rv-F
nm omaiia sri)AV p.ke: October 4. 1914.
LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
TOO
10TH INSTALLMENT
77. phcto-drtmA cert spending to the tntttUrrtnU of
"The Trey CHetrt" mv now ( n At the letting
tnovmg picture thttim. By thit untqvt tmngemtnl
ntfh the Vnrwttl FOm Mfg. Co. it u therefere not only
penile to rttd " Tht Trey CT He Arts" tn thu ptper.
M lo to tee etch MtOment of ot the moving
rerre- theAtert,
(Copyright, 114. br Lxwi Joaeph Vmci.)
STEEL RIBBONS
TMOPIltll Th of Hran la tha "dath-1a-n" m
alevrad br Saaata Trtaa In tb privet war of vnaanc
whloh. threvab. tha aaanry of hla daughtor Jodlth, a wo
man ef vtolal paaalona Ilk hla , ha wag afalnat Alaa
Uw, nn of (h man (now daad) who waa Innooantlr r
aponalbl for tb aooldnt which maria Trio a halplaa
rrtppla. Alaa la In lav with BVoo. Jndltha twin and doubl
but In all othar raapacta hr prtelaa oppoalta. Jarilth vow
tn oa-ip Alaa'a daathi but vndar dramatlo elr uraiUnoti
ka htm hr llf and o, unwllllnflf. wlna har lova. Thr
aMr Jadlth I br turn anlmatad by th old hat. th rw
Inr, and Jaalouay of hr alatar. Sh arna bar fathar'a dla
trt and la lft bhlnd br him whan h 1ourny Wt.
takl-if Roaa with him. In ordr to lur Alaa away from
Kaw Toik. Alaa purau. Jadllh arompanrlnt" him aaalnat
hla wlah. and urrda In rractilnc II from Trlna'a aptolal
train.
I LIGHT ENGINE.
Toward the close of that summer's day It waa
the whim of that arch-manager of theatricals whom
tn en call Tate to stage an anticlimax In the midst
of a rant and hilly expanse of denotata middle west
ern country a rude and rugged disk of earth which
. boasted no human tenancy within the circle of Its
far-flung horizon and waa bisected, not neatly, rath
er Irregularly," by the flowing double line of steel
ribbons which marked the railroad's right of way
over the old Santa Fe trail.
So much for the stage: the light effects were
prorlded exclusively by the crimson and purple and
gold of a portentous sunset; the properties em
ployed were simply a special train and what Is
known as a light engine.
It was the engineer of the light engine who start
ed the trouble. After bringing Ms monster to a
full pause, be turned upon his passengers and
not without plausible excuse violently indicted Mr.
Alan Law for abuse of his and his fireman's trust
fulness. This the said fireman (climbing forward
over the tender) vigorously applauded.
They had been engaged, both gentlemen assert
ed vigorously, for nothing more dangerous than a
quick run across the prairies. In furtherance of the
unspecified plans of Mr. Alan Law and bis compan- '
Ion. Miss Judith Trine. After starting out, they
had wickedly and maliciously been bribed by the
aid Law to put on speed and catch up with the
pedal, In order that he might rescue from the
latter a young woman, hla bride-to-be and the sis
ter of Miss Trine.
Hut and here was tha grievance they hadn't
bargained to be shot at with pistols. And pre
cisely that outrage had been put upon them during
and subsequent to the moment of rescue.
It was unhappy Mr. Barcus who precipitated the
affair. This gentleman was suffering from a severe
sprain to his sense of decent prid In the service
of Miss Rose Trine and her betrothed, Mr. Law,
Barcus had blackened his face and hands to the
hue of ebony and had garmented himself In the
garb of a Pullman porter, surrendering himself to
humiliating service to those aboard the special,
suffering their Insolence and scorn without a mur
mur, but with the tides of wrath mounting ever
higher In his bosom.
And now, when at length he had won his free
dom from that Ignominious servitude. It was only
to be sworn at and vilified, as a common nigger, by
railroad hands!
It was the fireman (to he Just) who brought the
row to a focus by a slighting reference to that
"shiftless and misbegotten dlnge."
He repented quite promptly. Mr. Barcus jumped
for his throat with a bellow of rage. The fireman
lipped on the cab platform, trod on nothing, and
went over backwards, taking Mr. Barcui with him
to the ballast . .
At almost the same moment Mr. Law, attempt
ing to restrain the engineer from going to the as
sistance ot his fellow-worker, ducked in under a
vicious swing for his chin, grappled with his foe,
tripped him up and went with him to the ground
en the opposite side of the locomotive from that
tccupled by Mr. Barcus and the fireman.
