Show THE avi a ALE OF THE aina at LADY or the ahrn V WAS DY M L V d 9 ike k copyright A C mcclurg A co WA n SYNOPSIS jack helth a virginian new now a border plainsman 1 te looking to 0 o roaming war dairies of at eav agea IL II 11 a a a jsn an team at full gallop p pursued by men en on ponta who i kelt X t reaches uie the wagon the raid era ere hay massacred two men and d dt t arted I 1 il 0 searches earch ts the victim victims finding ps paper re and a locket with a oman arr trait L keith la Is arrested at canon carson city ity charted with ith the murder his accuse be ing 1 a ruffian ri toan named alaci dart A nt lexro ro IA hl companion cn in hia his cell named neb tella hin that he ti knew the keith in virginia neb nob 8 1 a a 8 one of the murdered mn men waa was john 6 bibley y the other oen gen walte waite form ariy I 1 a confederate officer the he plainsman oris an and neb escape and later the futi fugitives tiVeS come upon a cabin and find ita its occue nt boccut to be a oung girl wirl whom keith it trinia he saw a at boung canon carson city the girl exit explain 2 as that ahe she Is I 1 in search ot of a brother who had deserted from the army and that a mr hawley induced her to come to the cabin bin while alle he bought her brother haw ilaw ley ity appear p a rs mid and sought keith ith in hiding recognizes pil z eph hian 1 aa an black hart dart there 1 is a ater ter alho t lo 10 battle in the darkened room in which keith la is victor biora are appropriated and the tie eirl stirl who says that her name la Is ditc itc join in the escape keith explain explains 3 ta is s batton and the fugitives make for or fort I arned where the girl la Is left with th hu hotel landlady atias hope tells that she he Is 13 the daughter of general thalta keith end and neb drift into sheridan where keith meet meets an old friend dr pr I 1 keith neets the brother of 0 hope walte waits under the assumed name of I 1 ired red wll wit agh by and becomes convinced that bart dart aa as acme plot t involving the ige two hope llope icahn hat gen ri walte waite who wae was thou ht murdered is I 1 at sheridan and kaes afi lyre re where she he Is mistaken for christie maclaire the carson Cit city KInger singer keith meet meets the real christie maclaire ciafre and finds that black dart haa has convinced her that there Is 1 A mystery in her life lite which he Is coins to turn to her tier advantage tage the plainsman tell tells hope ilove walte waite of her resemblance to christie Maci maclaire alre CHAPTER continued keltha keiths eye eyes lifted to her face hie big eara ears quick to detect the undertone la in her voice interesting yes tor for I 1 was seeking otter lati and met with some Bucce sai af at to the other question que ellon I 1 am 11 not at sure whether I 1 admire the lady or nol she ie Is bright pretty and companionable comar and in spite ot of her profession at heart I 1 believe a good woman but really mise miss hope I 1 was too deeply immersed in my to give her personality much coald crathon joae other things we poke spoke at 0 you ot of met me my 1 told her something of 0 our ad ven turea together pt how jiow both hawley and I 1 had been contused she waa wits anxious to learn who you were but unfortunately I 1 havo have never even yet beard heard your name you have not 0 no o I 1 left you at fort lamed larned be kleving yu you christie blac maclaire latre supposing up it your stage batriz ot of courso course and was confirmed in thia this belief by finding in the bolster of the saddle boj bad had been riding an envelope enve lopa bear ing that address 1 I 1 remember it contained the note the be mao man brought to me from hawley fio tie bad written it that way I 1 she crossed the room dolling sinking down into a chair fardig him and you have actually confused me with christie maclaire macl alre all this while have never known who I 1 was wast he ile shook bis his bead head 1 I told you to call me hope that Is my name I 1 am hope llope walte waite watte tel t ho he leaned for forward word star aed bt b the possibility not not yes ebe she burnt burst in holding out her hands clasping the locket and this was my fa fathers where did you get it ho ito took the trinket from her turning it cler in his big fingers little by little littie the threads of mystery were being unraveled ea ct even now he could not ece see very far he ile looked up from the locket into her questioning loning face did I 1 not tell you no then it was an oversight thi this was about thu the throat of at ono one of abo men I 1 burm bura d at cimmaron maron crossing but but hope it was not your tether 1 etow her voice choking slight lightly murphy found that flint out that Is why I 1 am lure I 1 heard my abber came to sheridan and I 1 wanted you to help me ind find him ho ito was wits thinking and did not answer at once and she went on an in fa some n aaion arm do you know anything about him captain keith whee in bel he why Is he beret here dont be afraid to tell me he lie pressed the locket back into her hand retaining the latter Un restated within hie his own 1 I lave not spen seen your father rather hope but be he was certainly we 1 n few day days ago for fairbain met him they ere together lathe inthe la in the anny army I 1 am colne to tell you all I 1 knowin seems to be a tangled