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THE 8PANISH-AMERICAN. Chic Gowns for the Warm Days Crooked Trails and. Itraiffhit fCopyrlgfit by O. W. Dnilngham TWO HATS ON A RACK. Vynopsls. Adventurous and reck Itn, rather than criminal, and citad br liquor. Curly Flandrau and , bla chum, Mao, both practically mar boy, become Involved In a horae-steallng adventure. Dipo Ing or tha atolen atock In tha town of Saguache, Arti., tha band pa rate. Mac la killed by a posa and Curly takan captiva, after ha ha hot ona and himself bean wounded. Tha man ihot la Luck Culllson, a former fighting aherlS. Culllson's friends determina to lynch Curly aa an example to cattle thieve. With the rope around hli neck he la saved by the Intervention of Kate CuUlaon. Luck's daughter. Luck questions the boy concerning a no torious outlaw. Soapy Stone, real leader of the rustlers! Flandrau learns that Boapy Stone Is Culll son's bitter enemy and exercises a baleful Influence over the ex-sher-Iffs son 8am, who has quarreled with his father. Culltaon goes ball for Curly. Curly rescues Soapy Stone from a bear trap. At the London ranch he discovers that the outlaw Is Sam Culllson's rival for Laura London's hand. Flandrau, visiting Stone's ranch, Is convinced a train robbery Is being planned. Sam leaves the ranch for Saguache. Curly accompanies him. Eaves dropping, Curly hears Stone and his lieutenant. Lute Blackwell, arrange to hold up the train at Tin Cup crossing and after the robbery shoot young Culllson and leave his body on tha scene. Curly Is accused by Stone of being a spy of Luck Cul llson's. They are separated, but part with the understanding that their next meeting will mean a fight to the death. Curly confldes In Luck. Stone la forced to leave town. The express office In Sa guache la robbed of 120,000. Luck disappears and Is suspected by the sheriff of the crime. Cass Fenwlck, contesting the ownership of land with Luck, Insults Kate, who strikes him across tha face with her quirt CHAPTER discontinued. 10 "No. Ill go down, to the courthouse If he's there." At the office of the sheriff Kate cut to essentials as soon as the Introduc tions were over. "Do you think my father robbed the W. & S. Express company, Mr. Bolt?" she asked. Her plainness embarrassed the offi cer. "Let's look at the facts, Miss Cul llson," he began amiably. "Then you tell me what you would think In my place. Tour father needed money mighty bad. There's no doubt at all about that Here's an envelope on which he had written a list of his debts. You'll notice they run to lust a little more than twenty thousand. I found tills in his bedroom the day he disappeared. Turn that envelope over, Hiss Culllson. Notice how he has written there half a dozen times in a row, '$20,000,' and Just below it twice, W. S. Ex. Co.' Finally, the one word, Tonight'" She read It all, read it with a heart heavy as lead, and knew that there he had left in his own strong, bold hand writing convincing evidence against himself. Still, she did not doubt blm In the least, but there could be no question now that he knew of the In tended shipment, that absent-mindedly he had Jotted down this data while he was thinking about it in connection with his own debts. The sheriff went on tightening the chain of evidence in a voice that for all its kindness, seemed to her re morseless as fate. "It turns out that Mr. Jordan of the Cattleman's Nation al bank mentioned this shipment to your father that morning. Mr. Cul llson was trying to raise money from him, but he couldn't let him have It. Every bank in the city refused him a loan. -Yet next morning be paid off two thousand dollars be owed from a poker game." "He must have borrowed the money from some one," she said weakly. .. "That money he paid In twenty-dollar bills. The stolen express package was in twenties. You know yourself that this is a gold country. Bills ain't o plentiful." The girl's hand went to her heart. Faith In her father was a rock not to be washed away by any amount of evidence. What made her wince was the amount of circumstantial testi mony falling into place so inexorably against him. "Is that all 7" she asked despairingly. "I wish It were, Miss Culllson. But It's not. A man came round the corner and shot at thq robber as he was es caping. His hat fell off. Here It is." As Kate took the bat something seemed to tighten around her heart It belonged to her father. His personal ity was stamped all over, it She even recognized a coffee