THE STOLEN MASTERPIECE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20594, 19 June 1930, Page 18

THE STOLEN MASTERPIECE.

By T. C. BRIDGES.

CHAPTER VIL MIDIAN BEINGS A ' MESSAGE.

Butch was not at all dismayed when ho learned that Jim was not Tremayne. " I knew that. Your name's Coryton, and it was you as scared.that silly fool, Midian, after he'd as good as got the picture. But I reckon them Tremaynes will trade aIJ right at least when they hears what's going to happen to you if they don't. "Something with boiling oil in it?" suggested Jim. Butch took him quite literally. " I did see a fellow have his hand held in frying pan full of hot bacon grease," ho told Jim in a calm, matter-of-fact voice, which made Jim shiver inwardly, " but I don't hold with that sort o' thing, myself, unless o' course you gotter make a chap squeak. In your case—he looked at Jim reflectively, " we are going to tell them as you wouldn't get no grub until we got the picture." " But why pitch on me 1" asked Jim lightly. " I'm a mere outsider, and have nothing to do with the picture." " Then why did you Uko that here cable for Vanneck ?" asked Butch directly. " 1 was staying in the house," said Jim, still fencing. " They take paying guests." Butch nodded. " I know all about that. But you ain't no paying guest, and it ain't any use pretending you are." Jim's heart sank This fellow knew everything. But ho stuck to his gun 3. " It's true I'm not a paying guest at present, but 1 never know tho Tremaynes or anything about them until the day before yesterday." " You knowed enough to run an" help young Maurice Tremayne when Midian were aftor him. You saved him and you saved the girl. You're in this up to the neck, Mister Coryton, and here you stays until you starve or until I gets the picture.Ho spoke with a horrible air of finality which made Jim's spirits 6ink lower than ever. He tried another tack. " There are polico even in Cornwall," ho remarked, but Butch only smiled bleakly. " I ain't losing any sleep over them Cornish flatties," he answered. "It 'ud take a regiment of 'em to find this hero place, and you'd be dead before they'd got started." " You're full of pleasant thoughts, aren't you, Mr. Butch?" reported Jim, but his sarcasm fell flat.

" It's the picture I want," said the other. " I ain't got any special spite against you." V " Weil, I hope the spite doesn't begin just yet," said Jim. " Not till after breakfast, anyhow."

" No," said Butch. " Yon get your grub to-day. But if they turns you down, then God help you." With that he pointed to the door of the mine house. " You'll stay inside after this," he ordered, " and my advice to you is, don't try any games. I'm mighty useful with guns of all sorts, and I've killed a running deer at a hundred yards with a hand gun." He followed Jim into tho building where Midian, an unpleasant sight with his unshaven face and blood-shot eyes, had arisen and was cooking breakfast over a small oil stove. He looked up at Jim. " Trying to do a bunk ?" he sneered.

" Trying to wash," replied Jim. " I suppose it's no use asking you for the loan of a piece of soap ?" w Gimme any back talk and you'll get soap all right," snarled Midian ferociously.

Jim stepped up to him . " See here, Midian, 1 didn't ask to be brought here, but now I am here I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head. If you've any more remarks to make now's the time to make them. Mr. Butch will Eee fair play." Jim knew the risk he was taking, but he knew, or thought he knew, Midian's type. He was not mistaken, for after glaring at him for a few seconds the man's eyes fell. " I don't want no trouble," he said sulkily. " And I'm sure I don't," replied Jim cheeriully, as he took his seat on an old packing case. The food, if rough, wa3 plentiful. There was fried bacon, bread stale but good, butter in a tin and any amount of strong black tea. Jim who had had nothing for nearly twenty-four hours, except the cup of tea overnight, which Butch had brought him, was desperately hungry and made a thoroughly good meal. " Eat hearty," said Butch, with the first touch of humour he had yet betrayed. " Just what I'm doing," smiled Jim. " I've got to stoke up to-day if I am to starve to-morrow."

