo rur the accident which made Trlno a hclplyaa cripple. Alan la In love with Hone, Ju- dlth'a twin and douhlo hut In all other re-B re-B ipecta her prcrlne opposite, Judith vowa W to rompnsa Alan'a death, hut under dra-H dra-H matla circiimatancc-a ho anvea her life umi B o, unwillingly, wlna her love. There. B after Judltli la by turns animated by the old Imto, the new love, mid Jealousy of her Blnter. Hlin enrna her fnther'a din troat und la left behind by him when ho journnys West, taklntr lloao with him, In urdor to luro Alan nwiiy from New orK Alan purauea, Judith nccdinpnnyltiit him ngalnnt hla wlah, and aticteeds In rcscu- I tig Itoae from Trlne'a apectal train. CHAPTER XXXtl. 9 Light Engine. H Townrd tlio closo of Hint summer's H day it was tlio whim of tlint arch-man-B tiger or tlicntrlcals whom men call K Fnto to stngo an anticlimax In tho M midst of n vast and hilly expanse of a dcsolnto mlddlo western country a flj rudo nnd rugged dink of enrth which flj boasted no human tenancy within a flj circle of Its far-flung horizon and was flj bisected, not neatly, rather Irregular-flj Irregular-flj ly, by the flowing double lino of steel jj ribbons vnlch marked thu railroad's fll right of way over Iho old Santa Fo IK So much for the stago: tlio light cf-W cf-W fects wcro provided exclusively by tlio H crimson and purple and gold of a por-m por-m lentous sunset; the properties em-m em-m ployed were simply a special train and H what Ib known as a light engine. lM It was tlio engineer of tlio spoclal jf who started tlio trouble. After bring-JR bring-JR Ing his monster to n full pause, ho jK turned upon his passougcrs and not jR without plauslblo oxcuso violently In-K In-K dieted Mr. Alan Law for abuso of his KJ and his flromnn'a trustfulness. W: They had been engaged, both gontlo-m gontlo-m men asserted vigorously, for nothing jp more dnngorous than a quick run M across the prairies, In furthoranca of SB the unspecified plans of Mr. Alan Law MB and his companion, Miss Judltli Trine. W After starting out, they had wickedly fl and maliciously been bribed by the B laid Law to put on speed and catch up flj with tho special, in order that ho might nj rcscuo from the latter a young woman, H his brldo-to-bo and tho sister of Miss Out and hero was tho grievance n they hadn't bargained to bo shot at H with pistols. And precisely that out-H out-H rago had been put upon them during Hj and subsequent to tho moment of res-HJg res-HJg U was unhappy Mr. Darcus who pro-Hi pro-Hi clpltated tho affair. This gentleman IpeQw BflBBWBlrYvrflB aBBUUMRl &1ulHftrflBWflHHHHflHHHVv sflflflH 'IBM It bbBbbVbBbVbbbbb WKjLg, BBBBBBBBBBBHBjUH 'flMk bVbVbVbVbVbVbVbVbI :Bev wl IbVbVbVbVbVbVbVbVbVbVbVbmbVbVbVbV BJSH One of Hit Arms Wnt Around Her M&t 1 Shoulder. :Bf & Bggi. ""a" suffering from a eovero sprain to Blgt his senso of decent prldo. In the sorv- 'LWt lco of Mls8 Itoso '' rino alul ncr oe' mm trothed, Mr. Law, Ilurcus had black- && '' encd his fnco and hands to tho hue of Kj , ebony and had garmented himself In 'Hlj j ' the garb of a Pullman porter. 'Bnj ," It vras tho fireman (to bo Just) who 'B brought tho row to a focus by a sllght- ;By ' lng reference to that "shiftless und 'Bhk misbegotten dingy." 'Hwjf Ho repented quite promptly. Mr. '(' llarcus jumped for his throat with a 'kL bellow of rago. Tho flroman slipped ;HEi,; an tho cab platform, trod on nothing, 'Bvl .' nd went over backwards, taking Mr. Hi' Darcns with him to the ballast. 