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Show THE FREE TRADERS . . CHAPTER XV Continued mi hourm: Willi iiiiisinii. li'H a hi- (rn-l t') H'-l.i- li'-r lii-i unm n;iln, ne i!n-.v auy nuil'l.-iily. si',,p.-'l ami Hun li h tl.ut .-.tie hud a hunting hunt-ing knlfi- In ln-r hund. "iJ.i'i-ii t'J in'; nnw, Juin"i Kafh-wiiy," Kafh-wiiy," hln? "'HI king In the :ili,l- Mrulm-d, wnlmd. limit t'Ulf. "I linll ni vi-r li- yniii-1. I nlmll kill my- at-ir iii-ni. i wnii!'i luiv fiiiniii-ii niy , ii 1 1 ..! t In Hi- Mplrit urnl llif !i-!t.-l i,:iii .Mm r j i m i - i .jnrs. r.ut i didn't Iruxt '. vmi. I miI-' Ii-'I that y"IJ w,'rc li-li-klfiif mi? m J'iii wit'-." -Unit's a II. I didn't ti-i-k you. I'ut ilnwn tluit ktiiti-:" "Iik not 11 Hi-. Vmi Irlrki.l nif twin-. TM? tliMt 1 1 m- .mil f"ivi-'l nic lulu H rniiiTinK'' with ynu hy Hie tmvut thiit llllli-n I riih-fllli-il .Villi Would if I r.-i y my fiillii-r to tin' i"li'. I married y oil. IH.lI "I'll .Vi'U lj-t-rii)i?'l lilm." "I diil nut. Sunii'iu: - ) mils' linve dime mi. Why mIhuiIiI I huve bt;-(niyed bt;-(niyed li 1 in ? Hi; wus my rrli-nil." "You were tin? only mini who kni-w hlK Keeret. Then the second time, knowing Hint I would never live with you, yiiu Kent me u Ijinj; mi'ssu'i? to line mo iii here, saying that you In-lil my fill her In your power. You know tluit not til m; "" -i i ftli wmilil tiring me up to you. Anil it was H lie, lie-rnu.se lie-rnu.se my father ha.s heen (leail for monlli Hist." Km hivny's fare hlanrtieil. 'I ilon't lielieve that Klory. How do you know?" "lie died In his mine. Ills body lies HI (he hottoin of It, where he was Kli-lcUen. If you iliil not know that he was dead, nt least you were lyln when you sail he was In your power." "lie lies at Hit) holtnm Ihe holtoin of Hie mine?" Kalhway slanimered. "I I didn't know." He seemed to Kliake off a sort of stupor, lie tried to take her hund. ".loyre. If I did lie to you. It was only because I love you. (lotl, think of the years I've loved you, Joyce! I've given nil my life lo t lie hope of winning you. Isn't n woman touched liy the thought of that? All t hut I've ever done, Hinre tluit day when I first Miw you In your father's house, bus heen for you. And now I've got you, nnd you tell me you will never " lie was pressing toward Iter, hut she held the dagger pointed at him, nnd lie stopped, afraid of the look In her eyes. "Joyce, don't he foolish. Put thnt knife awuy. What do you mean to do?" "Kill you nnd then myself, If you lay n hand on me again. I've told you I shall never live Willi you." "I!y heaven, I'll kill him if you go to him I" "I shall not go to him. That Is why I sent him nwny. I shall go away alone." "Joyce, listen to sense. Do you realize tlmt you are my wife? That I run hold you by force, nnd there Is no law In the dominion to prohibit tne, and no man who would not approve? ap-prove? Joyce, be sensible. If you're still in love with this man, Anderson, I'm willing;' to wait till you've forgotten forgot-ten him u little. I.o -d, I've waited long enough for you ! Hut I'll wait longer if I have to. "Ilon't you see how foolishly you're acting," he pleaded. "Pon't you realize how much better off you're going to be with a husband who is rich and devoted de-voted to you? Your father never took a penny out of thnt mine all these years. There must be a hundred thousand thou-sand dollars' worth of gold dust there perhaps a million. Can't you see the old boy working night after night like a beaver, to make you and me rich?" And he threw back his head and uttered ut-tered his hyena laugh again. Rut Joyce said nothing at all, and be added : "I suppose you know It n!' belongs to me, as your husband, under the law, and that if you leave tne you don't get a penny of It?" "Weli?" "Well? I thought you mightn't understand. un-derstand. How far from here is the nine?" "I don't know." lie burst Into a spasm of fury. "By heaven, I'm going to make you know: Ho you think you're going to keep the ecret of my own mine from me? I tell you I meant to have it from the first moment that your father began dropping his hints, the old fool. It was to find out about it that I stayed en with him year after year."' "I've always known that." Katbway stared at her. He was staggered by the quiet, Indifferent manner of her speaking. He had not Relieved her before. He had heen sc confident when lie sent for her, under the pretext of having her father at his mercy, that she could solve the secret which he had never been able to solve himself. Yet now- It began to occur to him us a probability that Joyce had never' known the secret. He had taken too much for granted. If she had not mown It when she went south, as bad ortainly been the case, how could she .ave learned it since? And all bis plans seemed suddenly defeated. "You say you don't know where the mine is? Ah. but you told me your father's lying at the bottom or it!" he cried suddenly. "Who found him there?" "Mr. Anderson." "He knows, then? Tour lover knows .