COPYRIGHT BY
MINTON,BAlCH,t CO.
W.M.0. URVinl
CHAPTER VII
The Race to the Swift.
* | 'HE rogues were at my mercy,
but I had no thought for that.
I was transfixed with horror, for
the nightmare which I had rejected
had become an accomplished fact.
Though Bugle and Kush were
still speaking, I had no idea what
they said.
Then the disorder passed, and
my brain seemed to leap into life.
The car. I must get to the car.
Pharaoh had had a start of an hour
and a quarter or more, but I knew
the way to the cottage better than
he.
At once 1 saw that to tiiread the
woods in the darkness would take
me five times as long as to go by
the lane. But the way to the lane
was barred—barred by those cursed
headlights that I had found so fu
tile ten minutes ago.
For an instant I glanced about
me. Then I picked up the lamp
and hurled it into the grate.
The base of the lamp was of
china and heavily built; the crash
of Its fail was frightful, and the
flames leaped up like streamers, to
lick the breast of the chimney with
in and without.
Now I had expected that Bugle
and Rush would, both of them,
make for the sitting-room door. And
Bugle did. But Rush stood up on
the bench, to look, instead, through
the window I was proposing to
use.
I suppose the fellow was lazy,
and laziness brings no luck. Be
that as it nmy, I hit him between
the eyes before he could think and
vaulted out of the casement on the
flags.
And then I was in the closed car
and was storming down to the
bridge.
My journey may be imagined—I
drove in a midst of fear.
I entered the track at five min
utes past ten and that eight min
utes later I was stumbling across
the clearing, to find the path to the
pottage by the light of my torch.
"Do what you like,” said Freda.
‘I tell you she's gone.”
“You know where she Is,” said
Pharaoh, and lighted a cigarette.
The man was sitting half on the
table, swinging a leg; Freda was
standing at the foot of the little
staircase, with one of her hands be
hind her and the other one up to
her breast; Max lay asleep in his
cradle, and Dewdrop stood quiet
and blinking.
“You know where she Is,” said
Pharaoh, quietly enough.
“That I do not,” said Freda, and
Sung up her head. “Her man was
The Man Was Sitting Half on the
Table.
gone, and she was but waiting for
me, to give over the child.”
"Did she take the path to Witch
craft?"
“Nay,” said the forester's wife,
“she took the path that she knew.”
“Think again," said Pharaoh.
Crouching without the casement,
I saw the girl wince before the ice
of his tone; but though she was
now very pale, she gave him back
look for look. As I drew my pis
tol, I heard her steady reply.
“I tell you she took that pnth,”
and, as she spoke, she pointed out
of the window, directly over my
head. And, as she pointed, she
looked In the same direction—and
saw my face.
She started ever so slightly, but
that was more than enough.
As I leveled ray weapon, Pha
roah swung round and fired but his
j pistol was yet in his pocket and
his bullet went wide of my ear.
And then in a flash he had flung
himself off the table, and all the
candles were out.
So I threw away a chance in a
million.
That the forester's wife should
have seen me was sheer bad luck.
There was only one thing to be
done, for the moonlight was all
about me, and l'haraoh and Dew
drop could see me without being
seen.
I fell on my face, writhed my
way into the shadows and darted
across to a tree that stood some
twelve paces off. And there, flat
against the trunk, I took my stand,
with my eyes on the door of the
cottage which was full in the light.
I was ready now\ at last, and the
moment 1 saw the door move I
fired at the latch. This had the
effect 1 desired, for the door did
not move again.
I was now as composed as I had
been distracted, for the knowledge
that my darling was safe had made
me another man. .My nerves were
steady, my brain was clear, 1 felt
like a giant refreshed, and 1 saw
at once that my lady must be at
Witchcraft.
One minute later 1 was behind
the cottage and was running as
fast as I could for the Witchcraft
path.
I was more than halfway to the
cross roads when Sabre touched
my hand. With a leaping heart, I
at once took hold of his collar and
ran by his side. Thirty yards on
he stopped.
