IO Part, at Gem
CHAI* TIMM
tn*' dmkilsl
L» .»»I
Judith Ti
belligerent» th«« <
turn'd simultan* <»usly and sc
rear of th» tender
opposite side the . found
i and Mr Barcua Handing
■
above the body of
It ap|M*ar«d, had stunned
falling and r« uinincd in-
t«ak a. t .
at the
.1
H« i ■ ,
r <4
ward ti
ab urd
• lio eta rt*d the
tro
• to a full |au»’
1 <4
I
1 <4
ti
Hf•"> - '
iar
■4
U- h r »(>
IM: » tn
ma?
««r
!4
rV'
■ar
”
ithuut | lauaibie
<td M
! ■
li t a Ar**
aid flrw-
1 ovrr 1111« ten
rd. b. thi genti**-
”-rt. in,.
«eis
th* |<r» *
lite
-1 • * Ifie el J
f‘ and
I ee nil,
Ape
1 1»
•nd II at!
«1
said i ■> i.
Wltb th*
(re eel th*
i, ■ •
Trtn
r
1
ipc-aranra ot l aw and Judith
iiud tli«’ t«-nd« r. closely pur*
h«» «nginm-r. * bo was in turn
ur«u< d b> gentlemen with ra-
tirr«*d Bar« u* and Rose to ac-
h
puMvd him at a round
ring . lily bing enough to arlxo
nd drag her *tth him toward
Judith flung him a phrase
nnt advice In passing
i ou simpleton unless
t.-e
a qui < k run
further
f Mr Al
m Judlll i Trine
brib« d a’teh'u'p
»d and c
an
as resent fully
little before hlm t
f the Pullman Mr lai» I
assisted Rose aboard
M
utxrMclounlr <•%« piar«* i
lngrain«»d cbhalry
iy
bullet«
that
the ballast round his fret
< ar
ff»
lie K
S rrr
me lief al
rigid
dfaslly at
"M
ili» t*<
gethrr on
the Oil rrvn
rm
But on
>k herself
•Pl'
together *l>: trh«4 Up
lì » ic n» nod
phuiff.'d Mraihfully In
an « any chair,
n th*- pays of
bur>lnx h* i tini..* I.etv
« ry indi'stlon
the publlratlnn "Hh
•xt
of deep li>t*r< nt tn It
Mr ItnrruH. how**
hnd I- anted
th* l< »■* n < f Pitt«r •
* r.«-nr<' to the
rffei't that the out*
d tearing of
Mii*. Ju'llth Tritìi* wan no aure Index
to her Inward hutn<*r unleim. that la.
It nilxlit be fak**n to Indicate the di
rect contrary of Ita
»emiliane*;
th<*u(h even thia »a- no reliable rule
llctnlndlnx hln. < lf of thia, h* there
fore Invented a inert <1 Inlrreat in an
other tnaxarino—
which he kept a
-junx woman
For all her exaa ration, Judith ron-
lalncit heraelf Ion r than might have
bc*n expected
I r continued «how
nt placidity, inde*
lulled Burrus into
a danyeroua frolli
r>f security
Err
»uadi <1 that »he i ant to behave,
behave he
4’
• • r aw nar-
gradually cerned
row |y », at drat, i
lout hi Imælf in a
tnoioae reverie »1 e * •
• t ww the
aermlr.gly perniai nt i
rnlng Into
which he had pl it «<•<1 his • far«- and
Will you I»« good If 1 l«t you out?**
-
"No mor«* shenanigan?"
“I promise “
“Word of honor?”
"If my »ord of honor means any
thing to you you have it “
* Well
?“ ho said dubiously
In the same humor he turned snd ro*
|«-aa**d th«’ knob, promptly Judith
rj»« r*« d It wide '«nd rw pt out Into the
corridor. h« r mood now or »- of r«ally
fetching mockery.
"Thank y rou so mt ch?’’ she laughed
Into bls fact «• of di* «.»iiifihir«’, and drop-
ping him at n ironic < urtsy, she turn» d
forward am d swung int«j th»- di awing
room < ccup! .1» d by 1 r .ne
“Wond» r »hat she put that or. for?“
h» sp« culatrd. with r«*
r* fere
f« r« nee
n* <• to ’he
nnkle |<mg Pullman wrapp r which Ju
dith had
n fit to don during her
P* r.od of captivity
H»*av«n knows
It's hot enough without wearing more
clothing than d«-< «.♦n«-y d«*rnands
But )uu n« \«r ran t«-ll about a wom
an
I b< t a dollar I've made a
b!lth«*ring an» of myself letting her
loose at all!“
He took his doubts aft. communl-
eating them to Alan and Rose.
