THURSDAY. JU N E 6. 1946
TIMES, WILLAMINA. OREGON
g».
TURNING POINT
ß y M a r y I m i a y T a y lo r
niff.
CHAPTER X
with the darkness of the approach
ing storm.
Stenhart, weak and
stunned from his fall, stumbled and
set the stones rolling and tumblmg
ahead of them.
“ Steady, old chap.” said Jim. and
his supporting arm tightened.
It
seemed to him that Stenhart suf
fered with some trouble of the mind
as deep as the stiffness of his body;
not once had he lifted his dark eyes
to look ahead of him, and he was
ghastly pale. Jim. glancing back at
the steep path, saw the feet of the
men following them before he saw
their bodies. The sheriff came next;
Sherwin, he knew, was last—with his
j guards. Overhead the trees locked
: their branches now, and a dense
thicket surrounded them. They could
hear the cataract less distinctly, but
the rush of wind in the tree-tops
made a tumult. Jim , steadying
! Stenhart, spoke slowly in his ear.
“ I saw you—you and Sherwin,” he
said quietly. “ I was out in the
road; there's an opening in the trees
—one glimpses the ravine. How did
you come to fall in that way. Max?” ,
Stenhart roused himself; he lifted
his head and tried to meet Jim 's
He sought a foothold, a crevice,
and found one where the tree had
rooted, a wide fissure in the wall of
rock. He swung toward it, got his
foot into it, and, holding thus to the
rope and the cliff, reached down and
laid his hand on Stenhart's body. He
thought he was still conscious, for
his heavy eyelids quivered, but he
lay there, a dead weight. Swiftly,
cautiously, Sherwin wound the rope
around his body and made it secure
under the armpits, balancing him
self on a foothold so narrow that a
touch might hurl him down. Then, '
grasping the slack of the rope, he ;
began to climb. The ledge seemed
a thousand feet above him. but, at
last, he lay on its brink, gasping.
He heard sounds now other than
the cataract, the crashing of boughs,
voices' He took no heed of them,
for, as he rose to his feet, he saw the
tree that supported Stenhart go
down and the motionless body swing
out on the end of the rope. Sherwin
braced himself and began to haul '
him up by mam strength. Slowly,
surely, he drew his enemy out of
the abyss, steadied him at the edge
of the rock, brought him safe over
and laid him down. His own muscles
ached and his head swam, but Sten
hart still breathed. He opened his
eyes and looked up in Sherwin's
face. Sheer terror leaped into his
eyes, but he was spent, helpless; his
white lips moved, but only one word J
came in a whisper.
“ Water!”
A mountain spring was trickling
close at hand, and Sherwin cupped !
the water in his hands and wet his j
face and lips, ar.c again Stenhart !
tried to speak; but. as his rescue^
bent to listen, heavy hands fell upon !
him and there was a shout of tri
umph.
“ Get him. Sheriff:'*
Sherwin, on his knees beside the
injured man, looked up to find the
posse closing in. He shook off the
man who had grasped him and rose
“ Sangre de Criste!” she whis
to his feet just as Jim Keller panted pered. awed, “ it is a judgment—his
up the trail.
dreams, his terrible dreams!”
“ Hold on, C utlerl” Jim cried,
“ that man saved Stenhart—I saw ■ questioning eyes, but he wavered
and gasped.
him—at the risk of his own life :”
“ I —he was going to k ill m e!” he
"A in ’t taking no chances. Mr. Kel
ler. Here you, Adams, you hand said weakly; "th a t was it. I re
cuff him; he's the man we’re a fte r!” member now, Sherwin was going to
Sherwin offered no resistance; he k ill me.”
Stenhart passed his hand over his
submitted with an iron composure.
eyes
with a groping gesture.
