The most enticing hue ot KITCHEN RANGES ever seen in Halsey is ou display at the store of HILL & CO., w ith bright porcelain and sinning nickel which need no polish. Up- to-date cooking apparatus ; latest improvements. FU R N IT U R E RUGS Our prices te ll goods man h a lf turned about, giving the girt an instant's glimpse of something that she transferred from her breast to her sleeve. It was slender and of steel, and it caught the moonlight on its shining surface. The girl's eyes glittered when she beheld It .. She nodded, scarcely per­ ceptibly, and the strange file plunged deeper Into the shadows. Fifteen minutes later Dave drew up to a halt tn a little patch of moonlight, surrounded by a wall o f low -trees and brush. • • ' ■ "There’s more than one way tn make a date fo r a walk w ith a pretty girl,” he said. T he girl stared coldly Into his eyes. “ W hat do you mean?” she.asked. The roan laughed harshly. “I mean thut Bruce ain't got hack yet— he's still on the other side of L ittle river, for all I know— (’ “Then why did you bring us here?” “Just to be sociable,” Dave returned. • T il tell you, Linda. I wanted to talk to you. I ain 't been In favor of a lof of things Simon's been doing— to you and your people. I- thought maybe you and I would like to be— friends.” ; No one could mistake the emotion behind the strained tone, the peculiar languor In the fu rtiv e eyes. The girl drew back, shuddering. “I'm going back," she told him. "W alt. I'll take you back soon. Let's have a kiss and make friends. T he old lady won’t look— ” H e laughed again, a hoarse sound that rang fa r through the alienees. He moved toward her. hands reaching. She backed away. Then '«he half-tripped over an outstretched root. The next Instant she was In his arms, struggling ugulust their steel. • filic ! • Was lit His Amjs, Struggling Against T h e ir Steel. She didn't w 's te words In pleading. A sob caught at her throat, and she fought w ith nil her strength against the drawn, nearing face. She had for­ gotten E lm ira ; In this dreadful mo­ ment of terro r and danger the old wo- man's broken strength seemed too little to be of aid. And D a re thought her as helpless to oppose him as the tall pines that watched from above them. H is wild laughter obayured the single sound that she made, ,'a strange cry that seemed lacking In. all h um jn qual­ ity. R ather It was each a sound as a pnma utters as it leaps upon Its prey I t was the articulation of a whole life of hatred that had come to a criala at last—of deadly and terrible triumph n ite r a whole decade of waiting. I f H a v e hail dts-emed that cry In tim e he would have hdried Linda from bis arms to leap Into a position of defense. The desire for women In men goes down to the roots o f the world, hut self presets ratio n Is a deeper Instinct still. But he didn't hear It In time. E l­ mira had not struck w ith her knife. T he distance was too fa r for that. But she swung her cane w ith all her force. T he blow caught the man at the tem­ ple. his arms f e ll away from the girl's hodv. he staggered grotesquely In the carpet of pin needles. Then be fell face downward. 'tffg belt, q u i c k t h e woman cried, fto iuagef was her voice that of de- greplt age. f h e girl struggled »dth (lerseif. wrenched hack her sclf-coo- and leaped to ghsg |>er aunt. They «■so-tied the rasas belt ft cm »Lout his w aist, and fhe women locked It sw iftly •bout his ankles. W ith atronj, bard L IN O L E U M S CONGOLEUM S hands they drew his wrists back of him and tied them tight w ith the long bandanna handkerchief he wore about his neck. They worked almost In si­ lence, w ith incredible rapidity and deftness. The man was waking now, stirring In his unqonsctousness. and sw iftly the old woman cut the bucksklu thongs from his tgll logging boots. These also she twisted about the wrists, knotting them agaiq and again, and pulling them so tight they were almost hurled In the lean flesh. Then they turned him face upward to the moon. The twg women stood an Instant, breathing hard. “ What now?" Linda asked. And a shiver of awe went over her at t h | sight o f the woman's face. “Nothing more, Linda," she an­ swered, In a dlstaut voice. "Leave