And his long confer«-nce with Alan
and Rose on the ot ervation platform
afford'd Judith ample opportunity in
whk h und**t« ct«-d to suborn the train
crew to treachery.
Whether she did or not. this is » hat
happ«*n«-d In the course of the next
hour th»* p« < al ».i-» f«»r««'d to tak* a
aiding to mak«* »ay for the California
limited. mt bound, and when thie had
passed.
of the special
coughed
ly and pulled
swiftly oi
Pullman stalled
on the sic1
From i
f th«» tender the
brakemar
n av* <1 aff» ting
far»*» «11«
J rnant faces of
CHAPTER XXXIII.
P u 11 rr. a n.
<» !r>j <1*
luw rurftoitrd, ’ and
m * to tt.«* brnkrtnan
I pro
got to fix thing» up with
sist» r <
there a really any doubt tn your
I as t*> that, ' ftarceia aaiej rising,
i t mine) telling you you re right "
*. hilt at
(lisy 1
n t l
t’Atis <1 »» Alan <titered the car
With 1 :■
An*!
him an*] was gre.-ted by a »term
re«» Imi 1. ,-n put
u|H*ratlon that fairly bllatereel
snd >
u ht t
moment of r* i •
le’la of the Pullman Mr Seneca
•M
hclpleaa In tela Invalid chair,
I’lebrate-d hia Introduction to the
Ctpiti .1 li
a .
UK man whom tec haei never before*
■'S» i ■»■
achemed to
Rnis •>
His h> avy
les «i M
i
» snd 1her be 1
through the
troth
r 1
rus had bla L
tocsin.
Med I
Alan mad« no effeert to restaend. but
•bon: imi ■
listened with Ids bead critically tn
(ba ■” H ’J n 1 .
porter.
tele anet an «*xn»|H*m<Ing expr*a
darin.
• " i
of deep Interest informing his
1« «111
ali fl t
ifferlhK
eeuntetiancs until Mr
Trine was
«haïr in»
n -■
i
hout a
of breath and vitriol; when
mur» ■ i » < ■’ th
wrath '
younc**r man boat'd with lb« slight
■ ||lx
mounti
■ . r 1
shade of mockery In his manner
And
length 1 M Ml and »a*» I a tolerant hand to Barcua.
won h
th-it Iglnomial »
”H«* lias. n<* doubt,“ Alan Inquired,
1 ou a mi '
ly to be
te cell aboard this car?**
si and
Barcus agreed, aping
railroa i n.
»«•Il the manner of his apparent casta
It *i
» be jus t> who
and color “Ain’t dat de troof***
hrOUgh Ihr I
1
el
“Take him a»Ay. then,” Alan re-
ing r»f t i
t
ut “shiftl« i «a and quest« <| »»arily “If you pleas«»“
uilabor H'
"Yas, »uh!“ Barrus replied, with
Mr 1
II« g-’-l ’t «•••! ■;
■ ; iromptly
nlmbla alacrity s<*lting th«* back of the
Harens Jenni’* t for hi* throat with a ì wheeled « hair and rv inging it round
for a spin up the length of the car.
Before Trine had recovered enough
t<> cur»«* him ¡»r»»i’«-rh, the <1 >r t » his
dn»uli.>- room »¿»n < |o«o <f and Burma
wait ambling back down the n l<*
Hia grin of relish nt this turning of
the table»« on the tnonomanlnr proved,
however, short lh«-d
It «rased itself
In a t»inkling when Judith shouldered
roughly past him, uearing a sullen
nnd forbidding count«*! atice, and flung
herrelf Into tho draalng room with
her fath« r
The cause of her temper waa not
far to s<*«‘k at th«* fnr end of th«* car
Alan waa bending rollcltously over th«i
chiiir in which Ros«» was r«*sting. i Ono
of hln iirms was iiround h« r shoulder.
Her fa«
was lifted confidently to his.
