' , . i . . - - - . :' .- ': ; ..... . .. i i
III I I if , . 1 ' - J"' Jill i. . :.: ' v , " T'lhi-raBl III 5' ' K - xO' I III ' 1 1
MR. BARCUS SAW HER HANDOME FACE DARKEN
i
The photo-drama borrespond-i 4
Ing to this InBtallment'of "The;
Trey O' Hearts" may be seen
at the Star theatre, 'today, Mon-(
day and Tueuday, Subsequent
installments will )e published
on this page of The Sunday
Journal Magazine every Sun- .
' day until completed and on the
day of publication and for two
days thereafter readers may
ee each ' installmeBt enacted
at the movies. j
' j
. j
Part. 13 The. Jaws of Death.
SYNOPSIS' The Trey of Hearts is
the "death sign" employed, by Seneca
Trine in- the private war of vengeance
which, through the , agency of i his
daughter. Judith, a woman of violent
passions like his own, he wages against
. Alan Law, son of the nan, (now dead)
who was innocently responsible tor
the accident which left Trine a help
less cripple for -life. Alan loves and
is loved by Rose, Judithi twin and
double, but In all other respects her
opposite. Judith vows to compass
Alan's death, but Alan saves her life
under dramatic drcvunstances, and so,
unwillingly, wins hr love. Thereafter
Judith' is actuated in turn by the eld
hatred, the new love, and Jealousy of
her sister, Rose; .she becomes alien
ated from her father through- her fail
use to carry out his -.homicidal plans,
and because of the a.id she has ex
tended Alan in his flight with Rose
from the vengeance of- Trine through
the mountains of western Arizona.
Copyright, 1914, by
Louis Joseph
vance.
Camp-for-the-Night. .
. .KLL, gents!" the driver ob
Al served cheerfully, withdraw.
f w Ing head and hands from long
and Intimate communliin with the
stubborn genius beneath; the' hood, "I
reckon you-all may's well make up
your minds to christen thls-hyeh sa
lubrious spot Camp-ar-the-Night.
You won't be goln' no lartheh not
just t" present. Pulling thds old wag-"
on . through them desert sand a back
yondeh has just naturally broke' the
heart of that engine!"
"What, precisely,, is the. trouble?"
Alan Law Inquired, rousingfrom anx
ious preoccupation.
TPlumb bust all to hell,' the chauf
feur explained tersely.
' "Nothing could be fairer, more ex
act and comprehensive than that," Tom -Barcus
commented. V
Law nodded a head too weary to
respond to- the other's humor. His.,
worried eyes reviewed' the scene of
the breakdown. - A ring of arid hills,
seamed with gigantic folds,' all silver
and-purple in .the moonlight, made it
a natural amphitheatre. On V ahead
the wagon trail snaked -through the ,
wilderness of mesqidte and chapparal;
to the rear it wound tout of sight round
me root or a gigantic ma. a. emu
air shivered through the canyon that
till nightfall had been like a furnace
pit. Peering--over the eastern hills,
a gibbous moon of sardonic cast
grinned on the little "group gathered
round - the : stalled automobile. :
,Whafs to be doner Mr. Law won-,
dered aloud. r ' ,
Take it calm," the affable chauf
feur advised. - " 'Frettin' won't get
you-all nothinv if it was me, I'd call
it. a day, make a fire.' get them ,cush-;
ions out of. the cyah; and get some
resi. i , x ou . can 1 ao noinin till . 1 get
back, anyway,-and that won't be much,
before sunup.
"Where are you going?" Barcusde-
manded. , ' i 1 '
--WaUcin', frtend; Just walking, V
"What forr t
"To fetch help leastways, lonless
yo've- got some kick comin and ud
ruther - stop bysh permanent . . .
- -"But where to? . How f ar the
. nearest town r' . -.... :.;,'.. ; :
"If It's , town, yo're - wantfa', why, -,
,MesquUe's "bout" as . nigh as any
somethln' like twenty mUes off yon
. deh. . You take the up-trail, where -it
forks,, t'other end .of this canyon. But
me, X ain't calcuTatin" to tramp's far e
. thaC-I'm almln'. to hoof ,lt..on more'n
a matter of nine mile along this hyeh
wagon trail, to Watson's ranch, t'other -side
j these hUls. I can get hosses
there; and a buggy for the old gent,
too-rif he's in too much of a-hurry
XQ- sit in -me cyan wnue w- tow. it
through ! with -mules.":!' i J
He . turned off and ! busied 1 himself
with preparations against his Journey.
