The evening world. Newspaper, June 27, 1914, Page 9

“A s (Gegeright, 1914, by Frank A, Munsey Co.) SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING OHAPTERS ve i 3 ip H 3343 i i ia: ialvet canpltye Untes pation m the: three: cloak astpa'potote outs that ule wits ere opdee of the capiala, CHAPTER XVII. (Continued) The Last Delay. i = further, senor,” he commanded. “Cousider the women, if you will, =} They are, as women go, of the high-bred, better class. And .n Santa Chanza to-day every man and woman knows us as ex- ponents of violent crime. “And yet, quite as if such thin: happened daily, they appear beauti- fully! They are your friends! ab! It is unnatural! It is gro- Had 1 a child who did not jaugh with scorn at this thing [ should send him to the asylum for idiots! I speak the truth, nor!" concluded the first assistant, “I sting you! “That's enough, Zarapa!" Mr. Pol- Jard said. “| may suggest?” Vhat? “That I steal lightly down to R lampago, senor, and seek to learn the truth about it all. My good friend Pedro Periera hears many things and’ fan you do it and get back?” believe so, senor.” “Go!” said the minister of state, and stared out of the window again even before his Gimingtive ald had taken to the road. As 4 o'clock dropped behind and & approached Pollard took to wonde! ing just wiat had bappuened to the Snake and William Kyan—and he was developing an acute concern about them when they startled him by entering suddenly. Nor were they themselves by any means, he noted in the very first uick glance. “phe Gaake faced him with drawn ight by determination; Ryan, on the other hand, while had lost mucl. ruddy color and w orackling bis knuckles in plain agita- tion, met his chief's eye with boiling defiance that gentleman asked: “Where have you two been?’ “Out said the minister of finance, and walked down upon the desk with lips M a strange military tread. “Robby, @ been out settling things. “Thin, waid Mr. Pollard, “are settled.” “Going to let matters rest over for a@ couple of days—hub?” the minister of war asked with sudden hope. Mr. Pollard glanced calmly at the watch which, even after much abuse, ran. bac exactly nine minutes, Bill,” he \d, * * main will be blown to"— “Well, it will not! See?” the min- {ater of finance corrected violently. “This is a gang, and we're all part- ners and we've all got something t say abcut the jobs we tackle—and we will not!” No * Mr, Pollard amiled dan- gerously. “Why not, James?" “Because we've talked the whole thing over and decided what's best to do!" said the astonishing Snake. “You're rattied, This has all gone to your head and you can't reason any more, Robby. It's time we took charge, and we're going to take It. “There'll be no blasts up her oF another twenty-four — he and maybe more—and after that"—— is eyes rolled strangely, yet ecatatically. Mr. Pollard hitched up in his chair, “What about after that?” “We may aa well be frank with Robby," bi ed the Snake. Twe ‘re going to marry the girls when ‘is is over!" ttvour going to—what?” shrieked Robert Pollard. “It's all settled, Robby,” the min- ister of war told him. “Don't throw [-—you're only wasting a good fit. . Be this way. "rhe family’s in bust- ness here and they need the water; their her's got a whole lot of in- fluence, and they've heard from him thjs afternoon. He thinks that if we let it go a day or two he can get us the million, anyway. “If it comes to that, he as good as promised it and’—simple William Ryan's voice cracked with pure Joy— ‘\ “why, Robby, that other one's stuck on you, We'll all get married and settle down here, POapectacls and happy, and maybe the old gu us nto business. Robby, it's the big- gest, grandest stunt we ever pulled!” The minister of state favored him with a “Tt ts, greed, utes from Low it will be the noistest.”” The minister of finance leaned light- ly on the desk; some of the tron de- termination left his lips and left them with a eurve that was almost plead- Robby,” he murmured, “Robby, you're—why you're not going to fire off that blast?” said the Snake with a strange little grin. “why ?" “Because I've just sneaked the buttons off your sfesk—just this sec- ond—and I'm holding them here,” the minister of finance cried, suddenly triumphant. “Because we've fixed the whole thing, and if you insist on making a fool of yourself, we're going to take you by the neck and pitch you out The minister of finance yelped. Also he darted back, for it chanced that he had never seen Mr. Pollard whisk an unsuspected revolver into view in just that fashion without Naten! mediately to the clang of an ambulance gong. It was an old-fashioned affair, too, and as it whizzed straight at the Snake's bead Mr. Pollard’s thumb dragged back the hammer with a click that rapped upon the Snak nimble brain, CHAPTER XVIII. Waterless. 