Ba *cua mused morosely on his ap-
pi'di' naion of trouble n brow, simmer
ing ox or the taxing flroof (hat atrange
women*« jealousy, lie didn't Ilk«* the
prorp ct nt all If only Ainu and R oh «»
hadn't boon so d^’spemtely in levo
that they couldn’t keep away from one
nnotli«»r! If only Alan had been s« n-
slid«» enough to outwit the woman nnd
lent «• her behind when ho started In
pursuit of the special! If only there
hr<1 not boon that light engine in pur-
—an Barcus firmly belhmul It must
londed to the guards with Trine's
iinscruptih *is hirelings!
No tollln < when they might catch
One of His Arms Was Around Her up!
Shoulder.
The fear of thia Inet catastrophe
worked together with hl« fours of .hi
bellow Of r. ■
lli- hr. . i tn leaped
dlth to render that night li sleepless
lor hia shot« I mid b .ni<l h-il It tint at
one for Bui cur . He spent It In s chair
' ningly
Mr I ait uh m id*’ nothing of
whence lit* could watch both the door
that, he < loseil iii without hesitation
to th«* com lartmetit Judith had chosen
and got the tli in.in by the thio.it | ro
for her own (formerly Marrophat's
reeding to shako til" hr illi i nt ol his
quarters) ind th«» endleaR ribbons of
body with the griuitest i ..oil will mid
stool that swept beneath th«» tracks.
dispatch
In th« com so of this enter
But nothing hnppened. Ho napped
talnment th« fireman slipped on tho
uneiiHily from time to time, waking
cub plaitorin, trod on nothing, mid
with n Ht irt of fright, but always to
went over bai kward i. Inking Mr. Bar-
llnd nofnlng
iimlss.
Ever Judith
cua with him to the linl' i I
stopped behind Unit (dosed door, and
At glniosl the s. ino moment Mr.
ever th«* truck behind was Innocent of
Law, at t • in t d I ng to restrain the engi
th«» glt.ro of a pursuing headlight.
neer from going io the n.«latiinco of
Nor did anything untoward mark tho
hia fallen worker, dueled 'll under a
progress of th«» morning uii I«> hr , In-
vicious swing for Ills chin, grappled
dm d, Judith's
protracted sessions
with hlu in«, tripped him up mid went
with her father behind tho closed
v. Ith his to tli« ground on th« oppo
door of th«» drawing room wore to bo
site Bid, ni th« l< ><•< > in i > 11V <• freni that
counted ominous.
occupied by Mr. IlnrcuH mid th« fi re
Ever since lunch-time tho girl had
man.
boon closeted with her father; Ihircus
For th. next several seconds ho was
had beet getting aome well earned and
i ery bus. Indeed keeping I i I h face out
f the ballast. The engineer was a sorely n« edod rest in hia quarters;
Alan sto tiding Ilia watch on Uie obs r-
’’•vy Ann, hut active mid Infuriated,
ration plntf« rm, in company with
lie tough' like a demon unihnlned. It
..M gULvury exciting. All. Law was Rose; and the train booming along
Uno UKll
DMCUULh WildMl llHMte Of Ml U1
Struck the Caboose With a Crash Like the Explosion of a Cannon.
Alan and Ban us when they showed In
hands tor the purpeeses of his mns
the front doorway
quernele’- staining them a shade of
etxeiiv Upon which map and water and
CHAPTER XXXIV.
scrubbing liael re e ffect whatever And
ho had Invented a rneeet e xcruciating
Hand Car.
li,«:hod of reve ctiglnr himself upon th«»
"Well!" Mr liarcus broke a silence
druggist who had
I
tak« n advantage of wh<■•*•- eloquence may not be translated
hia confide nce 1» a'd sold him the in- in print
can you beat It?”
eradlnble dv c when he was roui •d by
"Not with this outfit." Alan admlt-
th« «udden fils t of a rnngaxine ac ross ted gloomily
the car misting his brail by a bare
"But- damn It' — we've got to."
two Itie'hea. and the bang of a chair
"Profanity eien youra. my friend-—
overturned by Judith as she ju min'd | won't make this Pullman move without
furiously toward an engine.”
up ami flung herself
I
the door.