- Tit's simply things like this ;mad
me believe this isn't, after all. nothing -more.
nor. less than a' long drawn out
nightmare." Barcus , observed ' - pen- -
. " "inuw, m
stracUon. ' .
"Thanks ' for ' the : ', fender
hoping somebody would ask m to ex
plains. . What Tm driving at is the
fact that one thing alone . persuades me
that ' our headlong career bears any
specious verisimilitude .- , to real life.
How so? - Mr. Barcus; what is this
one thing alone? What but the
HWJosopher's ap.hori&m, : Mr, Law?
THE
Whaddyamean, philosopher's aphor
ism, Mr. Barcus? Why, Mr. Law, need,
one remind you of :, that corcuscant,
nay. deathless truth: 'Life Is Just one
damn' thing after another'? ... For,
If there be truth In that saying, then,
my poor frfendj this indeed is life."
So Mr. Barcus shook a morbidly ap
prehensive head.
'"Bad business, my friend P he men
tally apostrophized the unwitting Alau
Law. "Bad business and only tne
beginning of it, or I'm no prophet, if
you had the wit With which Providence '
has endowed the domestic goose, you'd
realize that - 70a might as ' well en
courage the attentions of a coy young
cyclone as the .affections of that
handsome,, upstanding and able bodied
young woman who's spilling her heart
asft of her eyes Into yours this blessed,
minute as ever was! Not to mention
tbje trouble you're brewing lor your- -self
with the young woman to whom
your-affections are unswervingly de
voted J What do you think: she's going
to think if this . sort of thing goes
on much longer between you and - Ju
dith? And what oh, what! do yoa
think Mistress Judith is going to do
' when she finds that . you're merely
being polite to her after all? I
"wouldn't be In your shoes for more'n
a million dollars, Infatuated nan
and I'd rather not be In my own, for
that matter, if this history of catas
. trophes is to have many more chapters
in, which my fortunes are cast with
yours!" . v v,
He interrupted himself to nod know
ingly and . with profound conviction:.
"I knew It. Now it begins again!
For Rose had abruptly taken a hand
in the affair, a gesture of exaspera
tion prefacing her call: "Alan!"
To her Mr. Law turned instantly,
with such alacrity . that none who
watched might doubt which of the
two women came first in his esteem.
Nor was this wasted upon the un
derstanding of Judith. 1 Eyeing her
narrowly though furtively, Mr. Barcus
saw hex handsome face darken omi
nously as Alan with! only the-briefest
word of apology broke off their con
versation and turned away to his be
loved; even as her lips tightened and
her eyes gleamed for an Instant-, their
shadowed depths lit up like a distant
sky with the heat lightning of a sum- .
mers night. j
And her father i I was as ; quick to'
-recognize these portents of trovbre
. and to seek to advantage himself of
Ithem.
His head craned out horribly on his
long, .wasted . neck aa he pitched a
sibilant, whisper for her ears, and his
face in the moonlight seemed to glow
with, the reflection of . that Inferno
which smouldered in his evil bosom.
But one ; was silenced, the other
quenched. ( all in. a twinkling. His
daughter turned on him In a flash of
Imperial rage. .i- , , V :
.. Her ..words were bitter and sham.
and' her voice so- guarded that neither
Alan nor . Rose was 'disturbed by the
. inciaent as tney stooa in conference
' iom thirty-odd feet distant; only Mr,
Barcus . caught 'snatches of the wo-.
,man's1tlradaw -
"Be BUent! he' heard ber say. "Be
- silent, do you hear? Don't ever speak
- to. me again unless you want me. to
replace that gag. -1 say, don't speak to
me! . . ?- I am finished with you once
and -for; all - time; never again shall
you pervert my nature' to your damna-
Die purposes never again shall .word'
or . wish ot yoursv drive me to lift my
- , band .against a man v. who has never
done jrou the least, harm. though; your
persecution of him iWould .hav ac
quitted - him of a -charge of ? man
slaughter in any. court on grounds of
self .defense! .i. Understand mi!"
she ragecL. "I'm through. Hencef orthjt
go my . way.r and you yours." : :-.'
