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6
LUCILLE LOVE.
SYNOPSIS OF THE FOREGOING CHAPTERS.
While students together at West Point, and in
love with the same girl, Sumpter Love proves
Hugo Loubeque a thief, and Loubeque ie diehon
orably dieeharged. Love wine the girl. The en
mity thus begun Unde outlet in later yeare at
Manila, when a butler thief in the employ of
Loubeque, now an international epy, eteale valu
able papere from the Government ease of Gen
eral Love. Loubeque eaile with them on the
gteamehip Empreee and General Love accuses
Hievt. Gibeon, hie aide and the eweetheart of hie
Jaughter Lucille, of the crime. Loubeque eende a
wireleee meeeage cleverly insinuating that Gen
aeeel Love had sold the papere to a foreign power.
To save the honor of the man she loved and to
grace the stigma from her father e name, Lucille
prevails upon Harley, a Government aviator, to
tahe her out to thi ship, in hie aeroplane. To foil
Lucille, Loubeque destroys the wireleee apparatus
on the Empreee and ie hurt in the resulting ex
plosion. In her search for the papere, Lucille be
comes hie nuree, and when the ship tahee fire, se
cures them. The vessel is burned to the waters
edge ard Lucille drifts to a strange island on the
oar of a crushed lifeboat. Lucille ie rescued by
friendly savages. She is given an amulet for cur
ing the Chief's daughter, and it proved potent
against the machination of Hugo Loubeque, who
likewise cast on the island, plans to get the
papers.
dIAITEfi XTII.
Loubeque Mulches a Tiny l<latflO.
I (10 IX >1 ’ HICQI K wit in the hut
which his until.' had thrown up
, for him. hi* eye* filled with ft
sombre Unlit. Now mil then they
I vi on lit shift toward .he squatting,
1 evil-faced native in the corner and
the dark skinned fellow would stir
restlessly anil strive to avoid that
|yH7,e, Hot noticing tilllt llis IliftHterH
thoughts were very far away from
him. There was an ominous pur
• ' i i ! » I t lint
if
poaefulneas nbout (he great International apy that
teemed to his follower a thing loaned from some
thing tremendously evil.
But Loubeque’s thoughts were upon the plrl,
Lucille, who had thwarted him so many time*
he wan only just beginning to realize that Destiny
was working In her l>elmlf, protecting her from
him, urging her on to the desperate chances she
had already taken, giving her courage and confi
dence to go even further than she had already.
Was it possible that he could fail, could bo
beaten bv this pretty slip of a girl, no more than
out of her teens; he. who. judging nations to be
no stronger than the weakest individual, had
brought übout the wreck of nations; he, who bad
worked through the civilized ami uncivilized world
to preimre himself for his great set of vengeance
ami always worked HUCCCNhfully, should finally deal
the culminating blow against his enemy only to
find this fragile Lucille more than counteracting
his sturdiest efforts?
Swiftly he reviewed the succession of events
which had followed the placing of the paper* and
ordtra of her father in his hands by the thiev
ing butler-accomplice. Aboard the hinprea* he
had been justified in thinking himself clear of
any possibility of failure when Lucille ap|«-nred
to confront hint, conquering the distance between
the liner and the shore by the aeroplane which
was being used at the |*>*t for army maneuvers.
Min destruction of tin- wireless outfit hud re
acted against himself, hurling its flaming finger
against him nnd rendering him helpless. Amt in
thia state, out of this helplessness, had grown u
Bit nation which made It possible for the girl, Lu
cille. to nurse him and eventually discover the
location of the missing pii|>er«. When the mighty
liner took Are and recourse whs had to the life
boat*, only his marvelous ueru- and purpowful-
Bess had made it ixitsible for him to find a place
beside tin- girl, and, with his hands practienlly
upon the jsijicrs once more, Nature had stepped
In and crushed the boat against the burning
vessel, bearing her from out his reuch. An atom
upon that world of endless water, what su|ierlor
being had decreed that she bo saved from death;
what power had guided friendly native feet to
ward her and saved her from the cruel, black
jungleV Was it not u strength greater than hia
own that looked over her He shook his shoul
ders irritably, ashamed for the weakness that had
matte him admit of such a question rising in hie
brain. „ ..