'Blj,, ; At almost tho samo moment Mr. K ' " Law, attempting to restrain tho engl- jtVii - noer from going to tho aselstanco of B', i his follow-worker, ducked In under a m r vicious swing for, his chin, grappled 1 9 with hla foo, tripped him up and went .K r with him to tho ground on the oppo- i' ''.' site eldo of tho locomotive from that Hi occupied by Mr. Harcui and the lire- mi i man. '' Kor tho noxt aoreral seconds ho was Hif vory busy indoed keeping his face out 'M f tht ballast. The engineer was a "- hcuvy man, but active and Infurlutcd. He fought like a demon unchained, it was ail very exciting. Mr. Law was oven beginning to enjoy It when ho heard a woman ehrlek. At tno aiii' Instant revolvers began to pop. Mr. Law released hjs foo almost mh quickly as he was released. Hoth rose as ono ninn, to find Judith Trine bo-sldo bo-sldo thorn, n little smllo of excitement playing round her lps as sho looked up the track and watched tho special 8lqw down to a stop overal persons on tho back platform plying busy trigger-lingers nil tho whilo. As these last throw open tho platform plat-form gates and dropped to tho ballast, Btlll perforating tho air with many bill-lots, bill-lots, Mr. Law, Miss Judith Trlno, nnd that late bolllgercnt, tho engineer, turned simultaneously and sought tliu rear of tho tender. On tho oppuHlto Bldo thoy found Itoso Trlno and Mr. Uarcue standing uncertainly nhovo tho body of tho flroman, flro-man, who, It appeared, had stunned himself In falling and remained Insensible. In-sensible. Tlio appearance of Law and Judith from behind tho tender, closely pursued pur-sued by tho engineer, who was In turn closely pursued by gentlemen with revolvers, re-volvers, stirred Ilnrcus and Hoso to action. ac-tion. Alnn passed him at a round pace, pnuBlng only long enough to selzo Itoso nnd drag her with him toward the special. CHAPTER XXXIII. Pullman. "Como Inside," Law BUggetod, "and Introduco mo to tho brakeman. I pre-sumo pre-sumo I'vo got to fix things up with him" "If thero's really any doubt In your mind as to thut," Ilarcus said, rising. "I don't mind tolling you you'ro right." Ho paused as Alan entered tho enr before him und was greeted by a storm of vituperation that fairly blistered tho panels of tho Pullman. Mr. Seneca Trlno, helpless In his Invalid chair, thus celehruted his Introduction to tho young man whom ho had nover before noon whoso llfo ho had schemed to tnko theso many years. Alan inado no effort to respond, but llstoned with his head critically to one sldo and an exasperating expression expres-sion of doop lntorest Informing bis countenanco until Mr. Trlno was out of breath and vitriol; when tho younger man bowed with tho slightest slight-est shado of mockery In his manner and waved a tolornnt hand to Ilarcus. "Ho has, no doubt," Alan Inquired, "his own prlvnte cell aboard this car?" "Yob, suh!" narcus agreed, aping well tho manner of his apparent casto and color. "Ain't dat do troofT" "Tnko him nway, then," Alan ro- quostod wearily "If you please." "Yas, buIiI" Ilarcus replied, with nlmblo alacrity nolzlng tho back of tho wheeled chair and swinging It round for a spin up tho length of tho car. Iloforo Trlno had recovered enough to curso him properly, thu door to his drawing room wus closed and Ilarcus was ambling buck down tho alslo. Ills grin of relish at this turning of tho tublws on tho monomaniac proved, however, short-lived. It erased itself In n twinkling when Judith shouldered roughly past him, wearing n sullon and forbidding countonunco, and flung herself Into tho drawing room with her father. Tho cniiBo of her tempor was not far to Bock: at tho far end of tho enr Alan was bonding solicitously over tho chnlr In which Itoso was resting. Ono of his nrms was around her shoulder. Her fuco was lifted confidently to his. Ilarcus miiBcd morosely on his np prehension of trouble a-brew, simmering simmer-ing over tho waxing llro of that trange womnn'H Jealousy. Ho didn't llko thu prospect at all. If only Alan nnd Hobo i hadn't been bo desporately In love that thoy couldn't keop away from one ; another! If only Alan had boon Ben-Bible Ben-Bible enough to