. Her- voice, broke, ii She clenched her
hands Into .two, tight fists with 1 the
effort, at j self - control, and ' lifted a
wri then face to the moonlight. ---God
help us both! she cried.'' ; i
. II A in a Glass, Darkly l;
THOrjGHTFUIXY Mr,' Barcus re
" turned! his attention to the lovers.
V . If the -. evidence of - his ' senses
j,did not mislead him,, he was'Witness
;i ing-their, first difference of opinion.
... It was not an argument acute enough
'to 'deserve the nameV of -quarrel;; but
. undoubtedly the two .were at odds up
m on - some, question- Rose Insistent
Alan reluctant. '. - - 1
This last gave way: ; In 'the ' end;
shrugged, returned to the car.J-
' going . back up the trail.- he
announced, and hesitated oddly.
?erei, no douot,"' Barcus suggestedif
i ' "Rosa thinks if. H--,f 7-'
here" Alan began to explain, ignor
ing the interruption.
.':iJ?aJioa la rtht eh.' Miss Ju
dith?".: Barcus Interpolated. " '
Judith nodded darkly. '
He set himself seduousiy to divert
Judith with the magic of his convor
satlonal ? powers en offering -4ndlf-
XarenUy.ecelvedHav was still bilthely;
OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND,, SUNDAY
THE ARRANGEMENTS OF
gossiping' when Judith flung away id
her sister's side.
The ensuing quarrel seemed but the
more portentous in view of the re
straint imposed -upon themselves by
both parties thereto; never once did
either forget the presence of their
father and Barcus; though they ceased
not. to.. fling. 'the bitterest of recrimi
nations into each other's teeth, they
were at pains not to betray the all
too patent subject of - their dispute,
so thoughtfully modulating their ac
cents that : never a word was audible
to Barcus. f t
He believed, however, that , a crisis
impended when' the tinkle i of mule
Delis sounded down the canyon road;
and at this he threw discretion to the
winds and: ran toward the two with
hands upheld In mock horror and a
manner of: humorous protests
"Ladies, ladies!- he pleaded. "1 beg
of you both, let dogs delight to bark
and bite ' .. - -.
He got no farther. Judith's . ears
were as quick as his own; she, too, hod
caught the sound of bells 'behind the
base of the hill. And Of a sudden,
'without another word, she turned and
flung away into the heavy thickets of
attdergrowth that masked all the can
yon, to either side of the wagon trail.
In a twinkling she had - lost herself -
to view in .their labyrinthian shad
ows. . !,.'. .
The remainder of. that business was
transacted rapidly enough. There
Were no preparations to be made; once
Alau had.: ridden. -up with his three
burros, nothing remained but to mount
and make off without delay. Farewells
were not for Trine though Barcus
didn't neglect to Shake a leg at him
.before .kicking his burro Into, motion.
As for Judith, she kept herself In
visible; and though he looked about
for her, Alan was sensitive enough to
Rose's tensity of emotion and forebore
to aggravate It by open search or call
ing. ;
Five minutes after bis return the
three had ridden out of sight of the
motor car. i In as much time more they
had found the forking of the trails;
and by tacit consent, none questioning
the move, struck off on what the
chauffeur had termed the up trail
the town of Mesquite, whatever Its
character and wherever it might be,
their goaL S
Broad daylight surprised them in
this state, still stubbornly traveling;
and shortly afterward showed them ,
one place so perilous that it shocked
them temporarily awake.
This was simply a spot ""where the
trail came abruptly to an end on one
side of a cleft in the hills quite 30
feet wide j and several hundred in
depth arid i was "continued on the far
ther side, the chasm being' spanned by
a bridge of the simplest character"
no more than a footway of boards '.
bound . together with . ropes ' none too
substantial In seeming, with another
rope, breast high, to serve as a hand
.rail. .
. Even the simple " contemplation of
this frail and shaky. affair demanded
all thelr.courage. But : the trail was
here too narrow to t permit a camp;
while the sole alternative was to turn"
about - and ret race their - steps over a '
ride of six mortal hours. --
Alan tested the 'bridge cautiously. It
bore . him. ; He returned, : helped Rose
to cross, !and .'.with' her .once, safely
landed on the farther, side, took his
life In 1 his hands and, aided by Bar
cus - unaffectedly' afflicted ,wltb
qualms, somehow; or other ' (neither "
ever: knew : precisely how) persuaded
' the burros - to - cross, i , .
t 'After 'that,; though i the way: grew?
more broad and easy and eyen showed
".symptoms of a' decline.7 they .had. not
strength enough . , left to ; sustain
through" another hour. . ' t ..
