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Show RamingjII jk JewelJI Cl022 OEOaCT H.DO&AJ COMEAfY BEGIN TIF.KI, TODAY I or tho third time that day. beautiful beau-tiful EVE STRAYER faced death as an Innocent victim in the battle for possession of the priceless gem, the Flaming Jewel. First stolen from tho refugee C1 il'NTKSS i ) F ESTHONIA by tho great International thief. QFINTANA. and then stolen from Qulntana by SOKE CLINCH who hoarded it In his disreputable hunting camp In the Adlrondacka aB tho sole means of giving his beloved Evo tho "education of a lady." tho Jewed I w.-i i now in Ei,:s possession. Facing her was Cjulntuna and his Rnnjf A prisoner with her v,;i.s Sl'ATR TUOiiPRH ST HM 'NT. tho man she loved. in the surrounding forest. Clinch land his men were man-hunting savagely intent on killing Quintan and his gang. Under th" wlndo-A waa JAMES DARRAGH, who und'r the nam of HAL SMITH, had earnod Clinch's friendship, but whose secret Intent In-tent was to restore the gem to tho beggared countess. Smith had Just killed SALZAR, one of Qutntana's men In n fight and now, dressed In Sal-tar's Sal-tar's clothes, awaited an oppor-I oppor-I t unity to aid Eve and Stormont. (. on With tho c.tory CHAPTER IV uutsido In th rag-weed patch, Hal Smith rose, stole acropw the grass to the kitchen door and slipped Inside. "Now. senorltii." paid Quintans gaily, "my packet, If you please and w- leave you to the caresseb of your faithful gendarme who should thank God that he still pos-08 pos-08 twn good hands to fondle you! A lens! Come then' My packet'" ne of the masked men said: "Take her downstairs and lock her im somewhere or she'll shoot UN from her window." "Lead out that gendarme too"' added Qulntana, grasping Evo by the arm. Down the stairs trumped the men, forcing thetp prisoners with them. In the big kitchen tho glare from the burning out-house fell dimly; tho place was full of shadows. "Now," said Qulntana, "I take my property and my leave. Where is I tho packet hidden.?' Sho stood for a moment with drooplnij head, nmld tho somb'-r shadows, then, slowly she drew the emblazoned morocco case from her breoset pocket. What followed occurred in tho twinkling of an eye: for. as Qulntana extended his nrm to grasp the case, a hand snatched IL a masked figure prang through the doorway, and ran toward the barn. Somebody recognized the hat and red bandanna: "Salzar!" he yelled. 'Nick Sal-zar!" Sal-zar!" 'A traitor, by God! ' shouted Quln-lana. Quln-lana. Even before he had reached the door, his pistol flashed twice, deafening them with sHfllng fumes A masked man turned on Stormont. Stor-mont. forclnft- him back Into the pantry at plstol-polntt Another man pushed Eve after hlrn. alarnmcd tho pantry door and bolted IL Through tho Iron bars of the pantry pan-try window, Stormont suw a man, wearing a red bandanna tied undr his eyes, run up and untie his horse and fllns himself astride under u shower of hullets. As he wheeled the horso nnd swung him into the clearing toward the foot of Star Pond, h'.s seat and horsemanship were not to be mistake mis-take n. lie was gone, now, the gallop stietchlnp; into a dead run; and Qulntana's men Him following, shooting, hallooing In the starlight like a pack of leaping shapes from hell. But Quintana had not followed far. When he had emptied his automatic he halted. Something about the transaction suddenly r hocked his fury, stilled It, summoned his hraln Into action. For a full minute ho stood un-stirrlncr. un-stirrlncr. every atom of intelligence In lerrlhle concentration Presently he put his left hand into; his pocket, fitted another clip to his pistol, turned on his heel and warked Straight back to the house. Between tho two locked In the! pantry not n word had passed. Stormont Stor-mont still peered out between the iron bnrs. striving to catch a glimpse of what wns polnp on. Eve crouched at the pantry doors, her face in her bonds, listening. Suddenly she heard Quintana ft step in the kitchen. Cautiously she. turned tho puntrv k-y from Inside Stormont heard her. and Instantly came to her At the same moment Qulntana unbolted the door from the outside and tried to open It. "Come out." he said coldly, "or It Will not pn well with you when my, rr.on return." "You've got what you say Is your, property." replied tormont. "What I do you want now?" "I tell you what I want ver" damn quirk. Who was ho, thees man who! rides with my propctry on your I home away.' Eh? Because it was not Nick Salsarl No' Balsar ran not ride thees way. No! Alors?" "I can't tell you who he was." replied re-plied Stormont 'That's your affair, not ours." "No? Ah! Ver' well. then. I shall tell you. S. nor Flic' He WSJ one of your-:. 