ST
T
CHAPTER XV-—Continued
—] Que
He was hoarse with passion. But as
he tried to seize her in his arms agaln,
she drew away suddenly, stopped—
and then he saw that she had a hunt-
ing knife in her hand.
“Listen to me now, James Rath-
way,” she sald, still speaking In the
game strained, monotonous tone. “1
shall never be yours. I shall kill my
self first. 1 would have fulfilled my
compact in the spirit and the letter,
had you fulfilled yours. But I didn't
trust you. I suspected that you were
tricking me—as you were.”
“That's & lie. I didn't trick
Put down that knife!"
“It's not a lle. You tricked me
twice. The first time you forced me
into a marriage with you by the threat
that unless 1 consented you would be-
tray my father to the police. I married
you, and still you betrayed him."
“1 did not. Someone else must have
done Why should I have be
trayed him? He was my friend.”
“You were the only man who knew
his secret. Then the second
knowing that I would never live with
you sent me a Iving
ture me up here, saying that you held
my father in your power. You knew
that nothing else on earth would bring
you. And it be-
father has for
you.
80.
time,
you, message to
me up to was a lie,
nuse my Leen dead
months past.
Rathway's face hlanched.
at story. How do you know?”
in his mine. His body li
of it,
you did
elieve th
“He died
it the t
stricken. If not know
he dead, at least you
when wou said he was in your
“ke lles—nat the bottom ]
7 Rathway
- He
a sort of
ke her hand.
it I did
tom where he
bo
Was wer
didn’t know
1 lov ©
I've
loved
know It all
vou belongs
your hushand, under the lay
you eave me you
it?”
thought you
How
mightn't un
far from here is the
“I don’t know)”
He burst into a spasm of fury. “By
heaven, I'm going to make you know!
Do you think you're going to keep the
ret of my own mine from me? 1
tell you I meant to have it from the
first moment that your father begun
dropping his hints, the old fool. It
as to find out about it that I stayed
on with him year after year”
“I've always known that”
Rathway stared at her.
staggered by the quiet, Indifferent
manner of her speaking. He had
not belleved her before. He had been
confident when he sent for her,
under the pretext of having her father
at his mercy, that she could solve the
secret which he had never been able
to solve himself,
Yet now It began to occur to him
as a probability that Joyée had never
known the secret, He had taken too
much for granted. If she had not
known it when she went south, as had
certainly been the ease, how could she
have learned It since?
And all his plans seemed suddenly
defented,
“You say you don't know where the
mins 187 Ah, but you told me your
fart or's lying at the hottom of it!"
he cried suddenly. “Who found him
{rer ’
“Mr. Anderson”
“He knows, then? Your lover knows
and your husband doesn’t? D'you
mean to say It wasn't you who told
him?”
Eo
He was
sO
By VICTOR
ROUSSEAU
told him nothing, because 1
know nothing. He found the mine and
found my father's body there. He
hasn't told the secret to me, and I
don't want to know.”
An extraordinary look came over
lathway's face, the look of the fox,
the wolverene. He seemed to reflect
--and suddenly he pounced.
In an instant he had gripped Joyce
by the arms, imprisoning the hand that
held the knife. With a ugh he tore
the hand open, took out the knife, and
thrust it into his belt. He strained
the girl against him.
“I've had enough of this nonsense,
my dearie!” he cried triumphantly.
“You're golng to make that lover
“I've
learned
I'm
You'll do it when you've
love me. And, by heaven,
to make you!”
She screamed and beat furiously at
his face, impotent in his grasp. They
and fro. So violent was
the girl's resistance that for a moment
wrestled to
SF
|
lish, Put That
Do You Mean
“Joyce, Don't
Knife Away.
Do
CHAPTER XVI
Joyce or a Gold Mine
Lee did
un
the
Lights burned insi A strip
} of the largest room--the one in
which Lee had eamped with Joyce for
a brief hour upon that afternoon
thelr arrival. This was the room that
Lee had selected in his mind for thelr
occupancy” during their brief honey
moon.
Jut not the least spasm twisted
lee's face at the realization that an-
other had supplanted him in that re-
lationship with Joyce. There are
some phases of emotion so tense that
they appear to neutralize themselves
by destroying their own manifesta.
tions,
Leo's
of
expression showed not the
smallest deviation from the normal
now. It was quiet, dispassionate, and
very cold. Softly Lee approached the
window and, stooping, looked between
the frame and the curtain of cloth,
The window on this side had a plece
missing out of the corner, and over
the little gap some one had pasted a
plece of paper. With the barrel of his
rifle Lee quietly made a small hole
in it,
From there he conld eateh glimpses
of the two figures, He heard their
voices, He was In no hurry. He was
waiting till they chose to finish their
conversation. Then, In due time, Rath
way would stand In an line with his
sights and he would make an end of
him.
