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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1914)
3D U TTTE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: 0 i i S LOUS . , vrr 12TH INSTALLMENT .Th phvto-drAma corresponding to th i-ts:-nertt of " Th Trey & Hurts " mty norv f seen tt ft icMlmj moving picture theaters. By this, unique A-rngtmtr.t Hh the Vntverstt I'm Mfg. Co. tt It therefore not only poM&U to re4 " the Trey 0' Ectrii " in this ptptr, hat also to set tAch installment of tt tt th moving picture ihtAitri. (Copjrlgfct, IH4, by Ltila Jrr-r Vane .) MIRAGE rrxorstsTha nrarra'i t -dtii-tn" m. lernd kr Imhm Trlao la th prlvata war of nHM arblh. throuah tha acmcy of hit dauahtar J aril! h, h waf 4-tnat AIM I tr, hd of tba maa, aoa- dtad. who waa Inna. Mat If rponlbl for Iba aeeldwit whlrh r-1rJ Tria a Mlalaaa arlpa'a. Ala loraa and la lod bp SVoaa, Jadlib't twt aad doubla. Jadltfc nwi to mmput hi dth. ktit nndr dramatla trtreumataac Afcaa aara bar lit aad ao. kawlSUnflr. wind bar lovo. Thraftr Jadlih la by torn aatiaitud kr th aw lav, th old hatred, and jMlnuir of atotar. ta oala bar prcatlnn, Alan and Koao and hair friaad Hmrmma toft rfu( la th Palnud Hill ranaa mt arM mountain hordtrlna th Arnona daaarta. Judith, vfella ajwrawt, auSara a ahanaa of hurt aad rnn tbata ta Man to art a attampt aaoa thrlr- llvah. la ratara for tela aho t aatad kr an outlaw acoempllo aad bound ht- to th bach of a bora. Aim ahoat tha aeeomollaa aad thai karaa ma taaf, followlne a parlloua moamtala trail. ) f ' 9 A ' I TUX MAN IN THE SHADOW. Tw hundred feet, If end, Hopt Jim fell from the fif of the cliff. Thea suddenly th Thing that had been Hopt Jim Blade vu checked In 1U headlong descant by tha outstanding trunk of a tree, over .rhica tt remained, doubled up, limp, horrible . . . Th misiatur landslide that had been rnd br hi fail vent on. settling gradually aa the elope became ! aheer. Only part of it, a double hand ful of pebbles, gained the bottom of the canyon. ' Its muffled Impact on the ground round hta feet roused the man who, had eompaaaed the bandit's jdeeth from the pete he had unconsciously assumed on u instant or nnng. ) II stepped back and snatched up a cas contain ing binocular. . " '. Kot before the glasses were adjusted to his rife loa did h find time to respond absently to th alarmed and insistent inquiries of his two cora- ranlons, a man of his own k and a girt of some years lees, who had been wakened from their sleep by tb report of the rifle. Now the latter "plucked his sleere, momentirlly deflecting the flaatee rrom the objoct which they, were followlnc so sedulnnsly as it mored along th heights: a wildly running horse with a woman bound helpless upo Its back, both sharply in sil houette acoJnst the burning blue. "Alan!" the girl demanded, "what is it? Why did you flreT Why won't you answer me? What is itr Judith," Alan replied tersely, again picking up with the glasses the runaway hone that fled so madly along th perilous and narrow track of th hill tralL . Tb name was echoed from two throats as Alan wung sharply and thrust th glasses into the mds of the girl. . . f "Judith," he sdrmed with a look o poignant soticltude. "She's roped to the back of that crasy broncho helpless! Bee for yourself: one 'false step suppose a stone turns beneath its hoof shell be killed!" ' While the girl focused her glasses upon that speck that flew against the sky.Alsn turned to th two horses hobbled, near by and seising a saddle throw It orer the back of ono. At thl.t ' u. other men strode to his sld aad drop pine a dotainlng hand upon bis arm, asked: . "What are you goir.fc to do?" Alan shook the hand off and went on with his self appointed taak. , "Go after her. Tom. of course," he replied. "What !peT That anlraul Is crazy, 1 tull you" "Even so," Tm lUrcus argiifxl, "you can't climb that tlllsida on horseback and if you could, you'd be too tat to catch up, much less prevent an ao cldent" , . "I know it. Cut suppvme it doesn't fall . , Tow know what's beyond these hills desert! And th girl is helpless, I tell you. bound hand and foot. Think of ter being carried that way all day, per bspa f&ce up to this brutal sun!" "You're raving." Parous commented in a hope la turn. lie looked to tha girl "Rose Miss Trtoe rfccm with this madman" Propping th glaises, the girl cam swiftly and AOiiS-io&Uy U her lover's side, Itjag her Hps to bis. "Oo, sweetheart!" she told him. "8a v her if yoo eaa!" Then hoofbeats drumming on the hard packed rtJpf the canyon trail struck a hundred echoes from its ruftged, rocky walls. Mr. Barcus showed Rse Trlae a face almost ludicrous with its anru!?hed smile that was in ttsded to sm reassurlns. 