Show 1 he Real Nan Man I t By ByI I FRANCIS ArcIs LYNDE i I I-I I f Ij Copyright by Chas Scribners Scribner's Sons ous CHAPTER Continued 18 18 Yes Yes uY's like fits I will I retorted the mine owner I told you ou once John that I was In n this thing to a finish and I meant it Go on giving your orders Very well youve you've had your warn warn- ing lug The next thing Is the auto I want to catch Judge Warner before he goes to bed Ill I'll telephone while youre you're getting a car Starbuck had no farther to go than to the tile garage garnge where he had put up hiscar hIscar his hiscar car and when he hc got it and drove to the Kinzie building Smith came out of the shadow of the entrance to mount beside him Drive around to the Vie garage again and let me try another phone was the spoken low-spoken request My wire Isn't working The short run was quickly made and Smith went to the garage office A moment later a two pound policeman strolled up to put a n huge foot on the running board of the waiting wait wait- ing lug auto Starbuck greeted him as ns a friend Hello Mac Hows How's tricks with you tonight Th tricks are even an Im I'm to take th odd dd d wan ivan said the big Irish IrIsh- man a man named Smith Im I'm lookin for l Starbuck Starbuck-J. Starbuck J. J. J Mon Mon- tay-gue tay Smith th fi boss av th big ditch Have ye seen seen urn I IStar Star Starbuck uck looking over the policeman's policeman's police poUce- mans man's shoulder could see Smith atthe at atthe atthe the telephone In lathe the garage office Another Another Another An An- other man might have haye lost his head but ut the cowpuncher ex Was of the chosen few wh whose se wits sharpen handIly handily hand hand- ily fly in an emergency He ne hangs out at the House Housea a good part of the time tim in the eve eve- he lie replied coolly Hop In and Ill I'll drive you around Three minutes later the threatening danger was a danger pushed I a little wa way into the future a and d Starbuck ck was back at the garage curb waiting walting for tor forSmith forSmith Smith to come out Through the window win vin- d dow w he saw Smith placing the receiver on its hook and a moment a afterward he was opening the car door for his passenger Did you make out put to raise the judge he inquired as Smith climbed In Yes He will meet me at his chambers chambers chambers cham cham- bers in the courthouse use ds its soon as he can can drive down from his house What are your hoping to do John Judge Warner is only a circuit jud judge e i he cant can't set an order of the United States court aside can he No but there Is one thing that he can do You may remember that I had a talk with him this morning athis athis at athis his house I was trying then thea to cover nil till the chances among them the possibility pos pos- that Stanton would jump in with a gang of armed thugs at the last minute We are going to assume that this is what has been done Starbuck set the car in motion and sent It spinning out of the side street The liThe Tricks Are Even the tile plaza and beyond to the the less brilliantly illuminated re residence district which distrIct which was not the shortest way to the courthouse You mustn't pull Judge Warners Warner's leg J John Jthn he lie protested e breaking the vur hl silence after the business quarter quarter quarter ter and hd been left leCt behind hes too good a man for that I shall tell him the exact truth so far as we know It It was the quick reply There is one chance In a thousand thousand thou thou- sand sund that we shall come out of ot this with the law as luw-as as well as the equities equities- on in n our side I shall tell the judge that no have papers been served on oil onus onus us and so far as I know they What are arc you ou driving all the way around here for tor This is one of ot the times when the long longest st way round Is the shortest W way va 1 home Lome Starbuck explained The bad news you were looking for has bas came camo v. v While you were phoning In the garage barage I I put one policeman n wise wise wise-to to nothing He was looking for tor me Sure thing thing and and by name Well We'll fool tool around here in the block streets until the judge has had time to show up Then hen Ill I'll drop you at nt the courthouse courthouse courthouse court court- house and go hustle the sheriff for tor you ou You'll want Harding I take It IU Yes Im I'm taking the chance that only the city authorities have e been notified In my personal affair not affaIr not the county officers Its It's ts t's a long chance of course cours I may be running my neck squarely Into the tile noose But Its It's all Billy every move in tills this nights night's game Head up for the courthouse The he judge will ili HI be he there by this time Two minutes be beyond ond this the car was drawing up to the curb on the them m mesa facing side of the courthouse I square quare There were two lighted windows win via dows down in the Ule second stor story of or the otherwise otherwise other other- wise darkened bull building ing and Smith sprang to the sidewalk G Go now and find Harding and have him bring one trusty deputy deput with him Ill Ihl be ready rendy by the time you get back he lie directed but Starbuck waited waited waited wait wait- ed until he had seen een Smith safely lostIn lost lostIn lostIn In the