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Show I VENGEANCE AND , THE WOMAN LbB - I $& KPI80DK 7 bbtbbI M w H K " Synopsis bTbTbTbT! i B f 1 " . Henry Blake, mllwny builder ami LbH CMliaifUt wnds Black Jack Haines, bTbbTBv $ vi H Mtlaw leader, to prison. Ho ccah. H'4 f , carrta BlakoV young wife, Be- B J I ale, to his cabin. She net away, but Ht & t recaptured and imprisoned on a H S'i mountain peak. ,Blako tries to res- Hp cue her, but is himself made a prls- H' oner. The outlaws put Bessie In a M i coach, but the horses run away and M I plunge over a high cliff. Blake again M ' finds her and they seek to escape In m ! a hermit's canoe, pursued down the M iMpmssable rapids. LH u bbH i m Clomancte Pete was right no ca- M I )." ace could ever hope to ride tho Whlto J Horso rapids. Upon the crest of n aavavl M " Breat wavo was swept tho hermit's 1 frail craft, to be lifted and hurled B j broadside against a rock Into tho H- j trough below, crushing the birch M aides like an egg shell. As tho end m ' tamo, Blake leaped to BobsIo'b sldo - i as they wore thrown into the boiling M water, and clasping her in his arnu, M began, to battle for shore fifty yard? H,,' The skiff containing tho outlaws M ' ' already had met a similar fate. Throe fl of Its occupants quickly sank, but the M - t Indian and one companion managed ' f to keep afloat and engaged In a fight Ht1 'or 1,fe aB desperate as that of their p Intended victims. Blake was a powerful swimmer H' and his wife equally at home in the LaaaVV' M waW, hut skill and strength availed H; I little against the resistless current. H( Their greatest) peril lay In being K hurled against the rocks about which v 'ti laevery direction-the water beat. m v v ? Iaa T inch, "Blake halt supporting fB ft " 1 hUife, battled his way across tho i ; floe' into comparatively. quiet, wa .. ten.. Ha rested briefly, then strug- " , gled Vorward until1 his feet at last H- found the bottom and he staggered V '" to the protection of a .projecting H, rock, earning Bessie In his arms. K k X, Fifty feet out In the river alono K $k ',Bow,the Indian struggled feebly. '; "vim. Be,8.le I111.1 a nand on her husband's j arm: R ' We can't let htm 'drown, dear, H,' even" ' ., ,- She did not need to finish the appeal. Blake might slay a foo In H j' a fair flg'htbut ho could not'stand H: " b' and BOe ulm drown' and ehauHt- K j'l1 fd as he was, ho plunged back Into LLLr ? 'lho rlver und BWam out t0 a Plnt V ' below' where Pete clung to a rock In K 4 r a last, despalcing grasp. An Instant , V TiuaBdhe.wastorn loose to bo caught bbbV" ai " ; j Id Blake's firm grip as he was swept H . past and drawa to shore. H .:" , Bessie, whose life be had so often H' V'iy schemed' to wreck, helped carry him H , 'A up the rocky bank, and It was Bhe H; ," who bound the wound In his head H ' and revived him Vith a 'drink 'from H a flask given hem by the hermit, H -And when at last Fete opened his H I eyes and reallxed he was alive, ho B " looked up at the girl with an exprcs- H slon akin to worship In his eyes. H " Then he turned to Blake and In a H h ' few words warned him that Black H Jack was near, pointing' up the river. B : Beasle, alarmed, exclaimed: H "You won't tel Uiim which way H - & v H , Pete looked .at her as it In sur- - prlao. pointed to Heavon nnd "shook" H r his head. ' Blake and Bessie hurried down tho H u i river bank and Boon were swimming 1 ,). " dpgonally to the opposite shore. -.y "fffffffffffli2, "Jfffffffffffffl Ps Reaching the top' of the bank, they .1" ' turned for a final view' of the In-H In-H 1 dlan'just in time to see Black Jack It and his companions, all mounted, H I ' ride to the brink of be cliff below HfJ' where Pete still was standing. The BjfPvi ofctlaw's'eyes 'were quick to catch Ki thV wrecked "canSo clinging to the Hk" rrock and below the' bodies of tho Hrf drowned bandits which bad been B:' washed ashore. They ta'ked excited- V lFf tke fate of Blake' and the girl .W ai af'tlU'ladwheHS of then. Bbf'"' r,Vw Pete. Black Jack oalled dewa aaaaaWIE 1 ..O i - Bi' . to him and ho stirred and looked up replying ho could not get up the cliff and he had been Injured. A lariat raaaaaaWaWaaaaaawKi VBfri BBBBBBBBBBlriBBBBBV zviA WBiBBBBBBBBBHBBBBBmi'' A 4 KIrVlBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBt "?K-V bbW"",. BB tf V'J """V K. TffS .VBfBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTffa fj. Tffi I bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbV ntl rBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBlvl H "fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffK vffl bhabbbbbbbbbbbubbbb3bI was quickly lowered and ho was hauled up. Carefully hidden behind a rock o tho outlaws could not seo thorn, JBJako and Bessie watched to seo If Pcie betrayed his word. Biack Jack stepped before him and seizing him by tho shoulders demanded to know what had become of the outlawji and Blake and Bessie. Tho Indlnn was silent n moment and then as Haines repeated the question, ho replied: "All drowned. Blake and woman drowned, too." Black Jack did not conceal the shock this information gavo him. Suspicious, however, hor studied ths red man's face, then reached forward for-ward and yanked tho bandage from his head and saw It was made from a woman's skirt Btwle's. With an oath, Black, Jack paused in his advance, but with blood In hU eyes, demanded to know which direction di-rection they had taken. Pete remained remain-ed dumb. -Then tho bandit asked if they weni across the rlvor. Showing slight fear, the Indian replied, "No," "Down the rlvr?" shouted Ilalne his rago again getting the better of ' lllBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBlt UbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbB 1 buIbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbTbbbw I "bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbTII II 'BIbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbV I! 