And-what -they thought '-'good for- ,
tune, opportunely at this pass, brought
them ' to a' clearing dotted? with . the
uunamgs ox , an: aoandonea - copper
mine.' Not a soul was' ln evidence i
4 a.. .11. , . V - - . , .
uu, vui, vua iu buucmum uueu -
shelter for beast as well as man: here
so ran 'their sleepy .thoughts ) they -'
- might - hide the burros and .themselves
for a few hours, and so obtain a little
sorely -needed sleep. : . Pursuit. If any.'
. might overlobk them ,go on In ignor-
ance vorrtneir proximity. ;
No less futile was their thought to
stand watch and, watch about. - Bare-'
ly had they made Rose as comfortable
as might be upon the rough plank
' flooring of one of. the sheds and-teth-:
ered ; the burros put of, sight, when
; Alan collapsed as if drugged,' while
Barcus, .- who had elected himself to
. keep- the first . watch and purposed
doing It In - a sitting position, with
his back against the door Jam. - felt
- sleep overcoming him like a dense,
dark cloud. ,
7 The Bowels of the Earth.
WAKENING befell Mr. Barcus In
- A - a : fashion sufficiently, sharp and
;' startling to : render 1 nim Indiffer
ent to the beneficial effects of soma
eight hours of dreamless slumber.- -
He discovered himself lying flat on
his face, with somebody's lnconsider--"
ate, heavy. hand purposely, grinding.
THEIR CAPTORS WERE SWIFTLY CONSUMMATED
the said face into the aged and
splintery planks of the shed flooring.
At the same time, other hands were :
busy binding bis own together by the
wrists and lashing the same to the r.
small of his back by means of a cord
passed round his . middle. While - his
natural If somewhat spasmodic efforts
to kick were sadly j hampered by the
fact that his ankles had already, bees
secured by means of half a dozen half '
hitches' and a square knot.
His hands attended to, his head was
released. - Promptly he lifted it and
essaped a yell; an effort rendered
abortive by the gag that was thrust
between his teeth the instant his laws
opened. This last Indignity was Inl
posed with an added touch of spiteful
cruelty, the gag being strained pain
fully against the corners of his mouth
and knotted tightly at the back of his .
neck.- After which barring a gratui
tous kick in the ribs he was left to
his own" devices, whatever those, might
be. ...;":': .;'. : - -
They were limited, in the beginning,
to resting as he was and listening in
tently. Sounda of retreating footsteps
were all that rewarded him. - Then he
heard a laugh, a cold ' and mirthless
chuckle, from some considerable dis
tance, and calculated - that he Who
laughed .was some place In the clear-
ing. A thin sound, off rustltne. as of
a heavy body forcing its wax through
underbrush, was all that followed; un
broken silence reigned thereafter.
Now the blood of Thomas Barcus
ran cold or he thought It did; which ,
amounts to much the same thing)., For
If his senses had played fair, the laugh
he had heard was 1 the laugh of Mr.
Marrophat, head devil in the service
of Seneca Trine. !'''.
He twisted his head to one side and
glancing along the floor, saw nothing'
but the wall. Twisted the other way,
at the cost of a splinter In his nose,
the effort was. repaid by the discovery
of Rose Trine in plight like unto his
ownwrists and ankles bound, gagged
Into the bargain -the width of the
shed between them. ;
But of Alan Law, no sign.
The heart of Mr. Barcus checked
momentarily; he shut his eyes and
shivered In an uncontrollable seizure
of dreadl
Then, tormented beyond endurance
by the fears he suffered for the safe
ty of his friend, he began to wriggle
and squirm like a crippled snake, pain
fully inching Ms way across the floor '
, toward Rose with. ; what design,
heaven alone knowst Dimly Ms men?
tal vision Comprehended the bare pos- :
sibiUty .of his being able, with his
fast numbing fingers,1 . to work loose -the
knots at . Rose's wrists; but deep
In his heart he knew this to be nothing
but the forlornest of hopes. . . .
With Infinite" pain he. had contrived
to bridge the distance' by half, or pos
sibly not" quite so much, when a dark
body put the sunlight ; of the .open
doorway into temporary eclipse.: Another-followed
it. Boots -.clumped
heavily on the flooring. The laugh '
- Bounded : again, apparently In ironie
appreciation of , Mr. . Barcus. efforts.