Though Destiny, Fete, Circumstance call It
what he would-—appeared upon her aide. It could
not always be wakeful in her behalf. But lie- he.
Hugo Loubeque, had been wakeful thirty-nine
years hia eye never off the man he hated and the
revenge lie'sought. Though Nature conspired In
her behalf, he, by his own indomitable will, had
fought down the ocean, had dltcifvered the girl,
and was so close to the papers he only had but
to reach out his hsnds to gain them.
But how—how was the question that per
pieved and annoyed him? Times, in pondering It,
he would grow so enraged that he though CCif tak
ing them from her by sheer force. But always
there was her face, the face of her mother whom
he had loved, at 111 loved In memory, to rise up
and deter him. No, she must l>e tricked Into dis
closure of the precious documents herself.
That she carried them upon her person he
knew. The scheme be hud worked out through
the evil-eyed native he hud picked up In the
Jungle and frightened into superstitious awe and
Implicit obedience had shown him that much.
The big snake working his sinister length through
the thatched roof of her hut had frightened her
away a sufficiently long time for him to make
awch a search as permitted of no hiding place
for them. The |»|>ers were unon her person, the
papers and the diary of his life which he desired
no less. And there was small time to spare.
Yes. he must movr swiftly, lie must strike
now while she was taking stock of her de>q>erute
situation, while she nourished the belief that his
two preceding failures would t>e followed by a
lull, a respite. The papers were upon her per
son that much he knew. Bis whole nature re
volted at the idea of searching her for them.
She. herself, must be forced to give them up
and the only isas-ible way of dviiug this, he knew,
was to frighten her by some such immediate peril
as would dwarf them before the instinctive
thought of self-preservation.
Long he pondered tile situation, hia great
body bulking in its shadow- across the hut, hit
face stern, inqirrturhable. betraying none of the
emotions dominating his- verv heart and soul, his
eyes great pools of inky blackness, staring always
before him, unwinking and fathomlesa befog* the
concentration he had placed upon htmself.
Hia native had brought him word of the wav
Lucille had saved the t hief's daughter from death
and In consequence been presented " fill the
aarretl amulet of the country. He realised that
the ignorant savages regarded her as something
In the nature of a deity. Had it not bean for that
the papers would now he his. This was another
thing he must take into consideration while weav
ing hia plot. They would permit no barm to be
fall her so long as she remained with them.
I Night had long since fallen when he atirred
trwui bis aiutjouless position, before the souibrv
By the “MAcSTEfR TEJS”
Copyright, 1914. All moving picture rights reserved by the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, who arm
now exhibiting this production in leading theaters. Infringements will be vigorously prosecuted.
light was burned from his eyes by the kindling
flame of action. While no visible symbol betrayed
exultation, there was a stealthy sureneas to his
stride that showed he was about to work, that the
time for reflection was past.
The native swiftly rose at. a few sharp stac
cato syllables of command from his master, pros
trating himself humbly on the dirt floor and wait
ing his commands, t ear still lay heavily upon him
because of bis two failures and he was willing to
dare anything now, risk even the profanation of
the sacred amulet rather than face again the
Hell-loosed flame of this man’s wrath, this man
lie had stumbled across upon the beach anil who,
though helpless, had spat at him farther than his
blow pi|«* could carry and shivered the uplifted
Bpear as he held it uplifted in his hand, advanc
ing with murderous design upon the man. A small.
* ’JK&
glittering thing of metal, was the weapon of this
tmin let lie had seen a giant lion drop dead when
us master raised it and threw his barking voice
of orange flame through it.. It was well not to
go against such n being; well not, to risk the
possibility of his wrath even when pitted against
all tho traditions of his ancestors.
Hugo loubeque smiled grimly as he read
from the humble nttitude of the native in which
direction his mind was working. Through fear
and through greed hail he gathered together his
vast army of servants throughout the world and
he knew none of them would be faithful should
a succession of failures appear to show that he
"ns not invincible. A giant wolf-man he ruled a
|«u'k that was ever ready to fall main him and
rend him.
