Ninth Instalment 1
That Happened Before
A I > party in Falra Beach given fcy Mr. Cooper
Clary, Leeaon, an at cox m jr. ?wtl Lacy Harknaee,
known a? Deril-May-Care becauae of kit adven
turoua. creacfrti life, la I gam* in ?kick partnatl
fa.- the evening are etiiw. Lacy ia won by Tim
Sicrtai. who ha* i^great reputation at a auocnefttl
beart -breaker. Leeeon i| a bit jeitoul. Tim
Mereai t?!li I ucy they a fe going aboard Hi* boat,
ibe Uimtrvt, and aha accede* ia order not to be
"a quitter." Aiked if aba i* aorry that lie ?w
her coeepany, Lucy aaya ake ia not acd ^hat
riidcitly Fata haa arranged it. Tfaa thereupon
tell ? her to atop looking regretfully after Leeaon.
Aboard Stevens' boat, the Minerva. Ste
vens tells Lucy of His love. When ane re
plies with contempt for him, he grows vio
lently angry and she becomes afraid of him.
He says be will never let her go from the
Minerva until she accepts him. To escape
)iim, she lea^s into the water from her cabin
window, swimming a short distance tinder
water
.ucy reaches land and meets Dr. Fergus
J'iiince on an island. He takes care'of her
siid takes her home. Everyone is worried
about her, and when she hiects Stevens he
is trantic, regretful and still ardent ,in pro
testations of love.
J.te&ou informs Lucy that Stevehs must
raise a tiuarter ?of a million dol'ars or go
10 jail?' "at five o'clock.'' Lfccy goes to
licr Iwnk and raises the sum.
1 .ucy goes lo Stevens to help him, but
lie refuse* to take money from ? woman
to whom he ii" not married. So Lucy
marries this man that she hates, end
(uonipty runs away from him, going to
(er staunch friend Dr. Fergus Faunce to
tell what she has done. j.
Stevens sets out in search of Lucy- {
Meanwhile, Dr. Faunce and Lucy launch
a new boat. A hurricane wrecks them on
their first trip, l.ucy is saved, and finds
her -elf aboard the Minerva, wondering
what happened to Dr. Faunce.
Dr. Faunce is aboard the Minerva also.
Stevens threatens to kill Faunce unless Lucy
atbks to him. To save Faunce she accedes,.
|.ii* expresses hate for Stevens. A few min
uie? later he startles her by saying he
doesn't want tier, and never will!
I.eeson sees Lucy and in a burst of con
fidence tells her of ? plot agiinst her hus
band. Certain interests are to break down
ti e bridges on his property, and make it
worthless. She goes to Vaunce's place,
where her husband and Faunce are to
gether, and tells of the plot. Preparations
are made for n fight,
.NOW CO ON WITH THE STORY
Faunce dived into his cabin; he re
turned carrying a double-barreled shot
gun. And now Lucy noted a bulge in
her husband's hip pocket; a delightful
anticipatory shudder ran up and down
her spine. This promised excitement.
Well, she'd always thrived on it ?
Over his shoulder, dog-trotting
toward the waterway, Stevens called
liark to his two followers:
"They've probably blocked the roads
leading down to the ^development, and
we'd never , g. t through the guard.
"II wc fneaK up in your rowooat,
Fergus, old kid, we'll beat 'em to the
punch."
What, thought Lucy, had inspired,
or caused, or aroused this apparent
intimacy between Tim and Fergus?
Was it money, the surest bond of all ?
Did Fergus accept Tim because he
hoped to be made wealthy? But that
didn't seem like Fergus. . . .
Tim ceased rowing. Ahead could
be heard the confused murmur of
many voices.
"They're on the first bridge," whis
pered Tim.
"Then we're too late," she groaned.
She heard an inarticulate ejacula
tion from her husband. Then:
"Thought you wanted to see a fair
fight, Lucy. Well, be patient." He
leaned toward Faunce, yet in the calm
night she heard his words.
"If I can keep one bridge standing,
I'm all right," he said. "So . . . we'll
throw 'em off this first one. All set?
Aw-right 1" "
He dug his oars into the water, and
the skiff shot around a bend; it was
beneath a bridge before the men on it
realized what was in their midst.
Stevens stood up; his big hands'
gripped a bridge timber and he had!
climbed, like any huge cat, upon the
bridge itself. She heard his great
booming voice: ,
"Welcome, friends I Didn't expect
you or you'd have had a better recep
tion. But, surprised as we are, well
do the best we can. ' Do you prefer
to be pushed off this bridge or thrown
off? We aim to please."