Dove T urner to me." I t was a strange picture. Woman­ hood— the softness and tenderness which men have learned to associate w ith the name— seemed fallen away from Linda and Elm ira. They were only avengers— like the she-bear that tights fo r her cubs or the she-wolf that guards the lair. T here was no more mercy in them than In the females of the lower species. Dave awakened. They saw him stir. They watched him try to draw his arms from behind him. I t was Just a fain t, little-understanding pull at first. Then be wrenched and tugged with all his strength, hopping strangely In the dirt. The effort increased until It was some way suggestive of an animal In the death struggle— a fu r bearer dying in the trap. ■ T erro r wns upon him. I t trtis In his wild eyes and his moonlit fa c e ; it was In the desperation und frenzy of his struggles. And the tw o women saw It and smiled Into each other’s eyes. Slowly his efforts ceased. H e lay- still .In the pine needles. H e turned his head, first toward Linda, then to the inscrutable, dark face of the old woman. As understanding came to him, the cold drops emerged upon bis swarthy skin. “Good G— d !" he asked. “ W hat are you going to do?" “I'm going back," Linda answered. “You had some other purpose In bring­ ing me out here— or you wouldn’t have brought Elm ira, too. I'm going back to w ait for Bruce.” “And you and I w ill linger here," Elm ira told him. “W e have many things to say to each other. W e have many things to do. About my Abner — there are many things you'll want to hear of him." The last v «seize of the man's spirit broke beneath the words. Abner had been old Elm ira's son— 6 youth who had laughed often, and the one hope of the old woman's declining years. And he had fallen before Dave’s am­ bush In a half-forgotten fight of long years before. T he man shivered In his bonds. L in ­ da turned to go. The slle/ice of the wilderness deepened ubout them. "Oh, Linda. L in d a .' the man called. “Don't leave me. Don't leave me here » 1th her I” Me pleaded. “ Please— please don't leave me in this devil's power. Make her let me go.” But Linda didn’t seemed fco hear The brush crackled and ru s tle d ; and the two— this dark-hearted man and the avenger— were left together. CHAPTER X V III The homeward Journey over the ridges bad meant only pleasure to Bruce. Th<- days had been full of little nerve-tlngllng adventures, and the nights fu ll of peace. And beyond all these, there was the hope of seeing Linda again at the end of the trail. I t was strange how he remembered her kiss. He had known ether kisses in his da.vs— being s purely rational and healthy young man— but there had been nothing o f Im m ortality about them. T h e ir w arm th had died quickly, nnd they had been forgotten. They were Jtift delights of inouollghi -lights anil nnthl>i»m»re But be woulu wake up from bis dr«- ams at night to feel Linda's kiss npon his lips. T o recall It bronght a strange tenderness — a softening of all the hard outlines of his picture of life. But aside from his contemplations of Linda, the long tram p had many de­ lights for him He rejoiced In every manifestation o f the wild life about him. whether It was a bushy-tailed old gray squirrel, watching him from a tree limb, a magpie trying Its best to Insult him. or the fleering glimpse of a deer In t?ie coverts. But be didn't see the 'K iller again. He didn't particularly c a rt to do to. Both days o f the Journey home he wakened sharply at dawn. T he cool, morning hours were the best for travel. H e was of naturally strong physique, and although the days fatigued him un­ mercifully. he always wakened re­ freshed In the dawn. At noou he would stop to lunch, eutlng a few pieces nf Jerkey und frying a single flapjack In his skillet. And usually, during the O CT. 5, 1922 H A L S K V K N T K R P R IS K PA G E 3 of i t “Linda.' he called lu alarm. “where are you I t ’s Bruce." c o rd ia lly in v ite d to a tte n d . E a c h H e stood an Instant listening, o f B U V k i n d , “ ,e ,b ^or be p re p a re d to g iv e som e great fear creeping over him. H e b i l e s u p p l i e s — - - s u e e .s t.n n fo r i h . called once more, first to Linda anil t h , im provem