The reflection caused his great jowl* to red
den and tlie solid jaw to creep ominously for
ward. An added omiuousness of tone was in his
voice when he spoke to the native, himself mov
ing outside the door without turning back to *ee
whether bo hnd been obeyed.
Swiftly he strode through the Inky black
ness of tlie jungle that hemmed them in until
he came to a scarcely penetrable wall of creepers,
swung like giant hammocks between the trees,
twisting and writhing almut themselves In hope
lejis confusion, all deriving sustenance from
the stunted trunks to which they clung. More
like great ropes of corded hemp they were than
anything else, their thick surface covered with
fuzzy hairs'. It was the creeper Loubeque hail
noticed the native using when he wished to start
the night’s fire, twisting about a hard, sharp
pointed stick against the unyielding surface of
the creeper till the friction started flame.
He had wondered at the linperviousncss of
the vine against anything but fire, had marvelled
at the rapidity with which the slightest sjiark
seizing the liuirv exterior would consume the en
tire creejier. Now, he pointed to the wall of
creepers, indicating how much he wished.
But half an hour sufficed to satisfy the spy
and, without more than a nod, he turned and
moved swiftly back to the hut. There he superin
tended the splicing of the sections of creepers
and binding together in such fashion they should
make a rope fully one hundred feet long. The
last fragment of the material was used and he
stared at the gliuit coil speculatively. A slow
smile of satisfaction brightened his face, as, ut a
curt word of command, the native glided noise
lessly from the hut, one end of the rope in his
hand.
Foot by foot, a roll at a time the pile of
cn«e]>er before the international spy unfolded it
self, the while he prevented any knotting. The
heap upon the hut floor hnd almost disappeared
before the constant vibrations ceased and he
knew the suvßge had finished his ;iart of the
work. He was' still smiling, grimly now, when the
native returned and he commanded him to tire
the end that was within the hut. Then Hugo
Loubeque stepped swiftly out the opening and
strode along the line of creeper-rope that wound
like some unbelievable monstrous serpent through
the lush grass and shrubbery until he ratne with
in n few yards of Lucille’s hut. He halted, screen
ing himself from the chance observation of some
prowling native by hiding in the shadow of a
great tree that faced her abode.
From far away, back in the direction from
which he had just come there in the bluckncss
of the Jungle tip. a strange winking star seemed
suddenly to twinkle u|»m the ground, fade for a
moment, then dance swiftly forward toward him.
At ti mrs the flame would ap|ienr to waver, to
lie extinguished, but always it would reappear
again, having made brave progress during the
time of ite apimrrnt extinction. Hugo Loubeque
suddenly stirred to animation.
Noiseless as nn,' eat despite his bulk, ho
moved toward the girl’s hut, securing the end of
tlie creeper and tossing it upon the thatched roof.
Then, once more, he took tip his position in the
shadow of the adjacent tree. A stray dog prowled
•tout the street, sniffleil at him. then cringed
away without a sound as though his animal In
stinct scented the diabolism of the man. The
jungle seemed breathing heavily, like some
drunken sleeper these were the only sounds.
The only ssmuulm save the faint, crackling one
of the flame as it fed u|s>n itself, creeping closer,
closer to the thatched roof of the hut where it
might have a royal meal Hugo IxVuhrque waited,
flexed in every nerve and sinew of his frame for
the result of his stratagem. And always the flame
rrept rinser, coining more swiftly now, fanned
by the Blight hreese of the opru where the hut*
were huilded.
CHAPTER XIV.
The Burned Hut Tails Loubeque.
Q NT", nrm thrown carelessly over her head, with
slightly parted lips, Lucille slept upon her
bed of rushes. Kirst, it had seemed impossible
even again to sleep in this village of terror with
this man of unswervingly vengeful purpose dog
ging her footsteps, hesitating at nothing to gain
the paper*' she had taken from him when the Em
press caught fire.