He had thrown away his dear-
" I can t understand it,” tie mut
bought Uberty to save Stenhart.
tered; “ he w a / going to k ill me—
“ I reckon he can walk, after all,” he hates m e!”
said the sheriff. “ How you feeling
“ Then, by heaven, he did a great
now, Mr. Stenhart?”
thing—he risked his life for his worst
Stenhart tried to stand upright, enemy! Are you sure, old chap,
but his eyes had met Sherwin's and quite sure—that he was guilty?”
his mouth went dry. He wet his
Stenhart's face toon on an ashy
lips, shaking all over.
“ We'd better carTy him ,” said whiteness. his lips shook. “ I tell
Jim. “ Cheer up, old chap, you’re you he did i t ! ” he cried wildly. “ I —
oh, my God, what lightning!”
6ound, no bones broken!”
The heavens had been torn by a
“ I can walk," said Stenhart thick
jagged flash, the dark woods were,
ly, leaning heavily on Jim.
“ The ledge is mighty narrow; can for an instant, ablaze' with it; then
you manage without help, Mr. Kel the roar of thunder rolled crashing
ler?”
The sheriff was solicitous around them, echoed from height to
for the man who had helped him height.
Jim , trying to steady him, was
make his capture.
suddenly
swung aside by the other
“ Oh, we’ll do!” Jim threw a sup
porting arm around Stenhart. It was m»n'a blind agony of terror; the fall
on the tip of his tongue to tell the had broken his nerve—he was al
men to go ahead with the prisoner most hysterical. The rain began to
and bring help from the ranch and fall in a torrent and Jim, trying to
a car for the injured man, but he catch up with him again, carrie
remembered Jane; he must go first abreast of a windswept thicket. He
himself. The thought impelled Jim heard the men behind scrambling
to look back at Sherwin, and some and shouting and thought of Jane.
thing in his white face made him He had made her stay behind; was
recoil at the sight of his bound she out there still, holding the
hands. He beckoned Cutler to him. horses? He grasped Stenhart again
"Is it necessary—I mean, those and they came to the last lap of
handcuffs? By Jove, I saw what he the descent. It was dusk in the tra il
did: he’s a brave m an!”
and the rain blinded, but sudden
The sheriff nodded grimly. “ Can’t ly there was a tongue of flame from
take chances, Mr. Keller, he's a jail- the thicket, a sharp report, and Sten
breaker; swore he was goin’ to kill hart crumpled up and sagged into '
Stenhart. I ain't so all-fired clear Jim 's arms. At first he did not
in my mind what he meant to do sense what had happened; it seemed
with him anyways—he had him all j a part of the tempest, of Stenhart’s
utter collapse, and then he felt
trussed up with that rope!”
They began the descent slowly. something warm and wet on his
Jim , supporting Stenhart, went hands and knew it was blood.
ahead; behind came the sheriff,
“ Good God, he’s shot!” Jim
then the men bringing Sherwin. A gasped. Then he shouted, but his
heavy cloud had risen in the west; j voice was cut off by a volley of
its purple edges were sweeping up shots. The men behind had been
ward. The sunlight went out and, as quicker than he; they were crash
they entered the steep tra il, thunder ing into the thicket.
rolled deeply across the hills. The
Stenhart, meanwhile, hung heav
way, narrow and difficult, grew dim ily against him. “ He’s got me this
ASK M t ? A
AHOTHSK i
tim e," he murmured. "I'm shot,
J im !” He thought it was Sherwin.
Hut the sheriff came up, panting,
"H it you, did he? Here, Adams,
you hold up Mr. Stenhart. I want
you—” he hurried J im ;—“ we killed
th' fellow who did it, caught him
running—"
They pushed into the thicket, rain
dripping from their hats and soak
ing their clothes Two of the posse
were bending down over a pros
trate figure. The dead man had
fallen face downward, but they
rolled him over and Jim saw his
distorted
h face.
“ It's Jordan," he said soberly.
"He meant to ge: me—I'm afraid
poor Max is done fo r!"