The skiff had drifted under the
bridge, and now Faunce was standing
up, gripping at the timbers above.
She would not be left alone ; rising,
?he stepped the length of the boat, and
placed her fingers upon the planking
of the bridge. She was standing by
her husband just as a voice cried ;
"Knock him over; he's all alone."
"Oh, I wouldn't ?ay that," com
mented Faunce, His shot-gun was
slung across one arm.
From the shore of the stream an
other voice called : ' v
"Three of them. Well, there are
twenty of us ? "
Tiger-like, her husband moved.
There was a stifled cry,' a choking pro
test, something whirled through the
air, and a splash from; the stream.
"Only nineteen now," his great
voice boomed. "Who's next for the
bath?" . ;?
There were four men upon the
bridge, but as he moved closer, they
shrank back.
"Wait a minute," cried a third voice.
"I'm the sheriff of this county, and I
came here to see that law and order is
observed. These people expected
trouble and called on* me for aid.
These men are all my dep'ties and I
order you to cease resisting their law
ful occupation and consider yourself
under arscst" ft
"No oqe could put it vort beatrti
' f
LOTS FOB SALE
Adjoining Western Carolina Teach
frs College property and on Speed
well road at Cnllowhee: Fine build
- '? * ?' ? * j. '.5 ftV ?
?<>?? property at the doors of the ?ol
I' gp, and in restricted building dis
_ J
trict. See owner, Frank H. Brown,
Cullowhee^ N. 0.
U-25-6te pd ,
SllCCtu r %
n't you hint at me ao
crookedf' cried the
*#y k T
s Hlce {at bn
i- "By God J _
ing anything
sheriff. ( '
/'Was I hinting? Didn't mean to.
14 me istate it again. I accuse you
of being bribed. " You're a nasty fat
erodk, and -if you don't take your men.
to hell off my property I'll kill a few
of you. Do you get me?"
The hymor had died from his voice ;
it was menacing, ugly, fraught with
deadly intent, _
"Look here, Steyerft. This is Clem
one iof them. As fighting animals . . .
They returned to the bridge.
f "This midnight stuff is my justifica
tion," Stevens was saying, "ljut when
they come back, in daylight, with a
proper warrant for my arrest, I sha'n't
have the excuse tliat I didn't believe "
Maddox was the sheriff. Fergus, we
must have, an injunction by morning.
Now, Judge Learning is in Palm
Bcach. He has Jurisdiction over this
territory. He's at El Verano Hotel.
Wake him out of bed, get him' to issue
an injunction against Clary, against
the sheriff, against the town officials,
Stevens's answer was not made in words but in actions. He leaped
forward; his bi;; fist thudded on the jaw of one of the men on the Wage.
Clary speaking." The coppcr magnate
stood upon the bank, close to where
the man hurled into the stream had
clanunered soggily ashore.
"Well, speak," said Stevens.
"The law's with us, Stevens," said
Clary. "Better give in, or we'll rush
you."
Stevens's answer was not made in
words but in actions. He leaped for
ward; his big fist thudded on the jaw
o{ one of the nien on the bridger The
man went down, rolled over, and fell
into the water. The skirmish ended
there. The other three fled. Stevens
pursued to the taid.of the bridge.
With vaQriCe at Tils elbow, he
addressed Clary.
"I'm armed; so is Dr. Faunce. If
one man puts his foot on this bridge
we'll f>hoot to kill. Got it?"
"You're under_arrest I'' bawled the
sheriff.
Stevens laughed.
"All right; come take me."
The sheriff moved toward the
bridge, but stopped ten feet away.
"Go on, Maddox !" cried Clary.
"Going to let him bluff you out of it ?"
"The only way to find out if a man's
bluffing is to call him," ?aid Stevens,
sweetly. "My chips are right in the
center of the table. Who calls?"
"Resisting arrest, breach of the
peace ? "
Stevens cut short the sheriff's cries.
"I haven't resisted arrest, Maddox.,
In fact, I've invited you to come over
here and arrest me. But you're such
a shy little crook ? " his voice sud
denly broke in rage: "Maddox you're
yellow ! Your parents ran away from
die Confederate Army and came down
to the Florida swamps and spawned
like the vermin they were. You'd
lynch a nigger when you're a hundred
to one, but one bandit laughs at a
thousand like you. You shoot in the
back and never face to face. You
want to arrest me. Well, here I am."
He paused and turned to Lucv.
- "Sorry; promised you a real fight,
but it takes two to make one."
