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Show lO22 GEORGE KDORJUJ CO-MUAKT (Continued from I ur Last Issue ) CHAPTER III. About that time, a mile and a half to tho southward, .lames Daragh came out on the rocky and rushing outlet of Star Pond. Over his shoulder was a rifle, and all around him ran dogs big. powerful pow-erful dogs, built like foxhounds but with th rough, wiry coats of Airedales, Aire-dales, even rougher of ear and features. fea-tures. He had been seated there for ton minutes. possibly, with his tired dog lying around him, when Just above him he saw a state trooper emerge from tho woods on font carrying a rifle over one shouldi r. "Jack"' he called in a guarded , voice. Trooper Stormont turned. caught sight of Darr.igh. made a signal of recognition, and came toward him Darragh said "Your mate, Trooper Troop-er Ivinnls, is down stream. I've two of my own game wardens at the crossroads, cross-roads, two more on the Gho.t Luke Road and two foresters and un Inspector Inspec-tor out toward I Marsh." Stormont nodded, looking down at the dogs "Wh.it are they. Jim'."' "Otter-hounds," said Darragh, " h breed of my own. . . . But that's all they are capable of hunting, I guess. ' he added grimly. StormoTit'.H Ki' si'' tinned him 'Well." nald Darragh. I left my two1 guests at Harrod Place to amuse each other, got out three couple of my ot-' tor hounds and started them as I hoped and supposed on qulntana's trail." I "What happened'."' inquired Stormont Stor-mont curiously "Well I don't know I think they iwere following some of Qulntana's gang for a while, anyway. After that, God knows deer hare, cottontail cotton-tail I don't know They yelled their bally heads o:"f I on the run they're' slow dogs you know and whatever they were after either fooled them or i there were too many trails. ... I made a mistake that's all These 'poor beasts don't know anything ex-j ecpt an otter I Just hoped they might take Qulntuna'.s trail If I put them on It " I They had been walking for "twenty minutes, possibly exchanging scarcely scarce-ly a word, and they were now nearlng the hilly bosin where Star Pond lay.' When Darragh said abruptly 'Tin going to tell you about I things Jack. You've taken mj word SO far that it's all right " "Naturally." said Stor.-nont simply. The two men, who had been brother ! officers In the Great ai glanced at j each other, slightly, smiling "Here it Is tlun." said Darragh. ' When I was on duty in Riga for the fntellipenci Department, I met two ladles la-dles in diro distress, whose mansion "-: 3 had been burnel and looted, suppos-!edly suppos-!edly by the bolshevikl. "They were actually hungry and penniless, the only clothing they pos-seised pos-seised they were wearing. These la- I -dies were the Countess Orloft-Strcl- ( wltz. and a young girl, Thcodorica, iji-anu nueness or rjstnonia. I did what I could for them After a while. I found out that the crime had been perpetrated by Joso Qulntana's Quln-tana's ganc of International crooks 'masquerading as bolshevikl " Stormont nodded "I also came across similar cases." he remarked. "Well, this was a flagrant example Qulntana hud burnt the chateau and had made off with over two million dollars worth of tho little Grand Duchess's Jewels among them the famous fa-mous Erosite gem. known as the Flaming Jewel " "I've heard of It." "I've been after him ever since Hut. Jack until this morning. Quin-tana, Quin-tana, did not possess these stolen Jewels Jew-els Clinch did!" What!" "Clinch served overseas in a forestry for-estry regiment In Paris he robbed Qulntand of these Jewels. That's why 1'vo been hanging around Clinch." Stormont'S face was flushed and Incredulous In-credulous Then It lost color as he thought of the Jewels that Eve had concealed th gems for which sho bad risked her life. Ho said: "Rut you tell me Quin-tana Quin-tana robbed you this morning." He did The little Grand Duchess and the Countess Onorr-Stn lwltz are my guests at Harrod Place. "Last night I snatched the case containing con-taining these gems from Qulntana's lingers This morning as I offered them to the Grand Duchess, Qulntana cooly stepped between us " His voice became bitter and his fea-niri fea-niri H reddened with rage poorly controlled con-trolled "Bl God. Jack. I should have shot Quintana when the opportunity offered of-fered Twice I've had the chance The next time I shall kill him any way I can . Legitimately." "Of course," said