"All the same, we eant stop hero
Ju«t what h«d happened on the nb- like- bumps ou a beg. waiting for that
aervailon platform Barcus didn't know, gang of thugs to »ail up in the light
but ho could readily believe that the engine and cut our bl *•<1 throat«."
lovers hail Just Indulge el In some espe
Mr la« answered this unanswer-
cially provoking unit long druw n-out able contention uuly with a shrug,
caress.
Then, stepping out on th«* forward
lie' ove rhauled Judith none too soon. platform of the Pullman he cast a
In another mon e nt she would have hopi'le'ss eye over the landscape.
had her sister by the throat—If leer
Haw, rugged hills hemtued In the
purpose had not been to throw Hose right of way. hills whose vast flanks
bodily overboard, ns Bare us sus|>ected
we re’ covere d with dense thickets of
Hai iilly, he was as quick on hie feet mesquite, chapi-aral, sagebrush and
as Judith i n hers;
ra; and almost before cacti, the haint of owls and rattle
he h eel grasped
<t the
th« situation,
situation, he hail snakes anti
litndo
No w iy of es
graaped her -hr.d seized her arms and cape from that ;
k* t In the hills oth
dia»n them (orc ely behind her back. er than by tho rall.-oad ltse’lf
nt the annic time ■ winging lu r round
lie low e re el his gaxe to the tracks
and endeavoring tn propel her back and siding . net started sharply
through the dourwry.
Eh what now?” Barcus inquired
It wa> a man aite *». For tho rnsu- with Interest.
Ing five mlnutea he had hh hands full
"Se nte thoughtful body has left an
of violently “neentful nnd superbly old hand car over there in thee ditch.”
iibl*-hodh-d young woman Only with Alan replied. "Maybe if Isn't beyond
the greateat illfllculty dlil he auccced sen Ice—"
In wrestling her up the aisle and to
"With me supplying the horsepower,
tho door of her compartment, where I suppose!"
nil even more furloua realatance for
' llorse Isn't the word." Alan cor-
i emo nild11lonnl mlnutt prefaced the rocteel me ticulously; and escaped tho
ultimate cloning of tho door upon tho either'» wrath by dropping down to tho
maddent <1 Judith. Even then he might ballast anti trotting over to the ditch.
not draw a free breath there wan no wher<> the hand car lay.
way of locking that door from the out
"Looks as If It might work." he’ an
I
bid!'; and lie dared not leave go the nounced. "Coxae along and lend nte a
handle, lest the gitl attain tly out und hand.”
renew the battle.
"Half a minute." Barcus answered,
Waving aside Alan'a proffer of as- dodging rudtler ly back Into the car.
slatnnco, he ac idly advise d that gen
When he’ reanpeared, after some tlvo
tleman to re turn to his poet of duty minutes, Roeet accompanltwl him. and
and not let his Infatuation blltul him Barcus was entiling as brilliantly as
to what might nt any moment loom though nothiug whatever was wrong
up on the» track he hind the m. Pnrc'.ts with his world.
stoutly held the door against the girl's
"Sorry to keeip you waiting, del top."
attempt to pull it open and througn h<> cxplulned; "but I was smitten with
another period «In n she oce upieel her- an Inspiration. There didn't seem to
self with kicking Its panels as If hope be any » use in letting the amiable
ful of breaking a way out. A long Juellih loaae upon this fair land, sei I
puuso folleewed. He licarel no Bounds found a coll of wire’ In the porter’«
from within. And wearying, he* won
closet t.tiel wlreel the handle’ ot the
elcred whnt the de vil rhe' was up to. drawing room door fast to th« bars
Then her voice’ penetrated the barrlejr, across the aisle. It'll take her eome
Its accents calm and not unainlablo:
time to ged out, now, without assist
"Mr. Ilare us!"
ance.”
"Hollo!" he replied, gtartled. "What
Ten minutes more hael passed before
1« It, Miss Judith?"
tho two grimy and perspiring gentle
"I’lea»« led me cut.”
men Hucce’e deel In pla' ing the hand car
"Not much."
upon tho track«.
"Oh please!”
“It's n swell little h"nd car.” Bar
Struck by the' fact that «he hadn't cus eibservoel grlmiy "no v < nd -r the-y
lost her temper on henrlng his refusal, threw It away.”
he he sitate <1 It W hs very true that he
"What'.i tho differ ence. uu ,e *1 icuk.i.
couldn't «lay lluru tusver, holding on
“But will If’" Barcus doubted
Horne»here far bark along the line »
locomotive hooted mournfully
if ” Alan replied, helping
“Its got to!"