outwit tho woman and leavo her behind when ho started In pursuit of tho spoclul! If only there hod not been that light englno in pursuitas pur-suitas Ilarcus firmly bolloved It must be loaded to tho guards with Trlno's unscrupulous hlrollngil No telling when they might catcl upl Tho fenr of this Inet catastrophe worked togothor with his fears of Ju. dllh to render thut night a sloopless ono for Ilarcus. Ho spent It In a chair whence ho could watch both the door to tho compartment Judith had chosen for her own (formorly Murroplmfs quarters) and the endless ribbons of steel tlint swept beneath the tracks. Hut nothing happened. Ho nupped unesslly from tlmo to time, waking with a Btart of fright, but always to find nothing amiss Ever Judith stopped behind that cloned door, and over tho truck behind was Innocent of tho glare pf a pursuing headlight. Nor did anything untoward mark tho progross of tho morning-sunless, in-deed. in-deed. Judith's protracted sess'lons with her father behind tho closed door of the drawing room were to be counted ominous. Evor slnco lunchtlmo tho girl had been closeted with her father; Ilarcus had been getting some well earned and eorely-nocrted rest In hla quartern- Alan standing his watch on tho observation obser-vation platform, In company with llono; and tho train booming along through an uncouth wilderness of arid mountains, barren mesas, nnd eun-smitten eun-smitten flats glvon over to tho dcsolnto genius of sagebrush. Whatever had been tho tenor of the communication botween father and daughter, Judith eventually emerged from tho drawing room In an ominous tempor. Ilarcus, coming ' droWBlly away from his compartment nt the samo tlmo, was Jarred wldd awake by sight of tho foreboding countenanco sho wore; and nftor a moment 6f doubt followed her back to tho loungo at tho rear of tho car. Ho got thero in tlmo to see her at rigid standstill, staring steadfastly at tho two figures o closo together on l tho observation platform. Hut on , his appearance Judith shook herself I together, snatched up a magazine, and plunged wrathfully Into an easy chair, burying her noso between tho pages of tho publication with every Indication of deop Interest in ltn text. Mr. Darcus, however, had learned tho lesson of bitter experience to the effect that tho outwnrd bearing of Miss Judith Trlno was no sura' Index to her Inward humor unlcssi that Is, It might bo taken to Indlcnto tho direct di-rect contrary of Its semblance; though even this was no rellablo rule. Itemlndlng hlmsolf of this, bo therefore there-fore Invented a morbid interest In another an-other magazine round tho edgo of which ho kept a wary eyo upon tho young woman. For all her oxasporatlon, Judith contained con-tained herself longer than might have been expected. Her continued show of placidity, Indeed, lulled Ilarcus Into a dangerous feeling of security. Per-Buaded Per-Buaded that sho meant to behave, ho gradually ccaeed to watch her as narrowly nar-rowly as at first, and lost himself In a morose roverio whoso subject was the seemingly permanent mourning Into which ho had plunged his faco and hands for the purposes of his mas-querado mas-querado staining them a shade of ebony upon which soap and water nnd scrubbing had no effect whatevor. And ho hnd Invented n most excruciating method of rovcnglng himself upon the druggist who had taken advantage of his confidence and sold him tho In-orndlnblo In-orndlnblo dye when ho was roused by "Will you be good If I let you out?" "Perfectly." "No moro shenanigan?" "I promise." "Word of honor?" "If my word of honor means anything any-thing to you you havo it." "Well . '" he Id dubiously. In tl Mmor ho turned and re leased the b; promptly Judith opened It wldo and swept out Into tho corridor, her mood now ono of really fetching mockery. "Thank