'Let s look sharp and follow him as quick as may be." h urged. 'Llphtntn? win never strike i-a so long as w stick to Mr. Law of the charmed life tut I don't n,tnd telling you. onrct out of h'.a co-a-laiiy, i'm Juct naturally afraid of the dark!" t XI THE .TRAIL OP FLYIN'd IIOOF-PRINTa ' la the still air of that young dsy the chill of rlfht linxered stubbo-nly and would until the shadow of the e:i?t?nt rawimrt had crcrt slowly down th canyon's western well, teletcoped upon itsrif aad vaniahsd, Icttitis la the aun to make the place a pHof torment and of burning. Refreshed from ret nrnl cshtlarsted by this rrotul CfJcinBs, hii htirso re-jpondod vUltnflr to ls fret lijht touch tf Alaa's ipi:r. In a twinkling the overciKht camp dro:ic1 from view buhlnd the rounded ijojU't vt a Llllfi.le. i:iosjulte-c!oaked. 'Thon fro-n Hi f.rrt rrirl'ed 'fight tho hrse set tled down to tt-aCy k1cc Unttihcnd Its stride, and ran r lo.ir-.e, yI.U tlie 1- n;, aprnrrr'tly ef foriler and tirelar kro of the plalns-brc-d broncho, ventre a t?rr. .'r-. S fc-rr-ro-froTi camp had anticipated by & rimed Jn;t:r l. n.r tho cp:-ctrr.nco on tho upper trail tf f -itr.Oi rf tba firia bandit, to the r.-jc.her of fo'i- i r f re, vim had both i!:acovred and recov c:ci .! 1 I". caKcd Mi dtp-h :nurdc and pledged t!.!.,;!v.-t la it av-.c ia.'r.f laying YcspcnslbH. ity t r U i i:mu-, t-rlv.c ft the cx,r of the man -.id v..i;! . ho tr.n f:l cr.avaB, txatcdlately Ivw tl o icc:.3 if lit ?! Jim's falL rrtwecir t'i r r'nt vhn dlreTery of th men cn tUa tU'c a f!l itcrrur-tcd thetr r!:npl nd hur nc1 trtr.i-.'. f t -.d that v-MtU f-'nd Roie and Par ens ir.o.:r:i-J ca tiu Lr.c' of tt"!r on hori and t.!riB tlx bf't cf thflr nay tJ n th canyon ia tumult cf Alt.-, but lis Jd Una r4a.J ltpd. iii eraa with lis C--u!,'a burden, thair wrt irif.fJo bpttor time tipon the broad lower level than there who followed the rlds;e trail. By mid morn .Inn, when they approached the foothills that ran down to tho desert, the pursultswas more than a rr.!:o in tho rear and shut off to boot by a mono lithic hill, whiie Alan was many a weary Mil in tdvnnco. , Ho sat upon h!a hors. Just . then, at standstill . t upon nhe summit of a rounded knoll, the Fainted Mils lifting up boblnd him, tha desert before un- folding Ilk a map, . Descending th knoll he retned his lagging mount back Into the trail, following its winding course through tho foothills and round the baa of that monolithic mountain toward th Junction with th ridge trail, miles away. It approached tb hour of noon before he gained th point where tb two trails Joined and struck s out across the desert. And her he discovered what b thought Indisputable Indications that th - fright of Judith's hors had persisted. Abandoning immediately all notion of returning through tho hills by tb rldge-trall, be turned and wung away at the best pace h could spur from his broncho1, delivering Almself into th pttllces cm brae f that Iff.placfM wildarness of sun and and. , At long Intervals he would check th broncho ad, reeling in th saddle, endeavor to sweep tbo desert with his binoculars. And toward the middle of th afternoon h fan cied that something rewarded on such effort: something for an Instant swam athwart th field of , ' th glasses: something that seemed to nov Ilk a. weary hors with a human flgur bound to its back. . , But now phenomena were discernible which, had b been mor desert wise, would hav mad him pans and think befor h adventured farther from thos hills, already beyond reach as they were. His first appreciated warning cam when tb " surface of th desert seemed to lift and shake ilk th top of a canvas tnt la a gale. At th sam JOSEPH elf his shadow. And she was now th ftrongwr, for sh had bad mor than. an hour's rest bsld the waterhole, v.hlch ho had missed on th way of that rocky windbreak. Sooner