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A STCUTn OF MOUNTAIN DAII Xn
THIRTEENTH INSTALLMENT
SYNOPSIS.
-run TIeleu Holmes- daughter, of Ofinri TTnimoa ,
railroad man, is i rescued from imminent danger on a
ccenic railroad by George Storm, a newsboy. Grown
,o voung womanhood, Helen saves Storm, now a fire
man, ber father, and his friends, Amos Rhinelander,
financier, and Kobert Seagrue, promoter, from a threat!
"ned collision. Safebreakers employed by Seagrue steal
General nuuiicou. . tui on une tor the
Tidewater, fatally wound the general and escape. Her
father's estate badly involved by his death, Helen goes
to worn uii mo iiviTo,i.vii. uou iewvers xno survey
clans from Seagrue. and though they are taken from
i,er finds an accidentally made proof of the survey
blueprint. Storm is employed by Rhinelander. Spike. .
befriended by Helen in hia turn saves her and the
right-of-way contracts when Seagrue kidnaps her.
Helen and Storm win for Rhinelander a. race against
Seagrue for right-of-way Helen, Storm and Rhine-
lander rescue Spike from Seagrue's men. Spike steals
records to protect Rhinelander, and Storm and Helen,
save Spike from death in the burning court house.
Vein in Superstition mine pinches out , Seagrue salts
It and sells it to Rhinelander. The mine is relocated. -
A FIGHT FOR A FORTUNE
A bright morning sua beat - down In -winter
warmth on the Superstition mine. Near the mouth
of the tunnel stood Amos Rhinelander, now sole
owner of the property, giving orders o this fore
man. At the loading platform not far away George
Storm was bantering with 'Helen Holmes It was
the day after her hazardous flight down the aerial
railway, but she looked as refreshed and charming
as if she had never known the meaning of the
word trouble. -
George Storm, her companion, stalwart and
young, was disputing with Helen for the posses
sion of a pocket mirror ne had filched from her
vanity bag, when Rhinelander approached. "I am
afraid I am de trop.here," he, said dryly, looking
from one to the other.
Helen flushed the least bit. "Why, not at all,"
she disclaimed.- "We were only waiting for the
team to come back from Valley."
"And you round it easier to wait together, con
tinued Rhinelander, unabashed., "However," he
went on, sparing the manifest embarrassment of
the young couple, "I've something to say to each
of you." . V
They looked at him questioningly. He held two
papers in his hand. "Helen," he continued, "yes
terday completed, I think, pretty thoroughly, my
title to the Superstition mine. I never expect to
get any stronger claim on a piece of property than
I now have on this.1 Unless," he added, quizzical
ly, "to my lot in the home cemetery after I occupy
it permanently. In fact" his face lighted with a
smite "it looked awhile yesterday as if I shouldn't
have any real use for that even. I certainly
thought, George," he said, speaking to Storm,
"While we were trapped in the tunnel, the Super
stition mine itself would be our last resting place.
But while we were relocating that big vein you,
Helen, were getting without the loss of a minute
the help necessaryto bring us out alive.
"That is one reason," he went on, deliberately, "why
I have decided over night to convey to you, little
girl, with my compliments and best wishes, a cer
tificate for one-third the capital stock of this -property."
He handed her a paper. "Here it is."
"George" he turned to his assistant "you, too,
have stood by me at every turn of the road since
I went into this cut-off fight. You lost your Job
with the Tidewater line. through sticking to me. '
I could have got you reinstated you know that, of
course, as well as I do. But there was a little '
selfishness, I admit, in my not doing so. I felt
you could be of more aid to me on the front; and
my expectations have not in a single instance been -disappointed.
"I don't expect to spend all my life in this coun
try. I shall have to leave behind me, when I go
East, someone to represent my interests and to
guard them. The great wealth that has come to -me
in this property has come almost over night.
I wasn't suffering for money before I owned it.
But I want the man who stands, put in this coun
try, for the interests of Amos Rhinelander to have
a substantial monetary backing outside his
care of my affairs. This is why, George, I am
presenting to you in this certificate, a second one
third of the capital stock of the Superstition mine.