you so much!" sho laughca Into his face of dlecomflturo; and dropping drop-ping him an Ironic curtsy, sho turned forwnrd and swung Into tho drawing room occupied by Trine. "Wonder what she put that on for? ho speculated, with reference to tho ankle-long Pullman wrapper" which Judith Ju-dith had Bten fit td don during her period of captivity. "Heaven knows It's hot enough without wearing moro clothing than decency demands . . . Dut you nover can tell about a woman wom-an . . . I bet n dollar I've mado a blithering ass of myself letting her loose nt nil I" Ho took his doubts aft, communicating communi-cating them to Alan nnd Rose. And his long conference with Alan nnd Itoso on tho observation platform afforded Judith hmplo opportunity in which undetected to suborn tho tram crew to treachery. Whether sho did or not, this is what happened In tho courso of tho next hour: tho special was forced to take n siding to mnko way for tho California limited, east-bound; and when this had passed, tho engine of tho special coughed npologetlcnlly and pulled swiftly out, leaving tho Pullman stalled on tho siding. From tho rear of tho tender tho hrnkeninn nnd fireman wnved affecting farewells to tho Indignant faces of Alnn and Ilarcus when they showed In tho front doorway, CHAPTER XXXIV. Hand Car. "Weill" Mr. Darcus broke a silence whoso cloquenco inny not be translated In print "can you beat It?" "Not with this outfit," Alan admitted admit-ted gloomily. "Dut damn It! wo'vo got to." "Profanity even yours, my friend i TilBjP' BBBHBfllBfrVBBBBfixiBSViJKlBtfB BVavB yvtf&rT'n BkbVxBk MunMvv SJ BVA M . VB BVJ BBll'BVffar'BVBVBBBBHB&Z!rTu7rt)t1 BKTWXBHBWfl BHftlPBBftBMBP f IIRl I BBbB J BbH BwH' IImIIi BMBHJ r V' BjfT B bWbBJ B BB 'wBBBIiBtBlJaBfwj W?bkB) t i HB1 1 Struck the Caboose With a Crash Like the Explosion of a Cannon. tho sudden flight of a magazine acrpss thu car, mlsBlng his head by a bare two Inches, nnd tho bang of a chair overturned by Judith as she Jumped up and flung herself furiously toward tho door. Just what had happened on tho observation ob-servation platform Darcus didn't know, but ho could readily believe that the lovers had Just Indulged In somo especially espe-cially provoking and long drawn-out caress. Ho overhauled Judith none too soon, in another moment alio would havo had her sister by tho throat If her purpose had not been to throw Itoso bodily overboard, as Ilarcus suspected. Happily, he was as quick on his feet as Judith on hers; and almost beforo he had grasped the situation, ho had grasped her had seized her arms and drnwn them forcibly behind her back, at the samo tlmo swinging her round nnd endcuvorlng to propel her bock through tho doorway. It was a man size Job. For tho ensuing ensu-ing five minutes ho had his hands full of Uolontly resentful and superbly oblo-bodled young woman Only with thu gn-atest dlfllcttlty did ho succeed In wrestling her up the aisle and to tho door of her compartment, whore on oven moro furious roslHtnnco for some additional minutes prefaced the ultimuto closing of the door upon the maddened Judith Even than ho might not draw a frto breath thero wus no way of locking that door from tho out-sldo. out-sldo. and he dared not leave go tho handle lest tho girl aguln fly out nnd renew the battle. Vulng awldo Alan's proffer of assistance, as-sistance, ho acidly advised that gen-tlemun gen-tlemun to return to his post of duty and not let his Infatuation blind him to what might nt nny moment loom up on the track behind them Ilarcus Btoutly held tho door against tho girl's attempt to pull It open and throurh another period when she occupied 'herself 'her-self with kicking Its panels as If hopeful hope-ful of braking a way out a long pause followed Ho heard no sounds from within. And wear)lgl ho won-dered won-dered what tho