And then her thoughts had wandered from
the doeuments to the reason for her seeking them
and defending them against Hugo Loubeque and
even the elements themselves; her thoughts had
gbne irresistibly a-fluttering to her sweetheart
who was accused of having stolen them.
Times there were when it seemed the hideous
inaction here in this savage village, with no out
look for escape, would be unbearable. In her pos
session were the documents which would clear the
man she loved, clear him in the eves of all men.
And he would suffer so, under such a charge. Per
haps he even doubted her belief in him.
Hhe smiled away the thought, for the woman
in her would not allow her to believe that the
man of her choice could ever doubt. Not for an
instant had she asked for references from him.
She had given her heart without reserve and,
frotn the instant of giving it, every doubt, every
possible thing that might in the past or future
lie brought against Lieutenant Gibson was wiped
from her mind and soul as though by some sooth
ing sponge.
Hut he was suffering That was the haras
sing feature of her confinement here. He was
suffering and she could clear him if only She
sighed. There were so many little “if onlys” be
fore her knowledge could be of any avail in the
affair. But she must he strong, that she would
bo ready to reach out and seize the first tiny
opportunity that came her way. She must be
strong to combat this terrible man who pursued
so relentlessly.
Look about her though she would she could
see no further possible advantage to be derived
through the friendship of the natives. If they had
never liefore seen a white woman the chance was
exceedingly slim of anyone's coming to her as
sistance while she was among them. They had not
even a tradition of seeing human beings of her
color before.
The only tiling to do. since no opportunity
for reaching Manila lay here, was to turn in
Mime other direction. Thoughts of the hideous
jungle with its yellow fire-balls of eyes, its myriad
sounds of menace meant nothing to her. She had
given herself without reserve to the clearing of
her sweetheart from the charge of having be
trayed his country's honor and assuredly there
whs a Supreme Being who would not permit
such a fidelity to fail.
With one comforting thought, an unreason
ing solace which often seems so much more logi
cal than all ninn’s direct line of vision upon a
situation, she fell asleep, the dark shadow of Hu
go Loubeque very far away as, with maidenly
confidence she consigned herself and her purpose
to one above him in power.
Sonic premonition of evil wakened her, caused
her to start bolt upright upon the rushes, her
every sense alert, her ears fairly peaked with the
tenseness of her listening. No sound came to her
SHV,. the mournful wail of a dog. afar off. She
lay liaek once more, tingling still with the psychic
sense that told her not to slumber.
Her heart was throbbing against its cage tvs
though it would hurst through, while little ants
nests of nerves gathered at the Iwek of her neck,
invisible warnings of danger. Her firs' thought
was for the little sack in which she carried the
stolen pn|s-rs and orders ns well a* the photo
graph of her mother and the diary which Hugo
loubeque had secreted in the oiled belt. Hur
riedly she clutched the bag. slipping to the floor
and listening.
This time a rustling, rushing sound raffle
from directly above her. So swift it was that
she had scarcely time to gat tier her censes to
gether before a leering roof of yellowish flume
glowered at her from the place win-re the
thatched roof had been. For the fraction of a
second she could not stir tiefere the awful
menace. Her feet seemed glued to the dirt floor
while every nerve ami muscle of her body urged
her through the opening. Then, as a long tongue
of flame reached out toward the wall ami em
brace,! it, feeding there a second liefore another
flame joined it and, in seeming quarrel, reached
at the same spot, her brain dominated the situa
tion.
With a wild shriek for assistance she darted
toward the opening, feeling the hot breath of
the flames nigh shrivelling her as she left it be
hind. Again and aguin she shrieked, more ns an
outlet for her relief from the menace than for
any other reason. From every hut poured the
natives, stopping to stare about them for a sec
ond liefore darting toward the hut. which hail
developed into a conr-like buret of flame, roaring
menacingly, furiomdy.
Lucille wiva unooiuieiou* of everything for a
moment save that she bed escaped the flames,
liven something caused her to turn. From b«-
The Girl of Mystery
bind a great tree she saw the figure of a man
moving swiftly toward her. He made no sound
as he approached, neither could she see his face
for the background of thick shadow behind him.