--a yonr husband doesn't? IVyou mean to say It wasn't you who told By VICTOR ROUSSEAU (Copyright by W O. Chapman.) WN'U awrvlta. ' j -Ive told htm nothing, because 1 i know nothing. He found the mine and found my fuller's body there. He I ha.m't told the secret to me, Hnd I don't want to know." An extraordinary look came over Pathway's fare, the look of the fox, tin; wolverene. He seemed to reflect and suddenly he pounced. In an Instant he had gripped Joyce hy ihe arms, Imprisoning the hund that held tin- knife. With a luugh he tore the hand open, took out the knife, and thrust it Into his belt. lie strained the girl against him. "I've had enough of this nonsense, my dearie!" he cried triumphantly. "You're going to make that lover of yours tell you the secret of the mine. You'll do it when you've learned to love me. And, by heaven, I'm going to make you !" She screamed and heat furiously at his fare, impotent lu his grasp. They wrestled to and fro. So violent was the girl's resistance that for a moment 'Wo "Joyce, Don't Be Foolish. Put That Knife Away. What Do You Mean to Do?" or two she held Rathway at buy, beating beat-ing her fists In his fuce ngaln and again, nnd drawing blood from his nose and lips. The fury of her resistance only made her the more desirable in bis eyes. He held her fust now, her arms forced to her sides again, Ms bloodshot eyes leering into hers, his black beard sweeping her cheek. In the room they had taken at the rear of the house the three men. who were drinking nnd playing cards, hearing hear-ing the girl's screams nnd the sounds of the struggle, burst into mirth, and came tiptoeing along the passage. Joyce, making one final, desperate effort, broke once more out of Rath-way's Rath-way's arms, burst through the door, and ran screaming along the passage. She got the front door open. "Lee ! Lee ! Come to me !" she cried in wild abandonment. Then Ratliway's nrms closed about her from behind, and Joyce censed to struggle. CHAPTER XVI Joyce or a Gold Mine Lee did not go as far as the forest, which loomed out of the distance beyond be-yond the ridges of broken ground. He waited some little distance away, until un-til the priest's sleigh had gone. Then he went quietly back toward the log hon.se. Lights burned inside. A strip of cloth had heen pinned before the window win-dow of the largest room the one In which Lee had camped with Joyce for a brief hour upon that afternoon of their arrival. This was the room thnt Lee had selected in his mind for their occupancy during their brief honeymoon. honey-moon. Rut not the least spasm twisted Lee's face at the realization that another an-other had supplanted him in that relationship re-lationship with Joyce. There nre some phases of emotion so tense that they appear to neutralize themselves by destroying their own manifestations. manifesta-tions. Lee's expression showed not the smallest deviation from the normal now. It was quiet, dispassionate, and very cold. Softly Lee approached the window and. stooping, looked between 'he frame and the curtain of cloth. The window on this side had a piece missing out of the corner, and over the little gap some one had pasted a piece of paper. With the barrel of his rifle Lee quietiy made a small hole in it. From there he could catch glimpses of the two figures, ne beard their voices. He was in no hurry. He was waiting till they chose to finish their conversation. Then, in due time. Rath-way Rath-way would stand in a line with his sights and he would make an end of him. And the wild turmoil In Lee's heart seemed divorced from his orain, which remained impassive and cold and steady as the piece of. mechanism In his hands. Rathway's voice grew louder. Lee saw the hunched figure gesticulating, the sneer on Ratliway's face. Lee drew a bead. He might as well end the business after all. But before Lee's ringer tightened on the trigger, a hand upon his shoulder made him leap to his feet and start up, his rifle clubbed, ready to strike. He thought Ratliway's men had surprised sur-prised him. Rut to his amazement It was a woman standing at his side; then In that