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THE TREY O'HEARTS f CHAPTER XLIII. ! Camp-for-the-Nlght "Well, genU!" the driver obserred cheerfully, withdrawing head and bands from long and 'intimate com munion with the stubborn genius be neath the hood. "I reckon you-all m.T's well make up yore minds to christen this hyeh salubrious spot Camp-for-tho-NIght You won't be goin' no fartheh not Just 't present Fulling this old wagon through them desert sands back yondeh has Just naturally broke' the heart of that en glne!" "What, precisely. Is the trouble?' Alan Law inquired, rousing from anx ious preoccupation. "Plumb bust' all to hell," the chauf feur explained tersely. "Nothing could be fairer, more ex act and comprehensive than that," Tom Barcus commented. Law nodded a bead too weary to respond to. the other's humor. His worried eyes reviewed the scene of the breakdown. "Wfiat's to be doner Mr. Law won dered aloud, ,. "Take it calm," the affable chauffeur advised. "Frettln' won't get you-all nothln'. it it was me, I'd call It a day, make a fire, get them cushions out of the cyah, and get some rest You can't do -Bouln' till I get back, anyway, and that won't be much be fore sunup." "Where are you going?" Barcus de manded. ' -"Walkln", friend; Just walkln' "What for?" "To fetch help leastways, onless yove got some kick comin' and 'ud ruther stop hyeh permanent' " He turned off and busied himself with preparations against his Journey. "It's simply things like this make me belleive this Isn't, after all, noth ing more nor less than a long-drawn-out nightmare," Barcus observed pen sively. But Mr. Law was no more attend ing: ho had turned away and was Just then standing by the running-board of the motor car'acd civilly explaining to Miss Judith Trine the purpose of the chauffeur's expedition. Discovery , of this circumstance worked a deep Wrinkle between the brows as well as Into the humor of Mr. Barcus. Here, he promised himself, was a situation to titillate the Comic Muse itself. He pointed out in turn the sev eral component parts: the motor car derelict in the hollow of those awful and silent-hllls--f or all the world like a mouse petrified with fright at finding itself in the midst of a herd of ele phants; In-the car, that aged monoma niac, Mr. Seneca Trine, author of all their woes and misadventures, gnash ing his teeth-ia impotent rage to find himself in close Juxtaposition to and helpless to injure the man for whose life he lusted with an insatiate pas sion; the latter standing outside the car, in polite conversation with Mr. Trine s mutinous Judith talking to her in the- friendliest fashion lmag inable, precisely as if she had not sibilant whisper for her ears, and bis face in the moonlight seemed to glow with the reflection of that inferno which smoldered In his evil bosom. . . But one was silenced, the other quenched, all In a twinkling. His daughter turned on him In a flash of imperial rage. Barcus caught snatches of the wom an's tirade. "Be Silent ! ha Tinri1 h - . I silent, do you hear? Don't ever speak r to me again unless you want me to re place that gag. I say, don't speak to me! . . . I am finished with you onoe and for all time; never again shall you pervert my nature to your damnable purposes never again shall word or wish of yours drive me to lift my hand against a man who has never done you the least harm, though your persecution of him would have acquitted him of a charge of man slaughter In any court on grounds of self-defense! . . . Understand me!" she raged. "I'm through. Henceforth go my way, and you yours . . Her voice broke. She clenched her hands Into two tight flsts with the effort at self-control, and lifted wrlthen face to the moonlight. 'God help us both!" she cried. CHAPTER XLIV. No Doubt Which Came First In His Esteem. 'alien little short of compassing his death, not once, but halt a dozen times; Judith herself poised on the running-board, and smiling down at her victim with a warmth patently even more than the warmth of friend ship; and at some little distance, Rose, Mr. Law's fiancee and Judith's sister, fjfi 8 her heart out, with Jealousy of this new-sprung Intimacy between her sister and her lover, "Bad business, my friend! Barcus mentally apostrophized the unwitting Alan Law. He interrupted himself to nod know Jngly and with profound conviction: I knew It Now It begins again!" For Rose had; abruptly taken a hand m the affair, a gesture of exasperation Prefacing her call: "Alan!" r To her Mr. Law turned instantly, ith such alacrity that none who watched might doubt which of the two women came first la his esteem. Nor was this wasted upon the under standing of Judith. Eyeing her nar- iy though furtively, Mr. As In a Glass, Darkly. Thoughtfully Mr. Barcus returned his attention to the lovers. If the evidence of his senses did not mislead him, he was witnessing their first difference of opinion. It was not an argument acute enough to deserve the name of quarrel; but undoubtedly the two were at odds upon some ques tion Rose insistent, Alan