Stormont gravely. grave-ly. But his mind was full of the Jewels Jew-els which Eve had. What and whose were they If Qulntana again had the Esthonlan gems In his possession? out among the willows and alders on the northeast aide of Star Pond, Stormont Stor-mont touched his comrade's arm "Look at that enormous dog-otter out there in the lake!" And now the hounds, unleashed, lifted frantic voices Tho very sky! seemed full of the discordant; tumult; wood and shore reverberated reverberat-ed with tho volume of convulsive, and dlssorant baying. "Damn It," said Darragh. dls-l dls-l gusted, " that's what they've been trailing all the while across-wooda j that devilish dog-otter yonder, . . . And I had hoped they were on Quln-i tana s- trnii A mass rush and scurry of crazed degs nearly swept him off his fcot and both men caught n glimpes of a large bltch-ottor taking to the lake from a ledge of rock Just beyond. be-yond. "Well, lm In for It now," muttered mut-tered Darragh, starting along the bank toward Clinch's Dump, to keep an eye on his dogs. Stormont followed more leisurely. CHAPTER IV A few minutes before Darragh and Stormont had come out on the farther I edire of Star pond, Sard, who had heard from Quintana about the big drain pipe which led from Clinch's pantry into the lake, decided to go In and take a look at it. Ho had been told all about Its uses how Clinch in the event of a raid by State Troopers or Government Gov-ernment enforc'-ment agents could empty his contraband hootch Into tho lake If necessary and even could slide a barrel of ale or a keg of rum, intact. Into the great tile tunnel and recover tho liquor at his leisure. Aio. and grimly. Qulntana bad admitted that through this drain Evo Strayer and tho State Trooper, I Stormont, had escaped from Clinch's Dump. So now Sard. full of curiosity, went back Into tho pantry to look at It for himself. Almost Instantly the Idea occurred to him to rnaku uao of the drain for his own safety and comfort. Why shouldn't ho sloop in the pantry, lock tfie dfor, ud. In cojo of intrusion other exits being unavailable un-available why shouldn't ho feel entirely en-tirely safe with such an avenue of escape open J For swimming was Sard's single 1 accompliahmont. He waan't araid ! of the water; he simply couldn't j sink. Swimming was the. only sport I ho ever hud Indulged , In. Ho adored lit. ! And at th;it Instant alio very heavens echoed with that awful I tumult which had first paralyzed. I thi n crazed h!rn in tho woods In the bushes on the lake shore he I SAW animals leaping and racing, but, in his terror, he did not recognize, (hem for dogs. Then suddenly, he saw a man, I close to the house, running; and ! another man not far behind. That : ho understood, and it electrified him I Into action. It wai loo late to escape from the huufe now. He understood that Instantly. In-stantly. He ran back through the dance-hall dance-hall and dining-room to tho pantry, but he dared not let these intruders hear the noise of hammering. Ungovernable terror seized Sard Fcrcoly aware what he was about, hr seised the edges of the big drain- ; pipe and crowded his obese body into It head first. H was so (at and heavy that he filled the tile To start himself down ho pulled with both handjj and kicked himself forward. for-ward. tortoise-Ilke. down tho slanting slant-ing tunnel, sticking now and then, dragging himself on and downward. There came a hitch somewhere; his heavy body stuck on tho steep j incline. Then, as he lifted his bewildered head and strove - peer into the blackness in front he saw four balls "f preen fire close to him In the dark- i nesa. H ' cpan to slide at the same Instant, In-stant, md riung out both hands to check himself But his palms r.lld in the slime and his body slid after He ' shrieked once as his face Btrucfe a furry obstruction where four balls of green fire flamed horrlblvl and a fury of murderous teeth tore his face .uid throat to bloody tatters! as he slid lower. lower. settling! through crimson-dyed waters Into the Icy depths of star Pond. I I Stormont, down by the lake, 'called to Darragh, who appeared On the veranda: "Oh. Jim! Both otters crawled Jlnto dr-'' I think your dogs must ha'e kllleu one of them un.W I water. There's a big patch of blood spreading off shore." "Yep' said Darra.it, "something has just been kmed. somewhere. ' . . Jack!' I "Yes?" "Pull both your guns and come up here, quick!' (Continued in Our Next Issue. ) |