8 a general thing, and quite as befitted a detective, Bentino, chief gf secret po- lice, walked about with a equare-shouldered ewag- ger that rendered him a marked man —but the swagger was gone this af- ternoon, He moved on, lIistlessly almost, into the empty corridor of the palacio— and there some of the listiessness at least vanished, The door of the ante-room was closed. He knocked. The command to enter came promptly enough, He stiffened to a semblance of his former self and passed in, and from his comfortable chair Capt. Velvet looked mild in- quiry. “Things are better, Bentino,” he said cheerfully. i | it in your sc ‘The chief of secret police threw up his hands, “It is, then, to obtain another face, senor, for this one reeks of lies!" the chief said bitterly. “Things are not better.” “Worse?” the Captain ually. If possible.’ Well, haven't you had the new notices po: all be over before night?” demanded the President pro tem. “The public, shrieking, them down!” Capt. Velvet's eves opened a trifie. The publi, Hentino, or just the Sanchez people?” “This time even some of the public at large,” the chief confessed. “And they cursed! Mi ed cas- has torn ‘ou, senor.” Woll—that's queer. ‘They never did that before," murmured the Cap- tain, as he laid aside his black cigar. “Where's Senor Pacato?" The chief of secret police, saluting with rather leas than his usual pre- cision, had opened the door, and now he turned back to report: have found him, senor. I go.” Ho stood aside and permitted an ostensibly aged man to enter all too briskly; the aged man's gray whis kers were somewhat askew and bh shaggy gray hair revealed a heated stretch of shiny black in front. Miguelo Pacato, President of Santa Chanza, tore both off as the door closed and hurled them to the floor, and he stamped upon them with a lack of Presidential dignity as he threw out his arms and cried “It is the end! I am done: hone Velvet sighed and shook his it down, Mike," he sald From the direction of the Red Room a steady trud, thud, thud, came, sometimes merely cchoing, sometimes shaking the whole palacio; and when he had listened to it until every nerve In his body seemed ready to - snap, the president burst out: “In Heaven's the hammerin The good “Repairs, Mike, “That must be done now? “They can't walt, Mike,” CaptcVel- vet explained. “And J suppose there are other things that had better not mt any longer, if it comes down to that." “Then let me go and pay"— “I'll tet you sit right in that chatr, and I'll wring your neck {f you leave it, Mike!" the president pro tem said, sternly. “I'm going to sit down my- self and just think things over for an hour or two and find out what's best to be done, I'll go out and make A few speeches myself before dark, and I want to puzzle out what'll be the most telling points and"-—~ He cocked his head and listened in- tently! and while a certain amount of disturbance had become chronic in Relampago, tho approaching din just now was far beyond the ordinary, “In truth, senor,” the chief of cret tering, “they name, Velvet, what ts In looked up keenly. wretched million dollars"—— Senor Pacato moaned, “If you could have Ustened!" “I'm listening now, Miguelo!" the captain admitted grimly. as he stood erect. “I'm lstening, good and plenty, and I hear fine, “You'll excuse me @ minute and wait right here, won't you, Mike? I'm going to have a look at those repairs in the Red Room, and then I'll go out and make a speech myself. T'll give ‘em a speech that'll make this Sanchez talk sound like a year-old kid bab- bling to a stick of candy! Wait here.” And he turned and strode, heavily, firmly, quite as ever, from the ante- room ‘and down the corridor, and when he was gone Bentino looked at Miguelo Pacato and the president looked at Bentino, “He was a wonderful man, senor,” wept the