Rose aboard “If we can only Ktil out
of sight before they get here
“Don't
worry,“ Barcus advised
| “that's a freight whistl*
“Maybe you can distinguish the
wh'xtle of a freight from that of a pav
senger train I don’t say you ran»,
but I'll take no chances on your jud *
| rnent being good
Hop aboard
you're coming with us’"
I
Hlowly the hand «ar stirr«*d on Its
grease hungry and complaining axles.
slowly It gathered momentum aad
surg'd noisily up the track an Alen
and Bar* us. on opposite sid* s of th«*
handlebar, alternately rose and f« II
bark, slowly it mounted fh*9 «light
grade to the bend in th«* »rack. rounded
It. lost sight of the stalled Pullman
on the siding and b*gan to move more
swiftly on a moderate du wn grade.
Behind it the thunder of an ap
proaching train grew momentarily tn
volume, lending color to the theory of
Mr Barcus that what they bad beard
had been the whistle of a freighter
rather than of the light engine
But
just as Alan »as about to advocate
leaving the tracks and taking the hand
car »Ith them, to ch ar the way for the
train, its rumble b* gan to diminish,
grew h.*es and beautifully less, and was
Stilled
“What do you make of that*1
panted across the racking bar.
“The obvious" Barcus returned
“The freight has taken the siding to
wait for a* me other through train to
pass We || have to look sharp and be
ready to jump “
The rradp b.-ram» a tra*e mere
Steep; th* car b . v*-d with I»-a
tance
coast
“Let
down the balance of this incline—and
we'd better save our strength."
But they bad barely regained their
breath and mopped the str< aming
sweat away from their eyes when a
second whistle, of a different tone,
startled both back to their task
Catching th* eye of Barcus Alan
nodded despairingly
"Afraid It's all up with us now.
groaned; that sounded precisely like
the whistle of the light engine "
"Sure It did!" Barcus agreed
wouldn't be us If we had any better
luck
The saints be praised fo
grade!”
For all Its age and decrepitude the
hand car made a very fair pa e at the
urge of the two who rose and sagg**d
again without respite on either side
the handlebar: and th* grade was hap
pily ling, turning and twisting like a
snake through the hills.
A little grace was granted them,
moreover, through the circumstance
(as (hey afterward discovered) that
tho light engine had stopped at the
siding long enough to couple up Trine's
Pullman thus automatically ceasing
to be a light engine, and becoming a
special.
It was fully a quarter of an hour be
fore the’ growing nimble of the latter
warned the trio on the hand car. just
as tt gained the end of the trade and
addresse’d itself to a level though tor-
tuoue stretch of track.
And at this point discovery of the
switch of a spur line that shot eC
southward into the hills furnished Alan
with his indi’pi’tident Inspiration.
Stopping the hand e ar after ft had
Jolted over the frogs, he Jumped down,
set the switch to rhunt the pursuit off
to the spur, and leaped back upon
the car
Hardly had they succeed d In work
ing ti e’ hand car up round the shoulder
of the next buid when th» riiec.al took
the switch withe it pauee and the roar
of its progress, shut off by an Inter
vening mountain, was suddenly stilled
to a murmur
But even so. there was neither rest
for the weary nor much excuse for
self-congratulation: th«’ rumble of the
special was not altogether lost to hear
ing when the thundt r of the freight
replaced and drown« d It out.
Of a sudden, releasing the handle-
bar. Alan stood up and s'gued to Bar-
cus to imitate hie < \ im; !e.
"Well - *" this Inst panted, when he
had obeyed.
"Jump off—leave the hand car where
It Is they'll have to stop to clear it off
tho track."
"And then?”
1
“I'll buy a lift from them if ft takes
my last dollar in the world,” Alan
promised
"It's our only hope. We
can’t'keep up this hi’artbrcaking busi
ness forever—and it can't be long be-
fore Trine and Marrophat discover
their mistake!"