web but the ends suds must be somewhere oma where although I 1 con confess fees I 1 am all at sea ea he ile told it slowly and imply simply bring lag log forth bis big earlier and dad how he be had stumbled upon facts apparently patently ly confirming them he ile related her bar father fathers robbery his lows loot of valuable paper and the conversation between hawey hawley and scott which led to the suspicion that these game paper had fallen lata inta the baade of the fc imer and were tag th basis of his plot tol hope listened breathless breath les it with interest hr hor celety opened eyes yes ailed with wonder As A he concluded speaking at sr bunt burst dortht net I 1 dont in ur me least laut captain keith why did thia this man hawley me to the salt fork he ile thought be he waa was dealing with christie maclaire Ma elaire sio jad ild ome some reason OD for getting br her away getting ber her where be he could exercise influence oyer over hor ies yes but la Is she that la Is what make makes tue we matter so hard to unravel she t even know herreld bere her relf elf hawley la Is going to advantage of ber her ignorance in this respect ct and convince her that she he la is the person he wishes her to represent but who 1 Is the person if we knew that we might block tho the game came both eat ellent silent rt driving rIvIng to figure out some tanae reasonable explanation do you know of any pedal special papers your father carried he asked no none outside bl his business agreements haa ilan any one over ever disappeared con can necked with your famil did you have an older sister rT fred and I 1 were the only children why should you ask that question because something of at trat nature would seem to be the only rational explanation your brother must have told clawley some rig goine family which he felt could be utilized to his own advant advantage are then he saw your picture and waa was immediately reminded of the remarkable hexem blance between you and christie Macl maglaire Ma elaire alre evidently this discovery fitted into bla his plan and mado made it po pos ellla for him to proceed he lie has ha been try tj ever since to oat et an interview with the woman to sound ber tier and find out what I 1 b cn c n do her he ile has written letters abtil antly kintly ex elicit to mate make it clear hii hit scheme Is based upon a will drawn as a he claims r t christie Christ les e grandfather no doubt by thia this time he has fully ann cnn the girl ctrl that ab Is the rightful heiress to property as be stated to scott at over a million dollars do llara that a stake worth fighting for and these two will wll make a hard combination hee iles got the papers or claims to and they taunt must be the ones stolen from your father I 1 have been trust trustin tru etin las you kisbi know something in to your family history which would traice it all plain nut flut I 1 do not decisively you must bellere believe tee not 0 so o much as a hint of abir seart ecret hai has ter reached me there are only the tour four of f us n father mother frd fred and I 1 I 1 am aure sure there c can be no ecret secret molting which I 1 would not know perhaps U I 1 could sea mist maclaire 1 am convinced that would ba 4 us ulea less be he rising and pa t clag dicross o 0 the floor if it hawley baj has convinced her of the justice c the claim he will alo also halve pledged her to secrecy he ile ts out of like lilts a mole mols for be he knows the fraud and will never come to the surface nul aa is la in I 1 know a better way ill and fred 4 and bring him here lie would tell you whatever it was he told hawley awley ll and that will give us the clue he lie picked up bis his bat hat from the table but the roae rose to her feet her handa hands 1 I cannot thank you enough captain keith the he exclaimed frankly you arc are doing so much ana an with DO no personal interest 1 oh but I 1 cave have the long lashes dropped over the brown eyes hat do you meant that I 1 have a personal interest in you hope she stood silent her bosom rising and to rapid breathing oa dent don t mind my catling calling you hope I 1 got mod used to miss mas walte waite yet her iler eyes met his swiftly of course not such ceremony bould be foolish after all you have done tor for me dodo do do you call her christie T he ile laughed clasping her hands closer 11 1 I assure you no ahe ebe it Is strictly misa miss bl Macl aclaire alre and solemnly shall be to the end of at the chapter I 1 oh well I 1 care only that was what you called her when you ere telling me what she said are iou going 11 I 1 yes to find fred the sooner we can get this straightened out the bet ter CHAPTER A mistake in assassination I 1 it t his future be what it might jack keith never agajan forget oil 0 00 I 1 A 44 keith saw the man go down in a heap the cirl girl who bo held tho the door open for hie his maneage with lib ono one hand her other clasped IQ in bin his before yet forcing or cing himself into irto indifference now that be he knew who aba ho really was the man made full surrender it wa was A struggle that kept him tron from clapping the blender slender figure la in his ams and pouring forth the words of 3 which he sternly chokos back this was wa neither the time cor ha ba place rt yet his bl eye eyes most must bare bay spoken ep olcen