Now," he exclaimed, putting upjiis hands to shut
oil the protests and expressions of gratitude
voiced by his companions together, "I don't want
to hear a word further about this from either of
you. All Helen and I will ask from you" he was
speaking to Storm ''is to see that our dividend
checks are mailed to us promptly."
A man came up to Rhinelander with letter.
He opened the note and read: .
Dear Mr. Rhinelander: '
Please tell Helen Holmes hat Leary, known like
wise as Lefty (but whose reaj name was Hyde),
has confessed he killed her father.
The warden says that maybe I will be paroled
about the 16th. - - - SPIKE.
Rhinelander read the note aloud very slowly and
distinctly. For a moment the three were silent.
Rhinelander handed the letter to Helen. She
stood deeply moved.
Seagrue, in his apartment, was still chagrined
over the loss o what he had believed to be a
worthless mine, but which' had already became
known all over Nevada as the richest gold-bearing
property on the great Superstition range. He had
not yet abandoned his hope of recovering through
some clever trick the property that he "had parted
with for what now seemed, a paltry sum, and his
mind was set on regaining, control of it. He was
now studying the bill of sale that signalized his
loss of the property. He presently took up a pen
and wrote out a dispatch! ; , V
Amoe Rhinelander, Superstition Mine: . ,
Quarterly payment Superstition mine due tomor-row-
SEAGRUE.
Storm and Helen were with Rhinelander when
the telegram was handed to him at the mine.
Rhinelander showed It to his companions.
'I think I will draw the money from the bank
and go to town with it in the morning," said
RfcineU.nder, studying the substance of the mes
sage. ... -
Helen intervened: "Let me go with you' she ex
claimed, "and I can start Spike for the mine whea
he leaves the Jail. I should hate to see; him get
mixed up with any more Crooks when he gets" out."
Rhinelander assented, and writing out an answe ,
to Seagrue's message, read it to Storm before he
av6 to a messenger:. , ' ,v,
Er' Seagrue, '' ' :
1 Albemarle Apartments '
Oceanslde:
viii maico payment on time. In on the morrting
passenger. RHINELANDER.
beagrue received the prompt answer without
much elation. He continued ihoughtf ul. and as
Adams, his servant, was leaving, called him back,
asked for his hat and coat, and, accompanied by
the man, left the apartment. ,
Directing his steps up street, Seagrue made his
way to a quarter of the town less noted for its
attractiveness than for its reputation as a haunt of
men of doubtful character. Having .reached the
vicinity he desired-a shabby and deserted side
street -he looked about to see whether he was ob
served, and, perceiving no one, started down an
obscure alley. He knocked at the door of a weath
erbeaten house standing close to the street. A
man opened the door. Seagrue, followed by Adams,
went inside. " x
"Ward," said Seagrue, addressing the scowling
occupant of the room, "I've got a Job for you."
The man addressed asWard, a swarthy, beetle
browed adventurer, scrutinized Seagrue silently at
the intimation.
"I knowyou're sore," continued Seagrue, "at the
way the last job went," he added, recalling the in--cident
of the stealing of Rhinelander's pay roll.
"But that wasn't your fault or mine."
Ward, without answering, continued to regard
him askance. Seagrue unfolded his idea to the
hardened crook and the' promise of ready money
and enough of it whether he succeeded or failed
finally enlisted him.
v "You and Adams, here" Seagrue nodded toward
his servant "can handle the thing without any
The Moment Her Coach Pulled Abreast
Last Box Car, She Jumped.
trouble. If you can't .do it, youll be paid anyway.
But if there's any possible chance, I want to see
you separate Rhinelander from his money for
twenty-four hours." - '
"There's no time to lose," muttered Ward, pick
ing up a railroad time table. "Are you ready to go,
Adams?" Adams nodded. Seagrue supplied both
plentifully with money and the two left together.
Ward and Adams, proceeding to the station,
boarded an outgoing passenger to intercept the
train from Las Vegas which should bring Rhine
lander to Oceanslde. Learning from the conductor
where the down train would-be flagged, they left
their own train at a convenient station and buying
tickets back, boarded the Las Vegas passenger
when it stopped.. .
