PAOLINA OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10184, 9 March 1911, Page 2

PAOLINA OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

OUR SERIAL.

By MARIPOSA WEIR. Author of "Evadyne's Temptation," "A Chase Round the World," etc

| CHAPTER XLP'.—Cnnti.n.(\! "Well.. ! nvxcr M-i'ii anything like thar," said a rough looking man to a miner that stood beside him. "What was the his fellow sc.u-ed of? He might have shot the little one before he could hev got his hands out of his pockets." "You don't belong round here, I guess. That little man is Deadly Dade —the Honourable Deadly Dade. lie's killed more men than any shootist in the southern mines, and 1 s'pose that is why they gave him the title. Anyway, he's known all round these parts by that name." "He may be as deadly as a rattlesnake for all 1 know. But the big fellow might have shot him easy before ever he could hev drawed." "Deadly Dade never draws, stranger," returned the miner, as if compassionating the other's ignorance. "He shoots through his pockets, and never misses, and never fails to get the;first , shot. But let's step.inside and take a drop of Bourbon." CHAPTER £LV. . A MIDNIGHT .DRIVE INTERRUPTED. If Pimdersoii fancied that his departure from the saloon was unnoticed by his enemy, he deceived himself. The count's vigilant, revengeful gaze had never wandered from him for a moment, and as Grandin's two retainers walked swiftly away from the place a "figuro might have been seen stealing silently after them in the shadow of the buildings which they passed. All the incidents narrated in tl.e last chapter took place so rapidly that only a few minutes elapsed between , the time when Bulger, turning to avoid the gaze of the count, caught sight of the pretended vaquero, and the-time when, after the brief colloquy with Dade, he returned into ';hs gambling den which had been the scene of the varied adventures of the evening. | Whatever .may have been the pur-, pose or motive which, led him to watch the movements of the Italian, he nad not lost sight of it for an instant, even during the excitement of the recent disturbance, and he now disc >vered, with disappointment, that both Punderspn and the man who had ')e(-ii dogging him, had disappeared duri the confusion. Leaving the saloon he commenced prowling through the chief dens of the "Tigerie," all of which were well known to hihi. Just as he was about to give up the search, and repair to the lower town upon the chance of encountering the pair, he caught sight of the count pacing up and clown in front of the door of a chophouse-, like a sentry on guard. "There's the forriner," he said, and it's ten to one that Punderson's inside. That fellow seems bound to stick to him." Passing the Italian without looking at him, Bulger peered cautiously into '. the dining room. As lie did so, he saw the portly proprietress of the establishment open a small door behind " the bar, through' which she passed into the adjoining room. Pasing quickly around to the rear of the house he looked in at the window, and saw the negress putting a stewpan upon the stove. She was alone, and he tapped gently at the door. "Who's dar at dis time o' night?" demanded the woman, without opening' teh door. "Me, Bob Bulger, of Sawmill Flat," was the answer. i "Why don't j t ou go round to de j front door?" j "I want to speak to you a minute j about something particular." j There was a pause j as if the woman were hesitating. Then the door opened, and Bulger entered. "M'less, is Mark Punderson. in the other room?" be asked. "He jest come in wid another gentleman, and I'm putt-in' on a couple of stews for 'em," answered the negress. "Which box are they in?" 1 'The one furdest from the door, j What you axe dat for?" j "I want to go into the next one ; and listen to what they are talking ' about. That chap that's with Pun- I clerson knows all about the dogs that are to fight at old Pruto's to-morrow, j | when the hanging's over, and I want ' to get some points." j After some persuasion from Bob,

| "You and Lucas count it," he said. \ When this was done, and the total | announced, he emptied -his pockets and added their contents to the deposit. '^ "If I am stopped to-night," he said,' "I mean that the robber shall be disappointed. Now mix me another hot drink, and we'll be oft." . In a few moments t-nev were again in the wagon. Lucas applied the whip to the mare, and they rattled off at- a brisk pace. They had nearly reached the Big Oak, where the trail turned off, when, a terrible shout sounded in their ears, as if uttered by some .person sitting close behind them. At the same time' a. powerful grasp was laid upon Punderson's shoulders, and he was dragged backwards out of the buggy. The mare, frightened by the shout, started off'at a gallop.- Lucas found himself quite unable, to check her in her.mad flight. Possibly he wa snot overanxious to do so. His subsequent statement was that he did not regain control of her until he had reached the side trail leading from the main road to the ranch. Then it was too late to turn back with any hope of aiding Punderson. The most feasible course seemed to bo to give the alarm, announce what had happened, and return with assistance. (To Be Continued.)

the negress assented, and the desperado passed around the end of the bar and stealthily gained the box adjoining the ono where Punderson and Lucas were sitting; where he could overhear every word spoken by either. "I don't know what makes me feel so infernally nervous to-night," said Punderson, "but the fact is, if I had missed you I would have stayed in town all night. I was actually afraid to drive out alone. And yet I expect Grandin's sitting up for me to hear my report." "And a nice report you'd have had," returned his companion, "if it hadn't been ior nic." "Why, I left everything ro you. If I hadn't relied on yon,' I'd have scouted round myself, instead of tackling the wild beasts. And then I should be at this minute between six and seven | hundred dollars poorer than I am." j Bulger had got all the information | he wanted. Punderson was going out j to the ranch, accompanied by Lucas. They would no doubt start as soon as they had finished their meal. Without waiting to hear more, Bulger passed out into the street as stealthily as he had come. It was a dark night, without moon or star. The murky clouds hung low,, and there was a feeling in the air that seemed to portend rain. "Lucas," said Punderson, after they had left the town some little distance behind. "I must have a drop of whisky. Just turn back to Texas Bill's place. It isn't more than fifty rods, and I saw that he was open when we passed." As he spoke he turned the horse's head in the opposite direction. Texas Bill's was still open, but the proprietor, a lean, cadaverous man of ' fiftv, said he was just about to close ( up. "You passed here a minute or two ago, didn't yer?" he asked, as he compounded the hot Scotch whisky for Punderson. "Well; what of* it?" answered Lucas. "When yer turned back did yer notice a suspicious looking man —welldressed enough, but kind of wild like?" ■ ■ " Lucas said he hadn't seen anyone since turning back. "Well, he was close behind the buggy when yer passed. I thought he acted queer. He didn't seem to want to come too close; and when you got to "that heavy piece of road just past here where they've been mending it, and was goin' slow, he turned round and come in and asked for a glass of brandy. Ho seemed in a great hurry. He looked to me like a furriner. P'r'aps he's crazy. Anyway it's strange what become of him. I'm certain he went on right after the buggy ag'in." "I won't give up to this," cried Punderson. "I'll go out there, if the old boy himself is lying in wait. Texas —-where do you keep your money?" The man looked as if ho thought Punderson was crazy too. "I don't often have so much as to trouble me about keepin' it safe," he said. "When.l have more'n I like to leave in the till, I take it upstairs and put it in a box I keep under the bed." "Well," said Punderson, "I want you to keep some money that I happen to have with me till I call for it," and he drew out his-'purse .and poured out its contents ou the bar.