But there was an ominousness of purpose about
his very movement, about the long, gliding
shadow of him that told her instinctively who
it was.
Simultaneously with the knowledge she be
came aware of the precious sack in her hand.
She made as though to flee but something hor
rible about the advancing man deterred her,
made her hesitate. She felt herself yielding
finally to the inevitable. There could be no pos
sible thwarting of such a one as Hugo Loubeque,
no chance for her, a frail, weak girl to thwart
this man.
Details she had glimpsed in the diary of the
spy flashed across her brain like streaks of
flame, vivid as the flames, she had just escaped,
that were even now roaring behind her, flames
that undoubtedly this man had caused. Even
fire and water he defied and commanded to do
his will. Was there nothing his unscrupulous
mind would not turn to?
With a little cry of despair she started to
flee. He was almost upon her when a tall, half
naked figure darted to her side. She reached out
instinctively and clutched the muscular bare
arm. About her on every side figures were leap
ing, the fig -es of the natives she had made her
friends. Her eyes tried vainly to pierce the dark
ness. Voices were chattering in the gibberish of
these savages. She seemed not to hear them for
the song of thanksgiving which her heart was
pouring forth at the realization of the narrow
ness of her escape from the flames, at conscious
ness of the protection of these simple natives.
And then she hugged the sack with the papers
and diary to her bosom and her lips moved
silently.
Hugo Loubeque had disappeared, disappeared
as silently, as mysteriously, as ominously as he
had appeared. But, thwarted, the man only
seemed to exercise more cunning, more desperate
remedies. The proofs of her sweetheart’s inno
cence hail been close to being taken from her
this time. She must not risk such a chance
again. She must leave this place, must trust no
longer to these people for protection, must trust
herself no longer to the Fate that seemed so
constantly to look after her. She must hide her
self away from the master eye of the spy.
Where? It made no difference. She must
hide herself —away. That was all.
CHAPTER XV.
A Chief Borrows From a Chief.
through the remainder of the night Lucille
clung to the child she had nursed through
her illness. And now the situation between the
pair was strangely reversed and she, the com
petent white woman became the child, racked
and well nigh broken by the pertinacity and
boldness of Hugo Loubeque's pursuit of the sack
she had in her possession, while the little brown
savage, recognizing with that feminine instinct
common to all races and creeds that consolation,
comfort and sympathy was the panacea which
was most needed l>y this wonder woman of the
fair skin, sat beside her silently all through the
night, her hand clasping the trembling one, her
lips silent but her eyes speaking words which
would have put to shame any service the lips
might have performed.
Sleep was out of the question. There could
be no sleep while the mighty spy dogged her
steps, knew where she was. Morning came and
passed, the sun striking obliquely down upon
the village before she dared even stir outside the
hut, the little daughter of the chief at her side,
silent, anil shy but always comforting by her
presence.
Lucille felt a great desolation upon her. a
sense of fighting a useless battle that day. IVhat
had it all amounted to, t.he risks, the situations
she hail managed to handle, so long as Hugo
Loubeque was undeterred in his efforts. A
mighty wave of nostalgia seized her in its grip
and she felt she could willingly give over every
thing to be hack in Manila.
Hurriedly she went back to the hut, signify
ing to the child that she wished to be alone.
Inside, she flung herself upon the pallet of
rushes, giving vent, to uncontrollable sobs. Her
father—she eould see him transacting the duties
of his office like the grim old warrior he was,
but with a broken heart at the absence of the
girl he had been father, mother, everything to;
Lieutenant Gilwon—she longed so for the tender
tones of liis voice, the caress «f his fingers as
they twined about her own; the friends the
friends and the. gayeties and the hops and all
the little trifles dear to her woman’s heart. How
she missed them all! How she longed to be aw-ay
from this savage village, this unclean place with
never a voice lifted in her own .tongue save the
dreaded voice of one who would stop at nothing
to wrest, from her the thing which hau brought
her here!
She took the sack from her bosom and wept
upon it. For the first time she wondered wheth
er it had all been worth while, wondered wheth
er the grief her madcap enterprise had caused
those dear to her would not. be greater than any
joy at her coming safely through the ordeal with
the stolen papers intact eould ever be.