“Nell,” I said quietly. “Nell.’’
There was a rustle behind me.
As I turned round, her arms went
about my neck.
“I heard shots,” she breathed.
“You’re not hurt?"
“Not a scratch, my queen.”
“Thank God, thank God."
She clung to me desperately.
“Oh, John, I can’t spare you again.
Ever since you left, I’ve been half
out of my mind. You see . . . with
out you I'm beggared . . . you’re all
I’ve got.”
Her tears were wet on my lips,
as I strained her against my heart.
“Come along, my lady. We’ll
talk when we're out of the wood.”
Less than 10 minutes later I lift
ed the Rolls from a thicket and
on to the road.
“Freda appeared,” said Helena,
“at a quarter to eight. It seems
that she missed her train in a final,
frantic endeavor to do as we said.
We told her to deliver the letter
to Geoffrey or Barley alone. Ten
times she took that letter to your
cousin’s Salzburg address; 10 times
she was asked to leave it, and 10
times the poor girl refused. When
she had missed her train, she de
termined to try once more, and
this time they managed to bluff her
into giving it up. Well, the mo
ment I heard her story, I knew that
the damage was done, so Sabre and
I made for Witchcraft as fast as
ever we could. I confess I was
rather worried. And even when
Pharaoh arrived—as he did. about
half past nine—I couldn’t be sure
that he’d missed you, for he might
have dealt with you and come on
for me. I watched him take the
path. When they'd gone I made
sure of the Rolls and came back
to watch—and pray. The darkness
was very trying, for the path, as
you know, was in shadow and I
had to watch for you both. And
then, far away in the forest, I
heard two shots. . .
When 1 told her what I had
learned, which, except that my cou
sin was safe, was little enough—
“We must make for Yorick,” she
said. ‘‘Pharaoh’s stranded, and
that will give me a chance—with
my brother, I mean. If Valentine’s
bored enough, I may he able to get
him to go away. If 1 offer him the
Carlotta, he may see the point of a
month at Juan-les-Pins. Besides,
if we want your cousin, Yorick is
where he will he. He's certnin to
be watching the castle—it's all he
can do. lie probably visits Plum
age, as you did today. But he
knows that when we return, it will
lie to Yorick itself.”
“Very good." said I. “i take it
we drive to the door.”
“Oh, yes. It’s safe enough now."
“You think you’ll get Valentine
off by an early train?”
“He keeps late hours. If I let
him have the Carlotta. I might get
him off tonight. He's a creature of
impulse, you know. Paint the toy
bright enough, and he'll want it at
once.”
“Why not go to Pommers?” T
said. “And use your original plan?
We’ve only to find my cousin, and
that should be easy enough. Let
I’haraoh go back to Yorlck. And
then one night we’ll cross the moat
by the foot-bridge and do him in."
"Pm afraid to wait, my darling.
If Pharaoh gets his foot in again,
I think he’ll play the card in his
sleeve. And the card that he’s got
in his sleeve is putting my brother
wise.’’ She drew in her breath.
"Once Valentine knows of the gold,
it’s no good killing Pharaoh, for
three weeks later another will reign
in his stead. My brother will talk
right and left So you see, for that
reason alone, Valentine must be
gone before Pharaoh comes back.”
The miles streamed by in silence,
and I think it was just past mid
night when I switched the Rolls
off the road and into the entrance
drive.
As our headlights Illuminated the
gateway, I saw that the curtains
were gone and the gates were shut,
but a wicket in one of the leaves
was open wide, and a servant was
standing beside It, shading his eyes.
He had, of course, seen our lights
from the porter’s lodge and had
opened for ‘Captain Fanlng,' as no
doubt he had done before. As I
brought the Holls up to the wicket,
I saw hi in start. Then he opened
the door for his mistress and
bowed to the ground.
“Come, John," said Helena quiet
ly. She turned to the man. "Shut
the wicket, Hubert, and wait In the
lodge. The car will stay there.”
