Show em ie of Voices By GEORGE MARSH Au Author thor of of the Trail The The of the Wolf th W N U Copyright by the P Penn nn Cd CHAPTER XIII-Continued XIII XIII Continued 21 I have ha nothing to sa say she on on- on sitting with chin cupped In hand face averted 3 Oh do you mean menn to say that you prefer selling yourself to that store store- storekeeper storekeeper keeper Lascelles to living In luxury In Montreal Winnipeg Winnipeg- Winnipeg You may Insult me monsieur I 1 have no means of defending m myself seIr she Bhe broke In coldly Then Laflamme lost all aU self control self and stormed sf Insult you rou Oh yes But that Is the truth Is it not You Yon do not love this man do you To save sa your fa- fa father's father's fa father's ther's future you ou have lave agreed to marr marry this film this man you despise e Oh I 1 know lies lie's not tit lit to look at you you- you ou you beauty l White faced the girl sat with eyes on the silent floor floor silent as ns If It she did not hear True yo you think you ou hate liate me now but you would change e he ran on talking as It if to himself You may have hn heard hart hard things said 0 of me hut but I swear to you If It f you will marry me Denise St St Onge Ongo Ill I'll show you what hat love lo Is Ill I'll make malee your our father make Independent make you rou his voice broke with emotion yes make male you ou happy I Ive I've loved lo Sou you on ever since you played for us that night at years Albany Albany Albany- years rears ago Laflamme stopped and looked down with a gesture of helplessness at the woman of stone In the chair Then rhen he heard the low words You forget monsieur someone who Is still at I r know how that looks to you he defended but that was over o years ears years ago years Ive I've given ghen her a home home- home couldn't turn her hr out But she hates me tried to knife me wanted to run Mm runaway runaway away awny with that American Steele this October 1 I She put on black the day da dashe she heard he had been drowned on the way home There was a lon long silence then Why Wh were you ou afraid to have ha him reach r pl on Laflamme started then Inu Afraid to have ha him reach on That's funny He lIe got ot some e supplies and went on What liat do y u mean Then the girl Your In- In In Indians dims clans are not faithful td tf their master monsieur We learned that you had Monsieur Steele ambushed after stealing steal steal- stealIng stealing ing his ammunition and forced him to go to to his d death Do you believe belie that demanded Laflamme puzzled Is It true No 1 0 1 I The room was a again silent while th the theman theman man famed for his Ills cold nerve nCr his his re- re resource re source Fourc hit his Ills lips In Impotency before the Ic Icy calm of ot this strange e girl who whoso whoso so 10 ot him Then he lie played Ills his trump L card rd So you ou Insist on casting your lot with that rat at Albany Th Then n it Is for me to save sa you from yours yours-lf I have brought an extra sled sled Pack yo your r clothes at once The girl rose to her hr full hel ht and met his Ills cynical c look with resolute eyes cres but In her heart was tear You do not riot dare dares I she cried They would hunt you ou from from Fort Hope from Alban Albany from r House In three weeks the police would be he at nt nut But before the police teams arrived do you ou know what they y would do to you ou They would burn you In your house our trade house You do not dare Ilare With th open Laflamme watched the play of ot color and emo emo- emotion emotion tion In the face of the frightened girl who confronted him If It joud you'd flush that w iy y when I say sayI sayI ay I 1 love lo you OU he cried Id Id I'd give he all I have In to the tile world I girl Id I'd sell my soul If you'd oud ln lk lok k at me just once and a ay you ou loved lov d me I J you ou I The sting o of the cut cat like the lash of ot a whip s H self control already al- al 1 ready at the point crumbled ll Despise me dv I you U he snarled Dare me to do in tn worst Suppose e I take you OU at nt your our bond tord Mon lon Dieu Im I'm mad h C I to do any anything thIn thing Who It t n iti b then you ou love lIe thrust his lonate face nee close lose to toPers Pers You hat liar hat tic you ne-you ou e you dont don't want Lascelles J It m in tt t bo he that d-d d il d dead American youre you're oure mooning about 11 lies lie's nt fit the bottom of the time and he forgot you ou before he lie had hind been nt at two hours forgot hours forgot even m your our name when he lie saw Rose nose She faced his anger proudly con on contempt contempt tempt In her bloodless face until he la mentioned Steele th then n slowly her noes herL-noes Iw es gave ga way and she sank In n 1 chair It was that American he stormed PIty 1 I didn't him myself Then something on the table cuu caught ht his hehl ee held eye eye held it III I Ills face went dark with hIs Ills sinister purpose when with witha n II quick quid movement he lie seized the vio vio- violin violin i lin raised It above hIs Ills head and brought ht It down with a crash on the thet