'Mull BBBBBBBBBBBBVBBBBBBBBBnM D QillaBBBBBBBBBBHBBBBBBBBBBBm i my hhuhih him. "Yes," nodded Pete, and then Black Jack, satisfied at last, ordered order-ed all to mount. Acrosn the river, In the shelter of the rock, Blako and Bessie clasped hands at their apparent deliverance and the reassuring thought that the Indian had kept his word then they turned from tho river to seek the trail that should lead them to the railroad. Black Jack lead his men some distance down tho shoro, searching in vn'.a for some tracea of Blako and n-rnnle, until convinced that he wa? on the wrong trail. Still suspicious of the Indian, but not caring to I wreak Immediate vengeance by shooting shoot-ing him, ho called his men about him and told them their prey had escaped to the other sldo. Urging his own horse Into the river, the others following, fol-lowing, he started for the other shore Tho outlaws landed almost at the spot whero Blake and Bessie had left the water a short 4lmo before. Black Jack told tho men their quar-ry quar-ry must bo in the woods- not far away, and at his orders they scattered, scatter-ed, Johnson taking the Indian 'and undor 'Instructions to kill him If he showed any signs of seeking to escape: es-cape: Wearied and hungry, Bessie had not proceeded a mile Into the woods' when the was forced to rest, dropping drop-ping beside a log in a little clearing. Blake Btood above her, as If to ward off further dangers, when suddenly a lono'horsomana crossed his view. It was Black Jack. Blako realized they were lost If the outlaws discovered them and ho determined to put tho bandit chief out of the way by 'meeting him singly In battle before he could call aid. To this end, he told BcbsIo to proceed down tho trail until Black Jack should see and overtake her, he to follow closely behind. The plan worked to a nicety. Catch- lhg sight of BeisTe, the outlaw spur- I red his horse forward while the girl I fled up the trail. The chase was I brier. Bessie's flight took her to a tree behind which Blako was con; cealed.and at the foot of which she tripped and fell. With an exulting cry, Black Jack leaped to tho ground and was about to seize her In his arms when Blake sprang out and on tho back of his enemy. Black Jack, taken by surprise, was thrown to the ground, but recovered re-covered quickly and there began a deadly battle between the two men, evenly matched In skill and strength, Bcsele In a frenzy of anxiety, snatched snatch-ed a rifle from Black Jack's saddle, but dared not fire it for tear of hl-tlnghcr hl-tlnghcr huBband. Over, and over rolled roll-ed tho men In their terrific struggle. Black Jack freed one nand for the fraction of a second and snatched a knife from his shirt bosom. Ho I movod to plunge it into Blake's breast, but Bessie, who had picked. up tho discarded revolver, was sud- denly moved to action and a bullet I from tho gun snapped tho blado at I tho hilt as Haines drovo it forward. I That shot was a signal to the other I outlaws beating about tho woods and I thoy were spurring to the sceno of I tho fight when Blake, y a well d- I rected blow, stretched Black Jack I senseless on the turf. Without wait- I Ing to bind him ho leaped Into the I outlaw's saddle, drew Bossle up b I sldo him and sped away. Up the mountain side they raced, the outlaw band now' hard at their heels. It appeared Blake must soon halt and engage In a fight against overwhelming odds when he specl Just oft the trail Into an opening In a cliff. It provetTthe entrance to an; unused mine tunnel. Quickly clear-, tng a passage be drew Bessie Into the funnel and with feverish haste proceeded to block, the entrance with rocks. He had hardly finished hls task whenthe outlaws drew up outside out-side bis barricade, Black Jack, re- I vived,- again at their head. A bullot I frotn Blake's revolver, which was I pointed through a crevice In the I rocks,, forced tho outlaws Into cover I and there the leaders held consulta-' J tlon. I Part of the band, well oct of range of Blake's shots, kept up a desultory- flro against the barricade, while the f others crept up to the barricade with dry fagots and leaves which they piled against the stones and set on fire. A. shelf of rock above the tunnel tun-nel entrance prevented the thick smoke fro'm rising and forced It In the.tunnel Itself. As the smoke In greater volume tilled the tunnel, Blako folded his wife In his arms and the girl, her strength almost gone, made blm promise that he would not let tho outlaws take her alive. She turned her face to his breast as she lost consciousness. con-sciousness. ( (To Be Continued) |