In a flash she was in the court
yard, with Sabre and me behind.
The doors were open, and Helena
sped up the staircase which led to
the principal rooms.
Helena's ear was fast to the li
brary door. After a moment sbe
passed to the dining room. There
for a moment she listened. Then
her hand went out to the handle
and softly opened the door.
A girl was standing on the table,
regarding herself In the huge Ital
ian mirror that hung on the wall.
Her dress did not become her—It
was so much finer than she. The
scene was too coarse to he com
ic. Some girl from ttie streets of
Lass was trying on Helena's
clothes.
Champagne was on the table and
on Hie floor. The Count was lying,
flat on Ids back. His condition was
most apparent. To say he was
drunk conveys nothing.
The girl had seen us in the mir
ror.
Her hands clapped fast to her
cheeks, she was staring at Helena's
reflection with starting eyes. To
confirm the mirror’s report, she
shot us one glance of horror; then
she crumpled and sank to the table,
dragging the dress about her and
shrinking as though from some
vision which was but waiting to give
her the judgment that she deserved.
Helena went to her quickly and
touched her arm.
“Don’t be afraid,” she said qui
etly. “If you do as I tell you, I'll
see that you come to no harm.”
She turned to me, to speak Eng
lish.
“Can you get him on to the ter
race and bring him round?”
"I’ll try,” said I. “But I haven’t
a lot of hope.”
With that, I picked up the Count
and carried him out.
But the fellow was too far gone.
He would come to his senses In
time, but nothing that I could do
would hale them back.
“No good?” said Helena quietly.
“Hopeless,” said I. “He's all in.
He may come round by midday,
but he won’t be fit to talk for 24
hours.”
As the words left my mouth,
the castle clock told us the time.
A quarter past twelve.
“We must get him away," said
Helena. “Now, at once. There’s
a train that leaves Lass for Inns
bruck at one o’clock. We can’t put
him aboard at Lass—he’s too well
known, but I guess the train stops
at Gola—that’s ten miles on. The
girl will have to go with him and
see that he comes to no harm.”
Although I could see that it was
drastic, I had then no idea how
monstrous was the action which
she proposed. Her brother was her
liege lord; when he succeeded tier
father, she was the first of his vas
sals to go on her knees, to put her
hands between his, to swear to
honor liis person and ever maintain
his freedom and all his rights. And
this was no matter of form. For
better or worse, for more than five
hundred years the body of the
Count had been sacred in the eyes
I of his house.
Times might change, hut not
Yorick. Its motto held.
On that handsome July night
Helena snapped the tradition and
broke her oath. Not a servant
would have dared help he*.
After perhaps five minutes our
plans were laid.
Whilst Helena spoke with Mona,
the girl from l.ass, I scrawled a
note to Pharaoh and boldly signed
It “V. Y.”
Dear Fanlng:
Sorry, but I’m fed up. I've had
enough of Yoriek and I'm going to
night. I don't know where, but I’ll
probably get a train. See you again
some day. . . .
As I laid down my pencil—
“That’ll do very well," said Hel
ena. “He never writes, so nobody
knows his hand. Leave It there on
the blotting pad. And now we must
go."
A moment later onr strange pro
cession took shape.
Helena led the way and I brought
up the rear, with the Count on my
back, while Mona minced between
us, bearing her shoes In her hand.
Six paces away from the gates, I
laid my burden down.
•‘Is your back all right?" breathed
Helena.
"Yes, thank you, my sweet”
At once she turned to Mona, who
was drooping beside the wall.
“If you cross that bridge, the
porter will see you, and you will be
chased and caught Ln a few min
utes’ time, however, the porter will
leave his lodge. You’ll know when
he's gone, because then the wicket
will open. The moment the wicket
opens, cross the bridge. Then run
down the drive until you come to
the woods. Walt there at the edge
of the meadow, and the car will be
down ln five minutes to pick you
up.”
“It Is understood, my lady.”
“You will wait without full, on
the right hand side of the road.”
“Without fall, my lady."
