ion. Her lined face was a mirror of
distress.

"But that's impossible. She must tell. What has Father ever done to hurt
her?"

"I--I don't know anything about it," the harassed woman iterated.

"What's the use of saying that when we know you do? And you'll not get out
of it by sobbing. You've _got_ to talk."

Kate had not moved. None the less her force, the upblaze of feminine
energy in her, crowded the little storekeeper to the wall. "You've got to
tell--you've just got to," she insisted.

The little woman shrank before the energy of a passion so vital. No
strength was in her to fight. But she could and did offer the passive
resistance of obstinate silence.

Curly had drawn from his pocket the newspaper found in the cellar. His
eyes had searched for the date line to use as cumulative evidence, but
they had remained fastened to one story. Now he spoke imperatively.

"Come here, Miss Kate."

She was beside him in an instant. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure yet, but---- Look here. I believe this is a message to us."

"A message?"

"From your father perhaps."

"How could it be?"

"I found the paper in the cellar where he was. See how some of these words
are scored. Done with a finger nail, looks like."

"But how could he know we would see the paper, and if we did see it would
understand?"

"He couldn't. It would be one chance in a million, but all his life he's
been taking chances. This couldn't do any harm."

Her dark head bent beside his fair one with the crisp sun-reddened curls.

"I don't see any message. Where is it?"

"I don't see it myself--not much of it. Gimme time."

This was the paragraph upon which his gaze had fastened, and the words and
letters were scored sharply as shown below, though in the case of single
letters the mark ran through them instead of underneath, evidently that no
mistake might be made as to which was meant.

J. P. Kelley of the ranger force reports

over the telephone that by unexpected good

luck he has succeeded in taking prisoner
---- --------
the notorious Jack Foster of Hermosilla
---- -- -- -
and the Rincons notoriety and is now
- - - ---
bringing him to Saguache where he will be
--------
locked up pending a disposition of his case.
-------------------------------------------
Kelley succeeded in surprising him while
---------