Show The Valley of Voices By y GEORGE MARSH Author 01 of th the Trail Trill Th The Whelps of th the Wolf Copyright bt by the Penn Publishing CoW Co W tv N U Service CHAPTER Continued Continued 26 26 My Iy friends we have hae worked to- to together to together gether Jether to drive from this valley alley the theman theman theman man who would destroy the Indians We have won lie has lias gone You have tolled you have ha kept your our promises prom prom- promIses promises and obeyed orders You will take taketo to your OUI families what food tood and nOli trade trade- trade goods goods your dogs can pull Also AIo there Is much fur In the loft for which Ln- Ln Laflamme La-damme La flamme paid the In III whisky This the government will take tale If It remains here But Iut It belongs to the Indians You shall have It to divide equally among the hunters of ot tills this val val- valley valley valley ley but first It must be Le taken to the fork of ot the Stooping and cached I nm am going on the long trail to Fort Albany When I return I will wIIl meet you OU nt at the cache c divide the fur among you and tell you OU where you ou are to take It to be tr traded traded-to o ded-o to Walling River nIver or to Fort Hope of ot the old company In the lie loft lort we have found the fur that was lost this tIlls summer with the canoe on the lie he lower river Laflamme murdered the crew and stole the fur furto to drive the honest trader St SL Onge Onee from this valley alley This morning It goes back to him Will you cache the rest ot of the fur at the Stooping and wait walt for formy formy formy my return from Albany E nh yes I The de- de delI delighted de delighted lI lighted with their sudden wealth read read- readily readily ily agreed surprised that the he man mm who had caught the reserved noth noth- nothing nothing ing for himself noth-I noth The following morning ns as l and Steele watched the last sled fade from sight on the white surface of bound with fur for the fork o 0 of the Stooping a moving mo spot on the thee e snow far to the time west attracted theIr attention It It can cant can't t be bo David so soon queried the American The Iroquois shook his head ne He not leech kech dem so De Dey drive c dog hard liard to get away Steele went Into the trade trade house and returned with his binoculars There teem seem to be two sleds he said Mid adjusting the glasses Time The I f rs an are riding I cant can't make them out They hey may be he police lie He handed the glasses to Michel For a long time the Indian studied the distant spots on the snow Then lie said Onlee one man odder man team hitch to front sled Dogs tired n returned the glasses to his chIef with whit a look which aroused Steeles Steele's curiosity You Tau think Its It's David ld after all nil I ink nodded the Indian The two men returned to the kitch kitch- kitchen kitchen en n The man who hind had spent two nl nights and a R day da on the trail would appreciate n a warm breakfast When the they again aln looked down the lale lake the familiar figure ure of David was urging the exhausted teams from the tall of the second sled Shortly the thedos dos dogs turned Into the post Then the curious men who hailed with a n shout the return return of the Ile Ojibway Ojibwa saw sm to the pack on the rear re-ar sled two rifles rilles In skin cases l the two gripped the hand of the thc one who wl-o had liar left In the night nighton nighton nighton on his Ills grim quest faithful quest faithful to an oath and a memory To their questioning eyes he tie an- an ans an an s ert s d dIy Sly Iy rudder rudder-hc he sleep soun sour list JIlt night That was all But nut Steele lIchel knew that somewhere on the he Rouge Houge river trail two t men had paid some paid some tt here e two Hollies bodles lay stiff in the snow CHAPTER All W lIIn Walling River women and chil chil- children children dren were on the lie river Ice to welcome the return o of the time men who had hall sIe saved i ithe the In in- in inMans In the trade ralle Leaving chattering Mans as the le dogs dos brave e with helI bells find and colored worsted jingled down the trail St On Once Onge e hurried to meet hIs friends M My friends he choked powerless to continue Then My Iy brave e com oro com S I l can never ne repay relay you hut you but I will Jt wt forget Steeles Steele's eager e eyes s searched the group nt at n the shore for Cor a straight fig fig- figure fig figure ure In fur coat and hood then hood then found her standing with the women As the people surrounded the dog teams do eams con con- congratulating con congratulating and David she carne to meet him The sharp air had driven the blood to U her cheeks In the mink hood her face fue had never ne so appealed to him us when she laughed up with The con con- conqueror conqueror returns for tor his Ills triumph I Wel- Wel cine Wel-cine some Ime Monsieur Steele l I Then her ller dark dar es e's eyes went grave We Ye owe OWl you c everything she said uld low low- lowering t-ru t ering her ller voice Thank you ou oh oil oh so much for what you have C done for m my father he be led You for But Hut for you prote protested kro know know-it v-t v It was for you She e met his gaze frankly frankly I thank you fur for ou for myself Y You ou hu vc e been heen well he asked hilled chilled lIy by the he reserve resene In her hel level le eye eyes The Jacques vIolin violin Jacques brought word word-I 1 am nm so s sorry Yes you Ou would know what Us its II loss has meant But your catching the surrounding o surrounding them drIving from through fear I It was wonderful