I
!i
lily to i. r
• in
f
th* time and th* event she was biding
with such pati* me a- s'i> could fr.ua-
tsr
Th* whistle of a lorom H
taking the freight
jr. 1 d th
for ber to take act on on her c
plan
Rlalng. ah* glanced HL *
fl
dfx.r A curve in the
freight latonng up a
abl*-d ber to catch a g
light, followed by a i
led
windows, indicating a
’ !.e
Special, be.yot.d a doubt
Without hesitation s I n»e »he »rain
wia not runrrnjr at
drop}» 1
out to the ba iasi. wh«*!<-d « rrar’./
about, caught th« handbar at th* « I
of th* box car as It passed and swung
herself up between ft and th* oboo?^.
A trifle iater the freight gamed the
summit of the grade and began to run
more imrx tbly.
Climbing to tk
■he peered keen
Ing, whh h • iH I
she might not du
Judith Uncoupling the Caboose.
trading frvm the window of the spe
cials engine, one on either aide.
At a venture, «he snatched off h?r
coat’and waved it wildly in the air
An arm answered the signal from
one window of the pursuing locomo
tive.
Marropbat. of course!
She turned and peered ahead
The
freight a as approaching a trest’r that
spanned a wide and shallow gully.
So much the better!
Dropping down again between tho
cars, she set herself to solve the prob
lem of uncoupling the caboose.
In this she was successful just aS
the last car rolled out on the trestle
Its own Impetus carried the cabooe«
to the middle of the trestle before it
stopped.
As this happened. Alan and Barcus,
already warned ot an emergency by
the slowing down of the cur. and for
some time alive to the feet that the
special was again in pursuit, leaped
out upon the ties and helped Rose to
alight.
Already the last of the freight w as
whisking off the trestle, Its crew thus
far unconscious of tt ir loss.
And behind them the special wiiS
plunging forward at unabated speed.
There was no time to execute their
plan of th»> first desperate instant to
run along the ties to safety cn the
solid earth: the distance was too
gr< at; they could not i ’saibly mat co It
With common impulse the two men
glanced down to the bottom of the
gully, then lookeel at each other with
eyes,informed by common inspiration.
ltarcue announced In a breath:
“Thirty feet —not more."
Aim replied
"Can you hold th«
weight of the two of us for half a min
ute?"
Barcus shrugged: “I can try. We
might as well—even if I can’t ”
While speaking, he was lowering
himself between the ties.
"All right," he announced briefly.
With a word to Rose. Alan slipped
down beside Barcus. shifted his hold
to the body of the latter, and climbeel
down over him until he was supported
CHAPTER XXXV.
1 solely by the grasp of his two hands
on Barcus' ankles.
Caboose.
Instantly Rose followed him. sll(>
For once. In a way. it fell out pro- ping like a snake down over the two
and
clscly as Mr. Law had planned
men till she’ in turn hung by her grasp
prayed.
on Alan's ankles, then released her
Constrained to pull up In order to re hold and dropped the balance ot the
move the obstruction from the track, distance to the ground, a scant ten
the train crew of the freight choked feet, landing without injury.
down its collective wrath on being pre
A thought later Alan dropped lightly
vented with a sum of money. In the to her side, staggered a trifle, recov
hopes of further largesse it lent Its ered and dragged her out ot the way.
common ear to Ainu's well worn tale,
Barcus fell with a heavy thump and
which had so frequently proved useful went upon his back, but demonstrated
in similar emergencies, of an eloping his lack of Injury by immediately pick
couple pursued by an unreasonlngly ing himself up and Joining the others
vindictive parent; and had its hopes in a mad scramble for safety.
rewarded by the price Alan bargained
Overhead the special engine, hur
to pay in exchange for exclusive use tling onwarel like some titanic boil,
of tho caboose as far as the next town. struck tho caboose with a crash liko
So that It was not more than ten the explosion of a cannon. It collapsed
minutes before Hose was settled to upon itself like a th ug of pasteboard.
rest in such comfort as the caboose af
That it had been constructed of
forded. while Alan and Barcus sat more solid stuff was abundantly
within Its doorway and smoked.
| proved by the shower of timbers, splin
Neither he nor any other aboard the ters and broken Iron that rained about
freight suspected for an Instant that, the heads of the fugitives.
In the box car next forward of the ca-
For all that, the’ gods smiled upon
booee. a woman In man's clothing lay
e uta*«. Uivy uacapsd
pwduo. uow ami aaaiu yUunkli^a u; 11 hz »tit u azH-’itnh________ __ _