Canadian Valley Record (Canton, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 23, 1920 Page: 3 of 8
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THE CANTON RECORD, CANTON/ OKLAHOMA
Oe
STRANGE
CAJ-E
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1ALLPARMSH
author, or
-TMB PBVIL'mS OWN"
MVLA-PY dp THE NORTH " ETC.
copv7^7&jvt
CHAPTER XI.—Continued.
—11—
"Ah, so you cau stand alone, senor-
Ita; that 18 well. Step In here, ahead
of me, and follow the lantern—there
Is nothing to fear."
She hesitated, and the smile on the
Mexican's lips changed into a cruel
grin.
"Shall I make you again?"
"No, senor."
"Then you will do as I bid."
"Yes, senor; I cannot resist."
^ The passage was clean and dry, and
seemed to lead directly back into the
cliff. The faint light revealed the side
walls and low roof, and the girl, again
partially mistress of herself, recog-
nized the Bature of the rock to be lime-
stone.
Her view was limited to the slight
•adlus illumined by the lantern, and
even within that small area, her own
shadow, and those of the three men,
helped render everything Indistinct.
They had turned a sharp corner, and
advanced a few feet beyond when the
man with the lantern stopped sudden-
.y, and held It up to permit the light to
stream full on the exposed wall to the
right. Another of these odd slits In the
-ock was visible here, and the girl was
ible to perceive more clearly Its nature
^-beyond question it was an artificial
opening, leading into a space on the
♦arther side of the wall. Cateras push-
ed past the girl, his body Interfering
with her view, and bent down, fum-
bling along the rock surface.
"Hold the light closer," he command-
ed. "Aye, that's It. "Tls some trick
to find the thing— Ah! now I have It."
It seemed like a bit of wood, so re-
sembling the color of the rock as to
be practically Imperceptible to the eye
In that dim light—® bit of wood which
slid back to reveal a heavy Iron bolt
shot firmly Into the stone. This the
Mexican forced back and an opening
"W ^ yawned in the side wall, the rays of
the lantern rjveallng the Interior of a
black cave, vMeras stepped within.
"Bring the woman," he commanded
shortly, "and you, Merodez, see first
to the light."
Sllva thrust her forward, his grip
no light one, while the other struck a
match and applied It to the wick of a
lamp occupying a bracket beside the
doorway. As this caught the full in-
terior was revealed beneath the sickly
glow, a cell-like place, although of a
fair size, unfurnished except for a
rude bench, and one three-legged stool,
the floor of stone, and the sides and
roof apparently of the same solid struc-
ture. It was gloomy, bare, horrible
In Its dreariness--a veritable grave.
The girl covered her face with her
hands, appalled at the sight, unnerved
at the thought of being left alone In
such a place. Cateras ss.w the move-
ment. and laughed, gazing about care-
lessly.
"Some boudoir, seaorlta," he said
meaningly. "Well, we will see what
can be done for you later. Perhaps
« few hours In such a hole may work
« miracle. When I come again you
will be glad to see even me. I'll leave
you to think It over; then I'll come
back for an answer. Until then, senor-
Ita, adios."
f The fellow lifted his hat, and step-
ped back Into the passage, his manner
Insolent. She remained motionless,
contempt In "her eves, but In truth
hopeless and crushed. Sllva closed the
door silently, although her ears caught
the click of the bolt when It was shot
home.
No sound of retreating footsteps
reached her through the thick wall.
The stillness of her prison seemed
to strike her like a blow. For a mo-
ment she stood staring at the bare
wall, her lips parted, her limbs trem-
bling from the reaction of excitement;
then she stepped forward, and felt
along the smooth surface of rock.
The door fitted so closely she conld
not even determine its exact outlines.
Baffled, her glance wandered about
the cell, seeking vainly for any sign
of weakness, and then, giving way ut-
terly to her despair, the girl flung her-
self on the bench, covering her eyes
to shut out those hideous surroundings.
What should she do? What could she
do? What possibility of hope lay in
her own endeavors? From what
source could she expect any outside
help?
