Part 29 (1/2)

”Don't you be afraid,” the man answered quickly ”I'll finish the yarn or there won't be time One of the two eance, either on the man, or the woman, or both And he had it How? That's what I'll tell you The yarn don't a he did was to steal the kid”

He stopped again, watching Tony's face closely

”Yes; go on,” Tony said quietly

”It near broke themaliciously--”near broke her heart But she never found it, for it was put right out of sight; it was left at a humpy at a place called Taylor's Flat”

He watched Tony narrowly as he spoke, and laughed harshly as he saw hi round and leap to his feet

”Now you're interested,” he said

Tony stood looking at him, unable for the moment to find words to express what he felt Was the coincidence of a deliriu at the tenderest spot in his heart? If so, it was as nothing; but if not----

”Who are you that you should know this?” Tony cried, ht as stars and cruel as a snake's, fixed upon him

”You listen to my yarn That's your contract,” he said derisively

”You'll live till to- man? Let me talk You can fill in the rest about the kid to suit your own taste, and I'll----”

”You were the man who stole the child; you were the mean----”

”Was I?” interrupted the man ”You wait and hear The man who stole the kid--you, if you want to be exact, damn you, now you've come to see me die--that man went back to the--the place where he stole the kid and where he ht to raise his head as he uttered the words in short, sharp tones, his face groet and ghastly under the influence of his pain and his hatred Tony, watching hi, and whichever it was, the best thing to do was to keep quiet and say nothing

”He came back for fresh mischief, and I--there, you kno--Iat him calinning to speak in jerky spash he needed to rest every few seconds if he would keep his energy enough in hand to last hi up some cattle, and had a stock-ith hireen-hide thong I knew him as soon as I saw him half a mile away I skulked in the scrub as he came up--just behind a clump of wattle To fool him I rode out and past him; he turned after me, and I wheeled”

[Illustration: ”THROUGH THE BUSH IT WENT, RACING LIKE MAD” [_Page 268_]

The bright eyes glittered as they watched Tony's face

”You're a fly young chap,” he went on, ”but you're not fly enough to guess what's coh a thickly ti track, and not too wide At one of the narrowest bits, just in the uone over that track just an hour or so before, and I sahere that big guh, long-limbed, and sun-dried When it fell it had splintered lu the up the track like the prongs of a great jagged toasting-fork Ha, sonny, what a throw-in forI rode at themy stock-whip, and as I came near him, I turned aside and sent out the lash--so as not to touch him The crack of it sounded in his ears and in his horse's as well, and the beast began to plunge Here was ed, I waited till it was facing away froht a lureen-hide was as hard as nails, and that horse set off straight for the track where the dead gu likered as I landed blow after bloith the good old green-hide Soon it was on the track, racing, galloping, blindly, ht for ht--God!”

In the fury and exciteive emphasis to his words, and perhaps row paler andfingers towards Tony as he sought to rise and peer with his vengeful eyes nearer and closer to his victiony cut short both his fury and his invective He fell back, his lips pressed together till they were thin and white, and his fists clenched as he strove to battle with the jarring torture in his nerves The sweat stood out in glistening beads on his forehead, and his brows contracted down until they almost hid the eyes in the frown of deterony of thein Tony's heart The tale ht be only deliriuony perhaps, and Tony went to his side

”What can I do to help you?” he asked, as gently as he could

”Pull the da down--it's shi+fted,” the man muttered between his clenched teeth; and Tony did as he asked

The man lay still with closed eyes for a fewTony's query whether he was easier Then he raised his eyelids, and, with a short, forced laugh, turned his head on one side

”I' to finish the yarn,” he said in a voice that was strained, but in marked contrast to the one he had previously used