Show l d The Free 7 V ido by ISO U Chapman Service CHAPTER XIV 11 1 The Best Laid Plans Father McGrath had Insisted that Lee I should remain as a guest at the mission during the two following days dus and he Insisted on supplying him with an outfit of ot clothing He lie asked their plans and Lee Iee told him hint The rhe best thing In the lie he said ald Yell Yeli be safe sute at the house and i Minna ha hn any fear Cear of those dolts dolt's agents at Siston lake for they'll ken kenall kenall all the the- pair o 0 ye long sync and the they darena Interfere wl wI ye Je the noo 1100 But dinna prolong your our honeymoon n too long for Cor ye must be oot o 0 the range rune before the heavy snows begin Lee and Father rather McGrath had hud a long together that night Lee I told him the whole story of his Ills encounter wIth Joyce In the range the and Ind his pursuit of the band at lake and rescue of the girl culminating In ing with their flight Into the forest on and Joyces Joyce's loss of oC memory At first the thc fattier father listened and In in ted and kept gluing gating gh Ing vent to ex- ex ex exclamations of amazement and anti na Indignation tion but as Lee went on with hIs story fIr he lie fell feU Into silence pulling at his pipe beside the stove and looking at atLee atLee atLee Lee Intently amazing 1 l he lie said when Lee had en ended lied I canna understand It I or look you Anderson It Isna as If this was a countr country o sa savages n a base man moan could could do what he lie pleased Ts true the they sell their hooch but that's fro fra women omen and attempting Theres There's something at the back o this that we havens ha lilt hit upon Next Neat morning I Lee e slept lat late so late so late that lint It was the recitations of the school schoolchildren schoolchildren children across the open space that arou aroused ed him From his bed bel he could hear Jo Joyces Joyce's voice olce directing them and lie he smiled happily at nt the thou thought ht of leer The morrow was his Ills marriage e lIa day The evening of oC the morrow they would be together In their log home shut off olT on from froin all the lie would was It-was It was a renascence of youth thIs tender jO joy that filled filed him lie He dressed and strolled across the Interval to the That was the happiest day of iii hi hilife life Jo Joyce ce at lit Inks Ills mandale mandate agreed tou toa to u a half holiday and ami all that afternoon they strolled through h the snowbound snow snow woods their arms about each other planning their life together Lee roue more and more to see e that to JUte Joyce happiness consisted of the wilderness She hc would wilt in u tl city efty She had endured the period of ot her medical training only Il as a n preliminary to re- re returning returning re returning turning Into the wilds They decided that they the would make their thIr homes there Lee resigning from the police the following spring They would take up work wol under Father lIther Mc- Mc ilc Ic- Ic enlar enlarge e line log lor house create a garden In time thine to tu conic come settlers would lock Hock In the whisky would they o hey dreamed for hours until the advent of night sent them homeward Next afternoon an old Indian an and III his wife were wre requisitioned for tor wit wit- witnesses wit witnesses nesses nesses and In the little schoolroom In Inthe Inthe Inthe the lre presence ence of the entire population of oC the lie settlement which consisted of the children two half half- grown half girls hI and anda n a young oun boy with wIlh an un aged aed squaw or nr two all all le legacies acles of ot the great r 1 t small mall smallpox pox pox epidemic of four years ears before which had decImated time the lie relon- relon region Father McGrath performed the simple ceremony remony that united them taking the gold ring from his own finger finer and handing it to Lee Lle who put It on his brides bride's And Lee It looking at Joyce with a anew anew new wonder that was almost fear dis- dis discovered dis tiis discovered covered the purpose that had hull sent hint into the he lie ran range e It was for this and tills this alone that I lie Ilc might find not only Ills hits love but that comrade of o his hearts heart's sire lit whom he had sought all the days das of his life And In Joyces Joyce's confused and blush blush- blushing blushing ing face In her Iler eyes a as she slie he raised them shyly toward his Ills own 0 n h lie he real read lloch mutual happiness WIth Joyces Joyce's arm drawn shyly through his Ills own oven amid ami his shoulders achIng from Father McGrath's hand hand- handclasp hand clasp clasp he left the Out Out- Out Outside side the Ilic lie horse stood harnessed lo tu the which w wa was loaded with till the sup stir supplies plies pillS Iee Lee handed 1 Joyce Inside and followed her Father McGrath tonic tool the lox box seat at of the big Idt sleigh III which hail originally functioned In lu tin the streets of some seine provincial cit city Father Mc- Mc Me-Gratt Me Jc Gratl had find driven It to his by a n detour d tour round the range rane with all his o worldly goods packed Inside It The Journey was a slow one the slipping on the t-e frozen snow and plungIng plunging through h the crusts that h Id formed over p tin ti surface It wu wui i even en colder than