After those first moments of com-
plete despair, there came greater calm-
ness, In which her mind began to grap-
ple with the situation. These outlaws
would never dare to take her life.
There was no occasion for them to re-
sort to so desperate a deed. And
why should Lacy desire to take her
life? Most assuredly he did not, or
the act would have been already accom-
plished. The very fact of her hav
Ing been transported such a distance
was sufficient evidence of his purpose.
The conspirators merely suspected her
mission In Haskell; they were afraid
she knew more of their plans than she
really did. The telegram, stolen by
Miss La Rue, had convinced the lead-
ers that she might T>rove dangerous If
left at large, and they determined to
hold her helpless until their scheme
had been worked out and they were
safely beyond pursuit. Thnt was un-
doubtedly the one object of her capture.
Lacv had no knowledge that Mendez s
band was at the rendezvous; he sup-
posed them to be on n cattle raid to
the south, with only a man or two or
his own left as guard over Cavendish.
Cavendish ! Her mind grasped clear-
lv now the fact that the man was not
dead. It had not been his body found
In the Waldron apartments, but that
of some other man substituted for
purposes of crime. Cavendish himself
had been lured westward, waylaid In
some manner and made prisoner, as
she and Westcott had suspected.
Through the co-operation of Lacy
he had been brought to this desert
den, where he could be held Indefinite-
ly, with no chance of discovery klueo
If necessary. She had heard of such
places as this, read of them, yet never
before had she realized the possibility
of their real existence. It nil seemed
more like a delirium of fever than
an actual fact. She rubbed her eyes,
gazing about on the rock walls, scare-
ly sure she was actually awake. \\ ny,
one might ride across the desert, and
pass by within a hundred yards of Its
rim, and never even be aware of the
existence of this sunken valley, let
these men must have made use of It
for vears, as a place to hide stolen
cattle, and into which to retreat when-
ever pursuit became dangerous.
Those huts without were not new-
ly built, and this underground cavern
had been extended and changed by no
small labor. What deeds of violence
must have happened here; what
scenes of unbridled debauchery this
desert rendezvous must have wit-
nessed. She shuddered at the thought,
comprehending that these cells had
never been chiselled without a pur-
pose, aud that she was utterly help-
less In the hands of a band of thieves
and cutthroats, to whom murder
meant little enough, If It only served
their ends. Mendez, no doubt, was
brute and monster, yet It was Juan
Cateras whom she really feared—he
was cruel, slimy, seeking to hide his
hatefulnessbehind that hideous smile;
and he had already chosen her for
his victim. Who would save her—
Mendez? Lacy? She did not know;
and somehow neither of these was the
name which arose to her Hps, almost
In the form of prayer; the name she
whispered with a faint throb of hope
In Its utterance—Jim Westcott.
The big miner was all she had to
rely upon; he had been In her mind
all through the long ride; he arose
before her again now, and she wel
corned the memory with a conscious
throb of expectation. Those people
back there could not conceal for long
her absence from him; If he lived he
would surely seek her again.
Her womanly Instinct had read the
message In the man's eyes; she was
of interest to him, he cared; It was
no mere ordinary friendliness which
would bring him back; no! not even
their mutual connection with the case
of Frederick Cavendish. Her eyes
brightened, and a flush of color crept
Into her cheeks. She believed In him,
In his courage—he had appealed to
her as a man.
Suddenly she seemed to realize the
yearning of her own heart, her utter
faith In him. He would come, he
must come; even now he might have
discovered her sudden disappearance,
and suspected the cause. He would
never believe any lies they might tell
—that she had departed without
word, without a message—he would
besides, he cared. She knew this,
comprehended without question; there
had been no word spoken, yet she
knew.
Suddenly the girl's slender body
grew taut, and her thin, white, deli-
cate hands clutched the granite wall
back of her, and Into her gray eyes
crept the light of terror, a terror that
was new and strange to her, a name-
less clutching fear that her varied ex-
periences in the city had never
brought her, an Insidious, terrible
fright for her bodily safety. Her dell
cate ears, strained under their spun-
brown covering of hair—there was no
doubt of It; she heard footsteps In
the passage way. Juan Cateras with
his leering, lustful smile was coming
back.
