The Gold Magnet

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 29, 27 April 1927, Page 16

The Gold Magnet

By

T.C. Bridges

» Author of " The Whip Hand/ 0 Price of Liberty/* “ The Home Her Father*/ 0 &c., &c.

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS CHAPTERS I. to 111. —A reroclous face pressed against the window of a train, frightens a mysterious passenger, Stuart Egerton, and just afterwards the train Is wrecked. Bruce Carey gets Egerton out of the wreck, out the man is dying He gets Bruce to promise that he will deliver a bag which contains an invention to his daughter, Silvia. James I_.urgan, who has ruined Bruce’s half-brother also wants the invention. Bruce finds an American friend. Randolph Colt. The motor in which they are travelling to Silvia’s cottage is held up by armed men CHAPTERS 111. to Vlll—Having no alternative, Bruce hands over the bag. After the interruption the two men reach Silvia’s home. When Bruce tells her of the robbery of the invention she says it is useless without the directions, which are in her possession. When Bruce is returning from a visit to Silvia Lurgan steps out of a wood. He proposes a half share in the new Gold Recovery Syndicate. Bruce tells him that he would sooner go into partnership with the devil. CHAPTERS IX to Xlll.—A strategic step is made by Claude, who cultivates the friendship of Duggan, one of Lurgan'e henchmen. Bruce sets out to make the raid on Lurgan’s place single-handed. He forces iron bars apart and gets Egerton’s bag from the strong room. The burglary is discovered and Bruce is pursued and shot at. He trips on an obstacle and becomes unconscious.

CHAPTERS XIV. to XX.—Bruce wakes up to find himself trapped. Lurgan renews his offer of a partnership and Bruce refuses though he is threatened with imprisonment not only for burglary but for manslaughter, our hero having knocked down and killed a man who tried to stop him from escaping. At the inquest the jury brings in a verdict of murder. Silvia is in her bed when Lurgan calls. He says that the only chance of saving Bruce is to form a partnership of the three of them Though Silvia feels the hypnotic power of Lurgan she refuses his offer. CHAPTER XXI. to XXIV.: Bruce comes up for trial. Lurgan gives his damning evidence. Bruce's barrister tells the whole story of the magnet. The weak points in the defence are attacked and the jury brings in a verdict of guilty and Bruce is sentenced to seven years* penal servitude. Silvia bears up bravely and all Bruce’s friends decide to do their utmost to get him released. If they could find the man who stole the bag they realise that he would be a great help. CHAPTERS XXV. to XXIX: The conference? of Lurgan, Orme, Grane and stroud has just decided that Silvia will have to be held In order that they muv get the papers, when the others discover that Stroud is a fake. With the aid of a smoke-bomb, the masquerader —Colt—gets away. Silvia visits Bruce in prison and the engagement is celebrated while the warder turns his back. Lurgan renews his offer of assistance, Silvia’s refusal wins her the villain’s admiration. Afterwards she suggests that if he should find the witnesses of the robbery of the handbag, an arrangement might be come to. Lurgan says this is impossible. CHAPTERS XXX. to XXXVI-While motoring to Dartmoor, Silvia and Claude help to save the life of Jack Trant, a

warder at the gaol, who had fallen into a torrent. Lurgan again turns up and offers to arrange Bruce’s escape for a half share in the profits of the invention. Silvia consents and on the morning chosen for the escape, Colt arrives back from New York. Silvia and Colt watch the attempt. A gorse fire is started and a prisoner gets away in Lurgan’s car. But Bruce suddenly appears in front of Silvia’s car. They are trying to find the way to Brim Tor when they see two men following them. All four wander on to the range of an artillery battery and one of the men who is following is killed by a shell. He turns out to be Oakes and Bruce changes clothes with him and hides at Brim Tor. Colt goes away on another mission. Jack was right, for next morning broke with a thick, white mist. Silvia was delighted, for it would hide her from prying eyes, and especially from fishermen. Trout won’t rise in fog. She was off early, and was soon well up in the heart of the Moor. The mist was now lifting a little and Silvia went cautiously as she approached Brim Tor. The steep side of it was looming through the thinning fog when her quick ears caught the clink of a falling stone and instinctively she dropped down between two boulders. Some one was moving along the base of the hill. It might, of course, be Bruce, but this was not the time or the place to take risks, and she waited. The steps came nearer, and she saw a figure loom up. rt was all she could do to bite back the cry of dismay that rose to her lips. For the man was Lurgan. CHAPTER XXXVII. —DISASTER. Silvia lay quiet as a hare in its form until the great bulky figure had passed and the sound of his footsteps died. Then she rose and ran for Bruce’s refuge. He was sitting at the mouth of the mine, very still and oddly white, but sprang up at sight of her. “ Lurgan!” she gasped breathlessly. “He has been here.” “ He’s been here right enough. How he found me I don’t know, but I suppose Stroud got over his panic and shadowed us.” 44 But what—what did he say? What did he do?” 44 I should think you could gues3 what he said, Silvia. He told me that he meant to have the whole show*, or else that he would go straight to the prison people and tell them where I was.” 44 And you?” 44 1 told him to go to hell if he liked—that, anyway, that was the place he was bound to fetch up in.” ‘‘Oh. Bruce, you had better have made terms with him.” 44 My dear. I'd sooner make terms with the devil himself. It was all I could do to keep my hands off him, but I knew that if I once started on him I should kill him, and I didn’t want another death on my conscience.” Silvia stood, breathing hard. 44 Then he has gone to lay information?” 41 Not a doubt about it. Only, of course, he won’t risk his skin. He’ll do it in some crooked way.” 44 But if he does he loses his last chance of getting the magnet.” 44 It looks like it, but he’s mad enough to do even that. I fancy I let myself

