Newspapers / The Monroe Journal (Monroe, … / Sept. 18, 1914, edition 1 / Page 2
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The Trey 0 Hearts A No!Ue4 Veruoa cf iSe Motion Fktutj IVwiui of tiu Sna Nate Produced by the . tuvnai rum vo. f-7 "" T1T f "SB f m F LOUIS JOSETH VANCE P.urtnAri wUV FV4or;k fnua lit rVr ProJuclioa J if .ft, sy CHAPTER III. Tfij Trail of Treachery. j Put yoC4 Mr. !.av was sole agent of his oa ev-mi.-hmer.t: j4.: as h. was nobody's fo-'l. least of all hi. cvn. The hid-l. n meaning or ti-o troy cf hearts perplevd him -vita aoh d' trust that before learlci; London, he dispatihed a code cablegram to his cotif. ioi.t'al as'cnt in Now York V.Ti;t '! yi hnow about the trey ot tsar'? Ani.v.r iu.m..J: iu .;t. j Tho answer forestalled his crr'val In Liverpool: ' Trim's .Vath s!?n f.r year father. F-'r God' k. I.h to y.uas,!f and k - way from Am. rh-a. But Alan had more than or.ee v!.;- ' Ited Amoric incoi.it and unknown to Si neca Trin." via a secret route of his own selection. 1 Eiiiht days out of London, a second- 1 class ia:!.o:u- r newly lanficJ from one of tho C-1'. steamships, ho walked the streets of Quebec and dropped out of Wit between dark ami dawn, ti t'irn up presently in tho distant Canadian han K-t r; tae St. Paul, ap parently a very tennor'ooK a .vi:u rican v-'i's-traveler chaperotie 1 bv a tai I turn l.i ii :i guide rn h"d up hcaven kn ? where, t Crossing tho St. Lawrence by i?bt. ' the two struck o:T q;;'. "y i::to tho' ttfrttrtun-l of the Notre Ri.t.o ran-.!, then crossed the X:.lw border. j Oa the second no .in th-Toafter, , trad-worn afd wtary, as loan as their! dc lend P'cks. the two pained on a; rid;'e polo uf the w ilderness up back of the A'.l.nash country, and ma lo their mid lav meal in a silence wh'eh. If normal In the Indian, was out) of deep ruisuivimts 0:1 Alan's part I Continually his gaze ciestloned the. northern skits that lowered porten tously, foul with smoke a country wide conflagration that threatened all not thorn Maine, bone-dry with drought. Only the aouth offered a fair pros pect. And the fires were making eouthward far faster than man might hope to travel through that grim and stubborn land. Even as he stared, Alan saw fresh '.columns of dun-colored smoke spring Up la the northwest, j Anxiously he consulted the Impas ;1re mask of the Indian, from whom his questions gained Alan little com- :fort. Jacob recommended forced wallow a few nnuthfula of raw food, gultxd water from a sprir., and set' PUt at a uos-ircu in! iue ir.iu iu ouu lake Tor hours he blundered blindly on. fcoMins to the trail :r.ainly by ii.stlnet. At lergth, pantlrs. :p!a. half blinded, h- stamered into a littl nat ural clearing and plunged forward hoadlor?. so bewildered that he could uot have sail whether he w; tripped or thrown: for even as he stumbled a heavy body landed on his back and crushed him savagely to earth. In leis than a minute lie was over come; his wrists hitched together, his ar.kb's bound with heavy cord. When his vision cleared he fc:nd : Jacob within a yard, rmardinn; him j v ith a face as Immobile as though it had "o.!i cast In tho bronze it resem bled. IV, ml. to one side, a vor.ian in a man's hunting costaM" stood eye in; the captive as narrowly ,s the in d.an. but ur.liKe him with a ceunte-jia:tr- that soonied asiow w ith a Here" cxn'tarc" over his do4. ;' ill. j V : for t V r. t look lw rou'.d havp h"44- j ii.'vcd has the f.u-e V... I had trou0Ut hrr. ovt t ) th!' irortul :-x. To tare r 1 .-a.uio. ev. ;i t' ti e !o:e f 1 . j leiir. cottnten. . 1 !!! he bivt-J; only thos eyes. h tl "t l.vk of l';ht'r.mn r4s dttiied tii.U the two were . 1 1 & ' .A A j 1 Sawed the C:rjs Against the B.-.z4"4-Sh.-.rp Blade. gripped It firr and .-awed the aitiiii-t the ra. i'-.4: ore Alar between his t round his w : -hnrp blade, '.a turn and r4 : ;h. he ) ad alt. in." r':lhh:4J oao. i He sou; lit vainly to speak. Tin h.-eat'i nu-iled In his parched threat l.ke wind whispering among dead : leaves. j Thrusting the Indian roughly asld , the woman knelt iu Ids rlace by , Alan's head. I "So," she said, and pmlling cruelly, shook her head "no. I am not your Itose. Hut I am her sister. Judith, her , twin, born In the same hour, daughter j of can you guess whose daughter? Put see this!" She flashed a card from w ithin her hunting shirt and held It before his eyes. "You know It, eh? 1 The trey of hearts the symbol of( Trine Trine, your father'a enemy, and yours, and Rose's father and mine! So, now, perhaps you know!" A gust of wind like a furnace blast wept the glade. The woman sprang up, glanced over-shoulder Into the for est, and signed to the Indian. "In ten minutes." she said, "these woods will be your funeral pyre." She itenned hark. Jacob advanced. I . ' . . . . rnlroA Alnn m fihmlMprcu! hi hfldv. marcnes to spiru laae, wnere canuea -"-- -t- - " " ana Biroue dbck iniu iuo lureoi. icu saw a v ..milliard ot t'.ames brb1 v..r, s at a ho'ind and ttart a pit bhulng like a torch. :vl then be was pelting like a ia i ! U.:,4.l across the ft i1' ed-lilled clo.:: . .:, :r l in less than two minutes f.-'-ini the forest f the .ebbly siier nf a wi.h-hos ittied lake, nnd withhi a fe hundred feet of a subst.i:.'!'il dam, through whoso spillway a h.avy volume i water cascaded with a r ar rivaliu4; that of the lorest-flre Itself. Two quick k1.hico3 showed Alat: fvo things: that his only way of escape was viu the dam; that there was a solitary canoe at mid-lake, benrln44! swiftly to the farther -shore Judiiti Trine and the Indian the latter wield ing the paddle. In the act of turning toward the flam he saw Jacob drop the paddle. The next Instant a bullet from a Win chester .30 kicked up a spurt of peb bles only a few feet In advance of Alan. He quickened his pace, but the next bullet fell closer, while the third ac tually bit the earth beneath his run ning feet as he gained the (1am. Exasperated, he pulled up, whipped out his pistol and fired without aim. At the same time, he noted that the distance between dam and canoe had M M 9 , might bo found to aid their flight; and withdrew Into Bullen reserve. I They traveled far and fast by dim forest trails before sundown, then Egaln paused for food and rest. And aa Jacob sat deftly about preparing the meal, Alan stumbled off to whip ' the little trail-side stream for trout. Perhaps a hundred yards upstream, the back lash of a careless cast by his v cary hand hooked the state of Maine. ! Too tired even to remember the ap propriate words, Alan scrambled r.shore, forced through the thick un dergrowth that masked the trail, found his fly, set the state of Maine free and swinging on his heel( brought up, nose to a sapling, trans-( fixed by a rectangle of white paste board fixed to Its trunk, a trey of hearts, of which each pip had been' neatly punctured by a 22-caliber bul let. He carried It back to camp, mean ing to consult the guide, but on sec ond thought, held his tongue. It was not likely that the Indian had over looked an object so conspicuous on the trail. So Alan waited for him to speak and meantime determined to watch Jacob more narrowly, though no other auspicious circumstance had marked the several days cf their association. The first half of the night was, as the day, devoted to relentless prog tress southward; thirty minutes of steady Jogging, five minutes for rest I and repeat. No more question as to the need for such urgent haste; overhead the north wind muttered without ceasing. Thin rails of smoke drifted through the for lest, hugging the ground, like some weird 'acrid mist; and ever the cur italned heavens glared, livid with re- 'fleeted fires. 1 feet In from the clearing he dropped the helpless man supine upon a bed of 1 dry logs and branches. Then, with a single movement, he disappeared. CHAPTER IV. Many Waters. Overhead, through a rift In the foliage, a sky was visible whose ebon darkness called to mind a thunder cloud. The heat was nearly Intolerable; the voice of the fire was very loud. A heavy, broken crashing near by made Alan turn his head, and he saw n tirnwn hpnr hrenk rover and Dlunee on Into the farther thickets forerun-j ner of a mad rout of terrified forest! folk, deer, porcupines, a fox or two, a wildcat, rabbits, squirrels, partridges a dozen more. . . . Two minutes had passed of the ten. Something was digging uncomfortably Into Alan's right hip the automatio .aigj44 plf-tol In his hip pocket, of which I Jacob had neglected to relieve him. , Then a sharp, spiteful crackling ! brought him suddenly to a sitting posi tion, to And that the Indian had thoughtfully touched a match to the pyre before departing. At Alan's feet the twigs were blazing merrily. It would have been easy enough, acting rn Instinct, to snatch his limbs away, but he did not move more than I to strain his feet as far as tbelr bonds permitted. Conscious of scorching heat even through bis hunting boots, he suffered that torture until a tongue of flame licked up, wrapped Itself round the thick hempen cord and ate It through. Immediately Alan kicked his feet I free, lifted to a kneeling position, and Ey midnight Alan had come to tho crawled from the pyre. Ibonnds of endurance; flesh, bone and As for his hands Alan's hunting sinew could no longer stand the strain. knife tll n "heath belted Though Jacob declared that Spirit to the small of his back. Tearing at 'lake was now only six hours distant,1 the belt with his hampered fingers, he as far as concerned Alan he might contrived to shift It round until the ,. ..m son hi. blanket one. nn-' aheath knife stuck at the belt-loop rolled, Alan dropped upon It like one hli ,eft hP- TOtMimwtai and AmrteA conveying the blade to his mouth, he The sun was high when he awak ened and sat up, rubbing heavy ey3, treicning acning nmDs. wondering AivwiUljir. what had come over the Indian to let office in Law Building, old LJbrar? W.O.LEMMOND, him sleep so late. Of a sadden he was assailed by sick ening fears that needed only the brief- .est Investigation to confirm. Jacob room. Monroe, N. C. Will practice In all State and Fed eral Courts. Will give special at tnntlon to collection or claims anc iCSl lnvesugauim iu cuuuruj. jm-uu . -" - . . had absconded with every Taluable etUement of estates by admlnl litem of their equipment Nor was bis motive far to seek, i Overnight the fire had made tre .mendous gains. And ever and anon ithe wind would bring down the roar trators and eiecuters. DR. D. T. WALLER, Dentist. Eaninned for Nitrous Oxide and Ox- I of the holocaust, dulled by distance ' ygen administrations, insuring Pain- but not unlike the growling of wild,"" txtracung ana uperawn8. f.m n th, mi - X-Rny ttork Specialty. n.1 fnaitlntr nn fhotr VIII -J? 1 u . -I Over First National Bank. Aiaa .u..8 u5u ly Jg fc Xryoii bt Cbarlotte, N. G A Trsmendeus Weight Tore at His Arms. lessened perceptibly, thanks to ths strong current sucking through the spillway. His shot flew wide, but almost In stinctively his finger closed again upon the trigger, and he saw the pad dle snap in twain, its blade falling overboard. And then the Indian fired again, his bullet droning past Alan's ear. As he fired In response Jacob start ed, dropped his rifle and crumpled up lit the bow of the canoe. Simultaneously earth and heavens rocked with a terrific clap of thun der. He turned again and ran swiftly along the dam, toward two heavy tim bers that bridged the torrent of the spillway. Then a glance aside brought htm up with a thrill of horror; the suet of the overflow had drawn the canoe within a hundred yards of the spill way. The dead Indian In Its bow, the living woman helpless in its stem, it swept swiftly onward to destruc tion. His next few actions were wholly unpremeditated. He was conscious only of her white, staring face, her strange likeness to the woman that he loved. wan chines McCormick, Deering, Wood, Johnson. We are the agents for the above machines. We invite your inspection. HEATH HARDWARE CO. WHOLESALE MONROE, N. C. RETAIL He ran out upon the bridge, threw himself dow n upon the Innermost tim ber, turned, and let his body fall back ward, arms extended at length, and swung, braced by his feet beneath the outer timber. Vith a swiftness that passed con scious thought, he was aware of the canoe hurtling onward with the speed of wind. Its sharp prow apparently aimed directly for his head. Then hands closed round his wrists like clamps; a tremendous weight tore at his arms, and with an effort of incon ceivable difficulty he began to lift, to drag the woman up out of the foam ing Jaws of death. Somehow that impossible feat was achieved; somehow the woman gained' a hold upon his body, shifted it to his belt, contrived Inexplicably to clamber over him to the timbers; and some-j bow he in turn pulled himself up to safety, and sick with reaction sprawled prone, lengthwise upon that foot-wide bridge, above the screaming abyss. Later he became aware that the woman had crawled to safety on the farther shore, and pulling himself to gether, Imitated her example. Solid earth underfoot, he rose and stood swaying, beset by a great weakness. Through the gathering darkness a ghastly twilight in which the flaming forests on the other shore burned with an unearthly glare he discovered the wan, wrlthen face of Judith Trine close to his and he heard her voice, a scream barely audible above the com mingled voices of the conflagration and the cascades: "You fool! Why did you save me? I tell you, I have sworn your death!" The utter grotesqueness of it all broke upon bis Intelligence like the revelation of some enormous funda mental absurdity In Nature. He laughed a little hysterically. Darkness followed. A flash of light ning teemed to flame between them like a fiery sword. To its crashing thunder, he lapsed Into unconscious ness. When he roused, it was with a shiv er and a shudder. Rain was falling In torrents from a sky the hue of slate. Across the lake dense volumes of steam enveloped the fires that fainted beneath the deluge. A great hissing noise filled the world, muting even the roar of the spillway. He wes alone. But In his hand, tattered and bruised by the downpour, be found a rose. (Continued in next Issue.) DR. R. L. PAYNE, Physician and Surgeoi, Monroe, N. C. Office in Postoffice Building, over Union Drug Co. Office hours 11 to 11 a, m., 2 to p. m. Residence phone. 273-R. Dr. B. C. Redfearn, Dentist Office one door south of, Bruner's store. Phone 232. Monroe, N. C. At Marshvllle on first and third Mondays of each month and Mat thews second and fourth Mondays. You Want the News I hfle It's MEW. The Monroe Journal twice each week for one dollar a year is the biggest newspaper value in the State. Renew your subscription now and keep up with the big events of the world. All the County, State, and General News while it's warm. No need for anyone to be without the best liter ature. Send in your dollar now and get the old re liable Journal Two Times a Week.
The Monroe Journal (Monroe, N.C.)
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Sept. 18, 1914, edition 1
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