For the next several seconds ha was very busy
Indeed keeping his face out of the ballast. The en
gineer was a heavy man, but active and Infuriated.
He fought Ilka a demon unchained. It was all very
exciting. Mr. Law was even beginning to enjoy It
when he heard a woman shriek. At the same in
stant revolver! began to pop.
Mr. Law released his foe almost as quickly as he
was released. Both rose as one man, to find Judith
Trine beside tbem, a little smile of excitement
playing round her Hps as she looked up the track
and watched the special slow down to a stop
several persons on the back platform plying busy
trigger-fingers all the while.
As these last threw open the platform gates and
dropped to the ballast, still perforating the air with
many bullets, Mr. Law, Miss Judith Trine, and that
lata belligerent, the engineer, turned simultaneous
ly and sought the rear of the tender.
On the opposite side they found Rosa Trine and
Mr. Barcus standing uncertainly above the body of
the fireman, who. It appeared, had stunned himself
In falling and remained insensible.
The appearance of Law and Judith from behind
the tender, closely pursued by the engineer, who
was In turn closely pursued by gentlemen with
revolvers, stirred Bairns and Rose to action. Alan
passed htm at a round pace, pausing only long
enough to selie Rose and drag her with him toward
the special. Judith flung him a phrase of well
meant advice In passing:
"Come along, you simpleton unless you want to
be shot down where you stand!"
Mr. Barcus acted on that advice, as Immediately
as resentfully. Judith Trine was little before him
at the steps of the Pullman: Mr. Law had already
assisted Rose aboard. Mr. Barcus ungraciously
gave place to the lady: his Ingrained chivalry sore
ly (trained by bullets that kicked among the bal
last round his feet.
Mr. Barcus heaved a heartfelt sigh, tat down
heavily on a camp chair, and mopped his heated
brow, watching the lights of the locomotive droj
swiftly back into the gloaming.
"If any of those guys," ha assured Mr. Law pres
ently, "could hit a barn door with gatllng gun at
twenty paces well, I wouldn't ha proving myself
the giddy ass I am by sticking to your ill-starred
fortunes. There wouldn't be any to stick to, be
cause you'd have been snuffed out long, long ago
with all the chances they've had to blow your
fool head off, point blank!"
II PLXLMAN.
"Come inside," Law suggested, "and Introduce
me to the brakeman. I presume I've got to fix
things Up with him"
"If there's really any doubt In your mind as to
that," Barcus said, rising, "I don't mind telling you
you're right."
He paused as Alan entered the oar before him
and was greeted by a storm of vituperation that
fairly blistered the panels of the Pullman. Mr.
Seneca Trine, helpless in his Invalid chair, thus
celebrated his Introduction to the young man whom
he had never before seen but whose life he had
schemed to take these many years.
Alan made no effort to respond, but listened with
his head critically to one side and an exasperating,
expression of deep interest Informing his counte
nance until Mr. Trine was out of breath and vitriol;
when the younrer man bowed with the slightest
p,
.. ... ,
shade of mockery In his manner and waved a toler
ant hand to Barcuv
"He has, no doubt," Alnn Inquired, "his own pri
vate cell aboard thlt car?"
, "Yes, sun!" Barcus agreed, apelng well the man
ner of his apparent caste and color. "Ain't dat da
troof?" he chuckled.
"Take hlra away, then," Alan requested wearily
"if you please."
"Yas, suh!" Barcus replied, with nimble alacrity
selling the back of the wheeled chair and swing
ing It round for a spin up the length of the car.
Before Trine had recovered enough to curse him
properly, tha door to his drawing room was closed
and Barcus was ambling back down tha aisle.
Hla grin of relish at this turning ot the tables on
tha monomanlao proved, however, short-lived. It
erased Itself In a twinkling when Judith shouldered
roughly past him, wearing a sullen and forbidding
countenance, and flung herself Into tha drawing
room with her father.
"Storm signals," mused Mr. Barcus. "What pos
sessed our dear friend to bring that tigress along,
I'd Ilka to know? He might as well have loaded
himself down with a five-gallon can of nitro
glycerin. M
Tha causa of her temper was not far to seek: at
tha far end of the car Alan was bending solicitously
over the chair In which Rose was resting. One ot
his arms was round her shoulder. Her face was
lifted confidently to his.
Barcus mused morosely on his apprehension ot
trouble a brew, simmering over the waxing fire of
that strange woman's Jealousy. If only there had
not been that light engine in pursuit as Barcus
firmly believed It must be loaded to the guards
with Trlne'a unscrupulous hirelings!
No telling when they might catch up!
