Show at CV ALLEY GEORGE MARSH OF TOI LERS OF THE TRAIL it tl E WHELPS or THE WOLF R I 1 C red t by THE ca CHAPTER VI continued will jou you promise me that you will not lie ile hardly knew what lie wi wished slice lo 10 ask from tile the girl who so tensely listened there lied had been nothing between them lie ile had no right but in spite of his diffidence found himself begging you will not destroy yourself that beautiful tal ent that soul because you ou think to save gave your father ile he was talking recklessly now all reticence gone no matter what happens to the post what lascelles tries to do promise me that you ou will not throw your happiness your life to the winds it Is not ix essary as you may think thank I 1 have ample means I 1 will gladly finance your father I 1 have influence ill take it up with headquarters in montreal well bent dont ilont dont destroy yourself vours elf mi mademoiselle I 1 As aa lie he finished she was smiling at him through nilst mist blurred eyes then rose anti and went to the window you have not already lie he faltered thinking of her letter to albany prom from tile the window canie came tile low an ewer I 1 v er if r am the fiancee of monsieur 7 lascelles n seel I 1 es you are mad mad he groaned stunned unable to accept now that lie he had hear it what lie he lind had feared 1 I lind had no right to ask you vou what I 1 lid did but I 1 could not help it mademoiselle I 1 might have known the heart of you was ded dead you have killed a beautiful thing she suddenly turned a tragic face monsieur you may wonder why I 1 let you ou say these bings but you have guessed the reason anti and she placed her hands bunds on tier her breast the heart of tile me Is lead dead and till slip left the room to remain longer under the factors ro roof of to sit at dinner with tills this hope less girl who had bartered tier her happiness for tier lier fat fathers tiers welfare and the ninn who was brute enough to accept the sacrifice was unthinkable so steele went to the little room which had been his since its his coming coining to pack his duple bag there he found charlotte waiting you for to marce mam felle the lie indian abruptly demanded the question was startling but did honor to the loyalty of the grave faced woman who confronted him she Is to marry monsieur lascelle said steele gently touched by the evident friendliness which prompted charlotte to seek him out she hate maleu INIs leu vehemently protested the ojibway she cry an all cry wen she send bacin de let tair you are de good man michel say ay daveed tell you have beeg house far away sent bout you tak mam selle she tink you good man she weel go wid you for your domant woman 1 steeles pulse quickened at the thought would she go with me would she go with ma me he repeated to himself it if I 1 were man en enough ough to take tier her from her father she could never face u future with lascelles Lascell cs I 1 then his knowledge of denise st onge asserted itself hut but no she has given ivan her word and shell keep it sites eliat kind she would never desert tier her father and ashes bound herself to lascelles its ita too late intel I 1 searching lit his 13 face with eager eyes charlotte waited for his answer its too late inte charlotte mademoiselle mol selle lins has already told the frenchman manthai that she will marry him the scowl of contempt which greeted his reply transformed the dark face of the ojibway into that of a fury she had placed tier her filth falth in this amer lean anti and he had failed her vell tell me ine you sou are good man to fight have dp do strong henrt heart she burled at him why you vou have de fear ov tint lec beetle tie French frenchmans mans are you volt teeg rabbit why you pot not tak her away anway cen de rano banot she bhe weel got go again a fierce exultation swept him charlotte must know tier her mis tres secret thou thoughts tits to speak so confidently fi what lie he lind had of late felt sensed lil in the presence of denise st onge what ile he lind had put pill aside ns as impossible unbelievable nn an illusion based on his own emotions after all have been her instinctive call for help the unvoiced reaching out of tier her heart to one who would understand her need hut bitt he fie had find failed tier her the victim of his own lock lack of he hb had bad gone on upriver and left tier her to solve h her er problem alone to bind herself definitely definite to lascelles when had he acted on his hla instincts he might hive sav saved L d he her r from herself lie he had been blind and lost we vp must wait charlotte what v lint vou vol toll tell me ilic about mademoiselle 1 I did nt know nut but dont lose heart first ive work tu to in do im going to catch flint then steele did not finish for the scowling anee of the woman went a sickly gray nt at the mention of the trend name and she disappeared through tile the door As lie hastily threw tits his clothes into the canvas bag the words of charlotte she weel go wid you for your woman returned to mock him did the indian really know after all or was she trying to force hla his hand that this exquisite girl whom he be had found in the northern forests abone as one finds a jewel in the grass should have come to care for a man of whom she knew so little seemed unbelievable and yet more than once since that day on the mountain he had surprised a look in her eyes which lind had strangely sent ills hla pulses racing and now that he ha knew lie had been loving her herall all those precious lays days which lie have made indelible in memory lie he faced face the bitter conviction that denise st onge once she had given her word would keep it ile he curried carried ills his bag to michels Ml chels shack and announced to the surprised owner I 1 that lie he would eat and sleep there then while in search of david he ran nto into st onge monsieur steele the old soldier tripped gripped ills his guests hand and vigorously shook it you have my extreme ad admiration nitration and gratitude mon dieul dien I 1 lint hut you were magnificent to se you my friend ond and guest insulted before my illy eyes tind and how you made blin ridiculous I 1 steeles cles face hardened but your 5 our daughter what of her lie demanded almost fiercely reely of tile the you forget that you hava aade no right to ask anything of me MB man whose eyes wavered before his cold glance you have seen her yes she has told me ashes ruined herself thrown away her happiness tier her life