"You'll regret this, Stevens," said
Clary. ?
"Not half so much as you're regret
ting it right now," retorted Stevens.
"But you're not going to pull down
this bridge this night, old man. Nor
any other night. You may buy a
sheriff or a marshal, but a judge is
something else again, okl top. And
say, I'm getting tired of all this. The
land you're on. is my property, just as
this bridge is. Get off it."
"Don't overplay your hand, Stevens,"
advised Clary. .
"No? Much obliged fof the advice.
But when I gamble I bet all I have.
Now I'm betting that there isn't a
man in your gang that has the real
sand of a rat. . . . Fergus, let's clean
'em out. Shoot the first man that
hesitates." , , .
Lucy had read of men dominating a
mob, frightening them, but -this was
no mob that Stevens and Fergus over
awed. These Were obviously hired
bullies, and among them was an offi
cer of the law. Yet as Tim and Fer
gus advanced" upon them thS^auperior
numbers retreated, Even old Clary,
who stood ground until the last, sud
denly turned and _ ran. What had
promised great excitement, even trag
edy, degenerated into farce, into bur
lesque. ?" .
And yet it had not been Tim s fault.
The*way he had tossed a man into the
water, knocked another off the bridge
. . And Fergus had shown gallantry.
These were two magnificent men, no
matter what else might be said about
against everybody, ordering them to
restrain from destroying these bridges.
We've saved the others, youll notice.
They're afraid we mean business and
will start shooting. Come back here.
Round up a few people to make it look
l>etter. They might buck an injunc
tion, you know."
He whistled gustily.
"Slip into the skiff; you'll have to
wade or swim for it; see it down
there, against the bank? Row. back
to Mango Key, hop into your car^and
make your ^et-away. Of course they
may be laying for you on the way,
but show them the old shot-gun.
"We'll libpe you make it"
"Why couldn't I go, leaving yoa
two to handle them if they decide to
try again, -if they summon up courage
enough," suggested Lucy.
Stevens frowned. ?
? *They, worft rush us, but they might
try a surprise? block the way for a
car, and when you stopped jural) you.
I don't like the idea of my wife in the
hands of that gang."
"Mr. Gary wouldn't let them actu
ally harm me," said Lucy. "He's a
wicked old devil, but, after all, I'm A,
friend of his wife ? "
"She's right, Tim," said Fergus. "I
ought to stay here with you."
How in blazes is she going to find
her way back to Mango Key?" ob
jected Stevens.
"I can row a boat," said Lucy, "and
when I' reach the mouth of the creek
I simply turn north, to the left, and
when the waterway narrows I'm op
posite Mango Key. The moon's gone,
but the stars give enough light. Of
course I can do it, if you'll get the
boat for me. I hate to be all muddy."
"She's right, Tim," said Faunce, -
again.
Stevens shrugged, then yielded. Ha
fetched the boat, placing the oars car*,
fully in Lucy's hands, and shoved her
off,
"I think I owe you a lot of thanks,"
he whispered. "You certainly saved
my bacon."
"You owe me nothing," she replied,
"I owed whatever I did to you."
"How do you figure that?" he in
quired.
"Because I believed you were en
gaged ill a swindle. It seems that you
were not. One should make payment
for unjust thoughts. I've tried to
pay."
- "This time, then, I'm not a thief?"
he said.
" This time you're not," she said.
"Much obliged," he said dryly. .
His body bent and the skiff went
whirling out into the middle of the
narrow stream ; she bent to the oars.
Judge Learning descended to the
lobby of El Verando and heard Lucy's
impassioned statement of the case.
The judge, no cracker, but a Southern
gentleman, smiled sleepily at the pretty
girl.
"Any man that's wise enough to
pick you for a wife, Mrs. Stevens, is
bound to get an even break in any
thing, because he's no fool. And he'll
get a fair break with this court. You
go home and get some -sleep and I'll
attend to the rest of the matter."
She could trust him, and so she
went home, wild though she was to
return to Seminole Creek and learn
how Tim? and Fergus*; Fergus was
an afterthought ? were getting on*
Continued Next Week
??. n
A
-' i.
COMING!
DE. N.D.WELLS
Coward House
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, DECEMBER S7 AND 28 ,
r'.'r " . : ? ? * * , -* **--? " J
Registered Optometrist ? Eye Strain Specialist) '
BRING US ALL TOUR EYE TROUBLE A
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r? - 1 -7, V'V ^ A ?
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Last Gall For
SHOPPING
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Just a Few
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