devil she was up to Then her volco penetrated tho barrier! Its accents calm and not unnmlablo: "Mr Darcus!" "Hello!" he replied, startled "Whnt Is It, Miss Judith?" "Unt "I'lcaBe lot me out" "Not much." "Oh please I" Struck by the fact that .he hadn't i won't make this Pullman movo without an engine." "All tho samo, we can't stop here llko bumps on a log. waiting for that gang of thugs to sail up In tho light engine nnd cut our blessed throate." Mr. Lnw answered this unanswer-nblo unanswer-nblo contention only with a shrug. Then, stopping out on the forward platform of tho Pullman, ho cast a hopeless oye over tho landscape. Itnw, rugged hills hommed In tho right of way, hills whoso vast (Innks wore covored with donso thicketu of mesqulto, chnpparal, sagebrush and cacti, tho haunt of owls and rattlo-Bnakos rattlo-Bnakos and solitude. No way of escape es-cape from that pocket In tho hills other oth-er than by tho railroad Itself. Ho lowored his gazo to tho tracks and siding nnd sturted sharply. "Eh whnt now?" Ilnrcus inquired with Interest. "Some thoughtful body has left an old bund car over thero In the ditch," Alnn replied. "Mnybo it Isn't beyond servlco " "With mo supplying tho horsepower, I suppose!" "Horse Isn't tho word." Alan corrected cor-rected motlculously; nnd escaped the other's wrath by dropping down to tho ballast nnd trotting over to the ditch, whero tho hand cur lay. ''Looks as if It might work," ho announced. an-nounced. "Como ulong ami lend mo n hnnd." "Hulf a mlntito," DarcuB answered, dodging suddenly back Into the car. When hs reappeared, nftcr some llvo minutes, Itoso accompanied him, nnd Ilarcus wns smiling ntj billllantiy as though nothing whntover wnB wronc with his world. "Horry to keep ou waiting, old top," ho explained; "but 1 was smitten with an Inspiration. There didn't seem to ho any sense In lotting the nmlublo Judith looao"upon thin fair land, so I found a ooll of wjro, in, the porter's closet and wired tho handlo of tho drawing room door fast to the bars across tho alslo. It'll tako her some tlmo to get out, now, without assistance." assist-ance." Ton minutes more hnd passed before tho two grimy and perspiring gentlemen gentle-men succeeded in placing the hnnd car upon tho tracks. "It's a swell llttlo hand car," Dar-cus Dar-cus obsorvod grimly: "no wondor they throw It awuy." "What's tho difference how It looks aa long us It will go?" ' "Uut will It?" Darcus doubted. Somewhfro far hack along the lino n iocomotlvo hooted mournfully. "It's got to I" Alan replied, helping Hoso aboard. "If wo can only get out of sight beforo they get hero" "Don't worry," Darcus ndvUed: "that's a freight whistle." "Maybo you can distinguish tho whiatlo of a freight from that of a passenger pas-senger train I don't say you cant; but I'll tako no chances on your Judgment Judg-ment being gbod. Hop nboard hero If you'ro coming with us!" Slowly tho hand car stirred on Its grcaBe-hungry and complaining nxlcs; slowly It gathered momentum nnd surged noisily up tho trnck as Alnn nnd Darcus, on opposlto sides of tho hnndlobar, oltornatoly rose anil fell back; slowly It mounted tho slight grade to the bend In tho track, roundod It, lost sight' of tho Btnlled Pullman on tho siding and began to movo moro swiftly on a moderato down grade. llehlnd It tho thunder of an approaching ap-proaching train grow momentarily In volumo, lending color to the theory of Mr. Darcus that what thoy had hoard had boon tho whlstlo of n freighter rather than of tho light englno. But Just ns Alan was about to ndvocato leaving tho tracks and taking tho hand car with thorn, to clear tho way for tho train, its rumblo began to diminish, grew less nnd beautifully less, nnd wns stilled. "Whnt do you mnko of that?" Alan pnnted across the racking bar. "Tho obvious," Ilarcus returned. "Tho