In the observation car, Rhinelander, seated with
Helen, was watching the landscape through the
window when Seagrue's men coming in paid for
seats not far away.
In his lap Rhinelander held a small bag, and
from the care with which he retained it. Ward sur
mised it might contain something of especial value.
Ward, while he sat studying out a scheme to
take a chance on the proposition and at least get
the bag into his own possession, presently spoke to
Adams: "The train stops twenty minutes at Clin
ton Junction," he muttered to his companion. "We
can get hold of a bag there something like Rhine
lander's." No further words were needed to convey his
meaning. The moment the train pulled into Clin
ton, Ward and Adams hurried off uptown to a
leather goods store. Breaking precipitately in on
the proprietor, they pulled and hauled his stock
about with small sense of responsibility. Evident
ly they wanted u bag, but they seemed to the shop
keeper hard to suit. It was only after much search
ing and many hard words that Ward's eye lighted
on something such as he was looking for.
The diner had been put on and luncheon called.
Rhinelander, taking Helen, started for the dining
car closely watched by Ward. No sooner had the
two seated themselves at a table than Seagrue's
men following took seats directly behind them.
Rhinelander placed the hand bag at his feet. Ward
made no move until Rhinelander became occupied
closely with the bill of fare. While he was trying
to tempt Helen with the various delicacies offered,
Ward put his foot carefully out, slid Rhinelander's
bag away with his toe and, unobserved by the hur-
rying waiters or the busy diners, pushed the dum
my leather bag into its place.
The knaves then coolly ordered their luncheon,
ate it somewhat hurriedly and left the dining
cftr ahead "of their victim. ITr
When slackening speed warned Ward and Adams
that the train was nearing Oceanslde, they were
in no hurry to start out. In fact, they lagged
noticeably. In their movements and Helen and
Rhinelander left the station and took a taxicab
uptown without noticing the change ot bags that
had been played on them. -
And just at thia juncture blind chance itself took
a hand in the little game. Two city detectives in
plain clothes had come to meet the train and were
refreshing their memories by reading a description
of two hold-up men expected on it. Scanning the
faces of the -incoming passengers for such a paii
as woUld fit their search, the ; detectives noted
Ward and Adams getting slowly put of the coach.
While the pair did not quite suit the description,
' the officers, on genervl principles, crossed over to
' . i i i i n '
71 -S1 -V
Mot wG&K tH
meet them and stopped them for examination. A
few curt questions and equally voluble answers did
not satisfy the plain-clothers men, who, after some
discussion, insisted that the ' suspects should ac
company them to the station.' . . -
Ward's mouth fell when he heard the order. Use
lessly he tried? to convince tie detectives that he
and his friend knew absolutely nothing of the hold
up in question. To. the station they were com
pelled to go and there were held in cells until the
sergeant could send out a man to bring in the vic
tim' of the hold-up f or their further identification,
To complete Ward's chagrin, the precious hand
bag was checked in under the sergeant's desk.
On reaching the hotel to which Rhinelander had
taken Helen, she suggested that while he made
his payment to Seagrue, she would go to the safety
deposit vault Rhinelander himself was president
of the Safety Deposit Vault companyand place
their securities away before starting for the jail
to intercept Spike when he should be released. In
parting they agreed to meet again at the hotel.
Helen went directly to the vault, which she
reached just in time to make her deposit of the
stock certificates, in Rhinelander's box; the watch
man was closing the cage when she came out to go
to the penitentiary to meet Spike.
It was a long drive, but once there she was not
kept long in suspense. x In the warden's office, she
awaited Spike, who, greatly changed, presently
entered the room. .
Rhinelander had found Seagrue in his rooms.
Without wasting words, the two set about the
business in hand. Seagrue showed the agreement
and Rhinelander, placing his handbag on the table,
opened it to take out the money. Inside, he found
an odd-looking package and thought that Helen
must have wrapped the currency up differently
after she had taken it from him. He unrolled -a
bunch of newspapers astonished at the situa
tion but could find nothing inside them that
looked like currency: The money was gone.