The uncertainty was of scarcely an
Instant. The key turned In the lock
and the door opened. Cateras, smil-
ing, stepped within, calmly closed the
door behind him, and then turned to
greet the lady. She met his bow with
eyes of firm resolve, though her heart
ached.
"Why do you come, senor?" she
asked so quietly that the man In sur-
prise halted his step forward.
"To keep my word," and his white
teeth gleamed In an effort at pleas-
antness. "I am always truthful with
your sex; and I told you I would re-
turn shortly."
"Yet why?" she Insisted, anxious
only to keep him away as long as pos-
sible, and yet enchain his Interest.
"If I am prisoner here, I am not your
prisoner. Do you come, then, to serve
me?"
"Can you doubt that, senorlta?"
still endeavoring to retain the mask
he had first assumed. "Because cir-
cumstances make me defy the law—a
mere love of adventure, no more—Is
no reason why I should be devoid of
heart and sympathy." He took a step
nearer. "I care nothing for this Bill
Lacy—nothing," and he snapped his
fingers derisively. "Why should I?
Rut. Instead, I would be your friend.
The senorita Is an American, and to
her one of my race may not appeal,
yet I would prove my devotion with
my life."
"Your devotion, senor?"
"Is not the word expressive? I am
of a Southern race, senorlta, and we
d j not calculate—we feel. Why, then,
should I conceal my eagerness? It is
love which causes me to thus defy all
and offer you freedom."
"Love!" she laughed. "Why, that Is
Impossible. Surely you only Jest,
senor."
The smile deserted his lips, and
with a quick, unexpected movement
he grasped her hand.
"Jest! You would call It a Jest. You
will not think so for long. Why. what
can you do? No; stop shrinking back
from me. It will be well that you lis-
ten. I come to you with a chance of
escape; I will take the risk and pledge
you my aid. I alone can save you;
there is no other to whom you can
turn. In return I but ask ray re-
ward."
She hesitated, her eyes lifting to his
face.
"You promise me your assistance?"
"Within the hour."
"How? What plan have you?"
"That I will not tell; you must trust
me. I am the lieutenant of Pascual
Mendez," a touch of pride In his voice.
"And my word alone will open the
way. You will come?"
"Walt; I must know more. You say
It Is love which prompts your offer,
senor. I cannot understand; and even
if this l« true, I must he frank and
honest In my answer—I do not return
your love."
Bah! That Is nothing. I know
women; they learn love quickly when
the way opens. I am not so 111 to look
at, senorita. A kiss now will seal the
bargain I I will wait the rest."
You ask no pledge, then, of me?"
Only your consent to accompany
me, and the kiss. Beyond that 1 take
the gambler's chance. Only you must
say yes or no; for It will require time
for me to clear the road."
"It must be tonight?"
"The sooner the better; they tell me
Lacy will be here himself soon, and
after he cornea the one chance Is over
with. You will give the kiss?"
"Do not ask It, senor!"
"Oh, but 1 will—aye, more, I'll take
it. A dozen will do no harm, and no
scream from those lips will be heard.
You may as well be nice, my beauty."
She was against the wall, helpless,
and the grip of his hands was like
steel. His breath was on her cheek;
his eyes burning with lust gazing
straight into her own. Slowly, remorse-
lessly, he bent her head backward un-
til she feared her neck woul snap.
Into her terror-stricken mind leaped
the sudden conclusion that resistance
with this beast was futile; she must
outwit him with her brains. Suddenly
relaxing herself, she slipped to the
granite floor on her knees.
"Please, please," she begged.
give In, senor, I give in."
But as she spoke her right hand
closed about a square Jagged bit of
rock.
