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Show "TURNING" POINT fgl $1$ Mary lmlav Tayor Jh E. -S2sArC W. N.U. RELEASE -'V A C STOIIY Tlll'S FAR: "1 want you It t over to Ht'tmiituKS and net the K -ritr," Jim told Shcrwin. who nro-testt'd nro-testt'd that ho didn't know Uio way. Ills real reason was Uiat Uie sheriff would trrcst him. But Jim wanted Sheriff Cutter Cut-ter to go after Jordan. Uie outlaw. Slier-lln Slier-lln sot on a horso at last, but went the wrong way deliberately. Suddenly he decided he was a coward, and turned to go backand face Uie worst. He heard Jane's voice, then saw her In a clump of bushes. Ho saw something else Jordan Jor-dan creeping up to abduct her. Jane tried to fight him off, but Jordan lifted her up to carry her away. Shcrwin attacked, at-tacked, but Jordan escaped again, wounding Sherwin's arm with a knife. CHAPTER V "Jim, he's faint from loss of blood look at himl" Old Mac intervened. "I'll fix him up; you go 'phone for th' doc, Jane." he thrust his; hand through Sherwin's Sher-win's well arm. "You come along with me, son. Hello!" he shaded his eyes with his hand. "Say, Jim, if I ain't mistaken th' sheriff's coming across th' bridge right now!" he added, pointing. Jim gave a quick exclamation of satisfaction. "So he is. Got a posse, too. Just in the nick of time it's all right that you didn't go for him now, Hazlettl" Sherwin flushed suddenly to his hair, but no one noticed it. Jane was running on ahead to telephone for the doctor, Mac had him by the arm, and Jim had apparently become be-come absorbed in the approaching posse. "Send a man over for that horse, Mac," he threw back as he hurried off. Sherwin's face was set. The old man peered at him sideways, ruminating. ru-minating. "Thought you knew the way to Hemmings'." His tone was casual, and he went on at once; "It's a pity you missed baggin' Jordan; he's got th' start of us now." "We'll have to get him," Sherwin Sher-win answered absently. He had watched Jane's figure disappearing into the house and now he saw the sheriff's posse riding up the long slope to Las Palomas. "It seems to take a good many men to hunt down one out here," he remarked dryly. "Kinder nasty hurt," old Mac said, "but there ain't no bones broken. bro-ken. I'll wash it an' th' dpe'll fix it up all right." While he worked, his patient sat by the window watching the posse. He expected to be called to tell his story of Jordan, but he was not, and, as time passed, he began to wonder why. Then old Mac startled him more. "I reckon you don't know that Jane's said to be goin' to mar? Stenhart, do you?" he asked casually. casu-ally. He felt Sherwin stiffen under his hands. "I think she will not!" he said sharply. Mac stared. Then he fell silent, binding the arm a trifle closely, his eyes straying out of the window, fol-( fol-( lowing Sherwin's. The old man was farsighted. He made out a paper in the sheriff's hand, and after a moment mo-ment Jim took It and both men stared at it. 'The sheriff's got a description of some one that's wanted," he said finally. "I've seen them papers before be-fore now." Sherwin did not answer; his arm was bound up and he rose suddenly and made for the door which opened on the posse. But Mac caught him back. "Don't you do it, son!" Sherwin stared at him. "What do you mean?" The old man smiled grimly. "I reckon I kinder suspicion why you took th' wrong road, son; you don't need to meet th' sheriff here, Jim ain't called for you." ' For a moment longer Sherwin stared at him sternly, then he flung himself into a chair beside the table, and leaning across it, buried his head jn his arms. Old Mac came antf stod beside him, looking down at him pityingly, for he saw his btae.d shoulders shake with a hard drawn, bitter sob. "Got any new men on?" Cutler had asked. "Seen a fellow like that picture?" Jim studied the picture a long time silently, then he looked around at the sheriff. "What's he wanted for, Cutler?" "Murder, first degree. Escaped convict from Rhode Island; it's for life there, you know." Jim nodded. "Better leave the paper with me," he said at last; "new men come along every now and then." "That's so! Personally I don't think likely he's round these parts; too far off his beat, eh?" The sheriff sher-iff moved to the door. "By the way, Keller, Where's that feller who mixed It up for