or later . his strength must fall him and be would need her: OH then she was content to bide her hour. It befell rrcnontly In startling fashion; sh was not a yard behind him when he vanished abruptly. But th next moment Judith herself was tremb ling' on tha crumbling brink of an arroyo of depth hd width indeterminable in the obscurity of tb duststorra. Down this, evidently, Alan had fallen in his blindness. , tH sorrTy Trpou her. Bh reelfd slightly as sh walked, weaving a .winding trail across and acrosa th straighter lin of footprint that marked Alan's course through th ordered pattern of th pow dered sagebrush. And of a sudden sh collapsed. Instinct alon mad Alan glanc over-shoulder: for sh had mad no sound whatever. . He turned and cam directly back to her, knelt beside her, lifted her head, pillowed it gently on his am and plied her id turn with the v dregs of th canteen. With a sigh, a stifled moan and a 1UU skiver, t- .f;C ; .- 1 - - II s s i . i a -ii I 1 ' ' '"' 1 ' 'N ' ' .Tr-r I r ! i i ' " .' ' i ' 1 ' I lii.,.t. mm',1MWiMMLM i ...inl,.r-r J aaMai aaai aaaai aaaaBamawa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaBMaBaaaaBnaBaaaaaBBajaaaaaaaaaaBM ESSE 0 nr.' 1 i T- ( r- v. time a mighty gust of, wind wept athwart the wast, hot as a furnace-blaat. In a trie dust en veloped man and hors. a stilling cloud of super heated particles that stung th flesh Ilk a myriad needles. And then darkness fell, th twilight of bndes, a copper-colored pall. Nothing remained visible beyond arm's length, Blinded, half suffocated, unspeakably dismayed and bewildered, th broncho swung round, back to th blast, and rv fused to budg another inch. H'w-e'f mora than half-dared," but etlll hounded by his nlehtmar vision of Jodlva, Alan dismounted ' to escape being torn bodily from the saddle by that . hellish sand-blast, and selling th bridle sought to draw th hors on with htm. . II wasted hi strength In that endeavor: th ani mal balked, planted 1U hoofs deep In th sand. Stiffened its legs and resisted with th stubborn ness of a rock; then, of a sudden. Jerked Its head smartly, snapped tha bridle from his grasp aad flung away, scudding before th storm. Pursuit was out of th question: indeed, th bri dle was barely torn from his hand before. Alan lost light of th broncho, For a moment h stood rooted In consternation as in a bog with an arm opthrown across his fao. Then th thought of Judith recurrd. ... Head" bended and shoulders rounded, he began to forge a way into the teeth of the sandstorm. How long be fought on, pitting his strength ajrvljict th elements, cannot be reckoned. In tha end h stumbled blindly down a slight docllno snd waa abruptly conscious that h had In soma way found shelter from the full fore of tho alnd. . . He etfipFfred on another yard or two, breathtng n:oro freely, and blundered into a rough-ribbed way rf rocH som sporadic outcrop, be understood, hoi bulk stood between him and th storm. He thought to rest for a time, until tb storm had spnut Its greatest strength: but as he laid his shoulder gratefully against th rock and scrubbed the dust from his smarting eyes he saw what he at first conceived to be an hallucination: J ad 1th Trine standing within a yard of him, alive, strong, free. He stared incredulously, ssw her recogntz him, open her mouth to titter a wondering cry that was inaudible, snd com quickly nearer. "Alan! Yoa came to me! Tou followed na, through all this!" He threw off her bend with a bitter laugh that was like the croaking of a raven as it Issued from Ms bone-dry throat and ia a momentary poeses s!oa of hyeterlo madness, reeled away from th "Roman and th shelter of th reck and delivered bluselt anew to th mercy of the dust-storm. in OPEN MUTINY. Though she had been schooled to hold the very nam of Law la loathing unspeakable and to think of Alan aa a mortal enemy and aa on wuoae death alon could properly reoult th cruel Injury that bad been don her father: and thrush the man himself had laughed to scorn her first Involuntary contention of that lav for htm which now con surabd her being with its Insatisbl fires, sh swal lowed her chagrin and followed him with the solici tude of one wtaos lov caa recognis ao wrong in its object Through all th remainder of that day ef terror sh was aevsr far from his sld. WUh U neskaaaa at th strvsa, sk scad o Ehe. 