"So, my pretty." sneered Cateras,
vou have learned that Juan Cateras
Ac she stood tl.cn> In the salf light. I
her gray eyes flashing, her young
boL.om rising and falling, 3lie was a
vaguely defined but alluring figure. So
Juan Cateras thought, anil he took a
step nearer, his thick, red lips curling
with lust, eager to claim their rich re-
ward. As they came closer Stella
Donovan stiffened.
"Look, senor," she whispered—"be-
hind you 1"
The Mexican In his eagerness was
off his guard. He turned to look, and
at that Instant the girl drew back her
sturdy army and then brought It for-
ward again with all her vigor. ClukI
She heard the rock sound against h?r
oppressor's head, heard a low moan
escape his lips, and saw him sink slow-
ly to the floor at her feet.
The next Instant she was beside him,
In terror lest she had killed htm; but
a hurried glance, supplemented by her
fingers which reached for his Dulse,
assured her that she had only stunned
her assailant. With deft hands that
worked speedily In the darkness she
unstrapped from around his waist the
belt with its thlrty-slx cartridges and
revolver, then pulled from his pocket
the keys, not only to her cell, but, she
Judged, to others.
The feel of their bronze coldness In
her hot hands brought a quick message
to her brain; beyond a question of
doubt the missing Cavendish was con-
cealed in one of the dark, dank cells
in the immediate vicinage, If not ac-
tually In this same passage, then In
another one perhaps not greatly dis-
tant.
Reaching beneath her outer skirt,
she Jerked loose her white petticoat,
and then began tearing Ii Into long
strips which she knotted together.
This done, she bound Juan Cateras,
hand and foot, and, with some diffi-
culty, turned him over on his face
after first thrusting Into his half-open
mouth a gag, which she had fashioned
from stray ends of the providential
petticoat.
Then leaping to her feet and strap-
ping the ammunition belt and revolver
about her waist, she stole on tiptoe to
the doorway and peered out; the si-
lent, cavernous passage was empty.
Lithely, like a young panther, she
slipped out of the cell anC began mak-
ing down the passageway to a spot of
Saw Him Sink Slowly to the Floor at
Her Feet.
light which she Judged to be Its open-
ing. She had scarcely gone ten feet,
however, before she stopped short-
somewhere In the dark she heard a
voice. ,
What was to be done? Her temples
throbbed as the voices sounded nearer,
Thpn it came heme to her—why not try
one of the other cells? Suiting action
to the thought, she stepped quietly
from the niche in the wall, moved
noiselessly along its surface, and came
at length to another dungeon similar
to the one she had occupied, except
that It had no window in its oaken
door. Fumbling with the bunch of
keys, she took the first one around
which her fingers fell and thrust it
hurriedly into the lock. She strug-
gled with it—turning It first to the
left and then to the right. The foot-
steps were sounding nearer and near-
er every minute, the voices were grow-
ing louder.
Frantic, she gave the key a final des-
perate twist, and as a sigh of relief
escaped her lips the door swung open.
Slipping through the aperture, she
closed it softly after her and, panting
from excitement and her exertions,
turned and faced the recesses of her
hiding-place.
It was black, pitch-black, except for
a long ray of light that struggled In be-
tween the heavy door and Its casing,
but as Stella Donovan stood there In
the gloom she wus aware that she was
sound of a soft, well-modulated TCfee,
"Who's that?" it said faintly.
Then followed the repeated scratch-
ing of a wet match, a flame of yellow
light, which was Immediately carried
to a short tallow candle, and In the
aura of Its sickly flame Stella Dono-
van saw the face of a man with long,
unkempt beard and feverish eyes that
stared at her as though she were an
apparition.
As her eyes became more accus-
tomed to the light she saw that the
stranger was a man of approximately
thirty, of good robust health. His hair
was sandy of color and thin, and his
beard, which was of the same hue, had
evidently gone untrimmed for days,
perhaps weeks; yet for all of his un«-
kempt appearunce, for all the strange-
ness of his presence there, he was a
gentleman, that was plain. And aa
she scrutinized him Miss Donovan
thought she beheld a mild similarity la
the contour of the man's head, the
shape of his fuce, the lines of his body,
to the man who several weeks be-
fore, she had seen lying dead upon the
floor of his rooms In the Waldron
apartments.