cloaked and hooded figure thai confronted him he recognized Ivstelle once more. She looked at him fixedly; she was deeply agitated, and caught at her breath before she was able to find her voice. "You fool !" she exclaimed bitterly. "You fool ! You had her in your hands and you let Jim Rathway take her away from you ! Y'ou couldn't hold her and now I come upon you to find you planning a cold-blooded cowardly murder you, a policeman!" At that something broke In Lee's heart. The realization of the act he planned came over him. He would have killed Rathway as heedlessly as any-bloodthirsty any-bloodthirsty forest beast. But Es-telle's Es-telle's reference to the police touched his pride. He let the rifle drop, grounding the butt. "Listen to what I've got to tell you, Lee. I love him. Do you understand that? I suppose you think It's not my nature to love. But It is ! It was you who couldn't bold my love. I hated and despised you. I never knew how much I loved James Rathway till I found out how much I hated you that morning when you came to our camp and struck him down so treacherously. "Oh, yes, I have love und passion, and constnncy in my nature, Lee Anderson. An-derson. It was only you who couldn't draw them out!" Her voice was vibrant, hoarse with passion. "That girl will make a fool of you too, Lee Anderson, Just as I did," she cried. ''You'd be made a fool of anywhere, any-where, by any woman !" But her words passed Lee by like the wind. "I could have killed you that morning, morn-ing, as I could kill you now, only I love James Rathway. And he'll love me again when you take this new attraction at-traction away out of his sight, where be can't find her. I thought you'd got away but here you are, back again with her, nnd all the work's got to be done over again. "I was crouching near, and I overheard over-heard your dialogue, you and she, and tile priest, and James Rathway. Y'ou gave her up the woman you love because she'd stood up before the altar with the man she hated and called herself his wife. I'd hold the woman 1 loved, were I a man, against God Himself, and all His cohorts ! "Oh, if only I could find words to hurt you, Lee Anderson, to pierce that tough skin of yours ! But I haven't time. Listen to me, now ! You don't have to commit murder to get her. You fool, you blind fool, shall I tell you ?" She laughed with taunting menace. "Shall I tell you, Lee Anderson?" she repeated. And suddenly came the sound of Joyce, screaming within the house. There came the noise of a struggle. Even as Lee turned, Joyce was running run-ning along the passage toward the door. Instantly Estelle glided away into the shadows. Joyce flung the door open ; and then Rathway caught her from behind nnd swung her back toward him. His black beard hung over her face. "Lee! Lee! Come to me!" Joyce ceased to struggle. "Here!" answered Lee, nnd dashed his fists into Ratliway's face, sending him staggering. Rathway howled and felt for his pistol. Lee was upon him, pinioning his arms to his sides, before he could draw it. Rut Ratliway's men came hurrying along the passage. In an instant in-stant there was a furious melee. Lee tripped over a leg thrust out, fell heavily heav-ily upon his back, and struggled in vain under the weight of his four adversaries. ad-versaries. Quickly he was reduced to helplessness, helpless-ness, his limbs held firmly. Momentarily Momentar-ily he ceased to struggle, nursing his strength for a more violent effort. He looked up Into the grinning faces, at Rathway, standing over him, leering, leer-ing, arms outstretched, gasping for breath and consciousness. Rathway pulled his pistol and covered cov-ered Lee. "Pierre ! Shorty ! Kramer ! You're witnesses that you saw this man spying outside this house." They assented. Pierre grinned. Shorty swore, spat, and scowled, and Lee saw the half-healed scar of his pistol butt upon his cheek. "Y'ou saw him assault me," Rathway continued. "Well, Anderson, I guess if I choose to shoot you like the dog you are, the law wouldn't have much to say about It. - But I'll be reasonable. Get back to your quarters !" he snarled to his aides, and the three men In surprise released Lee and went down the passage. Lee leaped to his feet, confronting Rathway resolutely, but puzzled. Rath-wuc Rath-wuc held him covered. "You must want my wife mighty bad to come back like a fox at night in the hope of picking her up under : my nose, Andersun," aid Rathway. "Well, I'm a business man, nnd 1 guess anyone can get most anything he wants if he wunts It bad enough to be willlnj