stain on the under aide of the brim. There was no need of the initials L. C. to tell her whose it had been. A wave of despair swept ver her. Again she was on the verge of breaking down, but controlled her elf aa with a tight curb, "You say the robber had on his hat, and that somebody shot at him. Who mever it was must know the man wasn't father." Gently Bolt took this last prop from fcer hope. "Ha Is almost sure the man aras yenr father." By William MacLeod Raine Co.) A spark of steel came Into her dark eyes. "Who Is the man?" . "His name is Fendrlck." "Cass Fendrlck?" She whipped the word at him, leaning forward In her chair rigidly with her hands clenched on the arms of It. One could have guessed that the sound of the name had unleashed a dormant ferocity In ber. "Yes. I know he and your father aren't friends. They have bad some trouble. For that reason he was very reluctant to give your father's name." The girl flamed. "Reluctant I Don't you believe I! He hates father like poison." A hush of Inspiration came to her. "Cass Fendrlck Is the man you want, and he is the man I want. He robbed the express company, and be has killed my father or abducted him. I know now. Arrest him tonight." "I have to have evidence," Bolt said quietly. "I can give you a motive. Listen. Father expected to prove np yesterday on his Del Oro claim. If he had done so Cass Fendrick's sheep would have been cut off from the water. Father had to be got out of the way not later than Wednesday, or that man would have been put out of business. He was very bitter about It He had made threats." "It would take more than threats to get rid of the best fighting man In Arizona, right In the middle of the day, in the heart of the town, without a soul knowing It" "He was trapped sojnehow, of course," Curly cut In. For he was sure that In no other way could Luck Culllson have been overcome. "If you'll only tell me how, Flan drau," Bolt returned. "I don't know how, but we'll find out." "I hope so." Kate felt his doubt, and It was like a spark to powder. "You ought to know father couldn't have done this. There Is such a thing as character. Luck Culllson simply couldn't be a thief." Mackenzie's faith bad been strength ened by the Insistent loyalty of the girl. "That's right Nick. Let me tell you something else. Fendrlck knew Luck was going to prove up Thursdny. He heard him tell us at the Round up club Tuesday morning." The sheriff summed up. "You've proved Cass had Interests that would be helped if Mr. Culllson were re moved. But you haven't shaken the evidence against Luck." "We've proved Cass Fendrlck had to get father out of the way on the very day he disappeared. One day later would have been too late. We've shown his enmity. Any evidence that rests on his word Is no good. The truth isn't In the man." "Maybe not, but he didn't make this evidence." Kate had another inspirational flash. "He did some of It Somehow he got hold of father's hat, and he manu factured a story about shooting It from the robber's head. But to make his It Belonged to Her Father. story stick he must admit he was on the ground at the time of (he hold up. So he must have known the rob bery was going to take place." Bolt's shrewd eyes narrowed to a smile. "You prove to me that Cass had your father's hat before the hold up, and I'll take some stock in the story." "And in the meantime," suggested Curly. "I'll keep right on looking for Luck Culllson, but I'll keep an eye on Cass Fendrlck, too." Kate took up the challenge confi dently. 'TU prove he had the hat at least Til try to pretty hard. It's the truth, and it must come out some how." After he had left her at the hotel, Curly walked the streets with a sharp excitement tingling his blood. He had lived his life among men, 'and he knew little about women and their ways. But his imagination seized vividly upon this slim, dark girl with the fine eyes that could be both ten der and ferocious, with the look of combined delicacy and strength In every line of her. ' "Ain't she the gamest little thor oughbred ever?" he chuckled to him self. "Stands the acid every crack. Think of her standing pat so game Must like she did for me that ptght out at the ranch. She s the best argu ment Luck has got" CHAPTER IV. Two Hats on a Rack. One casual remark of Mackenzie had given Kate a clew. Even before she had explained It, Curly caught the point and began to dig for the truth. For though he was almost a boy, the others leaned ' on htm with the ex pectation