freight has taken tho Biding to wnlt for Bomo other through train to pass. We'll havo to look sharp and be ready to Jump." The grade becamo n traco moro steep; tho car moved with less reluctance. reluc-tance. "Lot go," Alan advised: "It'll coast down tho balance of this Incllno and wo'd better save our strength." Dut thoy had barely regained tholr breath and mopped tho streaming sweat away from their oyes when a second whistle, of a different tone, startled both back to their task. Catching tho eyo of Darcus Alnn nodded despairingly. "Afraid It's all up with us now," he gronncd; "that sounded precisely llko the whlstlo of tho light onglno." "Sure It did!" Darcus agreed. "It wouldn't bo us If wo had any hotter luck. Tho saints bo praised for this grade!" For all Its ago and decropltudo tho hand car mado a very fair pace at tho urgo of tho two who roso and sagged again without respite on either side tho handlebar; and tho grado was happily hap-pily long, turning nnd twisting like a snnko through the hills. A llttlo gruco was granted thorn, moreover, through tho clrcumstanco (as they afterward discovered) that the light englno hnd stopped at tho siding long enough to couple up Trlno's Pullman thus automatically ceasing to bo a light englno, and becoming a special. It wns fully a quarter of an hour beforo be-foro tho growing rumblo of tho latter warned tho trio on tho hand car, Just as it gained tho end of tho grado and addressed Itself to a lovel though tortuous tor-tuous stretch of track. And at this point discovery of the switch of a spur lino thot shot off southward Into tho hills furnished Alan with his Independent Inspiration. Stopping tho hand car after It had Jolted over the frogs, he Jumped down, set tho switch to shunt tho pursuit off to the spur, and leaped back upon the car. Hardly had they succeeded In working work-ing tho hand car up round tho shoulder of tho next bend when tho special took tho switch without pause nnd tho roar of Its progress, 'shut off by an intervening inter-vening mountain, was suddenly stilled to a murmur. Dut even so, thero was neither rest for tho weary nor much excuso for solfcongratulatlon; tho rumblo of tho special was not altogether lost to hearing hear-ing when tho thunder of tho freight replaced nnd drowned It out. Of a sudden, releasing tho handlo-bar, handlo-bar, Alnn stood up nnd signed to Ilarcus Ilar-cus to Imltato his example -Well?" this last panted, when ho had obeyed. "Jump off lenvo tho hand enr whero it Ib they'll havo to stop to clear It off tho track." "And then?" "I'll buy a lift from them If it takes my Inst dollar In tho world," Alnn promised. "It's our only hope. Wo can't keep up this heartbreaking buBl-ness buBl-ness forever and It can't bo long bo-foro bo-foro Trlno and Mnrrophat discover tholr mlbtako!" CHAPTER XXXV. Caboose. For mice. In a wny, It fell out precisely pre-cisely as Mr. Law hud planned nnd prayed. Constrained to pull up n onjcr to ro. movo tho obstruction froifi tho track tho train cruw of tho freight choked down ItB collective wrath on being pro-hentud pro-hentud with a Bum of money. n tho hopes of further InrgOHso it lent Its common enr to Alan's well-worn tolo which had bo frequently proved useful In similar emergencies, of an doping coupe purauod by 'an unrensonlngly vindictive parent; and had Its hopes rewarded by the price Alan bargained to pay In exchango for exclusive uo of tho caboose as far as tho next town So that It was not moro than ten" minute beforo noso was settled to reBt In such comfort ns tho cabooae af. m!d,i.W5"0 A'an nnd IIarcu" Bat within Its doorway and Bmoked Neither ho nor any other aboard the re ght suspected for an Instant that n tho box car next forward of tho ca! booso. a woman in man' clothing lay Perdue, now and again chuckl Ine mplahly to herself .nntlc.?at.0, ' 0" the tlmo and the event she was biding with such patience ns bI 1 Tho whlstlo of a locomotive ( taking tho freight sounded tie W I former to tnko nctlon on hertX I ' doS:,Tcrvotn0rUatckrb2o0wT I J freight, laboring up a stem, S th I I nbled her to catch n Jllmp-e o t' en I light, followed by a itX m,M- I I windows indicating ag I special, beyond a doubt B y Without hesitation. Blnce the train ? was not running at speed, she droSS out to tho ballast, wheeled 2,1 about, caught tho handbar at ? 