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Show Flaming M m jewel?! jEL hi TjOBEliT W CHAMBERS Bl-CilN HOIK TODAY , In lils hunting camp In the Adlron- , dacks. MIKE OLINCH, rum-runner and law-I breaker, in general, is hoarding the Flaming Jewel, that priceless gem, j first stolon from the i COUNTESS OF BSTHONIA by the international in-ternational thief, yl'NlTANA. and stolen from Qulntana by Clinch. Qulntana has returned to gain pos- I session of the jewel which Clinch pas-jslonatrlv pas-jslonatrlv holds as the means of "mak- Ing a lady" of his beautiful step- j daughter. EVE BTRAYER. JAMES DARRAOH, under the namo ' of HAL. SMITH .is at Clinch's camp seek- j ing to gain possession of the gem and restore it to tbe beggared coun- teas. l.e is captured by Quintana, sav-i agely treated, but escapes to the hunt- ' tng camp at Mar Pond. Here, with ' STATE TROOPER STORIONT, sreS . I awaits tho return of Clinch and his' men, who have gone out to clean up i j Quintaha's gang. I Clinch discovers that one of his men E3ARL LEVERETT, has gone over to Qulntana. Leverett scapes in a hail of hulhts from Clinch's rifle. n o.N PI IF THE s roRi CHAPTER 111 For its size there is no fiercer animal an-imal than a rat. Rat-like rage possessed E'lvcrett. In his headlong llight through tho dusk, fear. Instead of quenching, added to his rage, and he ran on and on, crashing crash-ing through the undergrowth, made wilder by the pain of vicioUS blows . from branches which Hew back and struck him in the dark. Thorns bled him. he heard Clinch's I bullets whining around him; and be j ran on, beginning to sob and cursi In j a frenzy of fury, fear and shame. Shots from Clinch's rifle ceased; the fugitive dropped into a heavy .shuffl- I ing walk, slavering, gasping, gestlcU- latlng with his weaponless lists in the i darkness. "Ool ram ye, I'll fix ye." he kept Stammering In his snarling, jangling , voice, broken by sobs "I'll learn ye. j yeh poor danged thoag, gol ram e " To his own shack on Stinking Lake, he dared not go. He tried to behove ' that It was feur ot ' linch that made him shy of tiie home shanty, but it his cowering soul, he kne.v it was tear j of another kind the deep, suporstl-tious suporstl-tious horror ot Jake Kloon's empty , bunk the repugnant sight of Kloon's spare clothing hanging irom lto peg the dead man's shoes All at once he thought of Clinch's; step-daughter. Tho thought instantly , scared him. Vet what a revenge'. j to strike Clinch through the only crea-ture crea-ture he cared lor in all tho world . . What a revenge! . . . Clinch waa headed for Drowned Valley. Eve ! Strayer wjls alone at the Dump j Another thought flashed like lightning across his turbid mind the packet: Bribed by Qulntana, Jake Kioon, lurking at Clinch's door had heard htm direct Eve to take a packet to Owl Marsh, and had notified Qulntana, Quln-tana, N lttlngly or unwittingly, the girl had taken" a packet of sugar-milk ( h-,. ... instead of the prloelt-s parcel par-cel expected. Again, carried In, exhausted, by a State Trooper, Jake Kioon had been fooled; and it was the packet of sugar sug-ar milk chocolate that Jake had purloined pur-loined from the veranda whero Clinch kicked It For two cakes of chocolate Kioon had died For two cakes of chocolate, he, Earl Leverctte had become be-come a man slayer, a homeless fugitive fugi-tive in peril of his life. Somewhere In clinch's Dump was the packet that would make him rich . Here was his opportunity. He had only to dare; and pain and poverty and fear above all else fear would ond forever! . . . When, at last, he came out to the edge of Clinch's clearing, tho dark October heavens were but a vast wilderness wild-erness of stars. The light burned steadily from Bye B window. CHAPTER IV From hi3 hiding place among tho frost-blackened rag-weeds, the trap-robber trap-robber could see only the plastered celling of tho bed chamber, But the kerosene lamp cast two 1 shadows on that tall shadows of hu-, hu-, man shapes that stirred at times. J The shadows on tho celling were (cast by Evo Strayer and her Stato 'Trooper Eve sat on her bed s edge, swathed In a lilac klmona delicate relic of 'school days. Her bandaged feet, crossed, cross-ed, d ingh .1 e tho rag rug on tho .'l,.r 1;. r slim, tanned fingers were Interlaced over the book on her lap. Near the door stood State Trooper Storinont, spurred, booted, trig and trim, an undecided and flushed young man. fumbling irresolutely with the purple cord on his campaign hat. She looked up at him again, wist-! wist-! fully. Perhaps he was restless, bored, 'sitting there beside her half the day, and already, half the night. Men of 'that Kind active, nervous young men I accustomed to the open, can't stand ! caging. 