Show Th THE rr l FREE EE TRAD TRADERS T ERS CHAPTER Continued XV XV Continued 12 12 lie was hoarse with passion Hut But tut os as ashe ashe he tried to seize Ize Ize her hH in his Ills arms o again Bhe aho drew away suddenly stopped stopped- stopped and then he sow saw that she had lUll u hunt hunt- huntIng bunt In Ing knife In her hand Listen to me now James Hoth way Until Ray she slie said still speaking In thes the s rt ne to monotonous tone I Ishall 1 shall never ne be yours youre OUIS I shall kill my my- myself myself sel self t first I woud hn have e my compact In n the spirit the lie letter Jetter had hod you rou fulfilled yours Joun Hut it I didn't trust you I suspected tha that you you roll were tricking U me-I's me us s you w were en a lie I didn't trick you OU Put down that knife Its not n It lie Ill You tricked me met t lc a The first filst t time you 1 0 forced me Into a marriage with you ou h liy by the that u ess I 1 consented you OU woul would be- be betray lie tray m my father to the police I you ou and still you O b betrayed him I did not Someone e else mug mus have done so h Why should I ha have e be- be be betrayed trod him lie was my friend You Yau were the only man mon who knew w his secret Then the second time knowing that I 1 would never live lI with you Jou you OU sent me n 1 lying message to lure me up here hert saying that you ou held my father r In your power You knew that nothing else on earth would bring me up to you OU And It t was a n lie 11 be he be- be because because cause couse my father has been dead for months past face blanched I dont don't belle believe that stor story Ito How lIow v do you ou know lie He died In his mine Ills body lies nt at the bottom of ot It where he lie was WI stricken If you did not know that lie he was 05 dead nt ot least you OU were wele lying when wilen you said he lie was In your our power lie Ill lies lies-at lies at tile the lie the bottom bottom the bottom of It the mine stammered I 1 I dl didn't nt know Inow He lie seemed to shake hoke oft oll n a sort of stupor lIe He tried to take her hand Joyce It I did lie llo to you OU It was only because I love loye you ou God Cod think of It the years Ive I've loved lo you OU Joyce Joce Ive I've given Riven i en all m my life fife to the hope ot of winning you OU le nt I nt n a woman touched by tile the lie thou thought ht of that All that Ive I've ver ever done since that day when I 1 first saw Fa Fayou you In your fathers father's house has hos been leen for you OU Ant And now Ive I've got you ou and you tell me you will never never- never He Ill was pressing toward her lier but hut she held the dagger pointed nt at hi him i and he stopped afraid of ot the look In her eyes yes Joyce Toce dont don't be foolish Put that knife a 3 away What Shat do you OU mean todo todo to tolo do lo Kill you and then myself It if you youlay youlay OU lay n a hand on me a again aln Ive I've told you ou I shall never ne live lI with you ou By Dr heaven hla Ill I'll kill him It if you ou go o to him I I shall not go to him That Tha Is why I sent him sway away I shall go away alone Joyce Joce listen to sense Do you your r realize that you ou are m my wife That I Ican Ican can on hold holt you OU by force forre an and there Is no law In the dominion to prohibit me and no man who would not ap- ap approve ap approve prove pro Joyce be sensible It If youre you're oure still In love lo with this man Anderson Im I'm willing tiling to watt walt till youve you've ou e forgot forgot- forgotten forgotten ten him a 0 little Lord Ive I've waited long enough h for you youl I But nut Ill I'll Walt longer loner if It I l have ha to Dont you OU see how foolishly youre you're acting he pleaded Dont you OU realize how much better oft oll youre you're going to be with a husband who Is rich and de- de devoted de devoted voted otell to you ou Your father never ne took tooka a penny out of that mine all these years There must b be a hundred thou thou- thousand thousand sand dollars worth of ot gol gold dust there perhaps perhaps a u million Cant Can't you see seethe seethe seethe the old boy working night after night like a beaver to make you OU and me rIch And he be threw back bock his head and ut- ut uttered ut uttered terell Ills his hyena laugh nut But said Joyce said nothing at all and tie lie I suppose you know It all to me as ns your husband under the la law w and that It f you OU leave Ila me you OU dont don't get geta a penny of ot It Well ell el I thou thought ht you ml mightn't un- un understand un How fur from here Is the mine know I dont don't know lie burst Into a n spasm of ot fury ny By heaven Im I'm Im I'm going to make you vou low Do you ou think youre you're oure going t to kt keep ep the secret of ot my own mine able from me J I Itell Itell tell you ou I meon meant to ha have C It from the first moment that your lour our father began dropping his hints the old fool foo It was to flail out about It that I stayed on with film year after Jeter year Ive I always alwa's known that Pathway stared ll nt at her He lie was b by the Ule quiet In indifferent manner of ot her speaking lie Ile had sot o Jelle C believed d her before He lie had lind ha been 6 sc confident when he lie sent for her und under r the pretext of or her father at his mc mercy rcy that