and all for me sighed the father all for me I 1 but you knew she would do it to protect your future with the company and d you allowed her to steele continued pitilessly in a voice low but carrying the bitterness of oc gall in its tones colonel st onge you have permitted a beautiful soul to destroy itself you stop monal monsieur eurl I 1 st longe interrupted in a voice broken with passion you to do not know and you yon are my friend therefore I 1 forget what you say I 1 have begged her not to do this ani am prepared to leave the company I 1 will not allow such a tiling thing why and the factor shook ills his clenched flats fists in steeles face 1 I would kill that pig lascelles before I 1 gave her to him bilm 11 but she lias has given herself to him of tier her own free will today and she Is it thoroughbred she will keep tier her word 1 st onge glared into steeles immobile face she will never marry that monsieur steele he fie said pointedly tile the st have always w nys known liow how to defend their honor the two were interrupted by the appearance pe arance of crossing the clearing and steele in no mood to meet the subject of the left tile the excited factor awaiting the approach of tile the man who was exulting in ills hard won victory As hp he turned anway lie he said 1 I have moved my stuff to 10 SIl chels shack it Is needless for me to tell you how much I 1 appreciate your hospitality and that of your daughter you understand of course that I 1 could not stay yes monsieur it would only be embarrassing to you and to me but I 1 regret deeply to have you ou go CHAPTER VII tile the following morning tile the people of wailing river were at the river shore where three thre emen men blood beside a loaded canoe near which rested a company birch burk bark then approaching from the factors house appeared the figure of 0 dentise st onge lie ile had seen her for a moment that morning for his contemplated journey to tile the feather takes inkes and the autumn camps of the interrupted by DY their discovery of the day before might of no return to the post before starting south it nil all depended how early tile tho winter broke so he fie had called tit at the factors to say goodby until the sled bled trails hard in november for late into tho the previous night lie he had sat with lite hta two swart faced companions planning many things and the farst of these was an early return to walling river with the fastest team of dogs that money would buy in the nepleon country suntry another was a systematic running down of the mysterious marauder on the snow enow where hla his trail trall could not escape them the last and most vital torrent to brent steele he touched upon only to the extent of assuring michel that lascelles Lascell ea should never succeed in his plan to force denise st onge into a marriage to protect her fat fathers tiers future with the freres notwithstanding the tha fact that she had already assented to hta his wishes and the lean halfbreed half breed had sprung to his feet with an oath anti and wringing steeles steel os hand cried kcf you do not come bade back aslea and he ha cum to tak tier her to albany dey weel on flo dead man by name of cascel lea een heeg bees bed at wallin 11 never fear steele had answered david and I 1 are coming back after messieurs lascelles and windigo steele was keenly curious of bentse st motive in coming to the bench beach when lie he had already bade her goodby good by that morning at the house lie he had sold said I 1 am started again with david and may not return to walling river before going south will you promise this one thing monsieur steele she had replied so patently fearing what the amerl american might say that she lost control of tier her voice you forget that you have no right to ask anything of me but lie he had boldly Igi ignored fored her protest 1 I ask you denise deelse st onge not to throw away your future your life if you must until spring I 1 am coming back on the snow tit in november to clear up tills this mystery and to save you from yourself and without waiting for tier her reply for lie he did not dare trust himself had left her anti and now for some reason she was hurrying toward them on a mission seemingly urgent brent steele watched tho the approaching girl with high hope david and michel exchanged curious glances then she reached them 1 I could not have you go monsieur steele she said in tier her low throaty voice without wishing you bon voyage ru lu her haste a vagrant lock of black hair had loosed itself and she caught it up with tier her left hand as she extended tier her right to steele to tier her embarrassment hereld he held the hand overlong in his as hla his eyes questioned hers hera you asked me to make you a prom lea las monsieur ehe said in a voice barely audible looking from him to the hills to the south well ive come to say au an revoir you have my promise and she swiftly disengaged her hand and had reached the clearing before steele sensed to the full what tier lier words had meant then to steeles brain dazed with surprise and joy returned the words of charlotte she tink yan good man inan she weel go wid you for your woman and he lifted his chest high with a deep breath bren th for he now believed charlotte had known st onge and lascelles left the trade house and approached the waiting cabok canoes good morning gentlemen you are late greeted the man still in the clouds clouda with the thought and picture of the girl who had but that moment entered her housed house good mar morning ning monsieur returned st onge monsieur Mons leur lascelles has decided that he will not have time to go upriver 11 steele smiled sarcastically at his rival the temptation to turn the tables was overpowering possibly monsieur lascelles has too tender a heart to desire to look at a dead man or la Is it his noser nose lascelles face went purple ile he choked made an impulsive movement toward steele who stood grinning then gulped down clown ills his anger as david laughed outright in his face while machel chel turned his back too clever to make a scene in which lie he was bound to appear at a disadvantage the inspector now in control of himself proceeded to toko tako ills hla revenge by saying no mon monsieur but a soldier and gentleman always gives precedence to the ladles I 1 have but a few days to stay here and I 1 have decided to spend them nil in the company of a very lovely lady nl my fiancee mademoiselle st onge TO BE CONTINUED |