shadows of the pillared courthouse courthouse court court- house entrance before he drove away CHAPTER A Race to the Swift Since Sheriff Harding had left h his is office in the county jail and had gone one home to his ranch on the thai north side I of the river rI some hours earlier not a little precious time was consumed In hunting him up Beyond this there Uler I was another delay in securing the dep dep- I dep-I uty When Starbuck's car came to a stand for a second time before the mesa-fronting mesa entrance of the courthouse courthouse court- court house louse Smith came quickly across the walk from the portal Mr Harding he began abruptly Judge Warner has gone home and he helas has las made me his messenger There Is Isa Isa isa a bit of sharp work to be done and you'll need a strong posse Can Cnn you deputize fifteen or twenty venty good men who vho can be depended upon In a fight and end rendezvous them on the northside north north- northside side river road in two hours from now The sheriff a big bearded man who might have sat for the model of one of Frederic Remington's frontiersmen took ook time to consider Is ls it a scrap he le asked It is likely to be There are warrants warrants warrants war war- rants to be served and there will most probably be resistance Your posse should be well armed Well try for it ft was the decision On the side north-side river rI road rond you say You'll want us mounted It will be better to take horses We Ve could get autos but Judge Warner agrees with me that the thing had better etter be done quietly and without making too much of a stir in town All right said the man of the law It that all No uNo not quite all The first of the I is jg to be served here in Ia Brewster Brew- Brew ster upon ster-upon upon Mr 1 Crawford Stanton Your deputy will probably find him at athe atthe atthe the he House Here is the paper it t Is a bench warrant of commitment on n a charge of conspiracy and md Stan Stan- ton on is to be locked up Also you areto are areo areto to o see to It that your Jail telephone telephones telephone Is s out of order so that Stanton wont won't be ie able to make any attempt to get a hearing and ball bail before tomorrow That part of it is mighty risky said aid Harding Does the judge know about bout that too He does and for the ends of pure nure justice lIe he concurs with me thou mc though me-though though h of f course he couldn't give a mandatory manda manda- tory ory order The sheriff turned to his jail depty deput dep dep- ut uty ty who had descended from the rumble umble seat in the rear uy Youve heard the dope Jimmie he ie said shortly Go and get His and lock him up And if he wants ants to be yelling Help l' l and sendIng send- send sending Ing ng for tor his lawyer r or somebody why the je telephones telephone's a lay off Savvy The deputy nodded and turned upon h his is ls heel stuffing the warrant for tor Stanon's Stanton's Stan Stan- I tons ton's arrest Into his poc pocket et as he went ent Smith swung up beside Starbuck Starbuck Star- Star buck juck saying In uIn a couple of hours then Mr Harding somewhere near nearie the ie bridge approach on the side other of f the river ri Starbuck had started the motor and andas was as bending forward to adjust the oil feed eed when the sheriff left them You seem to have marie made a a tenstrike ten ten- strike with Ju Judge ge Warner the ex- ex cowpuncher remarked remark d replacing the lamp flash in its seat pocket Judge Warner is a man mun In ev pry es-pry rj Inch of him but ut there is behind this nights night's work that I don quite ulle understand was the quick Ck re ply ly ily I had hardly begun to sit t tr case casci when the judge n nI nL i I know he said I have hare been beon wn 1 Ing ng for you people to come and I for or relief What do you ma make e of that hat nm I 1 dont don't know unless someone sor In Stanton's tanton's outfit has hils wel weighed hll Si ha w might have done it He has hns be ben n to Bob and says ays a s 's he lie Is SOle ore at Stanton for some reason Sha Shaw w was trying to get Stillings to agree to drop t the railroad case against him I antI and nd Bob says he lie made some vague I promise of help in the High Line business business busi busi- I ness If the railroad people would agree not to prosecute There is a screw loose somewhere i I know by the way vay Jud Judge e Warner took hol hold When I proposed to swear out the Ule warrant Stanton's arrest he said I cant can't understand Mr Smith why you yon haven't done this before before be be- I fore and he sat silt down and filled flied out the blank But we we can let that go forthe for forthe the pr present sent How are you ou going going- to get me across the river without tak tal- ing lag me through the heart of the town and giving ing the Brewster police a shy I at mo mot S. S I answer was wordless I With a q quick Ick twist of or the pilot wheel he sent the car cur skidding around the I corner using undue haste as It seemed since the they had hind two hours before before be be- fore tore them A few tew minutes farther further along the lights of the town had been left behind and the car was speed speeding In swiftly westward on a n country road paralleling the railway track the road over which Smith had hind twice driven with the kidnapped JI bey Im still guessing the