table t then dropped It to the floor door mini trampled It under Ills his feet With a groan the girl fell to het lae knees and gathering the time n dl 11 shell of ot the violin to lien her II r moaned over It as a mother over o a aar 4 ar child At A t last Int ho li h had reached her herAt At time the ther there was a Q ni ii i r Nr uc from the door mill and i lifted knife a n wild eyed OJibway wom worn woman woman an nn threw herself herselt upon the surprised Leaping back he caught and parried the thrust with his fore fore- forearm forearm forearm arm then hen with his uninjured hand wrenched the knife from from the mad mad- maddened maddened d squaw and hurled her across the room to 0 the floor Seizing his coat he stood for an nn In- In Instant In Instant stant tant over the kneeling girl clasping her beloved violin and touched her then hair then left the time room The dazed OJibway crawled to the pitiful figure on the floor and circled her with her hel arms De music gone all gone all gone one she crooned Poor Ioor l I While the they huddled there on the the floor the girl Irl il the lI light ht of whose lIfe had been heen ruthlessly snuffed out and the woman of ot the dark skin who un- un un understood dog bells dog bells Jingled fn rn the clearing as two tivo sleds took up the river trail Late that afternoon St St Onge reached the time fork of time the Stooping river hut but the spruce already blue with shadow gave In back his Ills call unan unanswered lie He turned Into the mouth of and took the Portage lake trail searching the silent shores for forthe forthe forthe the camp of Michel but the time was not there ThIs Tills Is very fer strange he said and cut his wood to camp alone Deep In the the night St Onge waked In his Ills blankets ts as his dos dons gave back the husk husky challenge to creatures whose scent the freezing air had hind car car- carried carried ried to their nostrils But the drowsy man did not know that two sled teams were passing belo below him on the Wall Wail WallIng Wailing Walling ing River er trail CHAPTER XIV On the night of ot Little Jacques re- re return return re return turn to Portage lake the four men sat b by the fire planning their future move move- movements movements movements ments It had hall been a week since the beast had howled or visited the trop trap trap lines lines in the district for David had arranged with the hunters to rein relay the news of his Ills appearance Im- Im Immediately Im Immediately mediately Id give ten years of ot my life Ufe It Jr that old bird would sing up there on that ridge e this evening said Steele I r got plenty shell een de bag added David I get tire waltin to shoot dat little gun ov mine get your chance cliance before were we're I done dont don't worry How low would you like to draw a bead on your friend Laflamme this evening The OJibway shook his head licad Wen I tak Laflamme's trail I fees heem wid de han ban ban I use liSt no gun on heem Bet I got hoi hol hol dat tat Black mack Baptiste too I break more dan pees bees flag flag- Leesten Interrupted Michel Out over the silent forest drifted a ai i faInt call like the voice olce of some furred night hunter The four figures at nt the fire stiffened Again the call cail louder no now rose on the biting air Where Is It asked Steele In doubt of the direction On de hel beeg ridge replied Michel Dat not soun soon like heem But the men at the fire sat with ears alert hoping that at last their waiting was over Then when they were convinced that yet t another night they were to roll roil Into their blankets disappointed baffled hamed a long wall wail from the ridge he- he be behind hind the camp brought them to their feet every Cry nerve all alive e There was a s swift stepping Into the frozen thongs of snow shoes and draw draw- drawing drawing In ing of rifles from skin cases then taking the bloodhound on the leash Steele started with hIs lils men for the ridge The huskies though savage fighters were left chained to trees trees as asat ut at night the they would cut off on the t first game trail and theIr bedlam of yelp yelp- yelping yelping ing would prevent David ld and md Michel from making the still hunt decided on Steele with the hound was to circle and pick up time the trail of ot the beast If they missed h him cam As the they swung through the blue gloom of spruce and fir the he voice shifted from froin from Its walling wailing to the hunt hunt- hunting hunting ing 1111 screams of the great grent cuts illS then as dropped to the yowling nn rind 1 mewing of the mating muting season climax climax- climaxing climaxing in ing as at Walling River Inver and Dig BigFeather Feather lake In shrieks of or ngon agony In moans of a 11 creature tortured be o 1 endurance of ot blood and flesh and nerve Throe of ot time the men who hunted the voice on in the ridge e bad JUd tolled tolled od tong long rind suffer uch for this tills moment but at moved a short n figure ure whose surrel flesh HRold old with the chill of ot fear c ues gripped his Ills rifle rUle grimly and t I Wowed owed o thinking of the lie wife null and