With many misgivings we left
her and hastened the way we had
come. This time, however, we left
the postern ajar.
We had found her bedroom light
ed and left It so—an open wardrobe
declared the rape of the frock; and
now we only waited to set wide
o|»en the doors of the principal
As the Porter Stepped Out of His
Lodge.
rooms. Then we went down to the
courtyard—up to tlie last of the
jumps.
As the porter stepped out of his
lodge—
"Why didn’t you tell me,” said
Helena, “that his lordship was
gone?”
The fellow looked scared.
“I—I didn’t know, my lady. I—
I thought his lordship was here."
"He went this evening. He says
so. He's left a note.”
The porter put a hand to his head.
“No one has gone out, my lady,
since half past nine. And at half
past nine, my lady, I know that his
lordship was here.”
There was a startled silence.
Then—
"Fetch the night-watchman," said
Helena.
The man ran Into the courtyard
and disappeared.
In a flash the wicket was open
and I was outside.
As I heaved him Into the car, I
saw a bedraggled figure hurrying
on to the bridge. I laid the Count
flat on the floor-boards and put his
coat over his face. Then I took my
seat at the wheel and started to
turn the car round. . . .
Helena was speaking.
“Rouse the other watchman and
the warden as well. The castle is
to be searched. Unless he left by
a postern, his lordship must still be
here. Tell the warden that I have
news for his lordship which will not
wait, that I’ve gone to Lass to
catch him in case he has gone.”
“Your ladyship will be return
ing?”
“Within the hour.”
I had the car well In the shad
ows and Helena’s door was open
before she left the wicket to take
her seat.
As I whipped over the drawbridge,
I heard her sigh with relief.
“And now for Mona,” she said.
The time was now half-past
twelve.
As we left the meadows, I set a
foot on the brake and switched out
my lights.
For a moment we sat in silence.
Then—
“Mona,” I cried, “where are you?”
A figure rose out of the night.
“She's hopped it, sir,” said Bar
ley. “Cut through the woods. But
I'm thankful to see you, sir. And
that’s the truth.”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Claims Prehistoric Lake
Nevada lays claim to a prehis
toric lake, Lahonton, in the west
ern part of the state. The story of
geologic ages is written In the Ne
vada plateau. The palisades of
the Humboldt river formed by vio
lent lava flows at different periods
are more remarkable than those of
the Hudson. Hones of the masto
don and camel have been found in
the terraces and lower reaches of
this river. Here and there are hot
springs whose curative powers were
highly prized by the Indians.
HOJ^RE
/ DR. JAMES W. BARTON
Tjlki About ®
Using Stored Up Fat
EVERY overweight individual
who has given the reduction
of weight any serious thought or
study has learned that starch foods
—potatoes, bread, sugar, and pas
try—store most of the excess fat
on the body.
It is only recently that they are real
being that liquids, while not stnrlnu
fat, nevertheless are'held In the body
by the fat and so greatly Increase the
total weight of the body. Thus, while
knowing that water Is needed by the
body for a number of
purposes, they also
know thnt they do not
need to drink much
water because the body
will use the extra wa
ter held In the fat tls
sues as It Is needed.
These overweight Indi
viduals have learned
one other thing, and
that Is thnt while fat
foods—butter, cream,
fat meats, fat fish, egg
yolks—do not store fat
In the same manner or to the same
extent ns starch foods, nevertheless
they do help to store fat, nnd prevent
the tissues of the body from being
worn or used as rapidly as they other
wise would be. This, as you can see.
thus maintains nnd actunlly Increases
the amount of fat on the body.
But one of the big points over
weights have not fully realized Is that
If they cut down on the fnt foods by
as much as IK) per cent. Just eating a
little butter or cheese or drinking a
little milk, the body will use for Its
needs the fnt they have stored In the
body, thus decreasing gradually their
store of fat nnd so their weight.
How Nature Usee It.