Jordan? Send him along to show us the way he went." "I'll send old MacDowell, he knows," Jim said promptly. "The other man's got a bad arm; I've phoned for the doctor for him." As he spoke he accompanied the sheriff sher-iff to the door and shouted for Mac. The old man answered at once and got his orders to go with the posse. He cast a sharp look at Jim's face and obeyed without a word. At the moment Jim scarcely noticed no-ticed that he did not suggest that the man whom they called Hazlett should go, but he thought of it as he turned back into the house, a furrow fur-row of worry between his own brows. It si'eiiu'd as if Mnc had caught at Uie meaning of things by instinct, or had he found out something some-thing himself? Standing alone in the hall, he took out the sheriff's paper pa-per and studied it. The picture of the escaped convict was unusually clear-cut and good, the description accurate. Jim was still studying it when he heard a light step behind him and turned to meet Fanny Sewell. The young nurse caught the trouble in his face at a glance. "There's something wrong!" she said quickly. "Nothing much wrong when I see you!" Jim answered heartily. But she was not to be put off. "You're worried!" For answer Jim held out the paper. pa-per. "Ever see that face before, Fanny?" The girl gave it a startled look, then she scrutinized It carefully, her own face changing sharply. "Oh!" It was an exclamation of mm Sherwin had finished his meal and he thrust his plate aside, looking across at the old man's face behind the camouflage of tobacco smoke. dismay, as she lifted ber troubled eyes to his. "Can't be mistaken,- can it?" Jim asked grimly. "It's terribly like him what's the crime?" Jim turned the paper over. "There's a statement pretty bad, too!" Fanny began to read it slowly, her face losing its happy flush. "He's saved my life and got Jane away from Jordan foday. It's it's darned hard to know what to do!" The nurse did not seem to hear him. As she read she paled, and suddenly she caught at a chair and gasped, her eyes dilated. "Good Lord, Fanny my darling girl, what is it?" Jim forgot his quandary as he caught her in his arms. "Nothing!" she tried to smile. "I I was a little dizzy there's Jane now!" Jim, still anxious and perplexed, looked around. "Hello, Jane Stenhart! Come along. Fanny's overdone, she's faint; I've made her sit down," as he spoke he was putting the nurse into the big chair at his desk. Stenhart, following Jane, came in slowly, leaning on his stick. "What's it all about?" he asked. Jane was getting a glass of water for Fanny, and as she brought it Jim held out the sheriff's paper. "Look here, Jane!" His sister ignored him, fussing over the other girl. "Feeling better, bet-ter, dear? Sit down, Max, or you'll overtire yourself!" Then, straightening straight-ening up: "What's that, Jim?" He handed her the description and the picture. Jane stared at it, changing color, then she flung it down. "Well," she said defiantly, "what of it?" Jim saw the anger and pride in her face. Suddenly he remembered the scene by the creek, when he found her there with Sherwin. "By Jove!" he breathed, and turned sharply. "Max, look at that!" He snatched the paper up and handed it to Stenhart. Stenhart was reading it when they heard a step on the veranda and Sherwin came into the hall. His arm was bandaged and his face was colorless. "Oh!" cried Jane impulsively, "you shouldn't your arm " But he did not look at her, he was looking at Stenhart. There was a tense moment. No one spoke, then Stenhart laughed laughed out loud, holding out the paper and looking at Jim. "It's the man," he said; "can't you see? Use your eyes! I've known this fellow before his name's John Sherwin; he killed his old uncle because be-cause he'd left him out of his will, cut him off. He's escaped from Jail. He was sentenced for life; I know it! He's an escaped convictl" Sherwin said nothing. He faced him and his right hand dropped suddenly sud-denly to his hip. Stenhart shrieked, crumpling against the wall. "Don't let him kill me!" he panted. Jim started forward but Jane was ahead of him; site caught at Sherwin's Sher-win's sleeve. She took no notice of the others; she seemed to see no one but this one man. "Tell me," she whispered, her lips white, "tell me it isn't true!" Sherwin put her hand away and stood alone, facing