ent of then to the old woman. Then he ' | J J , our meetings lo r the coming year. leaped through the doorway. lltllS C V E reel I Sneed and Roland M irk s The kitchen was sim ilarly deserted. ware home from O. A C. over tho From there he went to Linda's room. 1 and get prices. We haudle G O O D Y E A R . F IS K and week eud. H e r coat and hat lay on the bed. hut G A T E S T IR E S and are able to. sell ihere was no Linda to stretch her arms you a tire at almost any price you wish C liffo rd Carey came from the to him. He started to go out the way to pay. U. of 0 . for tho week end. he had come, but went instead to hla Automobile, repairing. W illa rd bat­ The Riugos visited at Cottage own room. A sheet of not»-paper lay tery service. Grove Sunday. on the bed. HALSEY G ARAG E It hod been scrawled h u rrie d ly ; but F D O IR BROS . Props. J. A. Porter of H ul-ey is re­ although he bad never received a w rit­ i > i ,_ „ „ J Shop, 16»S ported by the Democrat as a Sat­ ten word from Liuda be did Dot doubt 1 hone‘ 1 Residence, 164 Before bu.\ ing automo- it will pay you to come to •uSK"'ti°.° for noon rest, he would practice w ith bln rifle. H e knew that I f he were to fight the Turners, skill w ith a rifle was an ab­ solute necessity; such skill as would have felled the grizzly w ith one shot Instead of adm inistering merely a flesh wound, accuracy to take off the head of a grouse a t fifty yards and at the same time, an ability to awing and aim the weapon In the shortest iiosal- ble space of time. The only thing that retarded him was the realization that he must not waste too many car­ tridges. E lm ira had brought him only a small supply, H e would w alk all afternoon— going somewhat easier and resting more of­ ten than In the morning; and these were the times that he appreciated a fragment of Jerked venison. H e would halt Just before nightfall and make bis camp. And the best hour of all waa a fte r Ids meal, as be sat Ip the growing shadows w ith his pipe. At this hour he fe lt the sp irit o f the pines as never before. H e knew tbelr great, brood­ ing sorrow, their Infinite wisdom, their Inexpressible aloofness w ith which they kept watch over the wilderness. The smoke would d rift about him tn soothing clouds; the glow of the coals w rs red and warm over him. H e could think then. L ife revealed some of its lesser mysteries to him. And be be­ gan to glimpse the distant gleam of even greater truths, and sometimes It seemed to him that he could almost catch and hold them. Always It was some message that the pines were try- 1 Ing to tell him— p artly In words they made when their limbs rubbed togeth- , er, p artly In the nature o f a great alle­ gory of which their dark, Impassive forms were the symbols. I f he could only see c le a rly ! But It seemed to him that passion blinded his eyes. More I and more he realized that the pines, like the stars, were living symbols of great powers who lived above the world, powers that would speak to men If they would but listen long and patiently enough, and In whose creed lay happiness. The last afternoon he traveled hard. He wanted. regch Linda'? house be- urday visito r at the county seat. but that It waa her h an d ; “T he Turners are coming— 1 cuught a glimpse of them on the ridge. There Is no use of m.v trying to resist, so I'll wait fo r then, in the front room and maybe they won't find this note. They w ill take i t ? to Simon's house, und I know from Its structure that they w ill lock me In au Interior room In the east wing. Use the window on that side nearest the north corner. My one hope Is that you w ill come at once to save me." Bruce's eyes leaped over the page; then he thrust It Into his pocket. H e slipped through the rear door of the house. Into the shudows. E. L. Stiff FURNITURE EXCHANGE We have lots of good O. E. Elcbinger of Scio is the Intes' candidate to file for the sheriff's office. Douglas T a y lo r ami fa m ily took iu the slate fa ir F rid ay and B. M. Bond and fa m ily the uext day. Mrs. Brown, who has been ab­ room, is fro m the school USED FURNITURE sent teaching her class again. on hand and are getting more every day The new concrete Howe garage a t Brow nsville is