Two pair of hands, seized Him, one be-
aeath the shoulders, the other beneath
the ' knees, - and he r was lugged labori
ously out into the sunlight,' carried
a considerable distance, and deposited
unceremoniously within a few fecit of
the mouth of the aboadoned mine just
at the moment when he had satisfied
himself that the purpose of his cap
tors . was simply to ; throw "him Into
that, black f -well and if lie. survived
the effects of the fan to-leaver-them
to die of starvation if not to be eaten
alive i by mine rats, i
He wasted a look "of appeal on the
frozen: mask of villainy that was Mar
rophat's (who bore the burden of Bar
cus' head . and shoulders) and : got
laughed at .for all his pains.
Then, he '.was left to - himself once .
more, but only for a few moments; the
Interval ATMltul when the two iinnra rrf
'asrain. thin time brlnzins- Rom In nlm-
. i .. . . .. ..j, ........ . .
war lasnion.
Not until she had been Dut down be
side: him tdid be discover that Alan
was likewise a captive trussed to a
tree at some distance. - : - i
The - remaining - arrangements ' ot
their captors were' swiftly and deftly"
consummated,; though their design re-
r malned obscure to Mr.- Barcus until
. he, after. Rose, was-, dumped like a
bale into a huge : bucket, and -therein-;
by means of rope -and windlass ' low
ered to the bottomtof the-' shaft a 1
descent, : he " estimated sbrewdly of '
something like a hundred feet, '
Marrophat ' operated ?j the ! windlass, '
his first -assistants (a "boyish . body
never known to Barcus by any other
name ' than :: Jimmy) having , accom
panied Roae down the shaft and .wait-!
Ing theie to receive and dispose ? of
Barcus and 'Alan, in ,turn-JE v- i v.. - v.
His . handling of there, without as
sistance from Marrophat.-. was .much -
like the' treatment a single baggage
smasher accords an exceptionally heavy
: and unwleldly runk. Barcus was partly
dragged, i partly thrown, tumbled, and
kicked,- some tea feet or so along - a
tunnel that struck away from the foot
of - the shaft, then t left shoulder to "'
shoulder .wltajjaose-ia) darkness onljr,
MORNING. NOVEMBER . 1,
emphasized by the feeble flicker of
a candle in a miner's candlestick which
Jimmy had thrust into th. n of th'
tunnel near its. mouth, while Alan was
lowered.- brought ' in, and " thrown
roughly down across the body of Bar-
cue. .1 ,,-
A hideous screeching followed, the
protests of rusty and greaseless: ma
chinery. Twisting his neck, Barcus
saw the dim opening -of " the shaft
slowly closing, as if. a curtain, were
being drawn down over It. Jimmy
was closing the bulkhead door, leav
ing them definitely prisoners, beyond
human aid, there in that everlasting
black hole. . . . . 1
' With a final squeal and thump the
bulkhead settled into place. . A coo
fusion of remote sounds thereafter in- .
dlcated that Jimmy (with, perhaps,
' Marrophat's assistance) - was making
the 'bulkhead- fast beyond question
wedging and blocking It with timbers.
These ceased and the silence was
broken by Alan's voice. ' .
- "Barcus!" j
The latter grunted soulfully by way
of answer; he could not do more.
r"Ive worked my gag - loose." Alan
pursued - in a hurried whisper, "but
my i hands ' are tied - behind my back.
JAre yours? Grunt once for tyes.'"
, Dutifully .Barcus grunted a solitary
grunt. ' .. ; i " .
"Then roll over oil your . face and
give me a chance at your-bonds with
my teeth., I ought to be able' to work
them free that way, given time." . . .
"Time!" was the mirthless thought
of - Barcus. "Haven't we got all eter
nity?": - , :;. - i -'ip,- -'.'-"
For all that, he wasted! no ' tlm e
whatever in obeying Alan's; . sugges
tion then lay for upward of ten min
utes with his face In the mold of the
tunnel while Alan chewed and spat and
chewed again at the ropes round the
wrists of his friend. l-t
If it were In truth' no more than
ten minutes it seemed upward - of an
hour before trie bonds' grew slacked
and Barcus with an effort that cost
him much ef the skin on tone wrist
worried a hand free, then loosed the
other, removed and spat out : bis gag.
and set hastily about freeing his
friend." That took but a few 'Instants
little more, than was needed to rid
Rose of her bonds. sjji
That much accomplished, va pause
of profound: ' consternation followed.