Tha fear of this last catastrophe worked together
with his fears of Judith to render that night a
sleepless one for Barcus. He spent It in a chair
whence he could watch both the door to the com
partment Judith had chosen tor her own (formerly
Marropbat's quarters) and the endless ribbons ot
steel that swept beneath the trucks.
But nothing happened. He napped uneasily from
ttma to time, waking with a start of fright, but al
ways to find nothing amiss. Ever Judith stopped
behind that closed door, and ever tha track behind
was Innocent of tha glare of a pursuing headlight
Nor did anything untoward mark the progress of
tha morning unless. Indeed, Judith's protracted
sessions with her father behind tl a rloaed door ot
the drawing room were to be counted ominous.
Ever since lunch-time tha girl had been closeted
with her father; Barcus had been getting some well
earned and sorely-needed rest In his quarters; Alan
standing his watch on the observation platform.
In company with Roae; and the train booming
along through an uncouth wilderness ot arid moun
tains, barren mesas, and sun-smitten flats given
over to the desolate genius ot sagehruah.
Whatever had been the tenor of the communi
cation between father and daughter, Judith event
ually emerged from tha drawing room la an omi
nous temper, Barcus, coming drowsily away from
his compartment st tha same time, waa Jarred wide
awake by sight ot tha foreboding couatenanoa aha
' ft iV . w
if '. . .
wore; and after a moment of doubt followed her
back to the lounge at the rear of the car.
He got there in time to see her at rigid stand
still, staring steadfastly at the two figures so close
together on the observation platform. But on his
appearance Judith shook herself together, snatched
up a magailne, and plumped wrathfully Into an
easy chair.
Mr. Barcus, however, had learned the lesson of
bitter experience to the effect that the outward
bearing of Miss Judith Trine was no sura Index to
her Inward humor unless, that Is. It might be
taken to indicate the direct contrary of Its sem
blance; though even this was no reliable rule. Re
minding himself of this, he therefore invented a
morbid Interest tn another magaxlne.
For all her exasperation, Judith contained herself
longer than might have been expected. Her con
tinued show of placidity, Indeed, lulled Barcus Into
a dangerous feeling of security. He was roused
by the sudden flight of a magailne across the car,
missing his head by a bare two Inches, and the
"Ml
Slowly It Stirred on Grease-Hungry Axles.
bang of a chair overturned by Judith as she Jumped
up and flung herself furiously toward the door.
Just what had happened on the observation plat
form Barcus didn't know, but he could readily be-
lleve that the lovers had Just Indulged la some
especially provoking and long-drawn-out caress.
He overhauled Judith none too soon. In another
moment she would have had her sister by th
throat It her purpose had not been to throw Rosa
bodily overboard, as Barcus suspected. Happily,
ha waa as quick on his feet as Judith on hers; and
almost before he had grasped the situation, be had
grasped her had seised her arms and drawn them
forcibly behind her back, at tha same time swinging
her round and endeavoring to propel her back
through the doorway.
It was a man-slza Job. For tha ensuing five min
utes ha had his hands full of violently resentful
and superbly ablebodled young woman. Only with
the greatest difficulty did he succeed In wrestling
her up the aisle and to tha door of her compart
ment, where an even mora furious resistance for
soma additional minutes prefaced tha ultimate clos
ing of tha door upon tha maddened Judith.
Waving aside Alan's proffer of assistance, ha
acidly advised that gentleman to return to his post
of duty and not let his Infatuation blind him to
what might at any moment loom up on tha track
behind them, Barcus stoutly held tha door against
tha girl's attempt to pull It open and through an
other period when she occupied herself with kick
ing Its panels as It hopeful of breaking a way out.
A long pause followed. He heard no sounds from
within. And wearying, ha wondered what the devil
she was up to. Then her voice penetrated the bar
rier, lta accents calm and not unamlable:
"Mr. Barcus!"
"Hello!" ha replied, tartled. "What Is It. Miss
Judith r
"riease let me out."
"Not much."
"Oh please!"
"Will you be good If I let you out?"
"Perfectly."
"No mora shenanigan T"
"I promise."
"Word of honor?"
"It my word ot honor means anything to you
you have it"
"Well ... !" ha said dubiously.
In tha same humor ha turned and released tha
knob; promptly Judith opened It wide and swept
out into the corridor, her mood now one ot really
fetching mockery.
"Thank you so much!" aha laughed Into his face
of discomfiture; and dropping him an lronlo curtsy,
he turned forward and swung Into tha drawing
room occupied by Trine.