that In the absence of Ma loney he would take the lead. In the morning he and Kate had a talk with his uncle on the subjeet. Not content with this, he made the whole party adjourn to the club rooms so that he might see exactly where Luck had sat and the different places the sheepman had stood from the time ha entered until the poker players left Together Blllle Mackenzie, and Alec Flandrau dramatized the scene for the young people. Mac personated the sheepman, came Into the room, bung up his hat, lounged over to the poker table, said his little piece as well as he could remember It and passed Into the next room. Flandrau, Senior, tak ing the role of Culllson, presently got up, lifted bis hat from the rack, and went to the door. With excitement trembling In her voice, the girl asked an eager ques tion. "Were their hats side by side like that on adjoining pegs 7" "Thot's how I remember It" "Both gray hats?" Curly cut In. "Can't be sure of that Luck's was grny all right." Curly looked at Kate and nodded. 'T reckon we know how Cass got Mr. Culllson's hat It was left on the rack." "How do you mean?" his uncle asked. "Don't you see?" the girl explained, her eyes shining with excitement. "Father took the wrong hat You know how absent-minded he Is some times." Mackenzie slapped his knee. "I'll bet a stock of blues ybu've guessed It." "Therd's a way to make sure," Curly said. "Fendrlck couldn't wear Mr. Culllson's hat around without the risk of someone remembering it later. What would he do then?" Kate beamed. "Buy another at the nearest store." "That would be my guess. And the nearest store is he New York em porium. We've got to find out whether he did buy one there on Tuesday some time after nine o'clock In the morn ing." The girl's eyes were sparkling. She bustled with businesslike energy. 'Til go and ask right away." "Don't you think we'd better let Uncle Alec find out? He's not so likely to stir up curiosity," Curly sug gested. Within a quarter of an hour Alec Flandrau Joined the others at the hotel. "You kids are right at the head of the class In the detective game. Cass bought a brown hat, about 9:30 In the mo'nlng. Paid five dollars for it. Wouldn't let them deliver the old one but took It with him In a paper Hack." With her lieutenants flanking her Kate went straight to the office of the sheriff. Bolt heard the story out and considered It thoughtfully. "You win, Miss Culllson. You haven't proved Fendrlck caused your father's disappearance by foul play, and you haven't proved he committed the robbery. Point of fact I don't think he did either one. But It cer tainly looks like he may possibly have manufactured evidence." Curly snorted scornfully.-: "You're letting your friend down easy, Mr. Bolt. By his own story he was on th ground a minute after the robbery took place. How do we know he wasn't there a minute before? For if he didn't know the holdup was go ing to occur why did he bring Mr. Culllson's hat with him punctured so neatly with bullet holes?" "Hold your hawses a while, Flan drau, and look at this thing reason able. You're all prejudiced for -Culllson and against Fendrlck. Talk about evidence! There's ten times as much against your friend as there is against Cass." "Then you'll not arrest Fendrlck?" "When you give me good reason to do it," Bolt returned doggedly. . The four adjourned t- meet at the Del Mar for a discussion of ways and means. "Well keep a watch on Fendrlck see where he goes; who he talks to, what he does. Maybe he'll make a break and give himself away," Curly said hopefully. "But my father we must rescue him first" "As soon as we find where be is. Killing him wouldn't help Cass any, because you and Sam would prove up on the claim. But U w could your father a prisoner and get him to sign a relinquishment to him be would be in a fine position." , "If we could only have Fendrlck ar rested" "What good would that do? If he's guilty he wouldn't talk. And if ha Is holding your father somewhere Id the hills it would only be serving no tice that we were getting warm. No, I'm for a still hunt. Let Cass tide around and meet his partners In this deal. We'll keep an eye on him, all right." "Maybe you're right," Kate admitted with a sigh. Sheriff Bolt, though a politician, was an honest man. It troubled him that Culllson's friends believed him to be a partisan In a matter of this sort For which reacon he met more than half way Curly's overtures. Young Went Over Ita Contents Carefully. Flandrau was In the