before before and und thEre here seemed no 11 doubt that flint winter head had set lu In at al last lust All were werl glad wh when n the log house came Into view McGrath got down flapping his arms arias Lee helped Joce Joyce out The They I set et down the supplies Ill help you In w wl wI 1 these goods said the priest hut tint I wilna come In- In Inside In Inside side And dinna ye be coming back to me mC Mrs Irs Joyce Anderson Anderson Joyce looked adorably confused at the lie address address- address and tell me tales Giles about your husband hus husband band because e all the men are arc alike as ye C ha yet et to and yere ere In till the trap o n noo floe the Hie pair p o oye y tied ye-tied tied tId fast Cast and there theres there's this side o 0 can unfasten the lie knot for ye bye Guld Guid bye and quid guld uld luck loch to ye he added extending a hand liand to each cadi But Hut In the middle of that hand hand- handclasp hand clasp clasp he stood still listening Ills face grew rew grim Lee listened too And at first he lie hEard only the Hie lie night wind Ind stir stir- stirring stirring ring among along the trees then something more ominous yet et ver very faint faint comin coming out of the lie distance It died away The two men watched each ach others other's faces with a surmise that did not find vent ent In utterance Ier Per Per- Perhaps haps hals it had th the been been the wind wild the waves lapping the shore hut shore but now It came again louder and unmistakable Lee LeerIa rIa dared red not nut raise hIs Ills e eyes es to meet Joyces questioning gaze aze lest she he should dl discern celD the sudden fear tear For It was the put putting put putting of Rath- Rath ways Hath wa ways way's s motorboat The three might have been figures fig of stone as they stood stool there listening to 10 the sound of the engine which grew few rapidly louder None of the three uttered a word Then the boat came into view nf near near- nearing near near-Ing ar- ar ing the bank It contained four men One of them was Pathway And even though Joyce Joce was hl lilt Ills inseparably Lee waited for the sensation of ot an icy hand hond clutching his heart Father McGrath spoke Hath Hath- Hathway way Rath-way way and I doot not but hes he's some dells afoot But laud baud steady y Anderson He lie wilna dare he dare lie dare dare- His Ills voice trailed off olT Into silence TIle The engine of the motorboat had been shut oft off ay and Ills hits men had stepped out They were ashore they were coming up from the river rh-er towar toward the Ihl house Pathway a little In the lead learl ot of the lie others With his hunched shout shout- shoulders ders deis and his Ills great reat muscular strength Iris his look of malignant mocking fero fero- ferocIty fero- fero ferocity ferocity city he lie seemed time the nearest thing that Lee LI had known Imon n to Incarnate evil Ills face as ns he drew near the group was twisted In a wry smilE lie He looked mockingly at nt Lee tie lIt looked Ironically at Father Futher McGrath But there was possession anticipated In the lie look he cast cust at Joyce and Lee Leedrew drew the girl to his side his arcs anus about her stand standing In InH a H little In front ot of her to protect her from from frum the sl sight ht of oy Father Fidler McGrath stepped forward Ye ha nn na business here wI wl my friends James n I I he cried crie Ye ken verra erro week wee the e we weve we've e entered Into So go ye e can take e el and your dells della crew awa wa Aye AC A e sneered regarding the die priest with Ironic banter lint But I have Coli followed owed you OU and tills hits party here because you were not at the lie mission Its It's not my illY plan to stay What do you OU want McGrath de do- dei demanded i mantled I Jf My I wife Hathway stretching out his hand baud to place It on Jo Joyces Joyce's ces shoulder er WIth Will a loud cry Joyce leaped hack staring about her as It if she did not know where she was IS Lee Le let hits hIs I clenched list fall full The lie situation was wasI waston waston I ton bl big for fur physical retort Ay Ar my wife Futher McGrath said Married to onee me in Montreal And two years ago 1110 theres there's the certificate liE He held out a n document Faller McGrath's first words before looking at nt It were wre the first time Ive I've 0 o the themon themon mon coon and anti na nn the ket the marriage lines James Hath war Lee was holding Joyce Joice who swayed In his arms What does lie hie mean meun he kept repeating It Its some trick Tell th them m Its It's a trick Joyce TOP I But Joyce Toce seemed neither to hear nor to understand tand anything Mean Menn Meanwhile while Father who had ben been the paper vended d it buck back buckwith backwith backwith with an Ironical how hove pees Ie s lell Telly that Will was was united inthe In Inthe Inthe the bonds of holy matrimony wi Jlee tair Iee- Iee Anderson lien here these three hours syne lie he said ld I Id Ie tak her against your our own and ca that a ery ery But Bul the priests priest's face shone deathly white In the lie moonlight Aye lye e sneered tone pointing n a lon long lone linger finger r at ot Joyce Let iet her deny It If sine he dare Joyce Toce said not a word She lay la III laLee's laLee's Lees Lee's arms as It if she had hae been mortally stricken