The darkness was absolute lqthe tun
nel. Jimmy having taken the candle
away with him; and Its silence was
rendered . an canny . by - the jtpbs ' and
murmurs of the lovers, that sounded
somehow fearfully' remote and Inhu
man to Barcus who had tqmed im
mediately tsv the bulkhead and was,
without the slightest hopeif groping
about Its joints and crevices la search
.Barcus 01a ' mane
' "Yesr ;: '
"Have . you any Idea f
"Devil a one!'1 .
h
"God help US!-
;"Amen!", j,- '
A pause. . 1 ,
"Did you notice what
guard had fixed up?"
that
black-
'"Why--at the bottom of the shaft
I got only a glimpse coming 1 in the
doorof the -powder room wfcs ?open,
and, X saw a fuse set to the ' eop of a
" keg-of , blasting powder." lM
What's; the good of thatfl WeTe
" last enough as it Is!"'
, "81mply ; to make .assurance F doubly
1 sure by causing a cave-In." 1 '. . . ,
Silence) answered tnat-CBarcus
.shoulders I to the bulkhead. - ferrying
a knuckle with his teeth forvthe in
spiration1 that was over long wx com
ing. - t T
"Why the duce doesn't he setoff his
explosion, if he means to?" -
Heaven only - knows. Perhaps he s
thought of some scheme more devilish.
Perhaps . he set the stage With an
empty . powder , keg - simply to - drive'
us mad with thee train of waiting.'
"I wouldn't put that by,hlnw- either."
Barcus, commented, "See here; . What
do you know about mines?"
' "Next to nothing.'' z- .- "' -"
, ! "Then you've got' little on ma But
!-1; seem 7 to remember, hearing- or read-
; lug, some place, that tunnels have two
ends. . If that's : true, the far end - of
this ought to be about the safest place
when that explosion happens If it
' ever does." - 1 . - . -
"Something In thatr . : '
1 "Got any matches?" Barcus Inquired,',
; as 'Alan hurrledry helped Rose :to her
feet. JKi'::-4 - v; V:w i .. . :
f "Never one" .,- ?
,i I "Nor L We'll have to feel our. way
along. Let fme lead. " If I , step over
the brink of a pit or anything, I'll
" try to yell and warn you in time."' -
; Alan caught his -friend's hand In
.passing and pressed It warmly a ca-
ress eloquent of his gratKude to Bar-."
cus for taking their .peril . lightly, or
pretending to, for the sake of,. Rose,
i - 'A ticklish business, that-r-groping
their way through blackness so opaque
tnat it seemea as palpable as a- pool
t of ink. And haste was Indicated; they
- stumbled on with - what caution wu
possible against pitfalls e V gingerly
acramhle,- Then, an elbow la the tun-
1014.
IN A TWINKLING SHE WAS
nel sensed rather than. felt or seen
cut them off from direct communi
cation with the bulkhead, and. at the
same time opened up a shaft of day- :
light, striking down through that
pitchy darkness like a column of fine
gold.
't Cries of Joy, amazement, incrednlty
choking in their throats, they, stum
bled forward, gained the spot immedi
ately below the shaft, looked upward,
dazzled, to see blue sky like a coin,
of heaven's minting far above them,
at the end Of a long and almost per
pendicular tunnel, wide enough to per
mit the passage of a man's body, and
lined with wooden, ladders, i
The end of the lowermost ladder
hung within easy reach from the floor
of the tunnel. -
But even as Alan lifted his hands
to grasp the bottom rung the opening
at -the top-of 'the shaft was tempor
arily obscured. a
Thrilled with apprehension, he hesi
tated. Marrophat was up ' there, he
little doubted; hardly like that one to
overlook the. ladder, shaft in preparing
the tunnel to be a living tomb.
"What Is it?" Rose demanded at his .
elbow, in a shaken whisper. .
"Nothing." he lied instantly, and
seizing the bottom rung, swung him
self up. '"But wait for me till I sig
nal the coast's clear," he warned bei
'fore committing himself finally to the
ascent.
. Marrophat or no Marrophat at the v
top, there was nothing for him to do
but to grain, the nettle danger with -a
steady hand, unflinching. Even though
he. were shot dead on emerging from
the shaft, it were, better than to die
down there, like a rat. in a trap.