office of the sher iff a good deal, because he wanted to keep Informed of any new develop ments In the W. & S. robbery case. It was on one of those occasions that Bolt tossed across to him a let ter he bad Just opened. "I've been getting letters from the village cutup or from some crank, I don' t( know which. Here's a sample." The envelope, addressed evidently in a disguised hand, contained one sheet of paper. Upon this was lettered roughly, "PLAY THE JACK OF HEARTS." Flandrau looked up with a sugges tion of eagerness In his eyes. ."What do you reckon it means V ha asked. "Search me. Like as not it don't mean a thing. The others had Just as much sense as that one. I chucked them Into the waste-paper basket Ona came by the morning mall yesterday and one by the afternoon. I'm no mind reader, and I've got no time to guess fool puzzles." Curly emptied the basket on the floor and went over its contents care fully. He found three communications from the unknown .writer. Each of them was printed by hand on a sheet of cheap lined paper torn from a scratch pad. He smoothed them out and put them side by side on the table. This was what he read: "HEARTS ARE TRUMPS." "WHEN IN DOUBT PLAY TRUMPS." "PLAY TRUMPS NOW." x There was only the one line to each message, and all of them were plainly In the same hand. He could make out only one thing, that someone ,was try ing to give the sheriff Information In a guarded way. He was still puzzling over the thing when a boy came with a special deliv ery letter for the sheriff. Bolt glanced at It and handed the note to Curly. "Another billy doo from my anxious friend." This time the sender had been In too much of a hurry to print the words. They were written In a stiff hnnd by some uneducated person. "THE JACK OF -TRUMPS, TODAY." "Mind If I keep these?" Cnrly asked. , "Take em along." , Every little helps. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Lost Mining Camp. Silver Mountain, once a famous min ing camp of Idaho, is now deserted. Thirty years ago a syndicate decided the place had a - wonderful future. Money was poured into the enterprise. The mill ran Just ten days. The "mina" gave out It Doesn't Work Out People who figure out bow a small income may be made to support a large family generally know a great deal more about arithmetic than they do about human natura, The first warm days often find us quite unprepared In ' the matter of clothes. This is especially true after a cold, late spring such as the one Just passed, which offered little incentive to buying thin frocks. So, If we have delayed in our shopping, writes prominent fashion correspondent, it means that we confront a real prob lemthat of getting a suitable warm weather wardrobe together quickly. The difficulty is to get clothes that will give service for the greatest num ber of occasions. In the summer we frequently face the unpleasant fact that we have not the right dress for the occasion, and nothing is more dis comforting than the feeling of being unsuitably dressed. We are realizing more and more the need of the practical -combined with henutv In our clothes. The sensible woman, however, never sacrifices beauty to the purely practical. In the dark georgette crepe frocks we have this combination. No fabric has yét been able to supplant the good, sub stantlal navy blue georgette crepe for wear on hot days, offering ns it does the advantages of coolness and light ness. ' There are those who, in their desire to help reduce the high cost of living, talk of the economy of gingham, but a gingham dress Is never an economy rather It Is a luxury to be enjoyed In the country. In the first place, glng' hams are anything but inexpensive, and, furthermore, frocks made from them reoulre frequent and careful laundering, which under existing con dltlons means constant additional ex pense. Even with the best of care they never look quite the same after a visit to the laundry. Real Organdie Flowers. Although we have seen a great deal of taffeta during the last year, Its glory has not yet been dimmed. ,We have had it combined with organdie In an Infinite number of ways, but no lovelier union of these two has ap peared than Is seen in the models made entirely of silk and decked with huge white organdie flowers applied with long, loose stitches of dark thread, The flowers are not cut from flat pieces of the muslin, but are twisted deftly and shaped so that they are big and puffy. The pieces simulating leaves are veined with the dark