Striking examples of how nature
uses stored fnt can be seen In animals
such as the benr whose body Is cov
ered with fat In the autumn and while
It sleeps during the winter this stored
fnt supplies the body with nourish
ment. By spring the benr Is quite lean
again. Another example Is where a very
fat fish, during certain periods of Its
yearly life, eats nothing whatever, yet
is kept nllve during these periods be
cause its body uses up this deposit
of fnt which It had accumulated.
It Is agreed by nutrition experts that
the average individual who does not
do hnrd physical work should eat
about one part proteids—meat, eggs,
fish—to two parts fats—butter, cream,
fat meats, egg yolks—to four parts
starchy foods, vegetables and fruits.
When real hard outdoor work Is be
ing done the amount of meat, eggs and
fish should be Increased.
What about the overweight Individ
ual who, of course, does little or no
work of any kind? Instead of eating
two parts of fat foods to one part of
protelds he or she should cut down
the fat foods by half and also cut down
the starch foods by half.
Cutting Down Fat Foods.
This cutting down by one-half on fat
foods can be done safely by over
weights for the same reason that an
imals can do without any food at cer
tain times; that is because the body
processes can make use of the stored
fat for their various needs.
The point then is that with the
knowledge now In possession of over
weights there Is no reason why every
one of them (except the 2 to 5 per cent
whose overweight Is due to a gland
disturbance) should not get down to
normal weight In from three to twelve
months. I have seen a girl weighing
180 pounds get her weight down to
150 pounds In three months by cutting
down her liquids by one-half, her fats
by one-half, and her starches by one
quarter, keeping up. however, her full
amount of meat, eggs, and fish. She
felt stronger, more active, more In
dined to take exercise, and more keen
about her work.
• • •
Food* That Disagree
Now that It Is generally known that
certain foods cause skin Irritation
others pain in the abdomen, others
hay fever, asthma and eczema, a new
word—allergy—has come Into use. Al
lergy means being sensitive to certain
foods. Patients often, however, avoid
foods because they “disagree” with
them when It may be other foods or
circumstances that cause distress.
I>rs. Walter C. Alvarex and II. Cor
win Hinslinw, Mayo foundation, Itoeh
ester, Minn., point out that the patient
may well be mistaken when he states
that he cannot eat some particular
food. Perhaps the fish was blamed
when really the culprit was the tartar
sauce, the cottonseed oil In which the
fish was fried, or the pie that \»as eat
en for dessert. Or the food eitten at
dinner was blamed when rea ly the
offending substance was taken lhto the
body with luncheon or breakfrfct. Or
the upset was due to overeating or
to back pressure from an overloaded
large Intestine (constipation), to an
annoyance over an argument at the
dinner table, to an oncoming cold, or
even to a slight inflammation In the
gall bladder.
The point then is that because a
food has disagreed under any of the
above circumstances it should not be
condemned until it has been found to
disagree a “number of times.” Cer
tainly for those of us not coinplainlny
of indigestion it would be only good
sense to eat whatever we Ike.
®-WNU BarvLo*
_ I
Leap Year Is With Us Again,
and Here’s What Causes It
■ ■" ■ ■ iC> _______. —.
Keeps Seasons in Order,
Gives Fair Maidens
Their Chance.
This is leap year and February
29 Is the cause of It. But the cause
of February 2fl dates back to 46 B.
0. when the astronomers of Julius
Caesar figured out that the solar
year (the time It takes the earth to
complete Its orbit around the sun)
was 365 days and six hours.
The six hours stumped them until
they deetded to add an extra day to
every fourth year and make that
306th day February 29. This Is
“leap" year because the extra day
causes the calendar to leap over a
day of the week after February 29.
Ordinarily the calendar rotates Just
one day because 305 Is one over 52
seven day weeks. Thus, March 1
fell on Friday last year, but will fall
on Sundny Instead of Saturday this
year.
Pope Suppresses Ten Days.