1 understan'. It Is a trap a Cheat What you W a plant;: Thees man who rode your horse he Is disguise I Yes! Ho Is also a gen- I darme! Yes! You think I let a, pendarmo rob me? T ot you where ( I want you now. You shall write your gendarme frlen' that he return to me my property, .n da's time,; or l send him by parcel post two nice. fresh-out right-hands your h er-theart's and your own! Stormont drew Evo's head close to his: This man Is blood mad or out of his mind! I d le tter go out and take a chance at him hefor the others come back." But the girl shook her head io-ilently, io-ilently, caught him hy the arm and drew him toward - mouth of the I lllo down which Clinch always emptied his hootch when tho Dump was rallied Hut now. it appeared that the tile which protruded from the cement J floor was removable. In silence she began to unscrew It. and he. seelnp what she was trylnR , to do. helped her Together thev lifted the heavy tile ; and laid jt on the floor. I "You open thees door!" shouted Qulntana in a paroxysm off ury. "I gle you one minute! Then, by God. I kill you both! ' Evo lifted a screen Of wood IhioiiKh which the i Mr. had heen set I nder It a black hole yawned. It was a tunnel made of three-foot nqueduct tiles; and It led strulRht Into Star Fond. two hundred foot ' away. Now as she straightened up and looked silently at Stormont. they Ik. I I .-. ,.i l.....lo In till. nearo uig iiaiiijjn' ui uwio mi .-! .-! kitchen, voices, the bang of gun-t gun-t stocks. , "Does that drain lead into the I c "' whispered Stormont. She nodded. I "Will yon follow me. Evo?" She pushed him aside. Indicating that he was to follow her I As she stripped the hunting Jacket from her, a hot color swept her face. But she dropped on both I knee?, crept stralcht Into the tile and slipped out of sluht. As she disappeared. Quintans, shouted something In Portuguese, , and fired at the lock, j With the smash of splintering wood In his ears, Stormont slid Into I the smooth tunnel In an Instant ho was shooting down a polished toboggan slide, and in another moment was under the icv water of Star Pond Shocked, blinded, fighting his way to the surface he felt his spurred boots dragging at him like a ton of Iron Then tu him came her helping hand. "I can make it," ho gasped. But his clothing and his boots and the Icy water bf gan to tell on him In mid-lake Swimming without effort beside him, watching his every stroke, j ori scntly slii- sank a little and glided j under him and a little uhead, so 1 that his hands fell upon her shoui-' shoui-' dent. lie let them rest. SO aware now t that It was no burden to such a swimmer. Supple and silent as a swimming otter, the -Mr I slipped lithely through the chilled water, which washed his body to the nostrils nos-trils and numbed his legs till he' . could scarcely move them. I And now, of a sudden, his feet' ' touched gravel. Ho stumbled forward, for-ward, a dripping, silvery shape on , t he shoal. , Then, as lie staggered up to her, ! breathless, where she was standing I on the p4ird. d shore he saw her Join both hands, cup-shape, and lift ' them to her lips. j And out of her mouth poured dia-' mond. sapphire, and emerald in a dazzling stream and. among them, ! one great, flashing gerp. biasing in j the starlight the Flaming Jewel! : Like a naiad of the lake she stood. ' white slim, silent, the heaped genis glittering In her snowv hands. her face framed by the curling marses of her wet hair.. Then, slowly s"ie turned her head to stormont. "These are what Qulntana esnio for" she said "Could you put them j Into your pocket?" (Continued In Our ",otI Isimijo , |