" I ain't reckoning you'll do a lot of starving," said Butch drily. " I'm not so optimistic," Jim answered, as he cut another slice of bread. "By the bye, how are you going to approach Mr. Tremayne 1" " We done that already," Butch told him. " They got the letter this morning and likely they're reading it this minute." " You certainly don't waste any time," said Jim. " But how do you get an answer? You can hardly expect the local postman to deliver at this address." "Wo got our postman all right," Butch answered. " We'll hear to-night or to-morrow early." " And if you get the picture, I go ?" " Sure, you go. No one ever said as Butch Harvey failed to keep his end of a bargain." Jim fell silent. Ha was thinking hard. Knowing the Tremayines as he did, he had very little doubt but that they would yield to Butch's blackmailing demand, and send the picture. Maurice was still in bed, and Nance and her uncle would be so horrified at the idea of their guest being a prisoner that all they would think of would be his release. His one hope lay in Pip. Pip for all his casual ways, had a backbone of good solid commonsense, and could be trusted to do the sensible thing, asid communicate with the police.. For Jim did not believe that the police were as helpless as Butch made out. And they,could enlist civilian help to beat the moors. The only other way of solving the problem was to make his escape, but that, for the present at least, was a pretty hopeless proposition. In the first place he was not fit for a hard run, in the second, he had not the faintest idea which way to go, and there was the additional objection that Midian and Butch seemed never to let him out of their sight. By the time breakfast was over the sun had broken through the clouds, and there was every prospect of a beautiful day. Midian took the dirty crockery out to the leat, to wash up, and Jim took advantage of his absence to tackle Butch. " Will you take my parole, Mr. Harvey ?" " Parole—what's that?" asked Butch, puzzled. "My word not to try to escape. You said I was to stay in here, but I'm hankering to lie on the heather in the sun. After all," he added with a smile, " I couldn't do a bunk if I tried. I'm much too feeble."

" And yet you was ready to fight Midian," remarked Butch, with a sort of unwilling admiration. " That was pure bluff," admitted Jim. A slow grin crossed Butch's hard face. "I knowed that. Well, you're a gent., and I'll take your word Only, if I whistles you come right in. You hear me ?"

" I hoar, and you have my word. I promise not to make any attempt to escape until after sunset." " And then you won't have much chance," retorted Butch. " You can go along out." Midian scowled at the sight of Jim outside, but he made no remark, and Jim was careful not to go far. He lay down on his back in the nearest patch of

(COPYRIGHT.)

A THRILLING STORY OF ENTRANCING INTEREST.

CHAPTER VITI. X BID FOR FREEDOM

heather and began to think things over. But somehow the only thing on which his thoughts would concentrate was Nance's face, which rose as clearly before his mind's eye as if its owner was standing in front of him. " The sweetest girl I ever met, the sweetest girl 1 ,ever shall meet," he murmured. Bees hummed drowsily in the purple heather bloom, a curlew cried plaintively overhead, a soft breeze tempered the heat of the sun, and Jim drifted off into a land of dreams where for the time he forgot his troubles. When he woke the shadows showed that noon was long past. He went to the Teat and drank deeply of the ice-cold water and again bathed his head. There was still an ugly lump where Midian's brutal blow had fallen, but the dreadful ache had almost gone, and he felt infinitely better. Jim was one of those Spartans whose school-days had been in the time of the Great War. He had learned as a small boy, the art of keeping fit and had practised it ever since, with the result that he had practically recovered within twenty-four hours from a blow which would have killed a weaker man.

He went back to his nest in the heather and drowsed and lazed until about five o'clock when a low, sharp whistle reached his ears, and remembering his promise, ho got up and came straight into the mine house.

" Someone coming," Butch explained briefly. " No, it ain't no flattie," he added with a ghost of a smile. " Most like it's one of our chaps, but I ain't taking no risks. You stay right here until I finds out."

He called to Midian who was sleeping in the inner room, and gave him whispered directions, and the man went out. There was a long wait before Midian came back with an envelope which Butch at once tore open. Jim's heart beat a little faster as he recognised Nance's writing. Butch read it through slowly, then looking up raw Jim's eyes fixed on him. " You don't need to worry," he remarked. " They ain't raising a mite of trouble. Soon as ever they're Eure as we're the ones as really holds you, they're going to give us the picture." Jim suppressed an angry exclamation. He was bitterly disappointed.