It was the only natural outlet for the strain
under which she had been so lohg a time and,
when she dTied her tears. It. was the Lucille who
had urged her little mare across the parade
ground to the aviator to plead with him that he
land her aboard the Empress who smiled brave
ly out. upon the world. She was shamed for the
weakness which had taken hold of her. shamed
and doubly determined that, she should not fail.
Only a weak girl, only the refined product of a
prominent ancestry—yet would she prove that
under all the fragility was a composition which
had needed but the ordeal of love denied to turn
It into steel, a steel against which even such a
one as Hugo Loubeque might hurl himself in
vain.
She had determined to get away Immediate
ly. There was nothin* to gain and everything
to lose by remaining here. Primarily, the wished
to find some method of getting hack to civiliza
tion. The papers meant nothing to anyone save
Loubeque here, and Loubeque, with his infinite
resources could undoubtedly manage to get away.
Secondarily, loubeque knew where she was and
his futile, unscrupulous brain would And a meth
od of gaining them. She must get away.
She was quite positive some difficulty would
present itself In making an escape from the
native friends who had fairly defied her from
the moment of the child’s recovery. But they
should lie easily eluded, that should he a readily
surmountable difficulty in the light of what she
bad already accomplished.
On going into the little street shs noticed
the chief in earnest conference with his daugh
ter and an old native woman whom Lucille had
no recollection of seeing about the village be
fore. Had she but known this was hut another
sevlle tool of Hugo I-ouheque's what future dan
gers she might have been saved. Coming closer
she knew that it was a stranger; moreover, from
the light u;kui the erotic’s wrinkled countenance
and the furious gesticulations she made toward
her. she felt that she was the object, of controversy.
And the daughter of the ok) chief seemed adding
her pleas to those of the old woman with effect.
Lucille stood a little apart, watching the
conference as it disbanded. She had picked up
enough of the language to make out an occasion
f'” d , b !; the gestures of the three had been
k Sh ® "' ait€d quietly while the trio
nrrht Th H r ’ ee * n 8’ that in *ome way the
problein that had been harassing her was “to be
answered without further worm- on her part.
Sh f ™? lled at the chief’s efforts to make her
" u at h t des , ired of her, smiled and
..
e i q ™wt UnS^ Ccessful attem Pt- But the little
girl took the situation in hand.
a h o ™ 3 of understanding between
wbn d “Tl*’ , betweell the 3| l and the strong
ho have watched the approach of death to
gether even though its attack be directed at only
sms/ them wh.ch thereafter gives them a uni
er.al language. Without much difficulty Lucille
Child that the ° ,d woman
[f™, / rom a chlef greater than her father who
lived in a village not far distant; that the won
der of her curative ability had reached his ears
and he earnestly prayed the white woman be
kianed his own wife for a nurse, that she might
be fataf ° f lilness which seemed certain to
~ Bncille saw from the glum expression on the
old chief s face that, even though it might bring
him into trouble with his neighbor chief, he was
more than loath to part with her. She also saw
that the child, with the remembrance of her own
illness fresh upon her, had allowed her heart to
go out to the wife in such sympathy that she
had persuaded her father to permit the loaning.
Her heart gave a great throb of delight at
this unexpected answer to her prayer. She had
known there would be trouble getting away just
as she had determined that she must leave.
There was no possible chance of regaining civil
ization from here. There might be no chance in
another place but there was hope and, while t)
"as meagre sustenance, anything was better
than the strain of knowing impossibility. Any.
thing appealed to her so long as it embraced a
change, for change spelt renewed hope. Then,
too, Hugo Loubeque would be temporarily at
least thrown off the trail.
In an hour she had mounted the chief’s own
horse, her very soul rejoicing at the familiar
feel of an easy canter. Beside her rode the old
woman, mumbling continually to herself as
though she were keeping track of the devious
turriß in the wilderness of vegetation through
which their way led.
Now and then there would be long stretches
where Lucille eould let her animal out and she
took advantage of them all, laughing exultantly
at the tingle of the breeze against her cheek.