chief of secrat police. And at that point the slightly pre- mature lamentation was interrupted by the thunderous pounding of the Captain's boots as the gentleman himself paused at the doorway for an tnstant, His eyes sparkled Joy such as few humans know; his tanned cheeks were darker for the surge of blood behind them, and his mighty voice fairly rattled the ornamental chan- delier of the antero¢m as he shouyed “Come on, by ginger! That speech is all ready now “But to go out"———Pacato pro- tested. “Well, you'd better get out while the going’s good, Mike!" came in the Joyous roar of the good Captain, ed, that this trouble would ¢ “Two minutes more and there may not be ‘any building here. And then it became quite plain to both that the mighty mind was gone forever; for while Bentino chattered into the corner like a frightened mon- key, Captain Velvet strode in and gripped again the collar of Miguelo Pacato And: shouted, ‘Move, dot rat ye, Mike!” he "D'ya want to get drowned?” CHAPTER XIX. Out of the Nowhere. JO one, perhaps, regretted ; more keenly than the Min- ister of War the deplorable pass to which matters had come in the little office of the water works, Nor was there anything but chilled Killing steel in the Minister of State's voice as he said: I'll give you ten seconds to put back those buttons, Snake!” The Snake cast about wildly and clung to his buttons. His eyes shot toward each unalding doorw ‘and turned and snapped toward the sun- shine, as revealed through the win- dow And over the Minister of Finance came a really astonishing chang craned in the direction of the grimy pane; he looked about again, but this time with scared, bewtldered eyes. And the buttons dropped from his fingers and rattled to the floor as be mbled: 1—Robby—I'm sick!"* You're better sick than dead!” the Minister of State snapped victousty ni ashe swept the precious buttons to him again, “There, you wretched little” ‘ “Wait—a second!” sputtered tho Minister of Finance. “I'm dizay! I'm seeing things, Robby!" He laughed weakly at the lowered revolver, and then, with a queer, defl- ant Jerk, he whirled upon the window and glared down at Relampago once again, Mr. Pollard watched him with mild- est curlosity, It was merely the Snake's own way of backing down with his life, of course, but if this were all simulated emotion the Snake had improved re- cently—indeed, he soared to histri- onic heights, for now he wreached about with eyes bulging from their rockets and, one trembling finger pointing toward the city below, croaked: "Look!" And he turned and stumbled to the outer air, clawing dizzily ahead of him, turning his gaze down the moun- tain again as he came into the sun- shine, and the Minister of War fol- lowed. Robert Pollard lald his push-buttons on the desk and smiled amusedly as ho turned to the window himself, ‘There was nothing extraordinary to be seen, of course, unless Capt. Vel- vet had finally elected to save his waterworks from all damage. There could be nothing, save—the Minister of State yelped aloud! Had both blasts exploded at the fame second he could have started no more violer A moment or two, not a muscle of him moved Then, with a snatch at the ficld- lasses on the window sill, Mr. Pol- ard abandoned his priceless buttona for the very first time and raced out vfter his friends; and there, besidg them in th ate afternoon sunshine, © trained the glasses on the city and hate-that's water!" » Snake relieved himself of an insa i he said thickly, “on the le 1, ia it sh root of 1 h The Minister of Stat glasses abruptly and s' he other, is a column of clear water, foot thick forty feet high ht through the of the palacio Ike an oll sush- he said breathlessly, ‘“Wher- voting up through tho lowered Ms red from one ever it’s coming from it must have torn the cupola off the building in one chunk!" uh?" said William Ryan. It's a fact, Bill!” the Minister of State muttered gravely. ‘There'a only a jagged hole, seven or eight feet across, where that cupola used to be.” “Then somebody sneaked in and opened this valve, and the water ¢ den that the main down there burst,” the Snake contributed th quite a creditable return to business ideas, “That isn't 80,” the Minister of State said very quietly. “I looked at it not ten minutes ago and it was screwed down tight. Anyhow—see