And the wild turmoll In Lee's henrt
seemed divorced from his brain, which
remained ~ Impassive and cold and
steady a= the plece of mechanism In
his hands,
Rathway's volee grew louder, Lee
saw the hunched figure gesticulating,
the sneer on Rathway's face. Lee
drew a bead. He might as well end
the business after all.
But before Lee's finger tightened on
the trigger, a hand upon his shoulder
made him leap to his feet and start
up, his rifle clubbed, ready to. strike
He thought Rathway's men had sur
prised him,
But to his amazement
woman standing at his side; then In
that cloaked and hooded figure that
i confronted him he recognized—Estelle
| once more,
She looked at him fixedly; she was
deeply agitated, and caught at her
breath before she was able to find her
it was =a
voice,
“You fool!” she exclaimed bitterly,
“You foul! You had her In your hands
and you let Jim Rathway her
away from you! Yon
her—and now I come upon you
| you planning =a
| murder—you, a
At that
| heart
annedq
take
couldn't
cold-blooded
I Heen
something brok
that
The realization
wer him
her back toward him.
her face.
ome to me
swung
ng over
Leo!
ceased to
“loge!
Joyee
“Here!”
struggle.
answered Lee, and
sending
| him staggering.
Rathway bowled and felt
Lee was upon him, pinioning
his arms to his sides, hefore he could
draw it. jut Rathway's men
hurrying along the passage. In an in
stant there was a furious melee, Lee
tripped over a leg thrust out, feil heav
ily upon his back, and struggled In
vain under the weight of bis four ad-
versaries,
Quickly he was reduced to helpless
ness, his limbs held firmly, Momentar-
ily he ceased to struggle, nursing his
strength for a more violent effort.
He looked up into the grinning faces,
at Rathway, standing over him, leer-
ing, arms outstretched, gasping for
breath and consciousness,
Rathway pulled his pistol and cov-
ered Lee, “Plerre! Shorty! Kress |
You're witnesses that you saw this
man spying outside this house.”
They assented, Pierre grinned,
Shorty swore, spat, and scowled, and
Lee saw the half-healed scar of his
pistol butt upon his cheek,
“You saw him assault me,” Rathway
continued. “Well, Anderson, I guess
if I choose to shoot you like the dog
you are, the law wouldn't have much
to say about it. But I'll be reasonable.
Get back to your quarters!” he snarled
to hig aldes, and the three men In
surprise released Lee and went down
the passage,
Lee leaped to his feet, confronting
Rathway resolutely, but puzzled. Rath
way held him covered,
“You must want my wife mighty
bad to come back like a fox at night
in the hope of pleking her up under
my nose, Anderson,” sald Rathway.
for his
! pistol.
came
ERS
“Well, I'm a business man, and 1
guess anyone can get most anything
he wants if he wants it bad enough to
be willing to pay the price for It,
Maybe you can get her at the price,
Anderson,
“Pelly's gold
under the law.
found It and are holding the
of it. All right. The price Is Pelly's
gold mine. The woman for the mine,
“What d'you say to that, Anderson?”
Rathway was trembling with eager-
ness. “I was willing to overlook the
past and take her back, but If she
doesn't want me and does want you, 1
guess 1 can't hold her against her will,
80 I'm ready to take my mine Instead
and close the bargain, What d'you say
to it, Anderson?
Lee suspected some
anxiety on Rathway's
bling tones of
his
to mes
you've
belongs
tells me
mine
She
secret
the
trem
that
passion
trick, but
face, the
his volee showed
avarice was a
than that for Joyce.
vileness of
sironger
And,
the proposal, Lee realized
Joy
despite the i
other t iid
He knew tha
und the
“I must
wr hi re
FLL
“Here!” Answered Lee, and Dashed
His Fists Into Rathway's Face, Send.
ing Him Staggering.
I shall see that the terms are fairly
carried out.”
Rathway shot a look of hatred at
her. “I've no objection to that either,”
he answered, shrugging his shoulders
nonchalantly.
“At sunrize, then-—" Lee began,
At sunrise? God, man, do you sup-
pose I'm going to wait till sunrise?”
shouted Rathway. He took off his
belt containing his pistol, and laid it
on the AAfHr. “We'll start at once.”
Lee handed Joyce his pistol, then,
going into the room, extinguished the
candle, brought it cat, and slipped It
into his pocket, and the three set out
immediately. When they reached the
rocking stone Lee looked back, scan-
ning the country varefully in case
tathway's aldes were following them.
t1e had expected treachery, but It wag
quite impossible for any spy to ap
proach near enough to discover the
entrance under the stone without be
ing observed as Rathway had him-
self discovered during his years of
fruitless effort to follow old Pelly; and
there was no sign of the three,
It occurred to Lee, besides, that
Rathway was not likely to wish the
entrance to the mine to be known te
any of his aldes,
Rathway was looking uneasily about
him. “It's In the gorge, then?’ he
muttered, And, throwing off all pre.
tense of concealment, “There's no way
down. I've walked roudd and round
the d—d place a thousand times.”
