Show as noaa alip jk A parrish SYNOPSIS chaiten I 1 on the dated isolated meager ranch on the me southern ou thern border deborah Mo meredith redith trained aura Is 1 in attendance atten d ice on mr meager whose hui hum band his ha recently been killed vio tiro tim ot of an n accident immediately after the death bob nob meager meag er uri mrs meaders arrive a r rive and take takes recession possession N he deborah and she h resolves rex olve to cave ave but there eeme seems no possibility ot at her r getting away anaro alapa lopa 11 II meager gloats er or Debo deborah plight telli nir her tier esaa ace ha ent sent tor for ap a unalee of the peace who will narry marry them tomorrow horrified the tits girl escure a revolver CHAPTER ill the justice cornell us u arrit scoundrel co undrel and bocam friend of meager arrive with a party among them the 1 1 I I rieco risco kid notorious desperado the locks hf hereof radolf up borcea by asb air irre decoy decoys deborah from the room and her protests pro tet the justice performs por forma forms the marriage ceremony immediately med lately afterward she be escaped and reace her room V VM eager erelt tb girl but sho be tune him h m mth r ith tle revolver r lis e r an and d ru rushes m hem to the this stabler arp h pine to secure a horse and ece ar kr I 1 where away fro from m meager it if sue mile must die in the desert deser t in the 9 ts bs she he meet meets the frimel kid somehow he inspires her h r with confidence and she he explain aa the situ situation situation atio h he not hav as aff been present at the wedding W ding VI the kid tell tells her his name la to daniel felteen that he to I 1 no friend of meager and securing tw 0 hor the pair drije ride into the desert demert VII 7 I 1 aion alone wun with the virl become becomes somewhat dpn mi ive but he tell tolls her of h hi ervice c in france un c s where deborah had hea been a mu nurse a and n d she he puts full faith in him vin kelleen explain plaIn that the frisco kid to I 1 s a nex manufactured an f C character that he to I 1 really a captain plain in the regular army detailed lo 10 to run down a gang cang of thieve thieves and of or arrne armis into mexico among them deocer and garrity CHAPTER IX While the girl la to sleeping leaving exhausted kelleen holleen disappears dlo appears later from frow a hiding plane place do deboraa rl hear bears him talking with juan banche be associate of meager and fron from the conversation Ter catlon ahe she believe believes kolleen to be really a member of 0 th the n ff her hor ap returned ah man beeks ek to e es cape but la to seized by a concealed conoe cono aled ald nan aan 1 APTER X deborah a adaptor ec e frise her to what is 1 apparently m a cave eava feeling feell Bir he haa has her a prisoner pria oner the nan man relaxes relax hie his watchful and s he iek seeks a way of t escape the tb cave ah ahe 0 and the lody of at a if ftc S man who had been hoi shot Z ia 1 I a amz hick prom from him ahe she takes a revolver rind find ing ine s pas which a apparently parent ly leada leads to t the lit open air the garf 11 to almost free when her guard returns and area are at her she returns the shot and after a it time succeed succeeds in finding her way out of the cave CID TER XI whilo While resting efter after her terrible experience deborah overhears a conversation between bob ilea frer and kelleen apparently a violent quarrel the two part hell kelleen eon riding away and meager on an foot too ta apparently patently ly seek lne ff something she fang finds meager iare hone horn and escapes cape she meet K kelleen ileen who has ha been searching tor for ario her andar and repulses him but he refuses to leave ato her r while they are convening kelleen helleen discovers the presence pi fence on an a plain far below them of an ar outfit w which h he reales freaa e must belong to a character named casebeer casbeer and end to I 1 doubt lex ler on its it w way into mex tro with arm arms and kd ammunition ammunition afar arm arx deneen ans situation illation to deborah telling her h he has ha pot rot word to a pa party tr of 0 annerl american c a cavalry who are I 1 batting iring at a place known an a box canyon to capture elace cae as a beer and hi his gang while they are talking g kelleen handing standing at the edge of t the mountain Is I 1 shot from behind falli falling nir apparently to certain death down th the mountainside we meager ager who had fired the shots hot and sanchee sanchez appear and are satisfied atla fled that kelleen kileen could not have sur survived vied the bulitt bullet and the fall they fall to discover the presence of deborah on their departure the arl starts on toot foot in the direction w which alc h kelleen had pointed ou out t as a I 1 leading 0 to box canyon anta short distance from the spot deborah Is met by the horse which kelleen had been br r rading d ng the animal allow allows her to mount him and she goes forward practically asleep in the saddle she la Is stopped b by Y a old er whoa she he informs or of the fact that captain kelleen Is to dead CHAPTER XIV kolleen Kelleen returns to consciousness on a AL ledge not far down the mountainside which had broken his 11 hii ll his ills watch had stopped the bellr he to the top of at th the nio modain moa aikin ain and mak his