Butch was almost cheerful at supper that evening. He seemed to have taken a liking to Jim, and began to tell him of certain adventures, rum-running across the Canadian border. He had acted as driver of powerful armoured cars which, rushed straight through all barriers and a hail of bullets. His extraordinary disregard for human life horrified, vet at the same time fascinated Jim. To do Butch justice, he seemed to think as little of his own life as of those of others, and he mentioned quite casually that he carried the scars of five bullet wounds.

" But you can't go on with that sort of thing indefinitely," said Jim. " I thought boot-leggers saved their money and retired to houses with gold knobs on the doors and silver-fitted bathrooms." " I had a right nice packet two years ago," Butch told him, " but I got into a game one night and soaked the lot." He looked at Jim with a ghost of a smile. " You don't need to worry. I don't reckon I'll starve." Jim did not think he would live to do so. It was much more likely that Butch's life would come to a sudden and violent end, and Jim found himself with an odd feeling of sympathy, almost sorrow, for the outlaw But this feeling did not interfere with his determination to escape if any chance to do so offered. He had no intention of the Memling Madonna falling into Sharland's hands if he could do anything to prevent it. * Butch sat smoking and talking until nearly midnight. He shared his tobacco with Jim, and even offered him a glass of whisky. At last he yawned and rose to his feet. " Guess I'll turn in," he said.

Jim's spirits rose, for Midian had been asleep for three hours past. They fell again whon Butch roused his confederate and ordered him to stand guard. " Don't take no chances with him," he ordered, with a nod in Jim's'direction, and Midian, who was extremely sulky at being waked from sound sleep observed that something unmentionable would happen to himself if he took any chances, while as to what would happen to Jim his language was still more luridly expressive. Jim lay down and pretended to sleep, but instead of sleeping covertly watched M'idian. His one hope was that the man might drowse at his post. It was a vain hope, for Midian seated on a packing case with his back against the door, filled and smoked pipe after pipe of course black tobacco. The worst of it was that Butch was sleeping in the same room, .and Jim watched him look to the magazine of his pistol and place it in his pocket before lying down. Midian, seated on a packing case with his back against the door, filled and smoked pipo after pipe of coarse black tobacco. The worst of it was that Butch was .sleeping in the same room, and Jim watched him look to the magazine of his pistol and place it in his pocket before lying down. Jim racked his brain for any plan for getting away, but could find none. He had no weapon of any kind, not even a stick, and even if there was any hope of successfully tackling Midian the noise would certainly rouse Butch who, he knew, was a light sleeper. Now and then Midian consulted a large silver watch which he took from his waistcoat pocket, and at last got up and crossing to Butch shook him awake. " Four o'clock," ho growled. Butch got up quietly, and glanced across at Jim. " You might just as well have had your sleep," he remarked " How do you know I haven't been asleep?" retorted Jim sharply. " I weren't born yesterday," f was Butch's calm answer, and Jim had to realise that a rabbit in a steel gin w'ould stand as good a chance of escape as he. Yet he vowed to himself that, if these fellows did get the picture, he would somehow get it back again. With this thought firmly fixed in his mind, he fell asleep and did not awake until the clatter of the frying pan told him that Midian was preparing breakfast. Butch allowed Jim to go out and wash in the leat, but watched him the whole time. "It wouldn't do you no good to run," he advised quietly. " And I'd hate to spoil your fishing with a bullet in your leg." Jim had nothing to say, for he was perfectly ' aware that his gaoler was not bluffing. He was equally aware that the man read his intentions like an open book. Butch ushered him back into the mine house and helped him to food He was kind, even courteous, yet Jim was certain that if anything went amiss and the picture was not delivered, he would keep his word remorselessly as to starving his prisoner. " Who is bringing you the picture?" he asked, when breakfast was over and Midian outside, cleaning up. " A fellow I can trust," was the dry reply.' " When do you expect him ?" " Some time before night." He paused. " You want your liberty today ?" " No," said Jim sharply, and the other shrugged. " Then you'll have to stay inside." he said. " You watch I don't get out," retorted Jim, but Butch only smiled. Jim had a deliberate purpose in what he had said, for a plan had been brewing in his mind for some hours past, a perfertly crazy idea, yet, the onlv on" that offered the slightest hope of preventing the Sharland gang from getting tl\e picture. (To b« continued daily.)