He turned to the telephone. Spike and HelerJ
had reached the rooms at the hotel when Helen
heard the ring of the telephone. She answered
the call. Listening, dumfounded she did not tell
Spike what she heard, but with her face somewhat
blanched and Rhinelander's words ringing in her
ears, she hung up the receiver. "Get the stocks
from the safety deposit box," he had directed,
"and I will use that as temporary security until 1
can replace the money."
In the interval, Rhinelander was trying to satisfy
Seagrue. He told him he would have ample se
curity there for the payment within half an hour.
Seagrue only smiled. And while Helen and Spike
were hurrying from the hotel, Rhinelander, worried
somewhat by Seagrue's peculiar expression, told
him he would give his personal check for the
amount.
Seagrue shook his head. "No, Mr. .Rhinelander,"
he said slowly, "that won't do. I must have legal
tender, and have it today, or our contract doesn't
go."
Helen, with Spike as her strange escort, reached
the bank only to find it closed as she had feared.
The watchman, despite her appeals, refused them
admittance. But a little obstacle such as that was
not a serious deterrent to Spike. He had defied
the law too long to be balked now in the Interests
of justice and fair play. He had been a male
factor with the law against him; he brushed aside
all scruples now in taking the role of a benefactor
with the law still against him. The watchman had
his way. "If the case is as bad as you say," Spike
muttered to Helen, "we've got to. do something."
Helen shook her head deskaifingly. "It may
mean millions, . Spike," she exclaimed. "What can
we do?" In her distress she clasped her hands.
"Do," echoed Spike, scornfully. "Goto and open
the box and get your , property there's nothing
else to do."- i .
"But how?" cried Helen, wide eyed with per
. plexity, . :. '
'Spike tossed his head. It was set high above a"
pair of swinging broad shoulders and whenever
Spike shook his head in that way, Helen knew
some suggestion was coming. He bent forward
"and pointed his finger at her" to emphasize his
words. "You put the stock in the box, didn't you?"
She nodded a half-frightened assent. "That," he
continued stiffly, r"was your business.' Now, you
.want to get it out, don't you?" .She nodded once
more. "That," he declared with much, positiveness,
"is my business."
A moment later, at the side of the bank, Helen,
frightened to death, followed J Spike through an
unguarded door. He led the way hastily and
stealthily to the vault and Helen, with her key,
onened Rhinelander'? box It was while they were '
of the , 1 v. - ' ' '
sss bei - "a.';;:" - - - - r x.
AUTHOR OF "WHISPERING SMITH,"
"THE MOUNTAIN DIVIDE," "STRAT
EGY OF GREAT RAILROADS" ETC
thus feloniously abstracting their own property
that t&e watchman saw them. He turned in an
alarm. At the police station where it registered,
the sergeant called out the men and they started
on the jump for the bank.
Helen, in the interval, had taken the securities
from the box and showed them to Spike. As they
turned to leave, the watchman, re-enforced by the
officers, pounced down on them. Helen, desperate
over the situation, upbraided the watchman.
A wordy discussion followed. But Helen and
Spike were started for the station, where more
development had already taken place. The victim
ot the hold-up, in response to the sergeant's mes
sage, had arrived, and on having the suspects,
Ward and Adams( paraded with others before him,
was unable to identify Seagrjie's retainers. In fact,
he distinctly declared these were not the men that
had eaten all his free lunch and robbed him.
The chief, refusing to be satisfied, continued to
ask questions. His instinct concerning criminals,
seemed to tell him that this pair were crooks; and,
if not answering to one charge, should justly be
held to await another.' Whjle this was going on in
the office of the chief, Helen and Spike were
ushered, with the complaining watchman, into the
booking room. Helen, demanded the use of the
telephone and in spite of the serious charge
lodged against her something in her bright eyes
or her demeanor satisfied the sergeant she was no
criminal and he handed her the phone from his
desk. She called Rhinelander up at Seagrue's
rooms.
When the bell rang, Seagrue told Rhinelander to
answer if, and from Helen at the station the latter
learned of the plight she and Spike were in.