way to I 1 the cave the location of which deborah had to him he indu anda 1 it and realizes alises re it to s a mine probably what 7 Is known as an alcaras s 10 1 biot 0 t mine H he la in fired oa from the darkness dr kness returns et urns the and grao grav vea plea with ith his assailant asea llant securing a knife the athor ther had drown ka kelleen eon kills his u anent discovering disco him to be an outlaw ou law known as an the ape man manuel gomos thief and murderer car CHAPTER A PTER ac ii cei and cow como to the cave delleen acel eon gets the drapl drop on olt them disarms bearer r but sanc hanchel os lights and kel kelleen Is en asay k kill Is abut him 1 XVI garrity arrive arrives and kelleen disarm him and inform informs the two cour drel of his real identity driving its jl prisoner prisoners the three are making their way out of the cave when they conic come upon the poll of gome the result of at year of or raiding A lantern meager Is I 1 currying to I 1 dropped exploding a tore store of powder burying the tb three man continued from laet last week at atair crr id aar ra aa 1 11 afef ft etory story things were exactly as ehe she had described dismounted their horses borses being led let behind them tn in readi ness for any emergency the squad nd ad danced the men with carber I 1 in their hand hands the serie sergeant ant kep close ta in against the southern cliff until be he carao came to where deborah pointed our out the spot of Kellec ns fall they found fo u ad no body no lens signs to indicate any such tragedy caraey carney razed gazed about in perplexity plex ity yoa you are aure this Is the place miss he asked doubtfully yes sergeant we WO were en cz the rock up there the one jutting out over oyer the we edee there Is no other spot ot t like if it ills eyes nar narrowed rowel surveyed the distance marking every detail then its likely be truck struck them trees miss and there may be a ledge there that he lit on im going up lie ile fought hi his way from front rock to rock with ditri difficulty culty finding toot foot and handhold winding in and out of arev ices and using every shrub to aid his progress upbraid once or twice be he paused ns As though blocked clinging to the face of 0 the cliff ilk a fly bet i et found a way and went ent on those below watched breathlessly until the mm min cunill crept over an outcropping ledge hedge imperceptible from where they stood and disappeared it seemed as trough he waa was gone a long while deborah hand pressed on her feirt never removed her ees from the spot or stirred what had he lie found up there surely he must have discovered something the dead mangled body no doubt then The thence nhe he appeared again alon alonz S sinn st andini aing up and gazing down donin at them his ills voice as he hailed halle them below sounded clear exultant a new mew ring in its tone he ile ain aint t here miss migs but by gd G d mr I 1 believe b hs bs s alive deborah could not tweak could not utter a sound alive 1 alive I 1 why that was impossible her very heart seemed to stop beating she could only stare up at the man dazed and helpless it was the lieutenant who answered you any he lie Is alive avill he ure sure left here alive sir air and on hie his own legs I 1 found the place where he come down ate an where he got on his feet again there aint nobody else Is here helpful li elpin hlin him aw a be started off 00 along alon this ledge utopia a bit I 1 should say but golov alone whatever happened since air he certainly left here able to navigate maybe I 1 better follow the tes yes ge go on sergeant deborah a limbs trembled so 0 o abe be could scarcely arcely ec walk for the first ent few bips she clung gritte gratefully fUlly to the lieutenants a arm her gaze raze never deserting the man mart moving cautiously along the narrow ledge of rock high above them alive 1 daniel kelleen wax was alive I 1 nothing else mattered her ber hands clasped tigh tightly tl at the officers sleeve uve the sergeant hurry please have him hm hurry 1 lie ile need leed to trace captain trail 1 I 1 I dm sure I 1 kaw where he was boing poing here was to the cave I X had found and to tol I 1 him about it Is there just beyond that mound good G d lieutenant there are horses grazing yonder they have found him already there were two tino animals in a little cove hobbled bobbled and nibbling at fie vie short grass but both saddlee lec and bridled they had the meager ranch brand on their flanks and the ser geant joining the party below easily foll followed the trail trall of two men 01 foot until they circled the mound of eth ci th and ascended the opposite side deborah her way forward too eager now to be longer held back buck jet yet fully realizing the danger confront ing them ad I 1 y A A its the old devil fl be careful a reful here she warned they ure are certainly in ther etwo or three tt it least leat and they will shoot here Sir S a geant genut let roe me show you 1 know tho the way they were already before ahm tb cl d ng ing vines her hands trembled as she be forcee these aside revealing the blace vacancy behind the startled ser geant then them farther back star las ing bewildered into the void told bis his ice lc revolver volyer thrust forward an aatu breaking from hij his lips by 1 41 bat but this beats h bi 4 gir D u it