were endeavoring with
all rapidity possible to get beyond where the hand of law could reach
them--their trail striking directly across the plains into the barren
southwest was proof of this purpose. Yet it was scarcely likely they
would proceed very far in that direction, as such a course would bring
them straight into the heart of the Indian country, into greater danger
than that from which they fled. Keith felt no doubt that Hawley intended
making for Carson City, where he could securely hide the girl, and where
he possessed friends to rally to his defence, even an influence over the
officers of the law. The one thing which puzzled him most was the man's
object in attempting so desperate a venture. Did he know his prisoner
was Hope Waite? or did he still suppose he was running off with Christie
Maclaire? Could some rumor of Waite's appeal to the courts have reached
the gambler, frightened him, and caused him to attempt this desperate
effort at escape? and did he bear Miss Maclaire with him, hoping thus
to keep her safely concealed until he was better prepared to come out
in open fight? If this was the actual state of affairs then it would
account for much otherwise hard to explain. The actress would probably
not have been missed, or, at least, seriously sought after, until she
failed to appear at the theatre the following evening. This delay
would give the fugitives a start of twenty hours, or even more, and
practically assure their safety. Besides, in the light of Waite's
application to the sheriff for assistance, it was comparatively easy
to conceive of a valid reason why Hawley should vanish, and desire,
likewise, to take Miss Maclaire with him. But there was no apparent
occasion for his forcible abduction of Hope. Of course, he might have
done so from a suddenly aroused fit of anger at some discovery the
girl had made, yet everything pointed rather to a deliberate plan.
Both horses and men were certainly waiting there under orders, Hawley's
adherents in charge, and every arrangement perfected in advance. Clearly
enough, the gambler had planned it all out before he ever went to the
Trocadero--no doubt the completion of these final arrangements was what
delayed his appearance at the hotel. If this was all true, then it must
have been Christie, and not Hope, he purposed bearing away with him, and
the latter was merely a victim of her masquerade.

What would result when the man discovered his mistake? Such a discovery