to pay the price for It. Maybe you can get her at the price, Anderson. "Telly's gold mine belongs to me under the law. She tells me you've found it and are holding the secret of It. AH right. The price Is Pelly's gold mine. The woman for the mine. "What d'you say to that, Anderson?" Itathway was trembling with eagerness. eager-ness. "I was willing to overlook the past and take her back, but If she doesn't want mo and does want you, I guess I can't hold her against her will. So I'm ready to take my mine Instead and close the bargain. What d'you say to It, Anderson?" Lee suspected some trick, but the anxiety on Ratliway's face, the trembling trem-bling tones of his voice showed that his avarice was a stronger passion than thnt for Joyce. And, despite the vlleness of the proposal, Lee realized that In no other way could Joyce be saved. He knew that even then Rathway was contemplating treachery, but there was nothing else to do. If he refused, Rathway would shoot him In cold blood and the law would Justify him. "I must speak to Miss Felly first." "There's no Miss Pelly here," Rathway Rath-way snarled. "If you mean Mrs. Rathway, Rath-way, you can have five minutes' talk with her to muke up your mind. And If you don't accept, or try any tricks on me, by heaven, It's your last minute !" Lee nodded, took Joyce by the arm, and drew her Inside the room. Rathway Rath-way stood in the doorway, covering him with his pistol, but Lee quietly closed the door on him, and Rathway accepted the situation. Lee went back to the girl. "Joyce! Joyce, darling I" "Oh, Lee, I can't bear It. I thought I could, but It's impossible. Oh, take me away, Lee! nelp me now, as you offered to help me on the range, though we can never be anything to each other. Take me somewhere to safety, where I need never see that man again, or think of him, or of this place, or or ever remember anything of the past." She clung to him, sobbing In terror and loneliness. Lee, holding her, raised her hands to his lips. "Joyce, dearest, 111 do as he proposes, pro-poses, then. I'll show him the mine, and then I'll take you away somewhere south, where yon need never think of him or of this place again. And If that wretched marriage can't be annulled, an-nulled, I'll be contented to be your brother for the rest of our lives, dear." He flung the door open. Rathway was standing uneasily behind it, and Lee felt pretty sure that he had been trying to listen with his ear to the Ill-fitting Ill-fitting Jamb. "I've decided to accept your proposition, propo-sition, Rathway," said Leo. "The terms are these: I guarantee nothing as to the mine ; merely to conduct you to the place where Pelly worked for gold. I'll show you the secret entrance. en-trance. This lady will accompany us, and you will leave your men behind. And we'll go unarmed." "But I shall carry Mr. Anderson's pistol," Joyce Interposed calmly, "and i'Tif'' i "Here!" Answered Lee, and Dashed His Fists Into Rathway's Face, Sending Send-ing Him Staggering. I shall see that the terms are fairly carried out." Rathway shot a look of hatred at her. "I've no objection to that either," lie answered, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "At sunrise, then " Lee began. At sunrise? God, man, do you suppose sup-pose I'm gcing to wait till sunrise?" shouted Rathway. He took off his belt containing his pistol, and laid il n the floor. "We'll start at once." Lee banded Joyce his pistol, then, u'oing int.) the room, extinguished the '-.indie, brought it out, and slipped It into his pocket, and the three set out immediately. When they reached the rocking stone Lee looked back, scanning scan-ning the country carefully In case 'lathway's aides were following them, ile had expected treachery, but It was ;ulte Impossible for any spy to approach ap-proach near enough to discover the ntra.nce under the stone without be-ins be-ins observed, a Rathway had him self discovered during his yean erf fruitless effort to follow old Pelly; nd there was no sign of the thre. It occurred to Lea, besides, that Rathway was not likely to wish the entrance to the mine to be known to any of his aides. Rathway was looking uneasily about him. "It's In the gorge, then?" he muttered. And. throwing off all pretense pre-tense of concealment, "There's no way down. I've wnlked round and round the d d plai-e a thousand times." Lee tilted back the stone and showed Rathway the hole beneath It. Rathway Rath-way stared at It In amazement, uttering utter-ing an oath as the stone came back Into position. "I shall go first." Lee