the dam there, The water began runfing over it fifteen or twenty minutes back, and It's probably the first time the reservoir ever over- flowed. ‘That water isn't coming from up here!” He raised his glases again with shaky fingers, and then lowered them—for the naked eye could dis- cern each astounding detail of the phenomenon, From the very centre of the palacto a shaft of water rose like a crystal monument, It flashed and glittered in the sunshiie; it leaped and gleamed and danced, At the top wator—thous {t flattened out and nds upon thousands of gallons of water—shimmered and irkled down again in a clreular rade that turned the palacio roof to a lake. And at the edges of the roof, thin, glistening Niagaras were pouring {nto the Invisible streets bel , What in-where 4 Minister of State babbled, “Never mind that for a second, the Snake satd quickly. “Who! bringing an automobile up here? Hear it?” “That's a motorcycle.” “Then who" “I'm not afraid of anything th can get here on a motorcycle, Snake,’ said Mr. Pollard, and plain, over- whelming grief cracked his lately musical voice, “What breaks my heart is that fountain down there. Where did it come from? What in blazes ts it?) Why". He stopped, for the motorcycle was approaching upon a rifie-bullet sched ule, Around the knoll It roared and whizzed, so swiftly that it revealed no more than a big man, bending low, in the saddle. Rattling the hills with musket- echoes, it came to them as they started forward, down the road; and then, in the centre of a swirling dust- cloud, it stopped with a crash; and from the inttle seat behind the rider, Zarapa stepped down The first assistant's countenance, strangely contorted, was streaked with dust, and his eyes flashed mad excitement. A moment he clacked wind-~dried lips at the trio before his shrill explosion of “Senors! It ts the end!” He pointed at the large man, whot pointed beard and flerce mustache alone appeared beyond the goggle zone, “My faithful friend, senors; Pedro Perera, We fly together.” 2 When you matter, reading for slx cents a week. B you wit by the foremost living authors, Bear this in mind, not only for NEXT WEEK’S COMPLETE NOVEL IN THE EVENING WORLD = E STAIN. FORREST HAL SE Y SeBgeeCER i Are You Going Away for the Summer? fe out of town for the summer you may find it Is difficult and costly to provide yourself with the right sort of reading Why send to the city for novels at $1.25 or $1.50 each or buy them at a fancy price in some country store? You can supply yourself with the best, mast delightful summer subscribing to The Evening World for the summer months secure a complete novel each week. Not some old book a country dealer has not been able to sell, birt the finest up-to-date fiction who expect to spend the summer in the country. NEW YORKERS » my Pedr agreed Zarapa, and clutched Robert Pollard’s arm. “Hear, for I shall speak no more than @ dozen words. I bave listened. I have heard—not merely much, but everything. ‘At the bottom of it ali the one billion times accursed Velvet! He it was who sent the women here—patri- ots, they believed themselves—to de- lay you. That was their whole pur- pose, senor—to delay you; and had not the damnable Velvet telephoned them a@ half hour back, it is related that they had prepared a wonderfully entertaining scene for five o'clock, that would keep you all absorbed for hours. They were but to delay you, senor, and”-— “All right. They delayed us—go on!" anapped the Minister of State. “They are no children of Rodri- gues, senor; they were not even in danger at any time, for forty armed men lie hidden in that house men who stole here in the night, to protect the women if need were, and to seize yourselves when all had end- ed happily, as Velvet hoped. “Thore's—water or i there”—— be. the Minister of War. oe Jaughed borribl; since it would seem to prove that Velvet fe unconquerable, when even nature goes mad to ald him. fF “Hear, then! Our proclamation was no sooner known to him than his fiendish plotting began, I think. He came here to buy us off for a very little money; and when that failed he returned to Relampago and sent di- rectly for Tamfres and one or two more.” peut the mad young “Tamfirez, the mi senor, and several other mad engi- neers who have, this last ten yearss, maintained that under Relampago