OCR Text |
Show VENGEANCE AND 1 THE WOMAN wt u- - ' l ' ' ' '' J EPISODE 14 J Synopsis I enry Dlake, railway builder and cap tallst, and his young wife, Bessie sen I Black Jack Haines, 'outlaw leader lead-er to prison. He escapes and carries Bessie away to the mountains. Blake ttt! rescues her and they have many encounters en-counters with the bandit gang. Black Jack finally catches Bessie on an Island at the brink of high falls. v Blake from shore, shoots the outlaw, who Is carried over the falls as Bessiefalls Bes-siefalls fainting. Blake swims to thelsland Just as his wife is drawn (0 i over and disappears In tho whirlpool I below. Uessle's -wrist- nlono was vlslbls above tho engulfing sands and this was .fast vanishing, to leave nothing to mark her grave, when a lariat whistled above tho srcub bush and settled about tho hand which closed In a convulstvo grip, telling that lite had hot yet fifed the burled body. Her last .cry had halted Blako and his keen eyo had' caught life's last signal to him. 'Firmly braced In his saddle he drew the lariat taut He shouted orders totls companions and two roore lariats were,' stretched across the quicksands and on them he-worked, his way-toward Bessie.' He seized her hand and' started to drag her f romtaVsinds. Her hair, her face appeared and he gently removed the sand. He fastened one lariat about her shoulders,, and with Blake's help tho men pulling strongly and steadily drew the unconscious form from the depths and across tho sands to solid ground. Slto stirred n little a3 her faco was bathed, and In tlmo revived and smiled weakly up at her husband as If to ask what hod become be-come of their enomles. I "All our enemies are dead. Black Jack was tho last to go," ho replied reassuringly, and she sank back agalnst'hls shoulder satisfied. Strong hands lifted her on a horse and with Blake's arms around her and Morgan and his men on either side, Bessie was taken homo. - Over the crest of a hill Bloplng down to the river came a flock of sheep to the spot where Blnck Jack lay unconscious, crushed and his shoulder shattered by Blake's bullet. bul-let. "Muttons," the shepherd and a former member of Black Jack's gang discovered his old companion and revived him. Tho outlaw told him of tho defeat and doath of his men and "Muttons" agreed for old tlmo sake to take care of him, Ho put him on his horse and took him to his cabin hidden back In tho hills. Fcaceful and happy months passed for Blake and his wife In their home In Barksdalo. A son. had been born born to thm and Blako nominated Ifor governor. Election evo found them surrounded by their friends all confident of an overwhelming victory vic-tory for tho man whoso courageous fight for law and order and to develop de-velop tho natural resources of tho State, had Indeed made htm Arizona's "first son." Securo In tho bollef that their outlaw enemies were .nil dead, thero was not a cloud on their happiness as they left their homo to got' the returns, leaving Baby Blako In caro of a nurso and fofotman. But back In tho hills In tho shepherd's shep-herd's cabin, Black Jack still lived, and his hatred of Blake and Bessie had only been deepened' by months of suffering which left him a white haired, cripple semblance of his former for-mer self. Tho night before election he was reading the papers when' his eyes Caught an illustration with the caption: "Our next governor, with his wife and babyt" Hate and renewed desire for. vengeance ven-geance flashed, across his features and he studied the faces of Blake and liesslc. each bespeaking tho happiness hap-piness he had wrecked his own life to rob them of. lie called "Muttons" to his side and pointed at the paper. "I've got to gel oven with them. Will you help me?" The shepherd shook his head, which roused the anger or Black Jack. "Are you going to go back on mo," he snarled, But Muttons was. unmoved unmov-ed as ho replied: "You'ro a wreck. That bullet holo In your shoulder ain't healod yet. You can't do a man's Job." Black Jack, resentful, Insisted ho was match at loaBt for tho baby and promised Muttons a fortuno If he would help him, but his promises fell on deaf cars. "Following you Is too risky. Whuro aro all tho other members of your gaang," ho returned, and reviewed tho deaths which had ovortaken Comanche Co-manche 1'eto, Bod Johnson and Curly Cur-ly Drown, not to mention a scoro of lesser lights In his outlaw crow. Tho strength of this argument was not lost on Black Jack and he sat long In silence, but when darkness came, ho mounted his horso and without a word to Muttons, rodo off to town. Arriving In camp, Black Jack mado his way through tho shouting crowds a sneer on his faco as ho heard on overy Bldo cheering for Henry Blako. Ho went straight to Curly Brown's old saloon, only Curly's name had been paintod out and In Its place read "John Derk." Dork was Brown's old bartender who know Black Jack well In former days, but did not roc.