back lit cat Walling ailing River At the foot font of the ridge c Michel rind David ld left Steele to make their stalk from two directions direction while he worked to the rear with the dog Ilog and Little ques Jor Once One on a fresh trail trall the hound would hung hang until he lie ran down his quarry In the soft sort snow his pare would be stow slow the men on shoes t r ll Tf i ue CUI a up with w him him tJ ii r rI m I I them If ir the thing thin turner turned mind utI at it boys bay how gnat cut would bp bl his Ills ity the turn torn body hody at rh river well Stooping So-pina er only too Ed Tlc Thy hall had tam tru It vele 1 l for a un an n hour when 1 I a li allu Ill fairly tl r iii e l sniffed I the snow at his lils feet and excitedly j strained at his leash To Steeles Steele's e eyes s the flat floor of or the snow now lay un- un unbroken unbroken un unbroken broken In the darkness but the IndIan on his knees whispered In terror tenor cos es beep heeg trail 1 I Good And the hound free plunged ahead Into the murk Short Short- Shortly Shortly I ly ly his lils deep voice olce boomed through the forest and the hunt was on As the they swung through the blue gloom of spruce was less deep the great Ilo dog left them theta Again as they followed the voice on the shoulder ot of the hill hili defiled the nIghts night As s It ro rose e In in crescendo a rifle ride shot sliced It short off Fa Fad above the hound bound gave voice olce Then Ihen silence fell on the forest They e seen him said Steele lIe Ile may back track keep a lookout t Dont Don't shoot too quick or well we'll turn tum him I There was no rep reply He lie looked for his companion but Little Jacques had gone Throwing the bolt of his to clear it of frost and ease the action I Steele kept on up the ridge ride For min min- minutes minutes utes now he lie had not heard the voice of the hound when again the resonant r bass boomed through time the above e him The dog doh do had turned The rhe thing was headed back Loosing his skinning knife in Its sheath the lie man cocked his Ills rifle rine and waited kneeling on a shoe hIs Ills eyes boring Into time the blackness Near r him and below was an open open- openIng opening opening ing in the timber Again the hound closer bayed closer now The beast was taking his back tracks Then Steele saw mw It Bounding from the time cover cOter of the scrub strub on the edge of the opening a adark adark dork dark shape stopped and reared up- up upright up upright rl right ht as ns If It when listening listening when the Mann Mann- Mann 1 ichor licher spat The Time beast leaped back Into time the black wall of ot spruce Again the ripe rille flamed Into the murk Still crouched on a knee the time man lIstened rifle rigid Sights useless he had fired by Instinct There had teen been no thud of bullet In flesh Could he have ha missed Slipping two shells Into the maga maga- magazine mn magazine a- a zine he lie circled In n the timber Umber lifting his shoes to avoid the click mind Blind now for the moon was masked he listened ened for heavy y breathing fj in the scrub lIe he then faced faced then the hound plunged past and he knew he had bad missed Following the time do log dog Steele turned down don the ridge but In an nn hour was distanced So he Ime stopped In a cedar swamp cut wood with his belt ax and scooping out the snow with his shoe lighted a n fire In the cover of the thick cedar the mot hot fire soon oon warmed him and with back against a fi trunk he lie dozed only to waken walen whim a start as a n hand touched hIs Ills shoulder lie He blinked Into time the faces of David and Michel Fooled us again 1 groaned the dis dis- disheartened heartened Steele At daylight we take de le trail troth and aDd see heem soon De dog weel tree beem beem Heaping up the time fire the time three men dozed dozell un unU 1 daylight then took the trail of of the beast and his pursuer through the lie snow I Somewhere ahead Steele felt that the pursuit was yeas over o Somewhere I miles away the beast had tired In the black hours and turned at bay to hat hat- hattie bat battle tIe tle In the snow with his T foe or else In terror of the voice ot of the thunder which he be could not Dot shake from fromn his Ills heels had hind treed Up over o ridges and md Into creek bot- bot bottoms bottoms bot bottoms toms traveled tra the anxious men stop stop- stopping stopping stopping ping to listen for the voice rolce of ot the dog But the cold silence of sunrise gripped the lie forest At last the tracks led Into a heavy stand of young oung spruce The men sep sep- separated separated separated and cautiously made malic their way through the clo close chose e growth Suddenly the blood of Steele chilled as he heard the voice olce of By Bygar gar ar Poor ol 01 of Pete Forcing his wa way through the sap sap- saplings saplings lings he be found the over O a h smeared blood shape still In death The of the dog hung In r strIps from the 1 slashes lashes of terrible claws while a torn throat marked the death sn snap p of ot time fangs of ot the WIn Win- Win Win-digo TO IlE nL CONTINUED |