lay the greatest subterranean lake on the continent, fed by underground streams from t highest mountain: in an amazing torrent from Zarapa. “Thirce they have sought an appro- priation from the government that they might bore for it, but each tii the lawmakers have laughed th away. “go then, as I have heard it, the Velvet conferred with Tamfires; and Tamfires told bim that, as his Sgur- ing went, the very thinnest spot in the arth-crust lay directly beneath the pulacio itself. “It was enough! Within the hour they were building pile-drivers and boring machinery in our beloved red room—and the result is there! He pointed toward the distant crys- tal tower and permitted himeelf a whistling sigh. “It is to hasten,” intoned Pedro Periera. “Lam aware,” sald the first assist- ant. "I conclude quickly. Senors, we have planned to begin life anew in Peru, if fortune favors. We are pen- niless. but a single hundred dollars—of what Velvet sent us?” snapped Mr. Pollard. o take it, my Pedro!” repeated Zarapa to his friend. “It is in the closet in the office, and lay no finger upon more than one hundred dollars. Your pardon, senor?” He turned back attentively the driver of the motorcycle lumbered to the ground, wheeled the machine to the office doorway and disappoared within. “That—that water"—— Mr. Pollard began dazedly. “It 1s not merely fresh water they have struck, as you say, senor, It is water suffictent for forty Rela pagos. Nor is that all, for I have heard on best authority that it comes at euch tremendous preesure from the high peaks as to render the fire- engines useless forever in our city. And for these water works—they have becomo useless and needless expense. “Two days at most, and the under- ground torrent will have been turnod into the mains permanently— and for ® celebration, perhaps, they will fire your blasts! He wrung his hands and moaned, Robert Pollard, gripping his shoul- ders, shook him aa he hissed: “What about Velvet?” “For that ad matter, I have waited till the last,” Zarapa said promptly, but with visible emotion. ‘Tt ts said, below there, that he ie now a greater hero than ever, “Two hours back—and it would geam to be the truth—the populace talked of hanging him and making Sanches president Yet Velvet stepped forth and addressed the roar- ing multitude; and aa he spoke the roof split apart and blessed water drenched all Relampago city. “And he pointed to it, they say, and slapped his chest and told them that he had produced it and rod them, and that, if they had not had him fn their midst they would have died. Even we they were ecreamin, = niac cheers for the nd"— “But he's not just forgetting us?” Mr. Pollard put in keenly. ‘He is comin senor,” assistant said, brokenly, you!” “Alone?” the frat “to slay asked the Minister of yourself but for any of your friends turday, J sineer, th Thus, may I have @ little— st - =“ “CAP State, and his hop ad dropped to the friendly revolver butt. “Alone, save for bodyguard of fifty picked riflemen, enor—yes, Even now he must be atarting, | think, although he does not h greatly. He knows well that cannot escape him. And so"—~ ‘Why can't we?" the Snake gasped. “On foot they would overtake you, senor. With the automobile you could but go downhill from here to the first north road, with any hope—and iung before you reached that turn he would have encountered you and”—— “It j@ to hasten!” Pedro Periera called from beside his motorcycle, Zarapa winced and seized the band of the Minister of State, “We part, then, beloved senor!” he Walled. “1 go to Peru, and you to-— That is to eay, we part forever! Farewell! And he whirled about and dashed to his faithful friend Pedro Periera, who eat in his saddle now with en- gine chugging viol ly between his knees, A leap, and the First Assistant Minister of State waa in his plac and clutching for more secure hol mighty roar and the machine had hurtled forward—into the roud in @ sweeping circle, and then straight up the mountain Whiging, clatter. in gathering speed with every climbing second, if that thing “It's @ good getawa: holds together,” the Minister of War muttered. Mr. Pollard started. “Yes, and we have one of our own to make!” he barked. “Snake, will that car run?” “There's two gations of fresh oll in it that used to belong to tha waterworks here; [ found it and poured it in yesterday. 1 don't know how much gas or"-—— Quick!” snapped “BI, you get in natch out that money— e made fifteen or twenty thou- sand, anyway, if we ever get away with it. Put it in th ir. I want to look at the road.” He raised tho glasses and trained them on the road below, with more acute personal interest, perhaps, than rer felt by general in history. He snarled wickedly an instant later and dropped them again, and almost the @ second the motor sounded be- al the waterworks, and William Ryan, whiter than before, was upon him and panting: “Robby, they cleaned us out!"’ “What? “They took all four bags of money! There's nothing in that closet now but @ rusty hammer and a 1902 almanac in Spanish and stale chunk of bread!" howled the Minis! it Wi “That little shrimp must hi fixed {t all up before they got here!’ 11 right; it can’t be helped now,” Mr. Pollard aatd bitterly as he glanced up the mountain behind him—and glanced at the silhouetted motorcycle which, pausing on the crest for a final view of Zarapa and his firet and last ~ Graft, dropped over and out of t. With @ huge effort, then, the Min- tater of State controiled himself and spoke to the Snake, in the car beside “Somewhere down there, wherever it goen, there's a road heading north,” he said, “and somewhere else there's & mob. What seems to be Velvet's surprise party is just leaving town on horseback it looks like a regiment. Get to the road and up it If you can, Snake; and {f you can't —go0d-by!” He stepped in and the Minister of War after him—and ewift as they moved, somebody's excellent automo- bile had made @ good fifty yards be- fore the door slammed behind them. The Snake, bending over his wheel reasoned with a brisk accuracy that astonished himacif, Reduced to ita elements, the whole Proposition wi ridiculopaly aimplo —the car was taking them either to safety or to extinction. If bullets flew, if Captain Velvet hastened unduly, ff a tire burst, if a rock larger than a peanut happened to slip in the wrong direction under them, if the steering-gear smashed, or the Snake choked to death in the rush of wind, the latter waa quite Ponsible. Meanwhile, since they were atill alive, almost anything more cheerful wan also possible, The Minister of Finance, therefore, opened his throttle wide, adjusted his spark with professional nicety, obrerved with deep satisfaction that the whole affair responded perfectly, and settled down to business. That blot on the right, which lengthened to a whito streak as he glanced at It, unquestionably repre- sented the country house that had budded three mistaken romances, About {t, for a fraction of a second, there was a filtting suggestion of men swarming tnto sight-—and just then the steeper part of tha hill dropped away ahead of him and the Snake's heart paused for a brief va- cation, Pleat Ope qernayan Sela neat IN straight upward, as if the earth bad exploded beneath them—and as the car shot on downward something whined oddly just above the Snake's head, and he observed, in passing, five little spatters of dust in the roadway, An elderly pistol struck bis neck lightly and tumbled to the seat; a musket, hurtling past his ear, was ground to splinters in the road an Instant later, and he turned from it only to view with wonder the fine, brand-new machete that had mate- rialized from thin air and stuck in the dashboard, quivering like a tired bird Behind him the wild yell of tri- umph appeared to hail from the Minister of War; the Snake, listen- ing, smiled and slowed down until the car made barely fifty miles an hour—because there was a croas- roads ahead, and one of the roads pointed north, And beyond the crossroads, quar- ter of @ mile or so, a troop of horse was gulloping madly to welcome them. The Snake twisted his steering wheel and shut hia eyes as the car bounded upward—and opened them and shrieked his joy. Because he had done The curve was behind and burning up that northerly road at a splendid sixty-mile clip, The Minister of Finance relaxed a little. There was nothing but empty road ahead and plenty of that, poor as it might be, At some happy time tn the past & thrifty Santa Chanzan had needed road building contracts and they had permitted him to cut this gash through ba almost uninhabited country. Here and there, tw be eure, wan @ house out of which round-eyed peo- plo hurried and for an instant and then were lost in dus' Hore again was the main line of the railroad, for they bounded over the stretches of steel and, simultaneously, caught a glimpse of the shining ocean beyond and the smoke of a steamer or two. And still the road stretched on, empty behind as ahead, and Mr. Pollard leaned forward and cried hoarsely: “Slow down! We're all right.” ‘The Snake obeyed reluctantly, Ten minutes or more he permitted the car to roll along almost slowly; but the idea worried him and he hitched about to state: 5 “This road's right aldns ide the railroad, Robby. If they see us ttt t can't do much harm now; we're miles from the city.” “And how many more miles do you think this is going to take us?” the driver asked oddly. “Did you hear 'No. “Well, do you hear that, then?” the Snake asked feverishly, Their vehicle gasped. again and then again, more faintly. And then gasped most inaudibly and slowed down—and stood still. “The ond of the gas,” announced the Minister of Finance. “Better here than back there, Jim,” the Minister of State sald philosophi- cally as he brushed the sand from his oyes. ‘The Minister of War, erect, sat down with a thud, “Is it?” he cried. “Look back!” His asotled, bewildered features worked queerly as he pointed, and they obeyed quickly enough. The tracks beside the roadway had taken to humming; Indeed, they w singing loudly the song of an proaching train—and now the train Itself was visible, plungt: rocking, an endless trail of pitch black smoke pouring back from the stack of the engine. Rehind the locomotive were but two box cara, their side doors wide open; and in the doorways clung men past reckoning ordinary danger, for they leaned out and peer for: ward with an intense, unwholesome curlosity that struck cold into Robei Pollard's very soul. standing 7’S WELCOME” they were t; bobbed upon the bright Atlantica .& plunging splash and they were ot bering over the side, A lunge and Santa Chanza's = inter of Finance had reached the while the rest of Santa Chan's Cabinet fell by side upon a seat and dragged at oars that seemed to have leaped intelligently into place. And they were moving, and rapidly and straight away from Santa Chanza, For @ long time that sufficed. on the shore they watched the t car train stop well up the line, saw at a distance the figure of Cam. Velvet appearing far up the with @ rifle, aiming, firing. he The spent bullet plashed to ‘the ocean a long, long way behind them, and they rowed on, gasping their savage glee, Minutes and the train was bi ing. Further minutes and surged out on thelr own desetted little beach, and some of them again—and this time the plash were no more than visible on pe rolling water. ecause, having in all pro! made ean als esta ‘They pantod, to be eure, and choked noisily; they poured perspiration, and felt veins bursting in their heads ané snapping in their backs; their glazing eyes noted dimly that pursuit ashore seemed to have been. andoned, for men were moving slowly to the jungle and the train again. And then, through the nightmare, the jubilant voice of the Sni to thrill them with Gale “They must ha boat! ec. “Fruit steamer bound for jew York, and there isn’t a thing in tae bart of the world that can catch’ one ried the fresh, unwearied 've hung out along the waterfront lon; not that” is ugh to know } a roused at the: “Well, didn't you me sta: UD waving this coat at them?’ ee pa TS Sit Pet Smid tore him » Po urn slaphhine ed and looked It seemed true enough; two miles away there was certainly a motion- lesa steamer; and as he looked exuberant Snake shouted: “They don't dare leave us behi and they can't wait for us to the: Look at t merely sagged above their motion. ‘. loss oars for a time, breathing heay- ily, until the former glanced up ‘They're really coming?” ‘ Il be here tn five or six m “Who has—any money, and Led much?" the Minister of State Pe painfully, Dead silence answered him, “We'll have to work our and fix up Hes enough to cover the Test of it,” he mutte: sagged Hoda red and “Robby,” the Minister of War said solemnly, lot this Captain us and then “we're not going to Velvet catch up w! try trimming him ‘He'll never catch up with me, if I have to dig through the ice at the north pole and bide under it!” shud- dered Robert Pollard without look- ing up. A minute or eo two of them ed, while one watched, von the “I wonder what became of Minister of War Chansa girls?” sighed the and stared back at the Banta landscape as if in search of We left ‘om right ontaite Mr. Pollard, 414 not look ap, “They went and sat down middle of the private ry “That'a Velvet in the cab!" he gled a while,” the Snake ol le sped. “Dolores wan some little giggler. "Yes, and they'll be near! min. Used to giggle tim. y ute getting here and they can't si that thing much short of a mile, go- Ing at that rate, and afterward they'll have to back up!" eried the really rapid Snake as he vaulted out of the car. “Duck for the jungle!” They ducked, Three leaps took them across the road and into the high, rank growth beyond, while behind them a train Tonred past. Men shouted faintly; @ dozen bul- lets sang just overhead as they crouched. And then, brakes grinding, the oars were well past; and since man has a fixed habit of clinging to this life, they crashed on, They were headed for nowhere in particular, of course; they reallzed it and refrained from breath-consuming comment At the best, in the middie of this very time op is a and [ always wondered way— ‘But who'd have thought {1 like them?” the Binisteree ay gloomily, “Nice, pleasant brought up to le and’—— nee Minister of State winced fi y. “Doubtless they acted according te their own lights,” he snapped, the subject.” They stared at him and he was all unaware of the stare, Th with, however, litt! onthustaseay eed chuckle, he failed to hear the obert Pollard, in fact, exhausted Phyatcally, found his too active time agination working altogether too well. There was one insane little dream that had shaped Itself last night; it persisted still, grotesquely as might be, It was a distinctly personal, se- cret little dream that dealt with Mer~ jungle of tropteal foliage, they mi ‘ht cedos; and, sagging over his oar, he Rather than pointing straight find g spot far a act ntenae however indulged it willysnilly, for the ‘last downward, It seemed even to curve effective such a stand could be made tne. inward ® little! How the car had with volver und the machete tha . Heluetantly he pictured Mercedes tn ever climbed jt in the first place gy, wt clutehed New York, and it was night, with ah Rome cae aid nor mee te, WHY the No strain of even Robert Potlard's the lights ‘kolng their brightest. Sorte at tae Row, Arop off Into ively Imagination could pleture ihe _ Mr. Pollard groased faintly deg space; yet the insennate thing ape as uiive one hour heroes, Caen et aank deeper into the vision, ered fo ;have some sort of at vor would aurrouni t Lund heat the 9 tle too, was there, In the fault ection for the earth, bush until they were uncovered and SY82!hs tox’ he knew 6o well ho Tt clung there, caressing the high [lsh Wear Upon occasion, and he wag spots now and then with a iner ot night!" eried Der side in the center of the crash brushing kiss of the tires; It bounced night erled arto the opera. & little, and for soma hundreds of eeyt Outdoors, beyond the 1 soma tet? ia uutdoors, beyo lobby, thie! yarda bounded gayly nerosy intiliod, Mike!" ahrtoked tame billowed, flashing autorobie Perpendicular flelda, and too« the had thinned out #24 here and there a” horse-drawn Fond, again and whizted on down itheut uipage: he and Mercedes, in. war ae be . were iting fo! alr o} u ehind jem, and farther downhill, (9) fui) sunshine onea more, y Shining plate-glas r Kenuine mob, pas f PP pi ee A tender swished alc Villagers taking the air; it wax had clambored to the bow; and since gathering with a personal relation to @ battleship the tender kept on moving gently it : ulated to chanced that the sharp-faced, offctale ne roadway imbered ae than the appearing person in uniform conclude sthan tye hundred men, and if 7 | tears *d his none too polite satutation die I right there, ¢ . h Vinawe Robert Pollard's ear asualtion tea seconds t hence would be about fifty killed ana towa 1 f Stat : of State the same number of injured 1 curses from hia lovely, impossible If, on the other hand, they parted rmpaniod « Onn arted, hud they not Pollard "Er home, James," he sate N on th had whished vaguely, behind the machine and swish and the boat (THE END.) 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