thread. In a dress of this sort the white ap pears also In the bodice in the form of a front which extends over the skirt and is bound with the dark blue taf feta. A white organdie bow at the back of the neck also is bound with blue. The short sleeves have a tiny turned-back cuff of organdie worked with blue In a loose long and short stitch. To wear In the late afternoon or as an informal summer evening dress nothing could be more suitable than the embroidered batiste robes which have again come into fashion. We have on these both solid and eyelet em broidery. The frocks themselves are Embroidered Batista and Lace Robe to Wear In the Late Afternoon or as an Informal Summer Evening Dress. Just little, stralghtllne affairs which tend to show off the beauty of the needlework. A great deal of care is exercised In the selection of sashes for such dresses. Wonderful ribbons a chdtm The embroidered batiste robe Is given further elaboration by the intro duction of a lovely square mesh lace A remarkable ribbon is used for the girdle. It Is about an Inch wide and of three shades of blue, one running into the other, giving the appearance of three separate ribbons stitched to gether. Another method of Introducing a bright-coiored ribbon into an em broidered batiste robe is seen In a frock having cherry red satin rib bon with a rough surface starting at the neckline In the form of panels, slipping through medallions at the f Navy Blue Taffeta Dress With Puffy White Organdie Flowers Scattered Over Tunic; Leaves Veined With Dark Thread. waistline and continuing down either side of the front until they are caught under the hem. .Another frock shows ribbon again featuring as the distinctive note. This Is interesting as a simple adaptation' of the Egyptian style, which many people have been Inclined to think of as representing elaboration only. Here a beautiful brocaded ribbon dull red and sliver Is used to give an Egyptian effect to the simplest and most prac tical sort of chiffon frock. Lace With Batiste or Organdie. It is interesting to observe another way in which lace and batiste are combined. Brown lace is used for a chemise top cut Just like a long smock reaching to a low hlpllne. A double piece of ecru batiste is attached to the bottom of the smock to make a straight skirt Where the two are Joined a garland of batiste flowers veined with brown Is applied. A sash of narrow brown ribbon girdles the waistline. ' The same Idea might be carried out In lace and organdie. Brown lace with organdie of the same color but slightly lighter In shade Is effective, or lace may be dyed any color and used with white organdie. With tha wonderful choice of ribbons that we have now a very distinctive effect may be given by the sash. Still another pleasing use of brown seen In an evening frock. This is one of the dancing frocks, made with a somewhat high neck and cap sleeves, which are beginning to take the place of the extreme decolletage another Instance of the turning away from ex- travaganee toward simpler things. The bodice and tunic of the skirt are com posed of brown taffeta and the trim ming Is tiny bows of the silk. The taf feta petals have an inch-wide edging of lighter brown tulle. Beneath the tunic are three tulle skirts, also cut In the form of petals. The first Is of, a very dark shade of brown overlaid with dull orange. There is a narrow foundation skirt of silk, making In all four skirts, one above the other. Evening Frock With Billowing Skirts. Black taffeta and black tulle are used In a similar way, the only real difference being In the skirt, which consists of four tiers of black tulle petals, so that the Idea of the four skirts Is carried out, but entirely lnl the net. The bodice is plain almost' to the point of severity. It Is cut to fit the figure rather snugly and1 crumple at the waistline. As In the black lace dresses brought out earlier tn the season and which still enjoyi considerable prestige, a bit of bright! color Is Introduced by veiling scarlet1 flowers with net The bodice boosts of no trimming other than a quaint, little corsage bouquet, also bright red. I Only the slender woman may aspire; to the Cheruit evening frock, with Its: billowing skirts composed of irregu-l lar loops of pink taffeta. These loopi draperies, brought out by Cherultj earlier in the season, were looked upon by many as being exceedingly imprac tical. This, however, has not proved; true. They have been eminently rac-i cessful in evening things. i