"Wonder what ha put that on for?" ha peculat
ed, with reference to tha ankle-long Pullman wrap
per which Judith had seen fit to don daring her
period ot captivity. "Heaven knows it's hot enough,
without wearing mora clothing than decency de
mands . , , But you never can tall about a woman
... I bet a dollar I've made a blithering ass of
myself letting her loose at all!"
He took his doubts aftv ocoa BJualcaUBj1 thaa (4
Alaa and Hot,
1 .-TT
And his long conference with Alan and Rose on
the observation platform afforded Judith ample op
portunity in which undetected to suborn the train
crew to treachery.
Whether she did or no, this Is what happened In
the course of tha next hour: the special was forced
to take a siding to make way for the California
limited, east bound; and when this had passed, the
engine of the special coughed apologetically and
pulled swiftly out, leaving the Pullman stalled on
the aiding.
m HAND CAR.
"Well!" Mr. Barcus broke a silence whose elo
quence may not be translated In print "can you
beat ltr
"Not with this outfit," Alan admitted gloomily.
"All tha same, we can't stop here like bumps on
a log, waiting for that gang of. thugs to sail up in
the light engine and cut our blessed throats."
Mr. Law answered this unanswerable contention
-w,"r ? - av -
11 Ir lain !.' v yn-;'?v :J
in Vt J
jw.".1. J I: a I
only with a shrug. Then, stepping out on the for
ward platform of the Pullman, he cast a hopeless
eye over the landscape.- ...'..
He lowered his gaze to tha tracks and siding
and started sharply. .-.
"Eh what now?" Barcus inquired with Interest
"Some thoughtful body has left an old hand car
over there in the ditch." Alan replied. "Maybe It
isn't beyond service. Coma along and lend ma a
hand." . , ,
"Half a minute," Barcus answered, dodging sud
denly back Into tha car.
When ha reappeared, after soma five minutes,
Rose accompanied Elm, and Barcus was smiling as
brilliantly as though nothing whatever was wrong
with his world. 1
- "Sorry, to keep you waiting, old top," he ex
plained; "but I was smitten with an Inspiration.
There didn't seem to be any sense In letting the
amiable Judith loose upon this fair land, so I found
a coll of wire In tha porter's closet and wired the
handle of tha drawing room door fast to the bars
across tha aisle. Itll take her some time to get
out, now, without assistance."
Ten minutes more had passed before the two
grimy and perspiring gentlemen succeeded in plac
ing the hand car upon the tracks.
"It's a swell little hand car," Barcus observed
grimly: "no wonder they threw it away."
. "What's tha difference how It looks, as long as It
will go?"
"But will It?" Barcus doubted.
Somewhere far back along the Una a locomotive
hooted mournfully.
"Its got to!" Alan replied, helping Rose aboard.
"Dont worry," Barcus advised: "that's a freight
whistle."
''Maybe you can distinguish tha whistle of a
freight from that of a passenger train I don't say
you can't; but I'll take no chances on your Judg
ment being good. Hop aboard here If you're com
ing with ua!"
Slowly the hand car stirred on Its grease
hungry and complaining axles; slowly It gathered
momentum and surged noisily up the track as Alan
and Barcus, on opposite stdea of the handlebar,
alternately rose and fell back.
Behind it tha thunder of r.n approaching train
grew momentarily In volume, lending color to the
theory of Mr. Barcus that what they had heard
bad been tha whistle of a freighter rather than of
the light engine. But Just as Alan was about to
advocate leaving the tracks and taking the hand
car with them, to clear tha way for tha train, lta
rumble htgan to diminish, grew less and beautifully
less, and waa stilled.
"What do you make of that?" Alan panted across
tha racking bar.
The obvious." Barcus returned. "The freight
has taken tha siding to wait for some other through
train to pass. Well have to look sharp and ba
ready to Jump."
Tha grade became a trace more steep; tha ear
moved with less reluetanea.
"Let go." Alaa adviaed; "Itll coast down tha bal
ance of this tncllca an. we'd bettor aavt our
trenittV
Rut they had barely regained their breath and
mopped the streaming sweat away from their eyes
when a second whistle, of a different tone, startled
both back to their task.
Catching the aye of Barcus Alan nodded despair
Ingly.
"Afraid It's all up with us now," he groaned;
"that sounded precisely like the whistle of the light
engine."
A little grace was granted them, however,
through the circumstance (as they afterward dis
covered) that the light engine had stopped at tha
siding long enough to couple up Trlne's Pullman.
It was fully a quarter of an hour before tha
growing rumble of the latter warned the trio on
the hand car, Just as It gained the end of tha grade
and addressed Itself to a level though tortuous
6tretch of track.