No explanation that Helen and Spike qould make
moved the desk sergeant in any degree. He had
directed the officers to take the two to separate
cellsWhen a commotion was heard in the hallway
and Rhinelander dashed into the room. In the
twinkling Of an eye the aspect of everything
changed. In Rhinelander, the conscientious watch
man recognized the- president of his own safe de
posit company, and when the great transportation
magnate rushed up to Helen to extend his sym
pathy and nodded, as an old acquaintance, to Spike,
the, humble watch dog of the safe deposit vault
gasped. He waited just a minute, and In an aus
picious lull in the conversation between Rhine
lander and Helen, Spike standing at attention, the
watchman pushed into the group to ask whether
he had made a mistake.
"No mistake at all," said Rhinelander heartily
and reassuringly, and to the watchman's great re
lief. "You did exactly right. You didn't know
these people. They had no business in there. But
they were there not only to. get my securities out
of a box, but to get me out of a box!" The
watchman stared. "So" Rhinelander turned - to
the sergeant In explanation ''there's really nobody
to blame, sergeant, except that your men and you
have a box of cigars coming from somebody and
it might as well be me as anybody else."
The sergeant scratched his head. "This is the
queerest mix-up I ever struck, he muttered, per
plexed., At Rhinelander's suggestion he sent for the chief.
The moment the latter appeared everything was
made right.
Within his own room the chief had a. knotted
problem. He had ' been trying in every way to
extract some damaging admission from Ward and
Adams, but unable to do so, had reluctantly dis
missed the pair, satisfied that if justice had her
due the two would be behind the bars.
Just outside the police station, Helen and Rhine-
,. lander Spike listening -were v conferring as to
what should be ione in the 'awkward emergency
facing theim How could they now save their
property from Seagrue's eager clutches? They
moved away together slowly, just as Ward and
' Adams, having got the real handbag from the Ser
geant, walked out of the station. The two men en-
. countered the halting and perplexed trio. Rhine
lander's roving eye fell on the bag as Ward passed
him. He cried out and pointed. Ward and Adams
turned nervously. "Stop, thief!" yelled Rhine
lander, making for them.
Seagrue's 'men recogtired their victim. Away
they dashed, Helen and the two men after them at
top speed. Across a city street a block away the
JI
COPYRIGHT, .19 IS. BY FRANK H. SPEARMAN.
hind end of a long freight train was rapidly pull
ing. Ward and Adams headed for it, and, out
distancing their pursuers, sprang for and. gained
the nearest box car. It drew away with them as
Helen, Rhinelander and Spike ran up too late. -Pulling
themselves into the empty box car, .Ward
and Adams were well pleased with their escape.
But they were not yet done with their pursuers.
Farther down the line, at a Santa Fe crossing,
a Tidewater passenger train had slowed, and for
this Helen, Rhinelander and Spike made. But the
excitement and speed were telling on Rhinelander,
who was not in the class and training of his com
panions. He weakened. Spike stopped to help
him along. In that brief interval Helen made the
side of a coach as the Tidewater passenger train
picked up speed. Her companions could not over
take her, but Rhinelander hastily chartered a pass
ing automobile and away he went with Spike aftei
the twonr'ains. It was a triangular race, but the
passenger train, on a parallel track, gained rap
idly on the freight.
Helen had already climbed to the coach roof, and,'
with both trains running, she watched the gap'
lessening between the passenger and the freight
that bore the two thieves on the adjoining track.
As she found her own train rapidly overhauling
the other, she made up her mind what to do. The
moment her coach pulled abreast of the last box
car in the long drag she jumped from the top of
the coach to the top of the freight car, landed safe
ly; regained her feet and looked over the side of
the train for the men she was after.
Within the box car where they had taken refuge,
Ward and Adams were trying to open Rhineland
er's bag. They had succeeded In negotiating the
. lock .when, to their consternation, Helen, through
the open sidedoor, swung down and in on them
from the roof. The thieves Jumped to their feet.