for elopes glance fell and od her cheeks frew grew crimson 1 I do not need meed to pledge jw you to return thie this time oo 00 if ir she he questioned her v oice 1 11 Z N no 0 be he answered nor bany time again the ball wae was leechen leeched lee des ched cled bin but a few low men loitered in the OMM keith recognized mons of the faces tod did dot not top stop to mke make any Iti quIrles of the clerk it wa was growing dark the lights already burnic burning and from the plain inz ing of 0 drops on he the window it must be b gralnick elde hawley would surely haro have ended hta his call upon mill bliss Mac maclair latre long before this and left the hotel botel however interesting hia his com munI catlon might bs bae fe she he must nil fill her evening at the dro and would require tims for or upper supper and to the result of that interview there co ild be little doubt providing the gambler possessed the proper papers be would have email small difficulty in convincing the girl that she he was indeed the on one bought keith had probed sufficiently into her mind to feel assured that her tier inclination was to sidd with hawley under all the circumstance circumstanced thie this as il onous ono uC and be he did cot not blame her lie ile glanced into the bar mom as a be he passed 1 not la in any anticipation but merely from the vigilance which to lomas second nature upon the iron tier hawley loaning asalos vt the bar where ho he could see ee aar u one passing through the hall the rye ryes ot of the two men met but the gambler never moved nater changed his hi at atIt although althou houth fh keith noted that nis right hand band als hidden beneath the skirts ot of his bl long coat the plainsman drow back facing his hi enemy until bo be reached the outer door there was n sneer on hawleys dark sini ter face like an art invitation but a men ory ot of the dri girl he bad had just left let and her dependence upon him caused keith to avoid an encounter lie ila would cent thin this affair out in a diff different efty ay As an the door opened and tie he slipped forth into the floorn be brushed against a man apparently just catering e a the gleam of at light fell for an instant upon the tare nee of at the other 11 it u aix statty witti the red 1 moustache they had bad been watching for him then what for clawley on the inside and thil this man scott Y without 1 were waiting to determine when whom b be e left the hotel would probably dog bis big footsteps to discover where be he went keith loosened bis his revolver so as to be assured eureil as he could draw quickly and slipped back into the hadow shadow of th the slaps hie his eyes on the door of at the tho hotel there was a cold drizzly rain failing the streets almost deserted ap perring sodden and miserable miser ablo where the light lights shone forth through 1 caloon windows one or two men seeking upper supper coat con collar collars turned up and bate hats drawn low over their ef oes climbed etc rickety atop stops and went in I 1 but no one camo canto out perhaps he was mistaken as to the purpose of those fellows fellow they may bavo have desired merely to know when he tie left or scott scotts return just at that mcbeat might have been an accident to be sure the hotel possessed a back exit but hu to could cot rot cover both ends of the Wil dins and must take ilia his chances II 11 was too vet wet and disa disagree greo able to remain crouched crotched there now that it wan evida t thero there wm was ao no intention teat folk of 0 following him with band hand ou the butt of his gun suspicious and wa watchful t ahful yet with scarcely car cely a faster beat to dis 1 heart keith straightened up aud ald began splashing bis his ay y through be lie mud down the street lie its knew willoughby would be bo most likely found at this hour with cronic cronies at the Tenderfoot aud and he meant to discover the boy and make him confess to hope the cristh mat bad had now flow riched a point ahers longer delay wa wu dangerous Sherl din dsa waa was dand the long street silent gi amy black except for those streams of saloon light shining 1 of water A few wanderers ploughed 1911 the murk mulk dim uncertain shapes shares appearing and vanishing in the gloam lie had gone a block end and over the struggle ruggle et against the elements leaving him forgetful ot at all ele oleo when a man reeled out ot of some dimly lit hack shack to bis his right ana staggered drunkenly dmn kenly forward a few tow feet in advance lie could barely did dl the a outline outlines giving little thought to the occurrence for the bygy was black along there the OP having chades hade drawe Sa Sude deply evly a asal ot at red fire parted spurted into the night with a sharp report it was so close at band hand it blinded haa and he flung up one ofia arm over his eye and yet in that single ln tait be he perceived ved the whole picture ai as revealed by thred flame he lit BAIT the man in front go down in a a heap the b of the building arm and which the shot came tha the end of a wagon sticking stick lne forth into the street which h had ha d concealed the as 6 ua I 1 r th the blinding flash gash the shock shack of at that sadden an discharge dise barge for a moment hed held lm motionless then be 1101 leaped aird fr ird revolver la in zen h band lid |