'found him Insensible, lying with an arm beDl dndor him in a pose frightfully suggestive of . d'rlocatlon. Yet when she turned him on his back and released th arm, he made no sign to Indicate that the movement bad caused him the slightest pain. ' . There was a slight cut upon his brow, a bruise about bis left temple. She tore linen from her bosom, beneath her coarse flannel shirt, aad with , sparing aid from the' canteen, washed the cut clean and bandaged It ' . - ' . Then, seeing that the storm, held with fury nn abated, she roee, reconnoltered and returned to" exert all her strength and drag the unconscious man acrosa the dry bed of that ancient water course and under the lee of its farther bask.. There, sitting, she pillowed his head upon her lap, and binding over him made her body an addi tional shelter to him from the swirling clouds of dust . . And for hours on end Judith nursed htm there, scarce daring to move sve to minister to bis needs, bathing his fevered brow and moistening hla parched Hps and throat la the course of the first hour she was ooee startled by the spectral vision through the driving sheets of dust of a horse that -plodded up the arroyo, bearing two riders on its back. Wearr with the weight of its double burden. It went slowly and passed so near to Judith that she i was able to recognize the features pf her sister and Tom Barcus. Be sure she made never a sign to catch thetr attention. - Within tb next succeeding hour lb, coppery light lost something of Its. hot brilliance, took oa a darker shade, and then on darker still. TwV light stole athwart the desert turning its beat to chill. Its Jlght to violet Growing mor intense, tb cold eventually roused the sleeping man. And hardly had his eyes unclosed and looked ap Into the eyes Of Judith bending oversfetro than he started up and out of her embrace, got unsteadily upon bis feet and after a moment at pause, watch ing her ris In turn, strode away or, rather, stag gered with the gesture cf exorcism. Uncomplaining, hugging her newborn humility to her with the ecstasy of th anchorite his horse- . hair shirt, Judith followed him patiently, at a lttti distance. , Not far from where he had rested there was a break In the overhanging wail of the arroyo. Through this he scrambled painfully, reaching the level of the desert only after cruel effort, the un heeded woman at hla heels. A brief pans there afforded both time to regain thflr breath and survey the desert tor signs of aa alstanco: it offered none, other than what they . might accomplish through their own exertions, for leagues in any Quarter It stretched without a break ether than the black cleft cf the arroyo, gleaming a bleached and deathly whit in th moonshine- Ilk the face of a f rosea world. With tacit consent both turned that way, Alan leading, Judith bis pertinacious shadow, with never a word or sign between them to prove that either . was aware of the ether's company. But this was a state of affairs that could tact long endure. Judith had th price to pay for her own trials, riCarUg aad privation; Us atrala be&aa t hs'a Roped to th Back ef That Crazy Bronco neipisss, ne saia. . ah revived. He helped her gently to regain her feet, passed an arm round her. . , ' Thus they struggled on in strange, dumb compan ionship of misery and wonder. . . Tipus an hour passed; and for all their desperate struggles neither could seo that the light on the mountainside waa a yard the nearer. Behind them other lights appeared, two staring . yellow eyes that peered np over the horizon, seemed to pause a time in search of the two, then leaped out directly toward them. ' - Of this they were altogether ignorant; and when a deep, droning sound disturbed the desert silence, like the purring of some gigantic cat, both ascribed It to the drumming. of their laboring pulses. - The two lights were not. a mile behind them when, silently, without a sign to warn the girl, Alan released her, took a ' step apart' and dropped aa if shot . ' Instantly sh was kneeling by his aid. But in th act of bending over blm she drew back and , remained for several moments motionless, staring ' at those twin glaring eyes, sweeping down upon them with all the speed attainable by a six-cylinder touting caf negotiating a trackless desert When Judith did move ltwas not to comfort Alan. On the contrary, her first act waa to draw from her pocket a heavy, blunt-nosed "revolver, break It at the breech and blow Its barrel clear Qf dast. Her hand went next to the holster on Alan's hip. From this she extracted his Colt's .45, treat ing It as she had the other. Then she crouched low above the man she loved, as if thinking perhaps to escape notice from the occupants of th motorcar. ' If that were her thought it was bred of an Idle hope.