-ognlzo roc.-ognlzo tho man who limped up to tho bar until ho leaned over and removed re-moved his hat. A bit alarmed, Derk motioned to a back room and tho outlaw repeated tho demands- ho had mado on Muttons and with tho same success. , "Not mo," said tho saloon man with decision. "I'll mako my money out of whiskey. You havo no luck bucking Blake. Cut It "out." Then jle pulled out a roll of bills which hie handed to his old friend. ' "This Is for old time's sake. Pull your freight while the pullln' Is good." As Block Jack, somewhat mollified, molli-fied, took tho money, Derk opened - ' - s : a rear door aud lot him out into the darkness. - Baby niako In his crib Uit peacefully peace-fully besldo his bottlo of jnllk, llttlo droamlnK a gront Stutf that night wns making Tils fathur govornor. In an adjoining room a nurso va Ironing Iron-ing clothes. Sho ilroiipcil her work at tho sound of cheering and an approaching ap-proaching band anil descended to tho front door to hear more plainly. As sho stood In tho door a draught passing pass-ing up tho Btalrs caught tho flamo from nn oil stovo nnd whisked It against n curtain. A tiny flamo spread nnd grew and shortly tho upper up-per floor was filled with smoko. niack Juck reached tho houro bo-foro bo-foro tho firemen and boforo tho hysterical hys-terical nurse had bethought hcrsolt of tho baby. With his old cunning, ho mado his way upstairs, seized tho Infant and tho bottlo of milk, gained tho edgo ot tho town and was nway without being seen. Ten minutes later, tvhon lllaku and llesslu hastily summoned reached their homo, tho flro had been extinguished, hut the baby was gone. Kidnapped, thry knew, but by whom they could not suggest, for they bellovcd tholr enomles eno-mles all dead. Hlako soothed his wlfo as best ho could and called hls4ld friends Morgan and Hawkins, and in tho I crowds whoso cheers had turned to anger, thoy began to search for tli3 baby at tho moment word wns received re-ceived that lllako- had been elected governor. Black Jack reached tho Bhcpherd',.4 cabin and placed tho baby, which had not awakened in the long ride, gently on a blanket and gavo It the bottlo of milk. The Infant smiled up at1 tho outlaw and for an' Instant the hard face relaxed and he poked It with his finger. Then he was his own revengeful self and seated at a tablo he wroto a letter which ho addressed: '"Henry Blake, Bsrksdale." incturnlng to tho baby, Black Jack noticed tho bottlo was empty and ho paused as it making a mental noto of tho fact, then left tho cabin, carefully care-fully closed tho door and rode away. He halted at the railway near a siding sid-ing where he know passenger trains stopped and when tho first slowed down nt tho switch ho stole to tho mall car and dropped his letter In tho slot In tho door. Mounting again, ho rodo swiftly to an Indian camp not far from Muttons cabin. Approaching tho flro, ho mado known by signs thnt he wanted a drink, and a squaw brought a bottlo of whiskey. Black Jack, Impatient, motioned It away, nnd pointing to 11 cow growled out for tho woman to hurry. Ho eagerly grasped tlio pall sho brought and rodo away. A buck who had seen tiio transaction called tho squaw who slipped .1 blanket over horiiead and hurried away. Baby Blako, thoroughly awakened; began to howl lustily, and his cries wero heard by n big boar which happened hap-pened to bo prowling about tho clearing clear-ing In tho hopo of finding ono of Muttons sheep. Tho boar listened curiously, then nmhlcd over to tho cabin and then sniffed at tho cracks In tho closed door. Ho sinulled human flesh nnd his llttlo eyes grow red as ho roso on his hind logs and pressed on tho door and struck It with his powerful paws. A fow blows splintered tho panels and tho bear fell forward within tho cabin, lils oyes fixed on tho baby crying and kicking on tho blanket. Again tho bear snlfred and slouched slouch-ed up to tho baby, his hungry snout touching a bare leg. (To Bo Continued) |