“ By George, then we've killed two
birds with one stone—we've got the
outlaw and the escaped convict in
one bag! Sorry about Mr. Sten
hart—maybe the r. on had better
make a stretcher for him, eh?"
"Some one's got to go to the ranch
and get a car—I —” Jim stopped
short; he saw Jane coming.
She ran to him and clung about
his neck, forgetful of the quarrel.
"Oh. Jim, I thouK',1 you were hurt
or—" her voice trailed; she knew
that it was not Sherw in, for she had
seen him standing grimly between
his guards.
Jim pointed to Jordan. "It's done
with, Jane; I'm goo g to have the
poor devil decently buried. Jane,
ride back to Las Palomas, get Mac
to send the big car and—if she can
come through this, send Fanny. I'm
afraid poor Max got it bad. he's
collapsed—be quick'”
" J im !” she ctuni; to him. whisper
ing, “ you know what he did—Sher
win, I mean—don't let them take
him away! Do something, say some
thing! Oh, Jim , you—you must!”
Jim loosed her arms from his
neck . “ Look here, girlie. I ’ll prom
ise to do all I car., but, for heaven's
sake, get out of this quick—get a
car.
Stenhart mav be dying—it
may mean a lot to all of us Q uick!”
"J im , I must speak to him—”
Her brother caught her sternly by
the arm and dragged her to the end
of the thicket.
' Now—go!” he
said, “ or—I swear I'll have him sent
off now!”
Jane caught the look on his face
and saw beyond him the death-like
face of Stenhart. leaning against two
deputies, only partly conscious.
“ He's all In !” cried Jim. “ Can't
you see? Beat it ! "
The girl, half crying, ran out into
the road. The storm had nearly
spent itself and she loosed Tex from
the sapling where she had tied him,
and springing into the saddle,
turned his head homeward.
Her heart reproached her for the
relief she felt. When she heard the
shots she had thought only of Sher
win and her brother.
“ My heart, you are dripping!”
Teresa cried, seizing her as she
dropped from the saddle; but Jane
scarcely heard her.
“ Call Mac!” she said sharply,
panting, her hands clasped tightly
against her breast. “ And you, Fan
ny, you've got to go in the car—Jor
dan tried to shoot Jim and wounded
Stenhart; they're afraid he's dy-
mg—
“ Fanny, suddenly white, gasped.
“ Jim ’s safe?"
Jane nodded, at last aware of old
Teresa. The little brown woman
dropped on her knees, crossing her
self.
"Sangre de Criste!” she whis
pered, awed, " i t is a judgment—his
dreams, his terrible dreams!”
They brought Stenhart back to
Las Palomas through the driving
storm. The wind was snapping
branches off the great trees and
whipping the rain across the long
s’ope in mighty gusts. The big car
came swiftly, followed by the drip
ping horses and men of the posse.
Jar.e, watching from the veranda,
saw Stenhart's white face and
closed eyes as they bore him in, but
her own gaze was following the
drenched figures going down to the
men’s quarters.
She made out
Sherwin’s tall head, and then the
others closed up about him. She
drew a quick breath of relief; he
was here—Jim had not let them
hurry him away. Then she was
aware of other things. She, her
self, had telephoned for a doctor,
but it would be two hours or more
before he could ¡each them; mean
while Jim and Cutler had carried
the wounded man in and laid him
on his bed. Fanny, quiet, competent,
greatly concerned, was doing all she
could; Stenhart had lost conscious
ness, but now, under her ministra
tions, he was slowly coming back
to himself.
Mechanically, Jane
obeyed the young nurse's behests,
helping as best she could.
'TO BE CONTINUED!
fv.
quiz with answers offering
information on various subjects
(VA.A.(V.<VfV.fV.fV. fVC - (V (V f\. fS.(S.
W N. U. R d t A S t
THE STORY T H I S F A R : J * M ra-
turned (ram the cabla, and Jim u ’d her
be bad phoned the s h e rt* to rorae ».M
get Sher win.
Jane tnrned white.