tjhem. "It's true that I'm the man they want," he said harshly, "nnd it's true," he raised his hand and pointed point-ed at Stenhart, "it's true that I came here to kill him." Jane shrank away from him; without a word she recoiled. Their eyes held each other a moment longer long-er but there was no answer in hers. He saw her shrink and shudder. There was a terrible silence; the others stood staring, dumbly. Then Stenhart backed farther away, white and shaken. "He'll kill me don't let him come near me!" he cried hysterically. Sherwin turned and looked his scorn at him. "I'll not kill you here," he said coldly. His face was white and drawn; he did not look at Jane again but at Jim. "You can give me up," he said harshly; "I came to tell you so. There's a reward," re-ward," he added bitterly. "Stenhart "Sten-hart here might like it!" Fanny Sewell's head dropped; she sobbed chokingly. Jim intervened. He stepped In front of Jane and took Sherwin by the unwounded arm. "Come!" he said sternly. Sherwin cast one quick look of anguish at Jane, turned without a word and went. As he went Stenhart collapsed into a chair, but Jane did not even glance at him. She stood with her back against the wall, staring in front of her with unseeing eyes. He had dared to make love to her and he was a convict! Her head swam and her mouth was dry, but she said nothing. Outside the house, Jim had his hand on Sherwin's arm. "Melt away," he said grimly; "you saved me and you rescued my sister I'll do nothing, nothing at all. Melt away!" They stood still in the broad daylight. day-light. It was afternoon now, and some doves were cooing in the trees. Sherwin turned gravely and looked at Keller, his pale face flushed a little. "I don't want to make such a claim upon your generosity," he said stiffly. "Better give me up." Jim swore a little. "I'm not that kind," he said; then his eyes traveled trav-eled toward the distant windings of the road. He took out his field-glasses field-glasses and searched it as far off as he could see. He made out a dark patch moving on the upper road. "You go and stay with Mac until dark; that's the sheriff up there. After Aft-er dark you can get off." Sherwin said nothing; if he wanted want-ed to make a plea in his own defense de-fense he saw it was useless, he was judged. Yet there was something about Jim that was so likeable he could not be angry with him. "We're not so far from the border after all," Jim added casually. "I'd head that way if I were you." Sherwin looked up. "You're generous, gen-erous, I appreciate it." Jim turned away awkwardly. He was half way to the house when he turned and spoke over his shoulder. "I'm relying on you not to stay around Las Palomas," he said grimly. grim-ly. Sherwin nodded; it was the only thing Jim had said which infuriated him. It made him feel his position; he was an outcast spared because he had done something for both of them, the girl and her brother. Her last look at him had repudiated him as completely as Jim's words; they both believed him guilty. The girl would marry Stenhart! Suddenly he laughed aloud, harshly. harsh-ly. What a mad fool he had been. He might have killed Stenhart under un-der the trees that morning. It was useless to play fair with a snake. His eyes swept the wide slopes of the ranch. The men had stopped hammering; it was near supper time, and he could see groups of them down by the corrals. In the water under the bridge he saw the big white horns of a drowned steer; there had been too much to do to recover all the bodies for cremation. Presently he too might be found lying ly-ing in some creek, starved on his long hike for freedom. He had not moved from the spot where Jim had left him when he heard old Mac call to him. "Come in here, I've got something for you to eat," the old man said brusquely, holding open the door of his own room behind the kitchen. Sherwin saw that be had a good meal spread for him and a knapsack packed. As Mac closed the door behind be-hind him he looked around at him and saw compassion on the lined face. "You knew I was going," he said quickly. "Did Keller tell you over the 'phone just now?" Mac smiled. "You told me, son! I've lived a long while. I learned how to get behind a man's spoken words, a right smart while ago. Sit down and eat, ain't any use starv-in" starv-in" (TO BE CONTINUED) |