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Show RLAMIKGji HI.IN HESiE TODAY Koi two years, Kate, Chance, ami ! Destiny had bean too busy loattond to MIKE CLINCH. Now the malevolent Influence whh h had hung over each posseBsur of th priceless Plaminrl Jewel ever alnce It was stolen frotni a r-fugec countess of Ksthonla. 1 Kathered like a fop about the disreputable dis-reputable huiiUnK i-anip which I CIlDch owned In the Adirondack. I Hero, among the criminals und riff-raff riff-raff of the North Woods. Clinch lives with hts beantlf ul step-daujrh-ter. j BVE STRAY EK jam Ess DAiiKAUii learns from the countess that the FlamlnaJewel was! j originally .stolen from her by QUINTANA) n great International1 thief whoso ,'ew York agent is EMANUEL SARD, Dnrragh robs Sard of a code letter from Quintan, whii h state that th Klaining .lew--l la now in the possession of til Ike I j ''llnch. Ltrriigh heads for Clinch's ildn at Star rood and on his I rail ', are two state troopers, .seeking to arrest him t,,r th holdup or .Sard l . N I T 1 1 TH1 - l K" I ' 1 1 A r i I S I ; ill Clinch, in tt iii shin eieeves, came out' on the yeranda. He had littu llyhl gtay eyea, ciosocllpped raj hair, .iej as lea n shaven. 'How at you Clinch'."' Inquired Lannis affably. i Ail riirbt," replied Clint h "you'ro 'thf same, I hop.-." I "Trooper Btormont, Mr. Clinch.." said L.innis in his g'.-mai way "Pleased to know u." saiii Clinch, level-eyed, unstirrink;. The Lroopers dismounted. Both! -hook hands with Clinch. Then Lan-i Lan-i nis led th'' way lo the barn. Crom the eare of the iioi6-s they went to a iunip to waan. l.nnnis salu in StbTmont's ear: ' '"Here she coines with towels She's, prcttj . isn't shf ."' A young gin in pink glnKham ad-! ad-! sauced toward them across the patch jor grass. I l.innis w.-ts very polite and presented present-ed Stonnont ThS girl hunded theni Itwo rouji towels, glanced at Stor-mont Stor-mont ukuiii after tne Introduction, smiled sllghtl) l 'inner ls it-idy." she said. They dried their faces and followed follow-ed her buck to the house. j ll was m.q unpalnted building, partly I Of log. In i he dining room, half a dozen men waited silently for food. Lannis saluted ail, named ins comrade, com-rade, and seated himself. a delicious odor of Jonnny-caka per-vaded per-vaded the room. Presently Eve Stray -!er appeared with tho dinner.'" Ther' was dew on her pale Core-IheadT Core-IheadT th heat of the kitchen, no doubt. The girl's thick, lustrous hair was brownish gold, und so twisted up , that tt revealed her ears and Very while neck. ii-n she brought Stpct lonl tilt din- ner, he raught her eyes a moment i I experienced a slight shock ! pleasuc lit their Interae blue the fntt.in . uhii of th- summer senltii at oiiddaj Lannis remained affable, even be-, came Jocose at moments "Xu hootch lor dinner, Mike?" 1 lliw 'a that, now "Tlfe Bobt-lig ijipr-".i b. n day iati." replied Clfnfeh witjj a cold humor. hu-mor. , Around the tab;,- ran an odd sound ' company of catamounts feedlpg might have made such u noist if cat-1 I amounts ever laugh Btormont hud finished dinner. He heard a low. charming voice from behind be-hind his chair. 'Apple pie, lemon plo. maple cako. berry roll. I Ho looked up Into two gentian blue eyes. "Lemon pie. please," he said, blushing blush-ing When dinner was over, and the bare dining room was empty except for Clinch and the two state troopers, the former foldtd hlH heavy. powerful hands on the table's edge and turned his Square faco and patc-eyed gaze on L,annls. Spit It out." he said, in a passionless passion-less volt e J-nrinla crossed one knee over the Other, lighted S clgaret: "Is there a young fellow working for you named Hal Smith?" "No." said Cli&Ch fiuro?" Sure.' "Clinch." continued lannis, 'have you heard about a stlcl-.