reluctant. The last gave way in the end, shrugged, returned to the car. "I'm going back up the trail," he announced, and hesitated oddly. "Feeling the need of some little ex ercise, no doubt," Barcus suggested. ' Rose thinks It's dangerous to stop here," Alan began to explain, ignoring the interruption. "Miss Rose is right eh. Miss Ju dith?" BarcuB interpolated. Judith nodded darkly. "So I'm going to see if I can't buy burros from the prospector back there. Rose says he has some doesn't know how many " Three will be enough," Judith inter posed. "I mean, don't get one for me. m stopping here." "But " Alan started to protest. She gave him pause with a weary gesture. "Please! It's no good arguing, Mr. Law: I've made up my mind; I can be most helpful here, by my father's side," she asserted, and nodded at Trine with a significant smile that maddened him. ."He needs me and no harm can come to me; I'm pretty well able to take care of myself!" At this the Innocent bystander breathed an unheard but fervent little prayer of thanksgiving, whose spirit he doubted not was shared by Alan. For it stuck in the memory of Bar cus that their friend, the prospector (whose shack had sheltered Rose and Barcus after their transit of the desert and prior to the man-made avalanche, which had afforded this temporary im munity from pursuit) had mentioned in the hearing of Rose the fact that his string of burros was limited to three. This, then, must have been the nub of the lovers' quarrel: Rose's inslst ance that Judith be left behind, Alan's reluctance to consent to this lest he convict himself of the charge of rank Ingratitude, remembering the great) service his erstwhile antagonist had done him. If only Judith might not find cause to change her mind! He set himself sedulously to divert Judith with the magic of his conversa tional powers an offering Indifferent ly received. He was still blithely gossiping when Judith flung away to her sister's side. The ensuing quarrel seemed but the more portentous in view of the re straint Imposed npon themselves by both parties thereto. He believed, however, that a crisis Impended when the tinkle of mule bells sounded down the canyon road; and at this he threw discretion to the winds and ran toward the two with hands upheld in mock horror and a manner of humorous protest "Ladles, ladies!" he pleaded. "I beg of you both, let dogs delight to bark and bite " He got no farther: Judith's ears were as quick as his own; she, too, had caught the sound of bells behind the base of the hllL And of a sudden, without another word, she turned and flung away into the heavy thickets of undergrowth that masked all the can yon, to either side of the wagon-trail. In a twinkling she had lost herself to view In their labyrinthine shadows. The remainder of that business was transacted rapidly enough. There were no preparations to be made; once Alan had ridden up with his three burros, nothing remained but to mount and make off without delay. Before morning they were all rid ing like so many hypnotized subjects, fatigue bearing so heavily on all their senses that none spoke or cared to speak. Broad davlieht surmised them in this state, still stubbornly raveling; and shortly afterward showed them one place so perilous that It shocked them temporarily awake. This was simply a spot where the substantial In seeming, with another rope, breast-high, to serve as a hand rail. Alan tested the bridge cautlouulv. It bore him. He returned, helped Rose to cross, and with her once safely landed on the other side, took his lite In bis hands and, aided by a Barcus unaffectedly afflicted with qualms, somehow or other (neither of them knew precisely how) porsuaded the burros to cross. After that, though, the way grew more broad and easy and even showed symptoms of a decline, they had not enough strength left to sustain through another hour. And what they thought good for tune, opportunely at this pass, brought them to a clearing dotted with the buildings of an abandoned copper mine. Not a soul was In evidence thero, but the rude structures offered shelter for beast as well as man. Barely had they made Rose as com fortable as might be upon the rough plank flooring of one of the sheds and tethered the burros out of sight, when Alan collapsed as If drugged, while Barcus, who had elected himself to keep the first watch and purposed doing it In a sitting position, with his back against the door-Jamb, felt sleep overcoming him like a dense, dark cloud. CHAPTER XLV. The Bowels of the Earth. Awaking befell Mr. Barcus In a fashion sufficiently sharp and startling to render him indifferent to the benefi cial effects of some eight hours of dreamless slumber. He discovered himself lying fiat on his face, with somebody's inconsider ate, heavy hand purposely grinding the said face into the aged and splintery planks of the shed flooring. At the neath the knees, and he was lugged laboriously out Into the sunlight car ried a considerable distance, and de posited unceremoniously within a few foot of the mouth