but rm coln tal in he went over ever the barrier of rill unstopped and recklessly deborah followed the lieutenant paused aa an instant jones you ceil anil Cal calhone lioun follow aa us the others remain cut here hem keep your you r yea eyes open lade lad the next ino moment kmezt he be had scram bled h the opening and crouched doan beside the trembling ing pirl girl just a ahead head the two could dimly dist distinguish anguish carney leaning forward fo aware peering into the darkness beyond ats I alts perfectly led lell the floor Is in she whispered you can follow along the walla mall I 1 alv i they aa ra log ngeth etl cr er slowly feeling their va ray y ec niely reely a sound breaking the rc suddenly the sergeant y in advance stopped feeling ut at on the floor with ith hla his feet ebeo ha over continued on page rage sir air ewt birl arl ta W F 1 11 H E continued from pace pap two dy by 64 6 4 d here a atad mani man I 1 A dead mant roan I 1 are yoa you sure hes iles dead all right air heres inc the flashlight wave ave cot tot to dad find out want thia this mcana means jones aa As it jones aeme hp bp here tiers give jre is thu the flash ehg round glare of light struck the side wills sett mer the till still kneeling sergeant ou on bis his draun weapon and then touched the motionless body hed on the floor at lust hist it rested JQ in the upturned face the tile sergeant Ber geant selred down as though he saw agnost uy BY G dl he fie ejaculated at last b by 0 G dl its it lle tile old devil himself hiro self what e that jamaal you know linow hidur know him I 1 why air lieutenant tenant ita its gomez imanuel gomez there is e 11 fafty t ty thousand thone thon and sand dollar dollars on bilm dead or alive ull hee hes dead nil all right gomez the but are yon sure sure the sergeant ter roso rose to hie his feet and swung about I 1 bure burs U 1 ll 11 I 1 begging beff Bing your pard n bir el why t I 1 be sure ive chabad that old fox ever since ive becci in the army twenty years air twice we e were after him down in old mexico its it a manuel gomez there and it was a knife that killed him the boy lieutenants face was white in the reflected light but his lips were finnly eft apt well he it A dead now he bald said stern ly and it la Is up to ua us to find out what all tills this means lifted the flash from off the upturned oplie turned face and went sent it dancing along the gray walls into the black chaam chasm acad clefts but lieutenant this aint no cave air it if a a bloomin mine a voice spoke from behind in tone of aur sur prise what makes you think that cat houn cause if its been blasted out most ly air or else picked ive been a aulne myself and ought to know maybe there was a cave yere yore once but I 1 tell yer sir thee yere walls have been band hand worked or rm n piker all right wove we ve got to explore the passage just the same on men lie ile flashed the wirsing light tight ahead as s they ats alced taking his own place beside beside the sergeant and compelling deborah to remain behind with the two soldiers As the passage cuned cured to the tight the leaden leaders crept forward with extreme caution to gain view of what lay aldean beyond carr reaching out hi band to send the flicker pf p light dancing down the narrowed tin vin nel net the flashing rays brought no response awoke no sound of movement and carney ventured to protrude his head far enough around the protecting rock to gain gala view of what was belond the flashlight caspo longer needed to reveal the scene at the end of the passage down through that slight opening leading to the desert above streamed the glare of day aa white and to bis his eyes affer the pitch dar darkess knas in which be had been blindly freleng his way to nvard nard it rested a pool of liitt oa the floor and in its very center every detail 0 outlined tilled as in an etching ducre two budles bodies one face downward curled in 0 mbaye the other lying at full len length ath features upturned to the low roof root beyond these tie the flare of the tile flashlight leaping across thlu narrow space of day exhibited a jumbled mass of rock blocking the passage froni from top to bottom they x seemed to have attained die very end of things the startled sergeant stared stated lees first at those moti motionless miless bodies dea death th pictured in each attitude then world at nt a strange ghastly white hite fare face on which aich the fin pin played suddenly eone some aning else reflected into his eyes we sparkle of an uplifted revolver vers e pol pot dished tube 1 aho vho I ho are asked n hoarse vole 1 sternly atop there until you als er aly ily gd G d 1 firl virl ans as the tile instant cry im carney sergeant cainey captain veve eve corao come here for you von air the threatening reaver sank eaker and carrity anil and the lieutenant oblivious to all ah else rushed rustled foni forward ard circling the two dead lead bodies in their ea eaernest erness to reach the tile one live man beyond held helpless in that fall of rock deborah left in tile dark ness behind groped her wa way forin rd dazed speechless only one fact echo ing in gilr mind lie he was alle daniel kellen helleen aa as alive I 1 she dropped to her knees and drew his tits lunil hlad into the tile comfort of her tier lap her lend ing back ills bir there were |