Show AlA oc i D U UP UPi sy I i y MR ON I By 15 RW t eul c W I ts Y T W C H BEGIN HERE Loring Ranger offer a hundred thousand dollar dollars reward for or the th re- re return return return turn of ot his daughter Hope Hop who wh hU has h dl pp Ted Ted- Ranger Is la 83 a- a In his search b by br his hl two friends Eustace attorney y and nd Charley Chirley adventurer A message comes corn com to Mope Hope e a father instructing ln him to buy her hera hera h ra a hat and leave It In a n a certain place This command Is carried dout out by Ranger and later a picture of Rope Hope Hop taken In the th hat Is to the th girl s a father er Th The next me message af front from Hopee Mope captors captor tell nil Ranger R n cr to leave lt v one onehundred onehundred hundred thousand dollars dollar worth ot 01 bonds bends under a certain railroad crossing At Dr anita anita- G ore K l y and the th sup sup- supposed supposed sup posed sister later of ot Nurse Nur Copley be- be became became b came acquainted NOW yaw GO ox ON Wlm THE TIlE STORY He titled settled do down n to un relaxed watchfulness A long lone trine string of ot cars care garde tong long from out of town then than thenan an almOst almo t equally long lone lon string from the opposite dIrection a couple l of o trucks truck and then from front the a alone aIon lone flivver r containing two men Just Jut before It reached the th cut cuta I Ia a trio of motors motor came cam up from the south and the th flivver stopped Its driver getting out ti to fuss tuss fu with the engine The Th thice thic 01 cars car came ame cam up lp and pasSed Nothing els else el us na In SIgh 11 either er direction The Th driver of oth the er climbed quickly back baek Into his hi seat eat and started d for tor the cut Two 0 minutes Is la all I can allow them at the mot most mo t Charlie whis whis- whispered whispered excitedly Th The long of the stop stop- stopwatch watch top watch atch wept swept the th circle On One minute gone one Another r round and still stilt the th cara eta ta Old d down In Inthe inthe Inthe the cut Before Betor It came cam Into view again there had elapsed three minutes minute and twenty seconds Hardly did the th top of It appear over the th edge adge of ot the th dip before Charlie slipping the th watch top Into his hi pocket un do down n I through the th branches He rushed acro across s the th jungle I and jerking his out from under und r Its Ita concealing pile of brush bruh pulled It Into th the road But 1 hen he h attempted to start tarth he found the th mechanism gone Irone dead Impatiently he h leaned 0 oer er erto to see eee se what a was the th matter and found to hi that the tl th spark park plug plue was ml missing he rummaged In his tool tool bar bag for tor another cr but although he h have sworn morn he h had three spare plugs there ther wax was none non to be b found Then he h suddenly froze On the flap of the th tool bag was chalked a rude rud X within a a the circle circle sign of the th combine Th The thing II as plain enough to hint him now In spite of all his ef- ef efforts ef fort et-fort forts at camouflage his artful twists and turn turns the th agents fenta of the Combine had evidently succeeded In trailing him to the th jungle and there while he h slept had et ef t ly put him out of the th run run run- running run nine ning Charlie cast east up his hi e ers ebB es as h he would h hav hye ve expressed It like a a dying duck and wretchedly shook hook his head lIe Re H was w facing junction down the th byroad road toward Its junc June junction tion with the th Lone Hill road on the tl theother other aid side of th the tho railway and now there swept nero across acres hIs hi field of ot ti ll- ll I slon sion lon the th suspected flivver Driven hard In Its prOgress to- to toward toward to toward ward town it had covered the th dis- dis distance oils dis distance tance down from the tb archway sy dur- dur durIng during dur Ing the th two or three thre minutes that he rad spent pent In lamentation Char Char- Charlie lie a plan had been to lead It along the on his hl motorcycle and let It overtake and pass pus him so as not to give the suggestion ot of pursuit Now the th sight of It spin spin- spinning spinning pin nine ning triumphantly by only added poignancy to his humiliation Then suddenly his finger fingers went fumbling at the th leather casell case cas held his field glasses classes He H noticed that the th rear wheel of ot the flivver carried a I new tire and remember remember- rm nig that the th Lone Lon Hill Mill Road had Just been ben freshly oiled It gave av him hima hima a new now Idea He H jumped to hi his feet and Ol le lesel- lesel le et ed his glasses laMes on the th ers er's whIrl whIrl- whIrlIng whirling whirl whirl-Int- Ing wheels A little thrill tl ot of o hope hop woke oke ok him His eyes had not been mistaken The Th three thre old tires had hada hada a smooth tread that of the th fourth tas as corrugated corrupted Perhaps per Perhaps pr haps It might b be possible to follow that spoor poor on the th oily road roadway Q He bent another look through the classes glasses at the th back of the th re- re receding receding re-c re ceding car to take tak the th number on its license-board license It was 1 2 I You ne er can tell Ho He H screw screwed ed ed up his lips Chances are th that Its It's a false falo fals number but they ml might nt ht nt hate bar forgotten to shift Any Any- Any ho ho hon that tl and the th tracks tire-tracks are the only clues e I got cot and I II take cm em for tor what ahat hat there worth So pushing pu the crippled motor motor- motor I ecle beside him ho he h hurried on In Inthe inthe Inthe the flivvers flivver wake CHAPTER Dr Bristow was sItting at his desk In the th outer of office rice of ot his suite going t over a pile of ot letters The clock on the th had just struck nine nin and Bristow's brows puckered as he h sun SUM eye the accumulation of mall mail 5 et to be con con- considered con considered He had sat t down to It Im tat Immediately mediately after afler dinner and II was as as I still till pot not half halt through As he picked up the th next en enel enel- op nel el- el ope and drew drw out the th enclosure lope there tor B-tor came cam a tap on the th door De Be- Be Before I tore fore he could respond this was wasI pushed hed and Anita Copley en- en entered en entered I Ah Alt Anita Anital He leaned back In InI I his chair Strictly on time tim and lve Ive scarcely begun Vile nuisance this sort of thing No more of It for tor me tonight toni ht anyway Well ho he thrust the th pile of letters away ay from him and turned to her ho how how Is ls the th little tittle sister alster today 7 I Just the th same sante She Slit helped her her- herself herself her herself self to a lighted It and sank easy far down In an easy easy-chaj stretching her feet out before her Ilvo lv put her to bed bd and locked the door on her hr she h wont won't stir I tirShe She doesn t even get up In the tl morning until I tell her to She seems slower elower stupider ery day Her writing too Is la more awful awful Incoherent He H nodded Sh She strong phy phy- phy physically though By the th WilY way has ha she h been hanging around Keisey any nure mot r I found her sitting under the trees tree with him the th other day She's forgotten him Anita as 81 positive Notices him hint no more than tl she sl does any one on else elee That's all alt right richt then Bristow dropped the th subject his hi mind had turned In another direction Speaking of ot Kelsey Keisey Kl cy though I think I can use us him hint to I-to H picked lIcked up a letter from among monc those thoo thos he h had read and tos- tos tos tossed sad sed It across the th desk to her hr It al as a request from a a well known I I I f II i lv uI 7 r I b nr low How dots dosi doe the alderman feel about the wy way things are going she asked R magazine for a series of ot popular articles covering modern methods of dealing with the th In Insane ne and named a II a handsome figure fleure as pay pay- payment payment pay payment ment That Is worth considering h he said ald not only for Its a 1 value but because b causo It give rives gives me a I aI prestige a cachet of high authority that It Is lie nir to cultivate He H scowled Id rather be hung than tackle It It means meads no end of ot research consulting the th au- au authorities au authorities taking reams of notes and then the on top ot of all III the work ork of Not for tor me I had just about decided to write writ and refuse when I happened to think of Mel Mel- Kelsey Kel Kelsey sey But Kelsey wouldn't take the job Anita cried Impatiently He wouldn't help hell IOU ou u out that much He hates halts you like poison polson Of course he hates me Bristow before returned equably and hed he'd die be- be b tor fore he h d do me m a favor But Its It's bound position to strike him that the post post- position tion would otter offer opportunities He might happen on something In- In incriminating In criminating that would serve to corroborate his story fled Hd think of the th chances chance to communicate with the th great treat outside How does the alderman feel about the th way things thine are ar going she a asked ked interestedly I 1 saw him when wh n lr lie te got ot In this afternoon but WC w didn't get ct a chance chanc to talk lIes lIe's l looking better bitter for tor his hll hi trip trl Oh Ob yes Bristow granted and he hes he's pleased very vry w well pleased In- In Indeed indeed In deed with the way everything's been n handled bandied Why shouldn't he hebe hebe be He H wants to Sell see e us u both at pat athal-pat past halt nine nin for a conference he glanced at his watch so o you'd better look In on tim th th sister no nOW and then go 10 o on up to his hi rooms room She Sh slowly drew drw herself up from her chair and then stood waiting lve an and let et hotly Imperious YouVe forgotten something Ye Yes What He H looked as all asih ih I it he had not an Idea what she ehe h meant but over his face fac was nas a 0 glimmer of what at that moment mom nt she he ht would have heartily agreed with Kelsey flU na as his hili maddening smile mil Ah I Ae et a 0 a kiss He Ht repaired his hi omis- omis omissIon omission omis omission sion but lightly She Sh threw her hr arms about hIs hi hineck neck neek and pressed her cheek chek to his Run now He H gave av her hr a lit lit- little littIe lib tl tIe tle push Th Tb The alderman hates to tobe tob be kePt waiting you know Ibe Damn Damn you she said through her shut teeth the th angry antry fire fir In her ey s drying her starting tears tear And then with Ith head thrown up she ehe 1 out of the th room Bristow left lett by another door to hunt up his assistant and give lv him A As he h finished and turned to fo go he h paused If It Im I'm need ned for tor anything Important Important tant Doctor he h said find me up In Alderman Higgins apart apart- apartments apartments ments menU H Hardly had bad he ht passed out and gone on his bis way before the th door open open- opened opened open opened ed ain again and Kley strolled In There Thera was tas was no other companion companionship ship for either Ither of th them m for Morton naS an odd little man nho ho holett left lett the th hospital but rarely even wh when n off oft duty Superintendent's He H had accepted the th I diagnosis of Kelsey s a con con- condition condition con condition but since I Kelsey elsey s a medical personality p was II congenial I Iho ho he was nas as willing to Ignore any other phases he ho mIght be harboring I But on this especial evening Kelsey sey was seek seeking In Mortons Morton's corn toom- tom tom-pany pany for tr something more mor then than mere sociability That morning the tho girl ft ho had so attracted his Inter Inter- Interest Interest est eat had managed mana ed to hold another brief conversation con with nith him and andIn andin andIn In It had asked him a a qU question on 01 which she seemed to lay bl ble stress Unable to answer It himself he h had promised to secure the Information she wanted and he planned to glean lean It front from Morton tl If ha h could succeed In weaning II It tire e little man from hia hi abstract theo theo- theories theories ries and speculations peculations long lone enough to Indulge In a of gossIp In the t two 0 or three dais daa da follow follow tollow- Ing following that talk of theirs under the th shadows hadow of the th old beech tree Kel Kel- Kelsey sey Kel-sey sey had been careful not to ap- ap approach ap approach the th girl Irl again Continued In Our hext Issue |