-up on th wood-road out of Gh06t I.akc?" No." "Well, a wealthy tourist from New-York New-York a Mr Sard, stopping at tihost Lake Inn was held up and robbed laal Baturda towaid sundown." ' Never heard of him," auld Clinch, calmly. There was a pause "'i heard you had a new man narntl Hal Smith woiktng around vour place." "No." ll came here Saturday uight" "Who says so" A guide irom Ghost Lake." He's a liar " ' You know,' said 1 annls. "it won't do you any good if hold-up men can hide here and make a get-awav "G'wan and search." said Clinch, calmly Thej searched the 'hotel" from gar-rcl gar-rcl t.i cellar They Marched the barn, boat-shed, out-houses. While this was going on. Clinch went Into the kltrh D Ke." h. said, coolly the state troopers are after that follow. Hal Smith, who came here Baturda) night. Where Is he?" He went into KarrodTs to g -t us .i aeer, she replied in a iow voicw "What has he done?" "Stuck up a man on the Ghost Lake road. He ought to nave told me Io voii think you could meet up with him and tip him off?" "He s hunting on the owl marsh. I'll try." "All right, change your clothes and slip out the hack door. And look out for Hartod's patrols, too " "All right, dad," she said. "If 1 have to be out tonight, don't worry. 1 11 get word to Smith somehow." Hslf an hour later l-annis and Stdr-mont Stdr-mont returned from n prowl around the charing. Lannis paid the reckoning; reckon-ing; his comrade led out the horses. Ho said asaln to Lannis "I'm sure it. was the girl Sh wore men's clothes and fhe wen' into I he woods on a run." About three o'clock the two state troopers, riding at n walk. ame to th" works of the Ghost Iike road. "Now," said Lannis to Stormonr "If you really believe you saw the girl peat It out of the back door and take to the woods, she's probabfj somewhere In there' tie pointed into the western forest. "Hut . " he added, "what's your Idea In following her?" "She wore men's clothes; aha was In a hurry and trying to keep out of sight. I wonder whether Clinch might have sent her to warn this holdup hold-up fellow." "All right. Take your bear.ngs This road runs west to Ghost lake sleep ;it the Inn there If you mean cross the woods on foot." Storrnont nodded, consulted his map anl compass, pocketed both. un-bUCklSd un-bUCklSd his spurs WTien he was ready he gave his bridle tb lannls "I'd Just like to see what she s up to." be remarked. The forest wa open amid s big stand of white pine and hemlock, anil Slr.rmont traveled eaelly and swiftly He had struck a line by compass that must cross the direction taken by ICve St raver when Hie left Clinch's But it was a wild chance that he would ever run across her. Far away In the open forest Storrnont Stor-rnont heard the shot and turned in that direction. Hut Eve already was very near when the young man who called himself Hal Smith fired at one of Harrod's deer S three-prong buck on the edgo of the dead water. Smith had drawn and dressed the buck by the time the girl found hlni He was cleaning up when she arrived, ar-rived, squatting hy the waters edge when hfl heard her voice across the MWale ' Smith! The State Troopers are looking for you!" He stood up. dried his hands on his breeches. The girl picked her way across the bog. Jumping from one tussock to the next. v lien sne toici mm what had happened hap-pened he began to laugh "Did you really stick up this man?'' the i-ked Incredulously. "I'm afraid I did. Eve." he replied still laughing The girl's entire expression altered. "So that s the sort you are," she said. "I thought you different Bui you're ail s rotton lot " "If you think me so rotten, why did you run ill the way from Clinch's to warn me'" he asked curiously. didn't do it for ou; I did it fov my father. They'll Jail him If thev catch him hiding you They've got I. In for him. 7f they ptit him In prison he'll die. He couldn't stand it. I know And that's why 1 came to find you and tell you to clear out " The distant crack of a dry stick hacked her. Tho next instant he picked tip his rifle, seized his arm. .ml fairl dragged him into a spruce thicket "Do you want to get my father into troublel" She said fiercely. The rocky flank of Star Peak bordered bor-dered the marsh here. I "Come on," she whispered, jerking him along through the thicket and up the rocks to a cleft a hole In the sheer rock overhung by shaggy hemlock. hem-lock. "Gel in there." she said breathlessly breathless-ly "Whoever comes." he protested Bill .-e, ihe buck yonder, and will ertainly look In here " ) Not If -I go down there and take your medicine Creep into that, cave ijn'l lie down. " What do ou Intend to do" he demanded, Interested and amused. It' it' n of Harrod's gamekeep-.ers." gamekeep-.ers." said 'he girl dryly, "it only means a summons and a fine for mo And 'if it's a Slate Trooper, who Is prowl-dng prowl-dng In the woods yonder hunting crooks, he'll find nohodv here but a i'tespasser. Keep quiet. 111 stand him off." 4( onttmied in Our en hmicd |