And at this point discovery of the switch of a
spur line that shot oft southward into the hills fur
nished Alan with his independent Inspiration.
Stopping the hand car after it had Jolted over tha
frogs, he Jumped down, set the switch to shunt tha
pursuit off the spur, and leaped back upon the car.
Hardly had they succeeded In working the hand
car up round the shoulder of the next bend when
the special took the ffwitch without pause and th
roar of its progress, shut off by an Intervening
mountain, was suddenly stilled to a murmur.
But even so, there was neither rest for the wear;
nor much excuse for self-congratulation: the rum
ble of the special was not altogether lost to hearing
when the thunder of the freight replaced and
drowned It out.
Of a sudden, releasing the handlebar, Alan stool
up and signed to Barcus to Imitate his example.
"Well?" this last panted, when he had obeyed.
"Jump eff leave the hand car where It Is theyT
have to stop to clear It off the track."
"And then?"
"I'll buy a lift from them if it takes my last dol
lar in the world," Alan promised. "It's our onl;
hope. We can't keep up this heartbreaking busl
ness forever and it can't be long before Trine an
Marrophat discover their mistake!"
IV CABOOSE.
For once. In a way. It fell out precisely as Mr.
Law had planned and prayed.
Constrained to pull up in order to remove the
obstruction from the track, the train crew of th
freight choked down its collective wrath on beini
presented with a Bum of money. In the hopes ol
further largesse It lent its common ear to Alan's
well-worn tale, which had so frequently proved use
ful in similar emergencies, of an eloping couple pur
sued by an unreasoningly vindictive parent; and
had its hopes rewarded by the price Alan bargained
to pay in exchange for exclusive use of the cabooss
as far as the next town.
So that it was not more than ten minutes befors
Rose was settled to rest In such comfort as the
caboose afforded, while Alan and Barcus sat within
Its doorway and smoked.
Neither he nor any other aboard the freight sus
pected for an instant that, in the box car next for
ward of the caboose, a woman In man's clothing
lay purdu, now and again chuckling impishly to
herself in anticipation of the time and the evenl
she was biding with such patience as she could
muster.
The whistle of a locomotive overtaking thi
freight sounded the Bignal for her to take action on
her cherished plan.
Rising, she glanced out of the open door. A
curve in the track below the freight, laboring ui
a steep grade, enabled her to catch a glimpse of a
headlight, followed by a string of lighted windows,
Indicating a single car: the special, beyond a doubt
Without hesitation, since the train was not run
ning at speed, she dropped out to the ballast,
wheeled smartly about, caught the handbar at tha
end of the box car as It passed and swung herself
up between it and the caboose.
Climbing to the top of the box car aha peered
keenly through the gloaming, which was not yet
eo dense that she might not discern two beads pro
truding from the window of the special's engine.
She turned and peered ahead. Tha freight waa
approaching a trestle that spanned a wide and shal
low gully.
So much the better!
Dropping down again between tha care, aha set
herself to solve the problem of uncoupling tha
caboose.
In this she was successful Just as tha last car
rolled out on the trestle. ...
Its own Impetus carried the caboose to the mid
dle of the trestle before it stopped.
As this happened. Alan and Barcus, already
warned of an emergency by the slowing down of
the car, and for some time alive to the fact that
the special was again In pursuit, leaped out upon
the ties and helped Rose to alight
There was no time to execute their plan of tha
first desperate instant to run along the ties to
safety on the solid earth: the distance was too
great; they could not possibly make It
With common impulse the two men glanced down
to the bottom of the gully, then looked at each
other with eyes informed by common Inspiration.
Barcus announced In a breath: "Thirty feet
not more."
Alan replied: "Can you hold the weight of tha
two of us for half a minute."
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," be announced briefly.
With a word to Rose, Alan slipped down beside
Barcus. shifted his hold to the body of tha latter,
and climbed down over him until he was supported
solely by the grasp of his two hands on Barcus'
ankles.
Instantly Rose followed him, slipping like a snake
down over the two men till she In turn hung by
her grasp on Alan's ankles, then released her hold
and dropped the balance of the distance to tha
ground, a scant ten feet, landing without injury.
A thought later Alan dropped lightly to her side,
followed by Barcus.
Overhead the special engine, hurtling onward
like some titanic bolt, struck the caboose with a
crash like the explosion of a cannon. It collapsed
upon itself like a thing of pasteboard.
That it had been constructed of mora solid atuff
was abundantly proved by the showed Of timbers,
splinters and broken Iron that rained about tha
beads of the fugitives.
For all that the gods smiled upon them for
their courage: they escaped without a acratCaW
ITo ba contlnuedj.