Lee tilted back the stone and showed
Rathway the hole beneath it. Rath
way stured at it In amazement, utter.
ing an oath ad the stone back
into position,
“1 shall go first,” Lee sald, “and light
the candle. Miss Pelly Rathway
muttered, but Lee could not bring
himself to call her by the man's name
i" You, Rath
came
will please follow me,
way, will come last”
pushed the stone back, lay
down on the ground, and, after show
ing the girl how to elevate it from be
neath, descended. When his feet were
on the first rung of the ladder, he lit
candle, In a moment ap
peared, and then Rathway behind her
the opening
Lee
Joyce
clinging to
with
Ineasy
tight
procesgen In
inted
* pre Of
“I have seen
“and, if
guarantee
“How d
it away? Rathway
you may have stolen my gold
my wife. You may be planning
to take my wife and my gold away
together.”
Lee looked at him in amazement,
for Rathway was nearly crazed by
some passion, probably, Lee thought,
the anticipation of obtaining the treas
ure of old Pelly.
“I've taken no gold and I've seen
pone,” he answered. “I must again
remind you of our agreement, Rath
way."
Rathway pulled himself together
with an effort. “Aye, that's all right”
he answered. “This looks like Peliy's
mine, Let's look inside. Have you
been inside, Anderson?”
“I've” only explored the entrance”
Lee answered. “I brought no candle
with me last time I was here.”
Relighting the candle, he preceded
Rathway within, The sound of the
distant roaring came Immediately to
thelr ears. By the candle light Lee
saw fresh footprints on the sands
They were made by a man wearing
moccasins, no doubt Leboeuf. He did
not call Rathway's attention to them,
and Rathway, absorbed with his eager
ness to find the treasure, noticed noth
ing. Lee wondered, however, what the
indian had been doing in the cavern
(TO BRE CONTINUED.)
Says the Deacon
Never mind about “genius,” my son.
If you have it, all well hind good; If
you haven't, hitting hard licks is the
next best thing to do.~Atlanta Con.
stitution,
nace
you
as to it."
shouted
nw you
stole
HOW TO KEEP.
WELL
self enessinn
DR. FREDERICK BR. GREEN
Editor of "HEALTH"
OOOOO00000000
Western Newspaper Union.)
FIREWORKS POISONING
VERYBODY knows today that
Fourth of July fireworks, of the
old style, are dangerous. Twenty years
#80 when the Fourth was a day of un
restricted and unlimited noise, the
pumber of accidents from burns, ex-
plosions, cannon crackers, dynamite
cartridges, toy cannons, roman cand es,
ky rockets, shotguns car-
tridge pistols was appalling The
morning newspapers of July fifth, all
over the ontalned literally
columns the dead and
injured though not so
gpectacular, of th
caused by occurring
ater
(e 1926,
and blank
country, c
of names
Worse still,
were
¢
of
dea
a few
notices
lockjaw
weeks |
lie sentiment
and
urth
Ve
gane F
i! that,
ices have changed all
recent article
the Am Medi
Doctors Dwyer ar
8 City, Ka
ber of de
of
erican
THE DANGERS OF GLASS
EYES
sort
ket.
the glass eve ex
eyes
per
thousand,
"oe
eve Sox
janger is of
Manufacturers of glass
r lose about one-tenth of 1
or « out
of every
are
These
hot or very
explosions occur
on very cold days,
yr
more
In making glass the hack of
the eve must be sealed while the glass
ball is at white heat. This causes a
vacuum in the Inside of the glass eye.
As a result, there Is considerable Bir
pressure on the outside surface of the
finished eye. Different grades of glass
are used in making glass eves and,
even In the same grade, there are apt
to be Inequalities In the ginss If
there are sudden changes of tempera-
ture in different parts of the eye, the
glass may suddenly explode, owing to
the unequal pressure at different
points,
While such explosions are rare,
eighteen have been recently reported
and probably more have occurred.
The patient hears a sharp report
like n pistol shet close to the head
and feels a sharp pain In his ese
orbit.
Generally the eye socket and the
evelids are cut by the broken glass.
No serious damage has occurred in
any of the reported cases, although
the cuts required several days to heal
and, In some cases, It was necessary
for the oculist to remove the small
pleces of broken glass from the
orbit,
Usually the patient thinks he has
fleen shot In the eye. Where the ex-
plosgion occurs on the street, bystand-
ers generally get the same impression,
Most of these explosions have oo
curred on extremely hot days.
A possible cause. says the National
Safety News, Is the effect of the eye
secretions. Some persons can wear
un artificial eye for years. In others
the glass becomes discolored and con
roded In six months,
a P1350
eyes,