He had climbed not more than half
a dozen rungs when a voice hailed
from, above: . . "
"Law Oh, Mister Law, I say don't
come up here's a present for you."
Pausing -without answer, he looked
up. .. A few drops of water spattered
bis face, like heavy rain. Almoat'im
med lately the blue sky was perma
nently , eclipsed; a heavyj cascade of
water, almost a solid column, shot
down the shaft with terrific force.
Alan sought vainly to escape it, to
mount against it. Seeming to gain
in. strength and volume with each in
stant, it beat upon his ; head . and
shoulders with irresistible power. Be-"
fore he knew it, his grasp, had bee-
-wrenched away from the ladders and
he was shooting feet first back Into
the tunneL
Half drowned and wholly-dazed, he -felt
himself picked up ana dragged
away from the waterfall.
Then, as his senses cleared, he com
prehended the fact that the tunnel was
already filling; that where they stood
it was already ankle deep; while the
water continued to fall without hint
I of letup.
, IV Flood and Fire.
SCREAMING to make himself heard '
above the roar of the deluge. Bar- ,
cus yammered In Alan's ear.
"That devil! He's ound the resor-'
Voir opened the sluicegates turned
it into that shaft! We're done for!"
Alan . had no argument with - which
to gainsay him. Silently getting on
. his feet, silently . he groped, for Rose
In the darkness, momeotarily becom
ing more dense as the fall of water
hut out the light, and drew her away -with;
him, up the slight : incline that
led back to the bulkhead. . . .
The hour that followed lived ever in
his memory-aa an hour of hell. - No
ray of hope lightened; Its Impenetrable
blackness. . He could say nothing to
comfort the girl; bravely though she
strove to keep up her heart, time and
again she shook in his . arms like a
mad thing, when panic dread caugnt
her by the neck as a terrier catches
To die there in the darkness like so
many, noxious animals ' trapped In . a"
Weill ... . :. ;.; ' '
i The water mounted rapidly. .Within?
five - minutes it drove them back to '
the elbow in the tunnel; within 10 it
lapped their ankles as thy lingered1
there, doubting which was the greater "
peril, to advance or to. stand fast and i
let the flooding tide snuff out their
fires of life. To return to the neigh-
borbood ot the .bulkhead , was to court -the
death indicated by the fuse and
th keg of blasting powder.
Of a sudden - the ..thought fcrossd
Alan's mind that Marrophat had sr-j,
ranged the latter solely to keep them
away from.-the bulkhead. Now . that
he thought of it, be felt certain . that .
the powder room had been deliberate- I
ly disclosed to him by -Jimmy.
Probably, then, the kegji : and ' fuse
were j bt . stage propertieaV-or. possl
bly ' V , ' .i;., I . . "
Whether or i no was death in one j
form -preferable to : the other?
He was decidedly - of the . ordnloa
that it were better to be extinguished
once and; for all time, lnthe space of
a second,-annihilated by an- explosion, ,
than to die thus lingeringly.
On this consideration, he drew Rose
. wtlh hlmy back to the bftlkheedV f It
was solid a crackless barrier of stout '
oaken planks, xeenXerced with straps of
' - -1- - ','. ' '
LOST IN THEIR SHADOWS
.. -vr4i ,lt. ....
etrate It. save in the scantiest quanti
ties. "Nor could 'they- hope- that the .'
water wonald seep-out of it in suffi
cient Volume to conterbalance the del- .'
uge pouring down the ladder shaft, i
And this last was stalking thein
there in the blackness like an insatia
ble enemy. The lisp of Its advancing .
wavelets rang In his hearing like the :
purring of a man killing tiger in the
darkness of , a nlghtbound Jungle, i ?
- When - they, had been some fifteen 5
minutes - beside 1 the 1 bulkhead, the
water moumea -roe. neaa or a sugnt
rise perhaps ten feet behind them, and .
poured down In : ever - deeper, volume
to back up against the, barrier. .