go a bit when I turned loose on him, and for once he quite lost that inhuman calm.” “You could not say anything bad enough, Bruce; but now the only thing is to get you away as quickly as possible.” Bruce shook his head. 44 My dearest, I’m not going to have you risking your precious self,” he told her. 44 It would only mean your getting into trouble as well as me.” 44 Then you are going calmly back to prison?” exclaimed Silvia. 44 There is no choice,” Bruce answered. ‘‘You have no other place to hide me.” 44 Don’t be silly. I have the car. It will take Lurgan at least three hours to reach Princetown, and then he will have to write a letter and send it to the Governor, for he dare not go himself. We can be back at Powder Mills in less than two hours, and 40 miles away before the search even begins.” Bruce did not move. 44 It is only putting off the evil hour. All the ports will be closed against me before I could reach one.” Silvia stamped her foot. 44 1 could shake you, Bruce. We can reach Bristol, or even London, easily. And a big town is the best place in which to hide. With a false moustache and wig, no one would recognise you.” She paused. 44 If you don’t come I shall simply stay here with you, and when the warders arrive tell them everything.” Bruce saw she meant it. He yielded and they started. The fog was now drifting in patches, rolling like smoke clouds. At one minute they could barely see one another, then it would be clear for a hundred yards or more. Silvia, who by this time knew the ground well, led the way down a broad valley. 44 You had better keep quite close to me, Bruce,” she said. 44 There is a very bad bog just below.” “ All right. You pick the way, and I’ll watch for anyone coming.” 44 There won’t be anyone,” said Silvia. 44 They think that you are dead, and the warders have been called in.”

-44 All the same,” said Bruce, in a low voice, 44 there is someone following us. Don’t stop,” he added, “carry straight on. We may dodge him in the mist.” Silvia quickened her pace. She was horribly frightened, for if this person, whoever he was, was really following them, he must suspect Bruce’s identity. And then the fog, instead of thickening, rolled up like a curtain, and behold, it was Lurgan himself who tracked them. Both saw him at once, and Bruce stopped. 44 This is the finish,” he said curtly. “ Silvia, I am going back to meet him, and one of us will stay here.”

Silvia caught his arm. 44 No,” she said urgently. 4 * No. He is certain to be armed, and he would simply shoot you. Listen. I have a plan. We are just at the head of Mill Tor Mire. There is a path across it which Clara Trant showed me. I think —I am almost sure that I can remember it, and if we can cross the mire Lurgan will not be able to follow us.” “But he can go round.” “It is more than a mile round. We shall get a long start, and if the fog comes down again w'e can lose him.” Bruce hesitated. He looked back longingly at Lurgan, and Silvia saw his fists clench. But she pulled him onwards.

A few steps and the great mire was before them, a wide flat, covered with tall bents and reeds, among which pools of smooth, black slime gleamed like steel under the lowering sky. “A ghastly place,” said Bruce in dismay. “We can never cross that.” “We can. Yes, that is the path. I know the opening by that odd-shaped boulder.” To Bruce it seemed akin to suicide for Silvia to trust herself on such treacherous ground. He could see no path nor any sign of one. But Silvia seemed to have no doubts, and Bruce found himself following her right into the heart of the mire. Much to his amazement, he never sank much above the ankles, for beneath the spongy-sur-face there was firm footing. “It is an old-timer’s track,” Silvia explained quickly. “Those little sticks mark it.” “Sticks —why, they are mere twigs,” replied Bruce. “I’d be sorry for any-

one who didn’t know what to look for.” “Don’t talk,” said Silvia, “the fog is thickening again, and I must keep all my attention for the marks.” In spite of the fog she pushed on smartly, and Bruce, full of admiration for her pluck and resource, followed in silence. Presently a waft of wind lifted the fog, and Bruce glanced back. “Silvia —Silvia,” he said urgently. “Lurgan is following us.” Silvia stopped. “He’d never dare!” she gasped and turned. But the fog was down again, and she could not see. “He is coming all right,” said Bruce grimly. “He was well along the path when I saw him.” Silvia’s lips set firmly. “We must hurry. Even if he sees the marks, he cannot go fast. We shall beat him, Bruce, never fear.” She quickened her pace, and Bruce followed step for step. Once Silvia blundered, and was instantly up to her knees in glutinous slime, but Bruce pulled her back and, using her stick, she found hard ground again. “A gap,” she whispered, “but now we are on the path once more.” “Nearly at the end of it,” said Bruce. “I see heather in front.” A few steps more and they were on rising ground among heather and rocks. “No sign of Lurgan,” said Bruce beneath his breath. “We’ve got a bit of a start. What next, Silvia?” “We will go over the ridge to the right,” said Silvia, in an equally low voice. “The fog is thick on the tops, and if it only holds w*e shall dodge him. Now —quickly, and do not speak or make any noise.”

The pace at" which she went off amazed Bruce, yet she kept it all up the slope which seemed to get steeper with every step. But the fog was thinning again, and as Bruce glanced round he could see the near edge of the mire. He could not, however see Lurgan. Above the mist was thicker fog, for as Silvia had said, it clung to the higher ground. The slop lessened, and they came to a broad terrace with firm smooth turf. Suddenly Bruce caught Silvia by the arm. “Steady,” he whispered. “There’s a horse coming.” “A Moor pony,” replied Silvia. “There are lots of them.” “It’s coming straight towards us,” said Bruce, and the words were hardly out of his mouth before there loomed out of the mist not a Moor pony, but a tall, grey moustached man on horseback. Before they had time to move he was right on top of them. (To be concluded to-morrow)