passenger ventured when the Ule last host of or the railroad rail rall- road goad distance signals had Hashed flashed to the rear And then the frantic frantic fran fran- tic Uc hurr BIll hurry Billy Starbuck was running with the muffler munIer cut out but now he cut It In Sn Inand Inand I and anti the roar of the motor sank to a humming murmur I thought so lie remarked turnIng turning turn turn- In Ing his head hend to listen You didn't notice that police pollee whistle just as we were leaving the courthouse did you nor nor the answers to It while we were dodging through the suburbs Somebody Somebody Some Some- bod body has marl marked ed us down nm and passed the tho wc w rd and now they're chasing us with a buzz Dont Don't you ou hear hearIt It By lly tills this time Smith could hear the sputtering roar of oC the following car only too plainly Its a big one he commented You cant can't outrun It Billy Bill and amI be- be I y Youve Heard the tue Dope Jimmie sides there is nowhere to run to in inthis inthis inthis this direction Again Starbuck's r reply ply translated Itself into action With a skillful touch of the controls he sent the the- car cor at top speed and for a matter of ot ten miles or more held a dImInIshing diminishing dimin dImIn- diminishing lead In the race through sheer good driving and an accurate knowledge knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge of the road and Its and turnings But the road would soon become a cart track In the mountains there was no outlet to the north save by means of the railroad bridge at Little Butte station and and from somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where up the valley and beyond the railroad bridge came the distance- distance softened whistle of a train Starbuck set a high mark for tor himself himself him hm- self sel as a courageous driver of motorcars motorcars motor motor- cars curs when he lie came cume to the last of the three road crossings Jerking the car around sharply at the instant of ot track- track crossing he hen headed ed straight out ont over oyer the ties for the railroad brid bridge e. e It was a courting of death To drive the bridge at racing speed was hR hazardous haz haz- enough but to drive It thus Inthe in inthe inthe the face of a train seemed nothing less than madness It was after the car had hind shot into the first of the three bridge spans that the pursuers pulled up and opened fire Starbuck bent lower over his wheel and Smith clutched for I handholds Far up the track on the north side of the river a headlight Hashed flashed In the darkness anti and the hoarse blast of a locomotive whistling for t the he bridge echoed and re-e re echoed re-echoed echoed re-echoed hoed among the hills Starbuck drove e for his bis life With the bridge ri ge fairly crossed he lie found himself on a high embankment and the oncoming train was now less than thau half a mile away Somewhere beyond beyond be be- yond ond the bridge approach there was a road so much Starbuck could r recoil recall all If they thoy could reach re its crossing before the collision should come come come- did reach it by what t to Small a margin of no more mon th tho n ri 1 th th f r I I ruG r- r uG Gets ts next nc to you you after after th fart fotI fact fot 11 it That That's s where we split spIlt I had my Y scare before we hit lilt the bridge and nod it tasted like a mouthful of ot bitter itter aloes Does this lila road take us backup bad back II up the river If It takes us ns twenty miles around through the Park and comes in at the head heRd of ot Little creek But nut we have plenty of time You told Harding Barding two hours didn't you Yes but I must have a few mInutes minutes min mm- utes at fit Hillcrest before we get action Billy Starbuck took the wheel again and said suld nothing until the roundabout race had hud been fully tully run and he was ea easing ing hug the car down the last of the hills Into the Little Creek road There had I been quarters turee-quarters of or an hour tul ful driving tinning over a n bad road to m m. m 1 between Smiths Smith's remark and Its its' r re reply reply ply Ily but Starbuck apparently made nc ne account of oC the length of ot the Interval I Youre aiming to go and see Corry Cor Corl Corry l' l ry he lie asked the car was as coasting to the hill lull bottomy bottom y Yes e With a sudden flick of ot the controls v and and a quick jamming of oC the brakes Starbuck brought the car to a n stand Just as It came caine into the level le road Were Vere man to man roan here under the canopy John and Corr Corry Baldwin hasn't got any brother he lie offered gravely ely Im backing you In this business fight for all Im I'm worth worth for for forDick Dick Maxwells Maxwell's sake and the colonels colonel's and mn maybe be a little bit for the sake of ot my lily own ante mite of ot twenty thousand And Im I'm Im I'm rud ready roudy to back you OU In this old old- h me scrap with all the tle c mone money you'll need to make your fight lIght But when it comes conies to the tIme little girl Its It's different Have you OU any good and fair right to hunt up Corry Terry Baldwin Bald while things are shaping themselves up as they are 1 Smith met the time shrewd Inquisition fairly Give it a n name nam he said shortly I will Ill I'll give It the one you rou gave it a |