The Julian astronomers didn’t
have the thing down put, however,
for the solar year Is actually 365
days, 5 hours. 48 minutes and 45.51
seconds. By the time Pope Gregory
XIII deckled to net In 1582 A. D. the
dates of the year had shifted 10
days out of season. To correct this
Pope Gregory ordered that October
5, 1582, be mnde October 15, 1582.
To lake care of the discrepancy oc
curring thereafter Pope Gregory’s
astronomers decided that leap year
should be omitted on every century
year not divisible by 400. Leap
year won’t be surpressed again until
2100 A. D.
Anyway, leap year hns a more ro
mantic aspect. By tradition, If not
by practice, It Is (he time a woman
can propose marriage to a man. The
origin of this counter attack In the
love suit is less satisfactorily ex
pla'ned than the Julian and Grego
rian calendars.
Calendar Accepted Rapidly.
But apparently Margaret of Nor
way, who became queen of Scotland,
started the thing in 1288 A. D. by
saying there ought to be a law. She
decreed that during the leap years
of her reign every “mayden Indye of
bothe hlghe and low# estalt shall hne
llborte to bespeake ye man she likes.”
And if a bachelor didn't like taking
the proponent to be bis lawful
‘wyfe” he could be “mulcted" (fined)
one pound or less. Ills only “out”
was to be already engaged.
The Gregorian calendar was ac
cepted in Italy, Spain, and Portugal
Worth It
“I understand you have been hav
ing your family tree looked up,” said
Jones.
“Yes,” replied Brown, "and it cost
me $5,000.”
“Quite expensive, wasn’t It?”
“Yes, but it cost only $5,000 to
have’ it looked up. The otiier $5,000
was what I paid to have it hushed
up.”—Baltimore Sun.
Number, Plea**.
“I am connected with some of the
best families.”
“By telephone?"
Lacerated Heart
“Young Dick says his heart Is
lacerated." “Who’s the lass?"—An
swers Magazine.
Atta Boy I
Overheard on a dance floor the
other night:
Him—Say, little girl, do your eyes
bother you?
Her—No—why?
Him—Well, they bother me l—
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
on the same day it was ordered in
Rome. In France it was accepted be
fore the year was ended and in 1583
by the Catholic states of Germany.
The German Protestant states re
tained the Julian calendar until 1700
when Sweden and Denmark also
changed to the Gregorian or “new
style” calendar. Russia held to the
Julian calendar until the soviet union
was formed.
In Great Britain the Julian calen
dar was abolished by the act of 1750.
That same year saw the change In
the British colonies In America.
birthday of George Washington,
which was February 11 under thn
Julian calendar, became February 22
when the change occurred.—Chicago
Tribune.
AW Ground
/Ac House
L .. --—.
Flower pots used In the house are
made very decorative If painted with
wnter color paints.
• • •
A bottle of furniture polish rubbed
Into clean dry mop will give hard
wood floors an excellent polish.
• * •
Neck pieces of beef and lamb
make delicious soups and stews.
• • •
A noted chemist gives us the Infor
mation that science has discovered
that it Is not dangerous to leave
canned foods In the cnn after It haa
been opened. They remain In better
condition until eaten If the unused
portion Is kept In the cnn. There la
nothing about the can that will con
tribute to the spoilage of food.
• • •
To keep the coffee pot sweet fill
It with water to which one table
spoon of sodn has been added and
set on the stove until water bolls.
© Associated Newspapers.—WNU Service.
44 AWARDS!
ATONE
STATE I
>FA,R/
. . . the record ol OM
exhibitor who has nsod
many brands bat who now
OSes CLABBER GIRL,
iidushrely.
ONLY "
10*
Ymt Grow
Hot II
UNTIL THEN
“I thought you and the Smiths
were the best of friends.”
“We were, until we tried to spend
a month with our families in the
same summer cottage.”
In the Suburb*
Sailor—How far is your house
from the car line?
Girl—About five minutes’ walk, If
you run.
SOU COULD N T
WISH FOR
BETTER
FLAVOR THAN
^WRlGLErSj
WRIGLEY’S.
TH* PERFECT GUM r
319
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Dr. Barton