said, "and light the candle. Miss Pelly" Rathway muttered, but Lee could not bring himself to call her by the man's name "will please follow me. You, Rathway, Rath-way, will come last." Lee pushed the stone back, lay down on the ground, and, after showing show-ing the girl how to elevate It from beneath, be-neath, descended. When his feet were on the first rung of the ladder, he lit the candle. In n moment Joyce appeared, ap-peared, and then Rathway behind her, clinging to the opening and looking down with uneasy suspicion. "Hold tight to the rocks," Ie called. "It's slippery, nnd If you lose your hold there's a deadly drop below." He led the way down, shifting the candle from hand to hand alternately as he descended, to Illuminate the way for Joyce, until he reached the bottom orifice. Then he began slowly to complete com-plete the descent, Instructing Joyce where to put her hands and feet, guiding guid-ing her, and bracing himself against the cl I IT, ready to sustain her weight In case of a slip. However, all three reached the floor of the gorge without accident. Rathway muttered, looking about him. In the moonlight Lee saw that he was dripping with perspiration. He was trembling with excitement. Lee said eight fatal words : "The rock marks the entrance to the tunnel." Rathway looked at It and nodded. "I had some difficulty In finding it before," Lee added. He turned to the girl. "Joyce dear, I'm going to show Rathway something that I think It would be better for you not to see. Will you wait where you are for a few minutes? We won't go out of your sight." "Very well, Lee," the girl answered quietly. She had understood what Lee meant Immediately. Lee took Rathway through the laurel tangles and showed him Pelly's remains. He showed him the Initials on the handle of the revolver. Rathway stood dumbly staring at the skeleton. He was trembling even more violently than before. "He must nave fallen from the cliff," said Lee, Indicating the broken bones. "Aye, but where's your proof that It's Pelly?" Rathway burst out suddenly. sud-denly. "Why, man, there isn't a court la the land would admit that skeleton as proof that Pelly was dead. That's as like as not the body, of his Indian, carrying Pelly's revolver." Lee obeyed the Instinct not to tell Rathway that Leboeuf was alive. "Besides," Rathway went oil, "as for C. P. Well, that might mean anything, Charles Patrick, or Clarence Peel. There used to be a Clarence Peel In this district wdio disappeared. I swear that's the truth, Anderson. Any old-timer old-timer will tell you that I'm not lying to you. N-no, Anderson, you can't prove that's the body of old Pelly, Just from those Initials." Lee wondered at Rathway's agitation. agita-tion. The man seemed quite beside himself. He twined his Angers in his black beard, and shambled away with his peculiar hunched slouch. Lee led ' him to the cross above the little grave. "I think that's proof," he said quietly. But Rathway, clenching and unclenching un-clenching his fists, said nothing. Lee went back, calling Joyce, and they proceeded in Ihe direction of the cave. Lee pointed out the pans and cradle, and the proofs of dynamiting. - "Aye, but the gold Where's the gold?" Rathway demanded. "I have seen none." answered Lee, "and, If you remember, I made no guarantee as to it." "How do I know you haven't taken it away?" Rathway shouted. "Aye, you may have stolen my gold as you stole my wife. Y'ou may be planning to take my wife and my gold away together." Lee looked at him In amazement, for Rathway was nearly crazed by some passion, probably. Lee thought, the anticipation of obtaining the treasure treas-ure of old Pelly. "I've taken no gold and I've seen none," he answered. ' "I must ngaln remind you of our agreement, Rathway." Rath-way." Rathway pulled himself together with an effort. "Aye, that's all right," he answered. "This looks like Pelly's mine. Let's look inside. Have you been Inside, Anderson?" "I've only explored the entrance," Lee answered. "I brought no candle with me last time I was here." Relighting the candle, he preceded Rathway within. The sound of the distant roaring came Immediately to their ears. By the candle light Lee saw fresh footprints on the sands. They were made by a man wearing moccasins, no doubt Leboeuf. He did not call Rathway's attention to them, and Rathway, absorbed with his eagerness eager-ness fo find the treasure, noticed nothing. noth-ing. Lee wondered, however, what the Indian had been doing in the cavern. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |
