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Show "' " " '' - - "-- si i n i I, i. m hi . mi nr i - nr- i i i no imia in (Ceprrlghl, A. C aieClutg A Co.. UMi a SYNOPSIS. Jerk Kslth. a Virginian, now her. lr ptalnamnn. Ii riding along III tils trail on th lookout (or loamlng oar Iatllee of aaHa lla nothee a camp ra at a dialauc anil than eeae a tram Itterhad to a wagon and at full gallop suiatied by man on ponlva When Keith raathee tha wngun th raMra have n.aaa-. n.aaa-. red two man and departed. He aar l.ea tha vlrtlme nndlng papere and a hkl atth a wumene portrait Ma reaolvee to Innt down tha murdararo kallli la at-aled at-aled at Carann City, charged with tha riutiW. hla ecrtiser halng a ruffim named Hark Hart Ma to jail fully realia-Ing realia-Ing tha pattl of awlft aordrr fuatl. a A Kmipanlon In hli aall la a naro who telle him ha la N-b ami that ha knew tha Raltlt family ba. k In Virginia N'ato aave i.- nf tha murdered mm waa John tlhlay. tha othar )n Willi. Wane, for-marly for-marly an nfrlcar In tha Confederate army. I ha plalnaman and N-b front tha call, and lal.r tha two fuglllxa eeretne loat In tha aand desert. Thar coma upon a cabin and find tta Inn O'-cupaat to aa roiing girl, whom Keith rai ognnaa aa singer he aaw at Carann t'lly. Tha girl eaplalna that aha rain lhara in aaan h nf a brother who liad rteeerted from U.a army. A Mr llawlay Indu. ad hn to coma In tha cabin whtla ha aoitghl to to-laia to-laia hr ninther. Mawlay appaare and Kalth In hiding rarognliaa tilm aa flla. k Hart. Henley Irlta to maka love to tha Si r I Thai la a t-rrinv t.attla In tha arkeu.-d room In will, h K.llh ov.i Black Uart Horaee ara apprnpilaled and U.a girl who aaya that hr nam. la Mo..-. Jolne In tuo ea.-ep Kalth ftuii.a hla situation and tha fuglllvaa n.aka for Fort Larned. where th girl la h-ft with tha hotel landlady. alia Hope It lla that ah la tha daughter nf tlnral Walt K -11 Ii and Nl ill If I Into Hherldan. whr Kalih meets an old friend. Dr. Falrbaln. CHAPTER XVII. (Continued.) "Tou say that waa no trace?" "Nothing to iravol on ftr forty-tight forty-tight hour poaaa atartrd out neit morning, toon aa they found blm when they got back they reported bar-tug bar-tug run tbo fallowg ga far aa Clm-maron Clm-maron Creasing there they got goroai god escapsd " "Who led th pcia?" "A mo called Ulack. I think." bt aald. "Hlack nartT" "Yra, that'a tha nam: ao, I reckon Tou didn't burr Willi Walt thla lima. Captain. You wouldn't bar thought bo waa a dad on It you had board biro awoar whllo bo waa telling tha lory It did him proud; Dover beard blm do bailar alnc th aacond day at Oottyaburg bad bla oar abot off J than, and I had to Hi hltn up -tard. J but b called nt a tew tblnga." ? Kollh aat allent, fullr convinced S . bow that th doctor waa tailing th 5 truth, ret more puulrd than ever 2 oter th peculiar altuallon In which S he found blnneir Involved. 2 "What brought the General up bar?" be questioned, Bnally. 2 "I haven't much Idea," waa tha $ reply. "1 don't think I naked blm dl-5 dl-5 roolly. I waen't much Interallied. 5 Thar waa a hint dropped, however, S now you apeak about It. Ile a keen after 8 thoi papera, and doaan't feel aatla-" aatla-" fled regarding th report of th poae. " It' my opinion ba a trailing after Black Bart." Th dining-room waa thinning out. ud they were about th onlyonee left t tha tablea. Keith etretcbed blm-looking blm-looking around. "Well, Doctor, I am very glad to bava met you again, and to learn Walt la actually alive. Thla la a rather queer affair, but will hay to work Itaalf out. Anyway, 1 am too dead tired tonight to bunt a tier clue la mldat of thla bebel. I've bean lu "th aaddl moat of tha tlm for a week, and bava got to find a bed." "1 reckon you won't dlarover aucn a thing hare," dryly, "(lot eeven In a room upatalra, acd olhara corded along th hall. Better ahara my cell .. only thing to do." "That would be asking too much IV I can turn In at th corral with Neb; IV I've alopt In worae places." L "Couldn't think of It, Keith," and i th doctor gut up. "Heeldee, you ., aleep at night, don't you?" "t'aually, yea," tha other aiimltted. iv "Then you won't bother me any so doctor aleepa at nlgbt In Sheridan; tbat'a our barvust time. Come on, and I'll show you the way. When morning comes I'll rout you out and m take my turn." Kalth had enjoyed considerable ei , portenc In frontier hotels, but nolh- -, Ing before bad ever quit equalled thla, tha pride of Mherldao. Tha product f a mushroom town, which merely ei- a Isled by grace of tba temporary rail- y way terminus, It bad been nastily and J filuislly constructed, ao It could be transported elsewhere at a nionieut'e k notice. Every creak of a bad echoed L from wall to wall. Th thin peril J Hons oftea failed to reach tha celling S by a foot or two, and tha allghteat t sola arouaed th entire floor. And . there waa nolao of every conceivable ' kind. In plenty, from the blare of a t band at the Pioneer Dsn re Hall oppo- i alta, to tha euergetlo cursing of tba 't cook In the rear. A dierordant din jf volcea surged up from the aueet ' below laughter, ahoute, the shrieks of f women, a rattle of dice, an occaalonal . pistol abot, and th continuous ell- " Ing of Induetrloua "barkara." There ' was no safely anywhere. An aiplotllng revolver In No. 47 was quit likely to . disturb th peaceful alunibera of the Innocent occupant t Ko. It, and every sound of quarrel In tha thronged barroom bar-room below, caused the lodger to earl vp In momentary eipdctaUon of a Uay bullet couralng ( toward aJej . ' It " ' ; v 1 . "Oh, Vou Mean Hope? Do Vou Knew Horn through th floor. With thla to trouble trou-ble blm. he could He there and hear everything that orrurred within and wllliout. Kvery rrrak. alamp. aud snore waa faithfully reported; every curse, blow, enarl reechoed to hla eara. Inside was bell; oiiisld waa Sheridan. ,. Wearied, and half dead, aa Kalth waa, aleep wea simply Impossible. II heard heavy feet tramping up and down th hall, one a dttinken man endeavored vainly to open hie door; not far away there was a scuffle, and the aound of a body falling down atalra In aora dlstaut apartment a fellow waa airuggllng to draw oft his tight boola, aklpplug about on one loot amid much profanity. That the boot conquered waa evld-nt when th man crawled Into tha creaking bed, announcing an-nouncing defiantly, "If the landlord wanta tbeto boola off, let blm coin an' pull 'am off" Across tba hall waa a ratll of chlpa, and lb voire of several men, octaelonally ralard In anger. Now and than lhay would stamp on the floor aa an order fur liquid refreshment from below. From some bete beyond, the long drawn melancholy howl of a distressed dog greeted the rising moon. Out from all I bla pandemonium Kollh began to uniotiailously deter t the aound of voices talking In tba room to bla left, la Hi lull of obstructing ob-structing sound a few words reached him through lb alight open spsr between be-tween wall and ceiling. t "Men, Illll, what'a the us goln' out again when w haven't tha price?" "Oh, we might Dud Hart aomewhera. and had slake tia. I guesa I know enough to mak blm loosen tip. Come on; I'm goln'." "Not me; this town la too near Fort Maya; I'm liable to run luto aom of tha fellowa." A chair acraped acroas the floor aa Bill arose to hla feet; evidently from the noise bo bad been drinking, but Keltb heard him lift the latch of Iba door. "All right. Willougliby," be aald, thickly, "I'll try my luck, an' If I aee Hart I'll loll him yr hero. Bo long." Ho shuffled along the hall and went, half eliding, down alalia, and Keith dlstlngtilahrd the click of glass and bottle In the neit room, lla waa anting up In bed now, wide awake, obsessed with a desire to Investigate. Investi-gate. Tbo reference overheard must have been to llawlay, and if so, thla Wllloughby, wb waa rfiald of meeting meet-ing soldiers from lha fort, would b th deserter Miss Hope was seeking. There could bo no harm In making aur, and ha slipped Into bla clotbea, and aa silently aa possible, unlatched hie door. Thar waa a noley crowd at Ibo farther end of th hall, and th aound of aom on laboriously mounting mount-ing th atalra. Not desiring to bo seen, Keith ellpped awlftly toward tha door of th other room, and tried the latch. It waa unfastened, and k elepped quietly within, closing It b-klnd b-klnd blm. A small Is flip waa on th waahatand. a half emptied bottle and two glaseea beside It, while a pack of carda lay scattered on the floor. Fully dreesed, eiccpt for a coat, th ol occupant lay on lb bed, but started up at Kelth'e unceromonloua entrance, reaching for his revolver, which hsd slipped to tha wrong aid cf hla belt. ' What lb bell!" bo exdaluied. atartled and confused. The Intruder look one glance at blm through lb dingy light a boy of eighteen, dark hair, dark eyea, bis face, already eihlbltlng eigne of ilia alpatlon, yet manly enough In chin and motiih -and amlled. "I could draw while you wer thinking think-ing about It," ha aald, easily, "but I am not her on th fight. At ynu Fred Wllloughby?" Th lad alared at blm, bla uncertain uncer-tain hand now closed on th butt of hla revolver, yet held Inactlt by the oihet'a quiet assurance. "What do you want to know for? "Curiosity largely; thought I'd Ilka lo ask you a question or two." "You you're not from the fort?" "Nothing to do with tbo army; tbls Is a private affair " The boy waa sullen from drink, his eyea heavy. "Then who the devil are you? I never saw you befot" "That'a vary true, aud my name woitldu t belp any. NVveribelens. you're perfectly welcome to It I am Jack Kmh" Ko elplraalon i4 re. eg nit Inn came Into Hi.- tn.c f the otli'T. and Keith ad. led curtly. ' Kball w tlk?" Tlieto was a moment'a silence, and then Willi. light.) swung his feet over the edge id the l.i d onto the floor 'Tire away," he anld shortly, "until "un-til I eoo whnt the giiine Is about." CHAPTER XVIII. Interviewing Wllloughby. Coolly, yet without In the Iraet comprehending how teat to proceed, Keith dri'w toward hltn the only chair In the room, and sat down. Mtae llojie more widely known as Chrlatie Ma.lalre - had clnltued thla drunirn lad aa her brother, but. according to llawlay. bo had vehemently denied any such relationship Yet there must be aom prevloua naaociattun between Iho two. and what thla whs tha plalnaman plalna-man proposed to dlacover. The problem prob-lem waa how best In cause the fellow to talk fiankly could he be reached more easily by referent to th girl or th gambler? Keith tm!ylug th tillen, obatlnat fac confronting blm. with Inatlnctlv antagonism over bla Intrusion, awlftly determined on the girl "It waa not very nice of m to coin In on you this way," he began, apolo-grilralty. apolo-grilralty. "hut you ar I happened to know your sister " "My stater? oh, I gueea not!" "Yes, bul I do." throwing a confidence con-fidence Into his tone he waa far from feeling. "Mlaa Hope and I ar frlenda." The boy aprang to bla feet, bla fac flushed. "Oh. ynu mean Hope? Do you know her? Ray, I thought you were giving mo that old gag about Chrlatl Madeira." I'eitnlnly nut; wbo la she?" "That's more than I know; fellow tame lo me at Carson, and anld he'd met my slaier on a stag went of To-pvka. To-pvka. I knew be was lyln, because she a borne over in Mleaourt Fine ly, I got It out of him that aho claimed to ko my elater, but her name waa Maclalr. Why, 1 den't even know her. and what do you suppoa ah ever picked ni out for ber brother forr II waa plainly puttied, ant perfectly perfect-ly convinced It aa all a B'lataka. Ttat bla slater might have left home since b did, and drifted West under an assumed nam, apparently never occurred to blm aa possible. To Keltb thla waa the eiplanallon. and nothing could b mor natural, cnnalilerlng ber work, yet be did not feel Ilk ahatterltig the lad'a loyalty. Falib In th alaler might yet Bava htm. "Parhapa th fallow who told you," ha batardad blindly, apeaklng the Drat thought which cam to bla mlud, "had enme reason to dealro lo make you think tbla Maclalr girl waa your sis-tor." sis-tor." The auggeetlun caused blm to laugh at first; then bla face suddenly sobered, sob-ered, aa though a new thought bad occurred oc-curred to blm. "Damn mo, no, II couldn't be that," b eiclalmed, una hand proeslng bla bead. "He couldn't h wotkln' no trick of that klud on me " "Whom do you mean?" "A fellow named Haw ley," evasively. evasive-ly. "The man wbo cluluied to hav met my alaler." "Hlack Hail' llawley?" Th boy lifted hla head again, bla eyea filled with suaplclon. "Yea, If you luuat kuow; be'a a gambler all right, but be'a atuck to m when I waa down and out Yoti know hltn?" I TO IlkC CONTINI'RIVI |