She
mounted again and rode off. Jim a fte r
ber. Soon they ronld eee Slenbart and
the sheriff racing ahead. Jim Anally
• lopped Jane’s horse
Sherwta was
»landing on a r liff. Slenbart craw ling
along a ledge. Sherwta w a ltrd . sudden
ly be eonlronled bis consta, l l i r « Sten-
ha rt crum pled, reeled backw ard and fe ll
over the ledge. He was canghl by a
dw arfed tree, lim p but not dead. S h er-'
win looked down and In that m om ent
came the turning point. H r uncoiled a
rape, tied It. and began to descend the
<*• <*• <*-<* <*-
(V. Ai n- fS.fS. ^.fS.(S.fV. (A.
(V
7. Which animal is considered
T h e Q u estio n s
the
cleanest?
1. Did bull fighting originate in
T h e A n s w e rs
Spu in?
2. Thomas Jonathan Jackson I»
1. h(o. It was introdu -ed by the
better known by what nume?
Moora.
3. The total steel output in the
2. Stonewall Jackson.
United Stales in the year 186(1 cun
3. One hour and u quarter
now be accomplished in what time'*
4. About a mile and a quarter.
4. How much yarn is used in
3. No. In one season It may vary
making a nylon stocking?
as much os 3.(MX) per cent,
5. Is the caffein content of the
ti President Truman. He went
beans taken from one tree equal? up on top to get an idea of how u
6 W hat P re sid e n t w as the first single or double bridge across tint
to mount the Washington monu Potomac would look.
7. The raccoon.
ment?
Special S ire d ( ’art»
As late as 1912, American street
railways hud in operation, besides
76,(XX) regular passenger curs,
nearly 8.0011 ex p ress and freight
cars, mail cars, funeral cars and
extra-fare parlor curs.
!
i
j z S
j
.
takes
10 _
*A T GROCERS C
j
Ji
.. FOR BETTER B A K IN G
The Baking Powder
with the
BALANCED Double Action
Clabber Girl it todoy'i baking pow
der . . .
the natural choke for the
modern recipe. It. boloncad double
action guaranteet , 'it the right action
in the mixing bowl, plot that final rite
to light and fluffy flavor in the oven.
CLABBER GIRL
Head o ff costly repairs,
breakdowns with
FOAM
FILCRON OIL FILTERS!
Driving with impure oil in your car, truck or tractor can do
as much damage as driving with no o il. . . it just takes longer.
Dirt, grit, carbon and sludge increase wear on moving parts
and lead to breakdowns, costly repairs. But, with the new
Fram Filcron oil filter, abrasive particles as small as .000039
of an inch are filtered out. Result: you add trouble free miles
to the life of your tractor, truck or carl
Money-Back Guarantee
Millions of Filcron filters and cartridges have been used by our
armed forces . . . while Fram is standard equipment on more
than 50 famous makes of car, truck, tractor, bus, marine,
Diesel and stationary engines. Experts agree on Fram! More
over, each filcron filter is guaranteed to give complete satis
faction or your money back. You've everything to gain,
nothing to lose, with Fram!
Ask Your Dealer
If your tractor, truck and car have no filters, your dealer will
install Fram Filcron filters to help save motor trouble, break
downs and costly repairs. If your equipment is already filter-
equipped, have him make the Fram Dipstick Test. The Dip
stick tells the story! If oil is dirty*, he'll put in Genuine Fram
Replacement Cartridges to get the most out of your present
filters. There's a Fram cartridge to fit 'most every type of
filter, so see your dealer todayl FRAM CORPORATION,
Providence 16, R. I.
• C ertain h eav y-d u ty o il*, due Io the d etergent additive uued,
w ill tu rn d ark in color alm o st as soon as p u t in to the engine.
W here such oils are used, filter cartridges rnuat bo changed on a
m ileage or h o u rly basis.
¡RAM
FILCRON
FILTER
THE MODERN OIL & MOTOR CLEANER