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Show RAMiNGjjjjj tgawvyif" - O lOQQ. OEOBCB R DORA) COMUAjry (Continued From Our Iast Issue EPISODE TEN THE TWI EIGHT OF MIKE CHAPTER I. When Qulntana turned like an on-raged on-raged snake on Sard and drove him to his destruction, he would have killed and robbed the frlghtoned dia-mand dia-mand broker had lie dared risk tho i shot. He had Intended to do this an -way, sooner or later. But with tho noise of the hunting dogs filling tho forest, Qulntana was afraid to fire. About an hour later Qulntana was seen, challenged, chased and shot at by State Trooper Lannls Qulntana ran. And what with the donso growth of seedling beech and oak and the heavily falling birch and poplar leaves. Lannls lost Qulntana and then bis trail. The State Trooper had left his j horso at tho cross-roads near the sceno of Darragh's masked exploit Where he had stopped and rot",. 1 Sard and now Lannls hastoned back to find and mount hi.s horse and gal-j lop straight Into the first growth timber. There was no sound of dogs when Lannls rodo in on the narrow, spot-1 td trail whence he had flushed Qulntana Quln-tana into the dense growth of saplings; that bordered It. Once, very, eery far away westward1. In the direction of Star Pond he fancied he heard a faint vibration In the air that might have been hounds baying. He was right. And at that very' moment Sard was dying, horribly, among two trapped otters as big anl fierce as the dogs that had driven them into the drain Somewhere among the blixhes, ba-twoc-n him and Star Pond, was Har-rod Har-rod Place. And tho Idea occurred to him that Qulntana might have ventured ven-tured to ask food and shelter there yet, that wan not likely because Trooper Stormont had called him that morning on the telephone from the Hatchery Lodge. However, to reassure himself. Lan-nis Lan-nis rode as far as Harrod Place, and found game wardens on duty along the line. Then he turned west and trotted his mount down to tho hatchery', win. re ho saw Ralph YYler. the superintendent, standing outsido the lodare talking to liis assistant, Oeorge Pry When Lannls rode up on the oppo-bite oppo-bite side of the brook, lie called across tu Wler "You haven't seen anything of any crooked outfit around here, have you. Ralph? I'm looking for that kind" "Seo here." 6ald the superintendent. superintend-ent. ' I don't know but Georgo Fry I may have seen one of your guys. Come over and he'll tell you what happened an hour ago." Fry's boyish face seemed agitated, ho looked up at the State Troopor with the flush of tears In his gaze and pointed at the rifle Lannis carried: car-ried: "If I'd had that." ho said oxcitedlv. "I'd have brought in a crook, you bet!" ' "Where did you see him. inquired in-quired Lannls "Jest west of the Scaur, about all hour and a ha'.f ago I was stockln' the head of Scaur Ltrook with flnger-llngs. flnger-llngs. . . You know how It is in jtho woods ... 1 kinda felt some-I some-I body near. And, by cracky' there 1 stood a man with u big. black automatic auto-matic pistol, and ho had a bead on mv belly 'Well,' said I. 'what's troubling you and your gun, my friend ?' I was that astonished. "He. was a slim-bul'.t. powerful guy with a foreign facu and voice and way Ho wanted to know If he had the honor as ho put It to introduce himself to a detective or game constable, con-stable, or n. friend of Miko Clinch. "I told him I wasn't, any of those, and that I worked in a private latch-ery; latch-ery; and he called mo a liar." Young Fry's faco flushed and his Voice began to quiver: "That's tho way ho misused mo. and ho backed mo into tho shanty and I had to Bit down with both hands up Then ho filled my pack-basket with grub, and took my ax. and strapped my kit onto his back. . . -And talking all the tlmo In his man: snoery. foreign way and I guess ho thought he was funny, for he laughod at Ma own Jokes, "He told mo his namo was Qulntana. Quln-tana. and that he ought to shoot mo for a. rat, but wouldn't bocauso of tho stink. Then he Bald he was going go-ing to do a. quick Job that tho police wero too cowardly to do that ho was a-golng to find Mike Clinch down to Drowned Valley and kill him; and if he could catch Mike's daughter, too. e'd spoil her face for Irfe " "v hat next .'" d'-tnanded the Trooper Troop-er impatiently "Tell your story' and quit thinking how you were misused mis-used ' " "He told me to stay in the shanty for an hour or ho'd do lor me good." cried Fry. . . "Once I got up and went to the door; and thero he stood by tlie brook, wolfing my lunch with both hands. I tell