1 I want you to go out and pet some fresh air." she said. "It's wonderful wonder-ful night. Go and walk a while And ; If you feci like coming back to ! mc " I "Will you sleep?" "No, I'll wait for you." Her words were natural and direct, i but in their simplicity, there seemed a delicate sweetness that stirred him. "I'll come back to you," he said Then, In hla response, the girl in nor turn, became awaro of something besides be-sides the simple words a vague charm about them that faintly haunted haunt-ed her ufter he had gone uway down tho stairs. That was the man she had once tried to kill! At the sudden and ter-J rlble recollection, she shivered from j curly head to bandaged feet. Then she trembled a little with the memory of J his lips against her bruised hands bruised by handcuffs, which ho had fastened upon her She sat very", very still now. hud- ' died on the bed's edge scarcely breath- ! ing. Kor the girl was beginning to dare j formulate tho deepest of any thoughts that ever had stirred her virgin mind ' and body. If it was love, then it had come I suddenly, and strangely. It had come ! on that day at the very moment when he flung her ugainot the tree and handcuffed her that terrible instant if it were love. Listening there where she sat clasping clasp-ing the book, she heard his steady tread patrolling the erandi, caught the taint fragrance of his brier pipe In the still night air. "I think I think it's love," she said under her breath . "But he couldn't ever think of me " always listening to his spurred tread below. After a while shc placed both bandaged band-aged feet on tho rug. It hurt her, but she stood up, walked to the Open window. win-dow. Sho wanted to look at him just a moment By chance he looked up at that Instant, In-stant, and saw her pale face, like a flower in tho starlight "Why, Eve," he said, 'jou ought not lo bo on your feet " "Once," she said, "you weren't so particular about my bruises." Hoi breathless little voice coming down through tho starlight thrilled him. "Do you remember what 1 did?" he asked. "Ves. You bruised my hands and made my mouth bleed." "I did pehance for our hands." ' Yea, you kissed them!" What possessed her what Irresponsible Irrespon-sible ekhlllratlon way inciting her to a daring utterly loreign to her nature? She heard herself laugh, knew sho was young, pretty, capable of provocation. provoca-tion. And in a sudden, breathless sort of way, an overwhelming desire seized her to please, to charm, to bo noticed by such a man whatever, on afterthought after-thought he might think of the stepchild step-child of Mike Clinch. Storinont had come directly under her window and stool looking up. "I dared not offer further penance." he said. The emotion In his voire stirred her but she was still laughing down at him. She said "You did offer further penance you offerod your handkerchief. handker-chief. So as that way nil you oficrod as reparation for my II pa " "Then I'm coming up to complete my penance " "I'll lock the door!" "Would you .' "I ought to . . But if you are in great spiritual distress, and If you really and truly repent, and if you humbly desire to erp!at youi sin by doing penance--" And hesitated! "Do you fjQ desire '" "Yes, I do." "Humbly." Contritely'.'" "Yes." She strove to laugh, ga.-.ing down into his shadowy face but suddenly the desire had left her and all her gaiety had left her, too, suddenly, leaving only a still excitement in ner breast. You you knew I was ju.H laughing," laugh-ing," she said unsteadily. "You understood, un-derstood, didn't you?" "I don't know." After a silence: "I didn't mean you to take mo seriously." she said. Sho tried to laugh. It was not use. .na. as she lbanod there on the sill, her heart frightened her with Its loud beating. "Will you let me come up. Eve? No answer. "Would you lock your door?" "What io you think I'd do'" sho asked tremulously. "You know, 1 don't." "Are you so sure I know what I'd do? I don't think either of us know our own minds . - I seem to have lost some of my wits . . . Somehow . "ir you are not going to sleep, let me como up. ' "I want you to take B walk down by tho pond. And while you're walking walk-ing there all by yourself. I want you to think very clearly, very calmly, and make up vour mind whether I should remain awake tonight, or whether. whi 'i you r. tur i. l ought to be asleep and mv door bolted." After a long pause: "AH right, he Bald in a low voice. (Continued In Our .Monday L-.suo) |