- Alan had chosen to fall in the middle of a , wide space so arid that .not even sagebrush had ventured to take root there, ' When the glare of the headlights fell upon them it was Inevitable that discovery should follow. The motor car stopped within tweaty feet Three men Jumped out and ran toward the pair, leaving two in the car-the chauffeur and on who occupied a corner of the s rear seat: an aged man with th face of a damned . soul, doomed for a little time to live upon this earth In the certain knowledge of his damnation. Aa this happened, Judith Trine leaped to her feet and stood over the body of Alan, a revolver poised In either hand. "Halt!" she ordered imperatively. "Hands up!" The three who had alighted obeyed without a moment's, hesitation: her father creaturee, they knew the daughter's temper far too well to dre)am of opposing her win. , . v . , In the six hands that were silhouetted against the headlights' radiance, three - revolvers glim mered; but at her command all three dropped harmlessly to th earth. Then, sharply, "Stand back two paces!" (be re quired. They moved nnanlmooaly. . Darting forward, she picked np and pocketed the three weapons, then with one of her own singled out the men she named. "Now, Marrophat and you, Hicks pick Mr. Law np and carry him into the car. And treat blm gently, mind! If one or you lifts a finger to barm blm, that one shall answer to me." Still none ventured to dispute her. The two men designated, without a sign of disinclination, stepped forward. One lifted Alan Law by the shoulders; the other took his leg. Between them they bore blm with every care toward the motor car. . But now a second will manifested Itself. ' The man ia tha rear seat lifted up sv weirdly sonorous voles i "Stopf he cried. "Stop this nonsense! Drop that man! Judith, I command yon" "Be silent!" the girl cut in sharply. "I com mand here if lt' necessary to tell yon." There was a pause of astonishment Then the old man broke out In exasperation that threatened to Wax into fury: "Judith! What do you mean by thlsT Has it Indeed come to this that my own daughter defies me to my facef "Apparently!" she shot back, with a short laugh, "Judge for yourself!" '"Have you forgotten your vow to met "No. But I take it back and cancel it: that It icy privilege, I believe. . . . Silence!" she stormed aa he trove to gainsay her. "Silence do you hear? or it will be the worse for you!" Aa well command the sea tr still its voice: her 'father rsged like the madman that he Was, for the time being divested of his habitual mask of frigid heartlessness. And seeing that there w no other way of quiet tag him, the girl turned to the third man., "Now, Jimmy!" she said crisply. "Into tharcar -end be quick about It and gag him!" "If you do," her father foamed, "111 have your life" A flourish of her rfeapon gained Instant obedi ence. 8he atepped up oa the running board and ahot a quick, earching glance at the face of the chauf feur. - "Straight ahead, my man!" the said. "Make for the nearest pass through those hills yonder, and - don't delay unless you're anxious for trouble. Off you go!" The car began to move. She wept the three men In the desert a mocking bow, Jumped Into the body of the car and slammed the door. They made ao effort to plead their cause and se cure passage even as far as the edge of the desert; doubtless they knew too well the futility of that, she thought as she settled back In a seat chuck ling with the memory of those three masks of dis may unmitigated. It waa not until five minutes later, when she straightened up from making Alan comfortable that he realised what had made them ao content t abide by her will, v Then