A deadly fear began to creep over Lee l-ee over o McGrath Behind Shorty and nd Pierre and a third man grinned and shifted un- un uneasily un uneasily easily And that's a lee anyhow said Father McGrath scornfully bowed sneeringly In turn Permit me to go on on Father rather believe or disbelieve e It makes no difference lIe He Bent sent hi his girl away awny to school to Montreal 1 Soon after atter It was discovered discovered discovered ered that Pe Pelly was wanted for an old oid murder murder- Lee Number Two said the priest you betrayed d I him him I ha one noe o that lie Ill tIed led the th country pursued unruffled d As his only friend fearing that his has daughter mIght conic come to harm In Montreal I I went down n there saw her and und offered to make her lier my wife She consentEd wIth alacrity alacrity- alacrity Oo 00 e a-e aye and well we'll Just cut t out the said Father McGrath In abysmal disgust because she and If she lie did It III ill becomes you OU to tosa sa say so She married me at the Church of the Virgin as this certificate prows proves And nd It was agreed that she should continue her lier mission studies for tor It a certain period before coming to live wIth me as my wife I proposed to 10 build a comfortable home for her lier at SIston lake und mind go Into the lie fur tur busl- busl busi business ness Of ness ness- ness Fur Im shouted d McGrath Th The only fur r youve you've ever er traded In Is what yee yeve put pili on the tongues and find stomachs of your year victims ye e cheap poison poison ped ped honch hooch hound hound Pathway w went nt on imn on as If It lie hie had not heard th the Insult Last month when she It ha h completed lier her course 11 ale started north to 10 meet met me As I was away on a n business husne's trip I detailed two of my men to 10 escort he her from fromn Little Falls They rhey met her This mein was with h tier her r and he ordered them away awny under threat of nt shooting 11 lie turned to Lee IE with n scowl At Mrs Irs Pathways Pathway's urgent ur r II t the they went an away 0 to avoid Rold bloodshed sl lt but waited In the vicinity to make sure that no violence wo was offered her lierAs As she did dIll not reach their camping place they became alarmed and went rack hack They found her lying under her horse apparently abandoned by him after some accIdent If accident if It was only an accident They The brought her to Siston lake Inke where I had hod just returned This Tills man manla la lad laG d G 1 1 tv v 1 1 ia Its II l What Do You Want McGrath De- De Demanded De Demanded I followed them attacked d and stunned one me from behind stole a boat and two packs and took her lier away and und ap aji appears pears to have been living u a tramps tramp's life In the woods with my wife ever since Lee who was ns still holding Jo Joyce ce started but Father McGrath held up his hand Na nn na let him his lying stor story he lie said That's all nil said In spite of ot all III mil I am willing to forgive the past and find take her lier back She Slie was un- un unconscious un nn unconscious conscious when thIs tills man got ot her lier Into his Imis power Ir lie tie shall pa pay for wha what t hl he has done donI If thIes theres law lave In this Ills land land- laud but hut thIs tills poor pOOl girl has lias been ben more sinned Innell against than sinning Im I'm willing to acknowledge her lier as os my wife stilt still Anti And AndI AntiI I det defy you ou Father uther McGrath to In- In Intervene In Intervene Father McGrath walked a n st step 1 01 or two toward to 10 Joyce who was standing encircled by Ily Lees Lee's arm anon her eyes es cast down n Site She raised them to his face In mute My I theres there's only one thin tiling thin to ask of ye Did you OU marr marry this tills non JUon Can Cun ye e remember Joyce Joce shuddered and she slie looked at atthe atthe the priest hopelessly Yes It Is true trul she on answered I married him A cry broke from Lees Lee's lips He lie r re released released lea leased ed Joyce and stood looking nt lit her with the th expression slon of or a own man who has received his Ills death hI blow ow Yes Its It's true Its It's true hive said Joyce She was speaking now with the lie calm cahu- calmness I IIII- IIII ness of ot one une for whom nothing matters Ill He canine to me with vs Ih the lie threat that he had my father In his Ills power lo und and would betray him unless I 1 him It hind had been the llie terror of III my fathers rathers life for years ears that limit some day daylie he would bo he arrested for that hat murder And yes therefore therefore yes es I married hint but I Insisted that I was to finish m my course before I lived hived with him as ns his wife Then hen lost last month he wrote WI fJ tp tome me that he would walt wall no lon longer er lie He said laId my father whom horn he had hod 1 helped to lu escape across the tile frontier hind rc- rc returned turned to the district and lint hint he heI would notify the lie authorities unless I 1 I came up UX to Jilin i n Immediately And nd so 50 I 1 started and and-and and and God knows I could bear It no longer and hint la is why He Ile mercifully gave cave me forgetfulness I And she remained standing where she the was like a u cata cataleptic leptic So ye yc leed heed there thre too cried Father |