she could solve e till the secret which he had hall never been able to solve himself Yet now It Le began an to occur to him as n a probability that Jo Joyce ce hind never knO known knOn n the lie secret He lIe hind hall taken too much for granted g It If she had not known It when she slie went south a as ho hind had been the case rose how liow could cou sh she C learned It since And all 1111 his plans seemed slI defeated tell You say you dont don't know where tile the mine Is Au Ah All but you ou told me your fathers rathers 1 lying at the bottom of ot It Ithe he cried suddenly Who found him there Mr Ir Anderson lie ne knows knO then Your lover lo knows and nd ro your r husband doesn't Dyon mean to say It wasn't you who told By VICTOR ROUSSEAU by w O 0 Chapman Ch Service Ive told him nothing b because couse I 1 know nothing He lIe found the mine and found m my fathers father's body there lIe hasn't told the secret to me inc and I dont don't on t want to know An extraordinary look came over tr face the look of ot the tho fox tox the lee erene lIe He seemed to reflect and and suddenly he lie pounced In an Instant he hall had gripped Joyce h by the he arms Imprisoning the hand that held the lie lee knife With a u laugh h lie he tore the hand open took out tin the knife nn and thrust It Into Ills his belt lie Ile strained the girl against him Ive had enough of ot this nonsense my 1 dearie Iel he cried triumphantly Youre You're 1 ou 1 going to make that lint lover lo ot of oty y yours tell toll you oU the secret of or tho lee mine You'll do It when youve you've ou e learned to love loye me rot And lJ by heaven hemen Im I'm going to make moke you you 1 She screamed ll and and beat beM furiously at athIs athis hIs face foce nt In his Ills grasp The They wr wrestled tl to nail fro So violent was the lie girls girl's resistance that for n u moment S 0 1 J I i ir r Joyce Dont Don't Be Foolish Put That Knife Away What Do You Mean to Do or two she slie held at bay hay bent beat benting beating In ing her fists lists In his face foce o again and anda a again oln anti and drawing blood from from his nose and lips lip The fury of her ller resistance only made her lier the more desirable In his eyes lie held her lier fast now her arms forced force to her sides n again aln Ills ls ces eyes leering Into hers hIs black beard sweeping her lier cheek check In the room they hind holl taken at nt the rear of ot the lie house the three men who were drinking and playing cards hear hear- hearIn hearing hearing In ing theIrl's the girls girl's screams and the lee sounds ot of the struggle burst hurst Into mirth and came tiptoeing alon along the lie passage Joyce making one final desperate effort broke once more out of ot I i wo's arms hurst burst through t the c door and ran ron screaming along the passage She got ot the front door open LC Lee Led I 1 Lee Leel I Come to me mel I she crIed in wild abandonment Then Pathways Pathway's arms closed about her from frein behind and Joyce cense ceased to struggle CHAPTER XVI Joyce or a Gold Mine Kline MineLee Lee did not go 0 as ns far as the forest which loomed loomell out of ot the distance he- he beyond be beyond yond the ridges of ot broken ground lIe waited some little distance cUstance own away until un- un until un until til the priests priest's sleigh hind hall gone Then he went Quietly back hack toward the log house Lights burned Inside A strip ot of cloth had hind been heen pinned before the win win- window dow doss of ot the Hie largest st the room room the one In which Lee hind camped with Joyce Toce for fOI fora fora a brief hour upon that afternoon of their arrival Tills This was the room lint Lee had selected In Ills his mind for their occupancy during their let hit honey hone honeymoon honeymoon moon nut But not the least spasm twisted Lees Lee's face at the lie realization that nn an- an another nn oth other r hind had supplanted him In that relationship re- re re relationship with Joyce Toyce There are seine omE pleases of emotion so tense tene that Ihl they appear ar to neutralize them themselves h by destroying their own manifesta manifestations l- l lions showed not the Lees Lee's expression then smallest deviation lation from the lie nor normal n now low It arils w-as quiet dispassionate and I I very er cold SoW Softly Lee Iee approached lie nn and stooping looked between he frame fame and the curtain of ot cloth The Tb Tl window on this side hind hod n piece mining ln out ot of o the corner and over o the thC little gap ap some one had pasted pastell n a ph iii I of ot paper 1 the barrel 1 of ot his tin Lee quietly made mode n small hole In It II mt Ii there he lie could catch caich glimpses glimpse or of Ibe ie IC two Iwo figures lie Ire heard their enl ea lie Ire was WOi In no hurr hurry lie Ill was n till they chose to finish bluish their In II Then In due dun time Path Hath Pathway wn 11 way would stand In n Ii line wl with h his s s and he would make moke an nn end of Ind ni t the he wild turmoil in Lees Lee's henrt 11 divorced from from his brain which impassive and cold anti and of ot mechanism In hr steady as the piece his Ids hands hund I i I Pathways Pathway's s voice olce grew rew louder Lee saw the lie hunched hunche figure figuro gesticulating the tho sneer on Pathway face tace Lee