It was waist deeo. ' however, before H
they : retreated to the head of that
rise.. '. i,-.-" .--' 'vct-
Half an hour later it was waist deep
mere, un nie nignesi spot in tne-tun- ;
- in fifteen minutes. more It had .
reached their , china -1 And thov nthmt JS I
with heads .against the roof of the IJ
tunnel. . -i , - , :
Holding - Rose close to him. Alan
kissed her lips, that . were as cold as i,
oeatn. . , ; . . .;
Then, - fumbling under water. . Ifa 4
found the hand of the man at his side, i
- The water lapped i his Hps like a t
tiling Ttan . ' ' -r
xu luxinei mac orancnea ou.n.
from the main shaft, bayotid the bulk-
head, some 'thirty minutes before this I
T . V. . . . . . . . . m W
-juncture, a canaie naa guttered in. its t
"sUck, left carelessly Jhrust into- the i
wall by Marrophat's ' lieutenant, and 11
mn m wvint I. '
Into a llttlA hMD nl ,hmw 1rv riahHa
This last flamed, licked hungrily at I U
me umDeras tnat upheld- the walls oti
m v,mm 1 - TV. , I ... t, . -. v. . . t
without delay. In a space of time, in- 1
creaiDiy . brief,, the. - flames were
spreading right and left, the tunnel
was a vault of blistering fury.
.to Hose and Barcus, - the fire spread A
out In th bottom of Ih shift
Invaded the powder room. i'..J
Alan had guessed aright at- Marro-U
phat's design; the keg of blastiagfS
its explosion could not possibly have j
effected th ca.vtv.ln Al&n had mt firm 1
feared. - - ,
But what Marrophat had overlooked ,
was the proximity to the keg of some
several sticks ot dynamite,, masked by
a film of earth that bad jf alien from
the crumbling watls.; ; - . .
. When the f blazing f use ' dropped j
sparks Into the blasting powder this'
. last exploded right willingly and the!
dynamite took Its t cue without the,
least delay. ' t ' J.
' The resultant detonation was ter
- rifle. The bulkhead was crushed in
1 i .
like an eggshell barrier. Part of the
walls feu fin, -hut the tunnels and
shaft remained Intact. The releasodf
.flood streamed out and spread swiftly
to - the farthest recesses of -the ourn-i
ing '. tunnel. Dense clouds of steam,
filled that place of terror as the tires
- were . extinguished. v--?.;
: Sweet with tha itrum It nmirauiv
out of the 5 tunnel, Alan .; contrived
throughout to retain bis-bold around t
the waist of Rose. Barcus shot pastH
lllm . 11 T ..An In Ym ilarVn... - T tmrt mid.
not until Alan had contrived to catch C
an unburned timber and stay himself 7
ana ma almost witless burden beneath?
the mouth of the. shaft that he dls-'
covered Barcus alive, -If almost un
recognizable in his mask of mold and
soot, battling, back toward- the shaft;
against the knee deep tide. - ; :.
. Half bunded and stifled as he waii.
y the '. reek of steam, and powder! '
fumes, Alan struggled with himselfts
Until his wits ware passably clear, il
5 Immedlately-before him dangled thej
hoisting : bucket and rope. p
- Surrendering the care, of Rose - to 1
Barcua 'Alan- climb,! into th burJcr
and started upward, . examining the
uw me niuiii. lor wjr
top. . - 1 ;V' e-v ;.- 'h-m.
' There was none ether than the most i
" difficult; gaps too great to be bridged: ' I
by climbing showed5 tnv the.; wooden m
laddera ' ; . . t
- The one feasible route was via the ?
i rope. And there was nobody, at the.
. top to work ; the windlass and' Alan 4 1
uuyeu iubb . uvula we oooay TO ' op- s
"pose his essay. ' "I
He - addressed himself to the taskf
without -. rqurmuring lifted ' himself
: uonrt th rnna. wannil It ninA a... m i:
- . - " "' i I
1 wra oesao, inai neartDreaxuig climb. ,
How: he accomplished - It he s-never-'.
r knew. -That.lt must be accomplished, -,
was his one, all . obsoii-ing thought. i
- And somehow.' br eme almost euori
human effort,-' It :was ' eventually ao;i
, COmpUSneO.. ':'. -m, -.-.-s f j .y..
He arrived at the too of th. ahaf
" far too exhausted te show surprise ' 1
'. M-V. . .111 . , ..1, . . .
'tlon within two feat of th brinv f,H
saw Judith .Trine running like madJj
across the clearing. . i:
T But without her aid - be . would ' not !
wlthi. l... h... .1.1. ... .:U
- .bum u. v w,o- vwn u.vi.w 7 w wvr a !
the windlass and lift- Rose and ' Bar'
feus to the surface. - - - I
5 (To Be Continued -Next SonJ U
1 1