2l of the box car as It passed and swun herself up botween It and the cabZ. A trifle later tho freight BninedS. summit of tho grade and began to ,,,! moro smoothly. run Climbing to tho top of the box r..r-buo r..r-buo peered keenly through tlio gloa, Ing. which wnB not yet bo dense that sho might not dlscorn two heads pro- lgSfeiaKai 1 Judith Uncoupling the Caboose. B trudlng from tho window of tho ape- B clal's engine, ono on either sldo. B At a venture, sho snatched off her fl coat and waved It wildly in tho air. B An arm answered the signal fro fl ono window of tho pursuing locorao fl tlvo. Mnrrophat, of courso! fl Sho turned and peered ahead. Th fl freight was approaching a trestle that fl spanned a wldo and shallow gully. fl So much the bettor! fl Dropping down ngaln between the fl cars, sho set herself to solve tho prob- fl lem of uncoupling the cabooso. I In this sho was successful Jast at fl the last car rolled out on tho trestle fl Its own Impetus carried tho caboose to tho mlddlo of tho trcstlo beforo It stopped. Ab this happened, Alan and Darcus, already warned of an emergency by tho slowing down of tho car, and for Bomo tlmo nllva to tho fact that the spoclal was again In pursuit, leaped out upon tho tloB and helped Hose to alight. Already tho last of tho freight was whisking off tho trestle, Its crow thus far unconscious of their loss. And behind them tho special was plunging forwnrd at unabated speed. Thero was no tlmo to execute their plan of tho first despornto Instant to run nlong tho tics to safety on th solid earth: tho dlstanco was too grcnt; they could not possibly mnko It With common Impulse tho two men glanced down to tho bottom of th gully, then looked at each other wltb oyea lnformod by common Inspiration, Darcus announced In a bre.dh: "Thirty feot not moro." Alan replied: "Can you hold th weight of tho two of us for half a mi ute?" Ilarcus shrugged: "I can try v might as well oven If I can't." While speaking, ho was loworlnt hlmsolf between tho ties. "All right," ho announced briefly. With a word to Hobo, Abn slipped down besldo Darcus, shifted hlfl hold to tho body of tho latter, and climbed down over him until ho wub supported Hololy by tho grasp of his two banili on Darcus' nnkloB. Iiistnntly Robo followed hlra, slipping slip-ping llko n Btinko down ovor tho two men till she In turn hung by her graep on Alan's nnkloB, then released hef hold nnd droppod tho balanco of tn. dlstanco to tho ground, a scant ten feet, Inndlng without Injury. A thought later Alan dropped llghUr to her Hldo, staggered a trlflo. recor-ored recor-ored and dragged her out of the way. Ilarcus fell with n hoavy thump ana wont upon his hack, but demonstrate! j his lack of Injury by Immediately pic1 j lug hlmsolf up and Joining the others in n mad scramblo for safety. Overhead tho Bpcclal englno, hurtling hur-tling onward llko somo titanic bew, Btruck tho cabooso with a crash li tho explosion of a cannon. It collapsw upon lUolf llko-a thing of pastebwra. That It had boen constructed w moro sdlld ftuff wob nbtindnniu proved by tho showor of timbers, spun-tern spun-tern nnd broken Iron that rulnod aboui tho heads of tho fugitives. For all that, tho gods smiled uro them for their courago: they ecapw without a Bcrntch, (TO JIB CONTINUED) tJ |