of the abandoned mine Just at the moment when he had satisfied himself that the purpose of his captors was simply to throw him into the black well. He wasted a look of appeal on the frozen mask of villainy that was Mar- rophafs (who bore the burden of Bar cus' head and shoulders) and got laughed at for all his pains. Then he was left to himself onco more, but only for a few moments; the Interval ended when the two ap peared again, this time bringing Rose In similar fashion. Not until she had been put down be side him did he discover that Alan was likewise a captive trussed to a tree at some distance. The. remaining arrangements of their captors were swiftly and deftly consummated, though their design re mained obscure to Mr. Barcus until he, after Rose, was dumped like a bale Into a huge bucket and therein by means of rope and windlass lowered to the bottom of the shaft a descent he estimated shrewdly, of something like a hundred feet. A hideous screeching followed, the protests of rusty and greaseless ma chinery. Twisting his neck, Barcus saw the dim opening of the shaft slowly closing, as if a curtain were. being drawn down over It Jimmy was closing the bulkhead door, leav ing them definitely prisoners, beyond human aid, there in that everlasting black hole. . . . With a final squeal and thump the bulkhead settled Into place. A con fusion of remote sounds thereafter In dicated that Jimmy (with, perhaps, Marrophat s assistance) was making the bulkhead fast beyond question Gordon Street Christian church 10-12:15 Unified program of Bible School and preaching: services. Every member is urged to be present as the new literature will be distributed 6:45 Christian Endeavor. 7:30 Ser mon: Seeking the Christ Special music. SPECIAL NOTICE All the memb ers are requested to fill out the White Gift Suggestion blank and hand in tomorrow. That Texas Quafiei INDOOR COLF II RECENT INNOVATION IN NEW YORK'S LEADING HOTELS (Written for the United Press) New York, Dec. 26. -No matter how hard the wind blows or how hard it snows or rains in fact, the ele ments Aa their worst, the trnnA anil ancient sport of golf will not suffer during the long and weary months. The latest inovation here is the in door golf game. Many of the leading hotels and restaurants are having in door courses installed. Of course, the conditions will be far from those en countered on the out-door course. Drives of 350 yards cannot be made but then the player can enjoy the sensation of having a swing at the ball. ' Amateurs and especially those who have gone stale welcome the indoor game with open arms. After put ting through several weeks at the indoor practice they find marked im provement in their playin. Of the several courses already installed the nine-hole putting green is the most popular. The space occupied by this takes up only thirty feet. To keep the ball on a true course a special woven carpet with a heavy nap is laid and around the holes a very fine sand is spread. To give the layout a golfy appearance a painted out door scene is furnished as a background. Uract- ice facilities are almost perfect as the course is partly surrounded by mirrors so the players can see his mistakes and correct them. HERE ALL NEXT WEEK THE DIXIE THEATRE m J. v' , I vA visa mm SHOW OPENS AT 7 O'CLOCK PROMPTLY FIRST SHOW SECOND THIRD FOORTD it it ii 7:00 8:10 9:20 10:30 Swell Harmony Singing Good Clean Cut Comedy Using the Latest Song Hit 5100 Reward, $100 The readers of this raper will !h ttleftsr1! to learn that thero Is ut lVnt on d:vtitlf dlitfaxe that Science bus (moii able t rum lu ut its stages, and that Is Catarrh. II. .11 "a 1 'Hturrb t'ur is the only positive run- imw Known to in- iiicd Iral fraternity. Caturrh bHiie n coiiidl tut lorn) (lipase, requires a count i tut 'ounl (n-utmcut liall s Cntr.rih Cure 1m tiiken list-rmtliy. hI1:il' dlrt'ctly upou the Mood nnd muron KiiifiwcM of the system, tuerrny tiostrcyinff t u rut::i!::Meii r itie disiSHO, ami jrrtvinir tin- tniii-'H MiHrijrtii (T bulMlnir on the conMltuMeh nnd ni-'Mrir nn- lure In doing Its vrk. Tim rronriet'M-s litivc o much Tilth in .It cnr.itivo pmvim-h ttuit rli.y r.tiiH to cure. Sr:d for !nt of li,;ti::: -Mil.Js AtWrew T. J. CHKNKY & CO., Tuk-do, C. Bold uy nil Iru?-lsts. 7.'- Take Hall1' 'nmllj f.-r n.- 'hhim. This is the Best Quartette in The South ADMISSION - , 10 AND 20 CENTS. EXTRA PICTURE . PROGRAM NEXT WEEK Gnashing His Teeth In Impotent Rage. , ner nandsome face darken omln-. trail came abruptly to an end on one r - I side of a cleft In tte hills quite thirty And W father vas as quick to feet wide and several hundred la "Bosnia these portent of trouble ! depth, and was continued on tie far them!0 et rortage himself of ther side, the chasm being spanned by ! ' " a hrldge of the simplest character head craned out horribly on his no more than a footway of boards iT & Wasted neck as ha Ditched m bound tmrnthpr with rones none too 'wTms lNALUIENT WILL BE ILLUSTRATED AT THE DIXIE JsEXI FRIDAY EVENING, same time other binding his own wrists and lashing