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As he spoke a bullet tore a jagged splinter from a panel and

buried itself in the ceiling. A second and a third followed.

"That's c'rect. We'd better be 'Not at home' when they call. Eh,

Nell?"

Steve put an arm affectionately round the waist of the young

woman who had come in such timely fashion to their aid and ran

through the passage with her to the room beyond, Neill following

with the prisoner.

"You're wounded, Steve," the young woman cried.

He shrugged. "Scratch in the hand. Got it when I arrested him.

Had to shoot his trigger finger off."

"But I must see to it."

"Not now; wait till we're out of the woods." He turned to his

friend: "Nell, let me introduce to you Mr. Neill, from the

Panhandle. Mr. Neill, this is my sister. I don't know how come

she to drop down behind us like an angel from heaven, but that's

a story will wait. The thing we got to do right now is to light a

shuck out of here."