Leedrew Leedrew drew y rc a bead head lie might ns os well end the bu business after oCter nil all But nut before Lees Lee's finger r U tightened on onlie the lie trigger r a n hand upon his shoulder mado him leap to his Ills feet and start shut startup startup up his rifle clubbed ready really to strike lIe Ill thought pathways pathway's men had lind surprised sur- sur aur I him But nut to his amazement It was n 0 woman standing at his side sido then In that cloaked and ond hooded figure that confronted him he recognized recognized-Estelle recognized once more She looked at nt him fixedly she slie was deeply agitated and caught nt ot her breath before she slie was able to find and her voice You fool 1 l she ghe exclaimed bitterly You tool fool I You had her In your hands and you let Jim Jint Pathway take her awa away from you ou You couldn't hold lice and now I come upon you to find you OU planning cold blooded n 1 cowardly ly you murder you a n policeman At that something broke In Lees Lee's heart hort The realization of ot the act oct he planned camo came over o him blot lIe Ho would have hn killed as os heedlessly as beast blost Estelle's Es- Es telles telle's bloodthirsty forest But telles telle's reference to the police touched his pride lie IIo let the rifle drop grounding the butt Listen to what Ive I've got to tell you OU Lee hee I lovo lo him Do you understand hint I suppose you think Its It's not my nature to love lo But It Is It was you ou who couldn't hold my love lo I hinted and despised you ou I 1 never knew how touch much I loved James Jame Pathway till I 1 found out how v much I hated you that morning when you ou came to our camp campon on and struck him down so treacherously Oh yes cs I have ha love lo nn and passion and constanc constancy In ha m my nature Lee An- An Anderson An Anderson derson It was only you who couldn't draw raw them out I Her Iler voice olce was was vibrant hoarse with passion That girl Irl will make male n a fool of you too Leo Anderson just as I did dill she crl cried d be made molle a fool tool of ot any any- anywhere where where b by any woman I But lot her words passed Lee by like the wind I could have ha killed you OU that morn morn- morning morning ing ns nJ I could kill you ou now only only-I only Ilove love lo James Jomes Pathway And Ami hell he'll love lo me again when you OU take toke this new at- at attraction at ot attraction traction away awny out of ot his sl sight ht where II lie he cant can't find her lier I thought you'd got but away but hers liers r you OU are back again with her and all oil the works work's got to be bedone bedone bedone done over o again I was crouching near and I over over- overheard overheard heard your our dialogue you OU and she and the priest and James Pathway You gave ga her lier the up-the up woman you OU love love- love because shed she'd stood up before the lee altar with the man she hated and called herself herselt his Ids wife Id I'd hol hold the woman I loved ell were I a man against Go God and all nil Ills cohorts Oh It if only I could find tind wor words s to hurt you ou Lee Anderson to pierce that tough skin ot of o yours youra But I haven't time Listen to me now You dont don't have ha to commit mur murder er to get et her You fool you blind fool tool shall shan I 1 tell you She Sho laughed laught with taunting tauning menace Shall I tell you Lee Anderson 1 she repeated And suddenly came the sound ot of Joyce screaming within the house There came the noise of ot a struggle Even en as Lee turned Joyce Joce was run run- running running ning along the passage toward thedoor the thedoor door Instantly Estelle glided ell away Into the sha shadows Joyce Joce lung flung the door open and ond then ny caught her from behind and swung her back toward him Ills black blackbeard blackbeard beard hung over o her face Lee Lee I Come Conte to me I Joyce Joce cease ceased to struggle le Mere Here I answered Lee and dashed dashell his fists Into Pathways Pathway's face sending him staggering Pathway howled and felt for his pIstol Leo was upon him planning pinioning his arms to his sides before lie he could draw It lt But Pathways Pathway's men came hurrying along the passage In an un in- in instant In Instant stant there was a furious melee melle Lee tripped over o a leg thrust out fell tell hea heavily heavily ily upon his back nn and struggled In vain oln under the weight of ot his four n ad- ad adversaries ad adversaries Quickly he was ns reduced to helpless helpless- helplessness helplessness helplessness ness his Ills limbs held firmly lly II he lie Cease censed ceased to struggle nursing his lis strength for a u more violent effort He lie looked up Into the lie grinning faces at standing over o hi leer Iler leering ing outstretched gasping for breath and consciousness Pathway pulle pulled his Ills pistol and cov cov- COI covered covered ered erell Lee PIerre Short Shorty I Kramer I Youre You're witnesses that you ou saw tubs this tarn spying outside this house They assented grinned Short Shorty swore spat and scowled and andLee andLee andLee Lee saw sow the healed half scar of ot his pistol butt upon Ulon Ills hits cheek cheel You sow saw nW him assault me continued 1 Well Anderson I guess If I choo choose e to shoot you like Ilke the dog you are the law Ian |