the same to the small of his back by means of a cord passed around his middle, while his natural if somewhat spasmodic efforts to kick were sadly hampered by the fact that bis ankles had already been secured by means of half a dozen half hitches and a square knot. His hands attended to, his head was released. Promptly he lifted it and essayed to yell; an effort rendered abortire by the gag that was thrust between his teeth the Instant his jaws opened. Then he heard s laugh, a cold. mirthless chuckle. Now the blood of Thomas Barcus ran cold (or he thought It did; which amounts to much the same thing). For If his senses had played fair, the laugh ho had heard was the laugh of Mr. Marrophat, head-devil In the serv ice of Seneca Trine. He twisted his head to one side and glancing along the floor, saw noth ing but the wall. Twisted the other way, at the cost of a splinter in his nose, the effort was repaid by the dis covery of Rose Trine in a plight like his own wrists and ankles bound, gagged into the bargain the width of the shed between them. But of Alan Law, no sign. . . . The heart of Mr. Barcus checked momentarily; he shut his eyes and shivered In an uncontrollable seizure of dread. Then, tormented beyond endurance by the fears he suffered for the safety of his friend, he began to wriggle and squirm like a crippled snake, pain fully inching his way across the floor toward Rose with what design, heav en alone knows! Dimly his men tal vision comprehended the bare pos sibility of his being able, with his fast numbing fingers, to work loose the knots at Rose's wrists; but deep In his heart he knew this to be nothing but forlornest hope.' . . . , With Infinite pains he had con trived to bridge the distance by half, or possibly not quite so much, when a dark body put the sunlight of the open doorway into- temporary eclipse. Another followed it Boots clumped heavily on the flooring. Th3 laugh sounded again, apparently In Ironic ap preciation of Mr. Barcus' efforts. Two pairs of hands seized him, one be neath the shoulders, the other be- hands were busy wedging and blocking it with timbers. together by the These ceased and the silence was broken by Alan's voice. "Barcus!" The latter grunted soulfully by way of answer: he could do no more. "I've worked my gag loose," Alan pursued in a hurried whisper, "but my hands are tied behind my back. Are yours? Grunt once for 'yes'." Dutifully Bracus grunted a solitary grunt. "Then roll over on your face and give me a chance to work them free that way, given time . . ." "Time!" was the mirthless thought of Barcus. "Haven't we got all eter nity?" For all that, he wasted no time whatever In obeying Alan's suggestion then lay for upward of ten minutes with his face In the mold of the tunnel while Alan chewed and spat and chewed and spat and chewed again at the ropes round the wrists of his friend. If it were in truth no more than ten minutes It seemed upward of an hour before the bonds grew slack and Bar cus with an effort that cost bim much of the skin on one wrist worried a hand free, then loosed the other, re moved and" spat out his gag, and set hastily about freeing his friend. That took but a few Instants little more than was needed to rid Rose of her bonds. That much accomplished, a pause of , profound consternation followed. The darkness was absolute in the tun nel, Jimmy having taken the candle away with him; and its silence' waa rendered uncanny by the sobs and mur murs of the lovers, tnat sounded some how fearfully remote and Inhuman to Barcus who had turned immediately to the bulkhead and was, without the slightest hope, groping about its joints and crevices in search of some way of forcing It . . . "Barcus old man I" "Yes? "Have you any Idea' . "Devil a one!" A pause ... "Did , you notice what that black guard had fixed up? " "What do you mean? "Why at the bottom of the shaft- I got only a glimpse coming in thai door of the powder room was open, and I saw a fuse set to thevtop-o&a jceg of blasting powder;. W ', . To Bo Comtfnaod Monitor Special Reduction SALE ON ALL MY STOCK OF Hats,FIowers,Feath ers, Ribbops, Velvets, Neckwear, Gloves, Hose, Handkerchiefs Handbags, and Um brellas. From Dec. 3 to 25 is 1LB RASWELL WW Every home should keep a supply of medicated cotton, antiseptic bandages and lotions (or use when minor accidents happen. You can never tell what time of the day or night ' you may need them and prompt attention to little hurts often prevent serious complications. H - The National Bank of Winston 125 REAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE in business methods, and this bank has kept pace with them, While conservative in the interest of SAFETY, our equipment and business methods are modern. Let us do business together to our mutual advantigeJ Capital, $100,000.09 Surplus, $S0,0C0.C3 "HIE OLDEST A1ID STRG"SEST mi III HIE GOUTY." i il
The Kinston Free Press (Kinston, N.C.)
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Dec. 26, 1914, edition 1
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