Every stride was a step further away from the
place where she had thought herself a prisoner;
every stride was a stride nearer hope; and hope
meant civilization and civilization meant delivery
of the pa.pers to those who would see that they
cleared the name of her sweetheart.
Her sweetheart! Her sweetheart!
The soft pad of the horse’s hoofs seemed to
turn, into a refrain of never varying sweetness,
a refrain that embraced the two words. Hum
Loubeque was doubtless back in the jungles,
planning, plotting his next move while his
quarry was riding far, far away from him.
She could not even feel the menace of his
presence now. The easy motion of the beast
lulled every other sense to sleep save one of
dreamy contentment. Her predicament, alone
upon this savage land, did not occur to her. Be
fore she had been terrified to think oi it but
now she accepted it as an inevitable tlii%p using
all her mental energy figuring on escape, on that
which lay in the future and casting the past be
hind her. j
Once she was conscious of a vague feeling of
mistrust as she looked back at the squat figure
of the old woman, ambling along stolidly at
some heathen idol, only her rat-like eyes omit
ting flashes of fire from between the layers of
wrinkled, brown, drooping lids. She cast it away
from her an merely a natural feeling, coming so
closely as this sense of freedom did upon the de
pressing environment she was leaving behind.
Faster, faster she urged her horse as she
saw a clear stretch of trail opening before her.
She was going away —away —was getting clear
of the village where she might have been held
forever. She still carried the precious papers
about her neck despite every effort the interna
tional spy had made to steal them. She had
foiled him, hail taken them from him and had
managed to hold them against all odds. And
now she was clear of all this.
She was clear of all danger from him. Far
' behind her, his crafty, unscrupulous brain was
mapping out fresh plans of action against a vic
tim "ho was not where he could locate her. And
the pad of the horse’s hoofs beat out a gentle
rhythm that blended into her joyous mood so
wonderfully she could scarcely contain herself.
Faster, faster she urged the horse, her hand
continually reaching up and feeling the preciou*
burden about her neck, while her laughter rang
out against the jungle that hedged the trail in
with an eerie, alien freshness that seemed to
make it more silky than ever. Then she looked
back for her escort, looked back, still laughing,
when the ground seemed to grow soft, to slip up
from under her mount’s hoofs, and send her
hurtling down down down she knew not
where nor why—down into blackness at which
her hands clutched vainly, clutching nothing from
the dark —down into a blackness that seemed
stifling her, until it reached up and mercifully
compassed her consciousness.
CHAPTER XVI.
Loubeque Overlooks One Detail.
L-ICGO LOUBEQFE curtly dismissed the witlk
ered crone who handed him the sack con
taining the documents Lucille had worn about
her neck. In his eyes glowed no light of triumph.
First they had lighted with a strange relief.
But now they seemed fastened upon a memory,
filled with vague regret, as he visualized the girl,
lying helpless at the bottom of the pit he had
caused his native to dig across the trail sh 6
must pasa in answering the fictitious message*
he had arranged for the old woman to carry.
Suddenly he sprang to his feet, once more
the mnn of action. Pity this girl, daughter of
the woman he loved, he might, but she was not
the sort, to lie supine while he made away with
the papers for which she had gone through so
much already. Suddenly he tore open the l»g,
dumping the contents out before him and run
ning through them nervously. When he looked
up. the light of disappointment, almost fear was
upon his face.
The amulet, the sacred amulet had
served her so well, would continue to serve her
so well ns long as she continued in this land,
was still in her possession. He had failed to tell
the crone to steal that also. And the old woman
hail reported that she was merely stunned. The
sacred amulet which would make her re'ered by
any savage she chanced to meet was still her*
while he, Hugo Loubeque, would find every hand
against hitn.
The odd* had scarcely lengthened despite the
fact that the papers were once more in his pos
session.
He moved swiftly now. preparing for hi*
long journey through the jungle, away from her
zealous pursuit, and toward possible ’•elief. For,
.r» long as he remained here, Lucille had every
one for friend and assistant while he had only
those he might gain through fear.
’Continued Next Week.)