"My God 1" he cried In a high voice,
"I—I thought I was seeing things. lou
are really a woman—and alive?"
Miss Donovan hesitated a moment
before she answered, wondering
whether to tell him of her narrow e
cape. This she decided to do.
"Alive, but only by luck," she said
In a friendly voice, and then recounted
the insults of Cateraa, her struggle
with him, and capture of his cartridge
belt and revolver, and how finally she
had left him bound and gagged in the
adjoining cell. The rafin listened at-
tentively, though hla mind seemed
slow to grasp details.
"But," he insisted, unable to clear
his brain, "why are you here? Surely
you are not one of this gang of out-
laws?"
"I am a prisoner. That is true ox
you also, Is It not?"
"Yes. I—I am a prisoner, although
I do not in the least know why. When
did you come?"
"Not more than two hours ago. Tws
men brought me across the desert from
Haskell."
"I do not know how I came. I wm
on the platform of an observation car
the last I remember," his utterance
slow, as though his mind struggled
with a vague memory, "talking with a
gentleman whom I had met on the
train. There—there must have
an accident. I think, for I never knew
anything more until I woke up here."
"Do you recall the name of tha
man you were conversing with on the
observation car?"
He pressed his hand against his fore-
bead, a wrinkle appearing straight be.
tween his eyes.
"I've tried to remember that," he
admitted regretfully, "but It doesn't
quite come to me."
"Was It Beaton?"
"Yes. Why. how strange! Of coir-.-<a
he was Edward Beaton of New Y^k.
He told me he was a broker. Why,
how did you know?"
"It is not so strange," she snld at
last, "for your disappearance is Indi-
rectly the occasion of my being her*
also. I believe I can even call you by
name. You are Mr. Cavendish?"
"Yes," he admitted, his hands grip-
ping the back of the bench nervously,
his eyes filled with amazement "But
—but I do not know you."
"For the best of reasons," she an-
swered smilingly, advancing and ex
tending her hand--"because we have
never met befnre. I am Stella Dono-
van, a newspaper woman. Your
strange disappearance about a month
ago aroused considerable interest, and
I chanced to be detailed on the case.
My investigations led me to visit Has-
kell, where unfortunately my mission
became known to those who were re-
sponsible for your Imprisonment here.
So, to keep me quiet, I was also ab-
ducted and brought to this place."
"You—you mean It was not an acci-
dent—that I was brought here pur*
posely?"
"Exactly; you were trailed from
New York by a gang of thieves having
confederates In this country. I am un-
able to give you all the details; but
this man Beaton, whom you met on the
train, Is a notorious gunman and
gambler. His being on the same train
with you was a part of a well-laid
plan, and I have no doubt but what he
deliberately slugged you while you
two were alone on the observation
platform."
"But—but," he stammered, "what
was his object? Why did those people
scheme to get me?"
"As I told you, Mr. Cavendish, I do
not* know all the details, but I think
these men—one of whom is a lawyer-
planned to gain possession of your for-
tune, possibly by means of a forged
will; and, In order to accomplish this,
it was necessary to get you out of the
way. If either of us can escape from
this place we shall be In time to foil
them completely."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Powerful
Featured by
Pile Puller.
cylinder containing
(• I fiii ill JH111? ■ - U o 11 ' ill v i- v € l o - i i a
not the otilv occupant of the cell. She a piston with a lifting force of eight
not tne uuij « - hydraulic apparatus has been
find out the truth somehow; he was Is not a man to *el|^ | ^0^er\ea^^ invented for pulling
not the kind to He down, to avoid And, releasing h s grip upon her, he anomerm somewhat by ^ (frotB deeo water,
dai^er when It confronted duty—and, I allowed the girl to rlsfc ^ 1
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McDowell, C. S. Canadian Valley Record (Canton, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 23, 1920, newspaper, September 23, 1920; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc176340/m1/3/: accessed May 4, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.