But before Adams was up, Helen had knocked him
over gain, and as Ward jumped at her, she man
aged to shoot out her foot at the handbag. By a
fortunate chance she kicked t cleanly out of the
car. Freeing herself from Ward's clutches with an
energetic blow, she sprang to the door herself and
jumped after the bag from the fast-moving car to
the ground. As soon as she could regain her feet
she ran back to search for her hard-won prize.
Adams, when Helen pushed him over, had struck
his head against an iron bar and he lay on the car
floor almost unconscious. Ward turned to him the
minute Helen was -gone. "Wake up!" he shouted.
"We've got to get out of here."
"What's up?" demanded Adams, groggily.
''We're left, man. Shake yourself and get out of
here before you get pinched."
Waiting their chance when their train slowed
down in passing the next station the two men
jumped out of the box car. Down the line Ward
saw the bridge they had passed when Helen sprang
from the car. "That girl can't be very far off yet,"
he muttered. "She may be hunting for the bag.
If we get there quick enough, we can get hold of
it ourselves."
Helen, running fast as she could, searched the
right of way keenly. Help was nearer to her than ,
she was aware of. But she had eyes for nothing
beyond her search and, finally, hardly a stone's
throw from the bridge itself, she saw the bag ly
ing on the gravel.
The nearest station was to the north. Helen
began to retrace her steps, thinking to telephone
or to get somehow in touch with Rhinelander from
there. Hastening on, she heard her name called,
and, looking up, was astonished to see Spike wav
ing his hand at her from the bridge just ahead. He
and Rhinelander, .following the train in the ma
chine, had seen -her spring from the box car.
She started to run forward to join Spike. But
Ward and Adams had come up. Seeing Helen ap
proach, they hid and when she passed them, they
seized and overpowered her and dragged the bag
from her hands.
Not without stout resistance on her part. She
fought the two with blows and screams, and Spike,
hearing the commotion, ran to where he could
slip over the side of the bridge and drop to the
tracks. Shouting loudly as he scrambled to his
feet, he ran to where Ward and Adams were fight-
ing Helen, who had again got her hands on the
bag. But when Spike reached the scene the en
counter was short. -
Ward, the more powerful of Seagrue's men, en
gaged him furiously, and, as a boxer, would have
put him out, had not Spike clenched and slammed
the big fellow heavily to the ground. He jumped
at Adams before Ward could come back and the
two crooks, seeing the game lost, took to their
heels.
Spike turned jto see what damage had been done
to Helen. She had the bag safely in hand and they
started together to join Rhinelander. He was waitp
ing for them eager-eyed.
The bag was now committed to Spike for safe
keeping, and Rhinelander headed the car for the
city in -an effort to reach Seagrue's quarters quick
ly with the payment. Burning the tires all the way
into town, he pulled up with a jerk before Sea
grue's apartment and the three, alighting from the
car, hastened up to his rooms.
Seagrue, expecting the return of Ward and
Adams with their loot, caught his breath when he
faced Rhinelander and his escort at the door.
Rhinelander he could account for. Helen, he was
not at a great loss to account for; but to see the
craning neck, square .jaw, straight nose and cold
gray eye of Spike in the twilight of the hallway
was too much for even Seagrue's poise. When
- they pushed their way In upon him, he made hard
ly any attempt to resist. . "I I wasn't looking for
you," he stammered.
Rhinelander laughed. "No! I understand. How
ever, it's all right. A couple of your men, Seagrue,
had this bag in hand" he held un the leather grip
tor Seagrue's inspection 'to bring to you." Rhine
lander's eyes were sparkling with the zest of vic
tory. "They were detained, Seagrue," he went on,
enjoying to the full the consternation of the breath
less rascal before him. "In fact, the two met with
a little accident." He nodded toward Helen as the
little accident, herself. "The police are looking
for the pair now," explained Rhinelander, jesting
ly. "But we thought it only neighborly to bring
the bag in, ourselves. Especially since you seem
to consider that our title to the Superstition mine
rests on your receiving the actual cash today for
the second payment."
While speaking, Rhinelander had gone to .the
table, thrown the. bag open and was tossing the
packages of currency out. "There's your money,
Seagrue twenty-five thousand dollars. Count it,
Seagrue, and give me a receipt." -
(TO BB nONTnrjEBO
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