she heard their Toicea lifted together in a long, shrill howl that was quickly answered by fainter yells from a distant quarter of the desert, then by pistols popping and flashing some two miles away, then by a growing rumor of galloping hoofs. ' The night glasses in the car afforded her flashes of a body of several horsemen some six or seven, he judged making at top speed toward the spot where Marrophat, Hicks and Jimmy waited beside a beacon which they had built and lighted. Half a dozen sentences exchanged with the chauf feur advised her that these were horsemen from the town of Mesa who had charged themselves with - the duty of avenging the death of Hop! Jim Slade. A sardonlo chuckle from within Trine's gag goad ed the girl into a sullen fury. Exacting his utmost speed from the chauffeur, under penalty of her displeasure, she set herself to revive Alan. . . With the aid of such stores of food .and drink as the car carried, this waa quickly enough ao- compllshed. Strangling with an overdose of brandy too little diluted with water, Alan sat up, grasped the con dltlonsMn a flash, and gained further information as he devoured sandwichee and emptied a canteen. The mountain pass was now, he Judged, a mile distant. The light on the hillside, according to the chauffeur, was that of a prospector who had camped there temporarily. 'Shore waa nothing, then, to be feared from that quarter, but solely from the rear where the horsemen, having picked up Marro phat and his companions, had instituted hot pur suit and were now strung out in a long, straggling line, three horses carrying double the farthermost ' perhaps a mile and a half away one with a sin ' gle rider the1 nearest well within' three-quarters of a mile. : ' - . , Nobly mounted, this5last came on like the wind, . gaining on the motor car with every stride; for hla horse was trained to such going, whereas the car at beet could only labor heavily in dust and sand. ' None the less, it. had Won to a point within a quarter of a mile from the pass before the horse man got within what he esteemed the proper range, and opened fire. . . He fired thrice. His first shot winged wide, his second by ill-chance ripped through a rear tire of the car, thus placing upon It an additional handi cap, whlJe this third sought the senlth as his handa flew up and he dropped from the saddle, drilled through the body by Alan's only .shot. 'A long-range pistol duel was in progress before the car had covered half the remaining diBflflSce to the pass. . By the time it entered this last which proved ,to be a narrow ravine with towering , sides of crumbly earth and shale and broken rock, the pur ult waa not a hundred yards behind, while the Bring was well-nigh -continuous. ' Two hundred feet above the trail two men were working with desperate haste at some mysterious business though none, noticed them. Only the chauffeur was aware of a woman run ning down the hillside at an angle, to intercept the car several hundred yards from the mouth of the pass. ' As it drew near the spot where she paused, war ing both arms frantically, the head of the pursuing party swept into the mouth of "the ravine. At the same time the chauffeur noticed that th two men on the hillside were following the woman pellmell, throwing themselves down the slope with gigantic leaps and bounds. . . And then a great explosion rent th peaceful hush of night that till then bad been profaned by the pattering cracks of the revolver fusillade. Aa the roar of dynamite subsided the entire side of the bill sljfted and slid ponderously down, chok ing the ravine with debris to the depth of some thirty or forty feet burying the leaders of th pursuit beyond hope of rescue. t Only an instant later the. motor car Jolted to a halt and Alan pulled himself together to find that Rose and Barcus wsre standing beside the door and Jabbering Joyful greetings, mixed with more or. lees incoherent explanations of the manner ia which they had come to seek shelter for the night In the prospector's shack and, roused by the nulse cf firing and recognizing Alan in the car by. the aid of night glasses, had with the prospector's aid hit upon this scheme of shooting a landslide ia btitweaa the pursuit and its devoted quarry; ' (Te be continued.) 1