you he cursed and drove me. like a dog. inside with his big pistol my God like a dog . . "Then, tho next time I took a chance he was gone. . . And I beat it here to get me a rifle " The boy broke down and sobbed: "He drovo inn around like a dog ho did " "You leavo that to me" interrupted interrupt-ed Lannls sharply And, to Wler: "You and Georgo had better get a gun apiece. That fellow might coino back here or go to Harrod Place if wo starve him out. ' Wler said to Fry: "Go up to Harrod Har-rod Place and tell Jansen your store and bring back two 46-70's. . , . And quit sniveling . . . You may get a shot at him yet " Behind the curtains of her open window Eve Strayer, lying on her bed, had heard rcry word. Crouched thor beside her pillow she peered out and saw Trooper Lannls Lan-nls rldo away; saw the Fry boy start toward Harrod Place on a run. saw Ralph Wler watch them out 0.1 sight and then turn and re-enter tho lodge. Wrapped In Darragh's big blanket robe she got off the bed and opened her chamber door n Wler was parsing pars-ing through the living-room. "Please I'd like to spoak to you a moment," sho called Wler turned lnstantlv and camo to the partly open door. "I want to know," she said, "where I am." "Ma'am?" "What is this place T" "It's a hatchery' " "Whose0" "Ma'am?" "Whose lodge is this Docs it belong be-long to Harrod Place?" "We're h-hootch runners, Miss " stammered Wler, mindful of Instructions, Instruc-tions, but making a poor business of deception; " I and Hal Smith, we run a "Easy One.' and we strip trout for a blind and soil to Harrod Place Hal and I" "Who Is Hal Smith'" she asked. "Ma'am?" The girl's flower-blue ey-s turned icy: "Who is the man who calls himself Hal Smith?" she repeated Wler looked at ht r, $ed and dumb "Is he a Trooper in plain clothes'") she demanded in a bitter voice. "Is he one of tho Commissioner s splej?! Are you one. too?" Wlor gazed miserably at h-r, un-! able to formulate a convincing lie-She lie-She Hushed swiftly as a terrible suspicion sus-picion seized her "la this Harrod property " is Hal Smith old Harrod's heir? Is he'" "My God, Miss " "Ho Is!" "Listen, Miss " She flung: open the door and came out into the llvln-room. "Hal Smith Is that nephew of old Harrod." she said calmly "Ills, name la Darragh And you are one i of his wardens. . . And I can't stay here Do you understand?" Wler wiped his hot face and wait- ed The cat was out ; there was a hole Id tho bag. and he knew thero was no use in such lies as he could tell. Ha said "All I know, Miss. Is that I was to look after you and get you "I want my clothes!" "Ma'am?" "My clothes!" ehe repeated lmpa- tlontly. "I've got to have them!" "Where are they, ma'am?" asked tho bewildered, man. At the same moment the girl's k.cs ' fell on a pile of men's sporting clothing garments sent down from 1 Harrod Tlaco to the lodge lying on a. leather loungo near a gun-rack. Without a glanco at Wler, Kve went to tho heap of clothing, tossed It about, selected cords, two pairs of woolen socks, &ay shirt, puttees, I shoes: flung the garments through the' door into her own room, followed them, and locked herself in. When sho was dressed the two heav) pairs of socks helping to fit her I feet to the shoes she emptied her handful of diamonds .sapphires and emeralds. lo.luding tho Flaming Jewel, into tho pockets of hot breeches Now she was ready She unlocked her door and went out. scarcely limping limp-ing at all, now I Wler ga.ud at her helplessly as she coolly hose, a rlflo and cartrlrlge-bclt at the gun-rack Then she turned on him as still and dangerous as a young puma- "Tell Darragh he'd bMer kfep c'.o.-ir of Clinch's." she said "Tell him I Always Al-ways thought ho was a raL Now r know he's on' She plunged one slim hand into her pO' ket and drew out a diamond 'Here." sh aald Insolently "This will pay your S'-n' mnu for his gun and clothing." She tossed the sem onto a tat.le. where It rolled, glittering. 'For heaven's sake, Miss " burst out Wler. horrified, but sho cut hltn short . " Ho may keep the change." sho said. "We're no swindlers at Clinch's Dump!" Wlor started rurwurd as though to Intercept her Eve's eyes flamed And ho stood still She wrenched open tho door and walked out among tiio silver birches. At tho edge of the brook she stood i moment, coolly loading the magazine maga-zine of her rifle. Then, with ono Wllt fiance of hatred, flung at tho place hat Harrod's money had built he iprang across the brook, tossed her B if lo to her shoulder, and passed lthely Into tho golden wilderness of oplar and silver birch (Continued lit Our Next Isu. |