monsieur And David Dald DavidIs Davidis Is with wh you ou The Indians told us he bad left In pursuit of ot be be Is settled 1 fo ea s account said Steele quietly The girl shuddered ost is safe The future of ot time the bele went on We have much to be for for that lost fur cur fattier v will wUl show how a big this year Montreal will not allow the post to be closed now lie watched her face closely Father wept at nt the news news news-It It was wonderful she calmly replied as it If Ignorant of how great moment to her own fortunes fort was the rehabilitation or of Wailing River She had not changed nothing would move mo her She would go o through with It notwithstanding the assured Inde Inde- Independence independence Independence of her father She he would keep her contract That was clear It If she cared she would have shown it there on the river when e met hIm limit Hut she slie he still FUll believed he hind had been made dIsloyal disloyal made love lose to another woman on his a way home In October lIer had killed forever what she had felt for him that morning on n the river shore At the trade house he found Michel and David Dald narrating In detail the his hIs- history hIstory history tory of the campaign campal n against the Win Win-digo WIn Win- Windigo digo and O It Is unbelievable my dear Steele saId St Onge and I owe you ou and Michel a humble apology I could not believe Lelle tha that t Tete was dan dangerous erous a a spy For me to leave her here at atthe atthe atthe the merc mercy of ot Laflamme was unthinkable and able able and the violin 1 I Poor loor girl that was the final blow MIchel glanced at Davids David's stoic stole face nodding grimly Wal al dat ees paid paid- paid dat hectic debt deM It was uncanny the uncanny the way you three men caught Pierre and paid them with their own medicine I cant can't believe bellee now that It isn't all a dream And this fur of you ou say it Is cached up river The Frenchman was puzzled puzzled Steele nodded And you are to divide Ide It among the IndIans later Yes when hen I return from Albany From Albany You are going to Albany Yes Yes David and I start tomorrow The factor was frankly bewildered nut But you need a rest and you are me apt to run right into a Keewatin north north- northwester north wester wester at this time monsieur objected St Onge What Steeles Steele's mission was he did not ask Our dogs are good for It It Well We'll take six and go l light You can count counton counton counton on seeing us Inside of three throe weeks nut Hut why not send Michel l and Da- Da Da David vid Id l You do not flatter latter the poor hos hos- hospItality hospitality hospitality of or Walling River Her when you gIve us but a night Ive I've looked for for- forward forward ward so to your return and return and now no you are leaving us protested the mystified factor It Is a 3 personal matter said Steele and Is urgent We start at daylight a a After reeling oft orr the last miles mlles ot of the lower Albany on an ice-hard ice trail the swift dogs of ot Steele trotted up to the building of the Freres atthe nt at atthe the mouth of time the river two days das before La be- before fore New ew Years Year's Leaving David to protect the time team Steele entered the trade trade room room At the counter Munter a half breed clerk cleric was busy with a n hunter but hut beyond occupied at a lesl sat the time man lie Ill had come three hundred hunched miles to see sec At Steeles Steele's Good afternoon mono mon monsieur the trader looked up from hits hIs work Slowly as he lie recognized the thc burned ned frost features of ot the man In duple dullIe capote the lie face of Lascelles went black with anger er lie rose and faced farer time the newcomer his mouth twitch twItch- twItchIng twitching in ing In vain effort to articulate You remember me went on Steele casually openly amused at the surprise and discomfiture of the time other My l name Is Steele I met you ou at Walling Wallin Jl er i r Yes I remember you ou exploded the inspector finding his Ills voice vole What brings you Oll here I came on n a little matter of ot busi busi- bu business business l ness which we had better discuss In private suggested Steele nodding In III Inthe Inthe the direction of the listening clerk cieri Come In behind the lie counter then hen Steele passed to the rear of the counter and sat down You come from Moose or Wailing River demanded Lascelles curious of the purpose of this stran strange e call cull In mid midwinter winter I 1 come Ome from Wailing Ither You ma may be Interested to know Imo what what has hns I happened In the valley since Septem Septem- September September ber Lascelles was Interested Your I brought letters for me Ills His tone dropped Its surliness I Oh Oil nol no l I I have no letters Made Mademoiselle moiselle St SL Onge One and her father futher are well however howe In fact tact St One Ongo Is I a happy man lies lie's got the fur lie hl lost last summer at the big rapids Got Cot his fur How lion Why had It IL By Py the way war the trade of the valley Is in your our hands Walling Wailing River Ulver will pl pay hi big In Inthe inthe inthe the future Steele added pointedly You 1011 cant can't clo close e the he post lost now now limit But Laflamme IJ lie stole that fur demanded the lie mind mystified Frenchman II How low ow did St One Onge get et It back 1 Why h bequeathed It to sort him sort of a u legacy You sec see La La- La Laflamme La flamme with died died with a few others rs lIes lles stared at the man time the desk as It If he lie doubted Steles Stele's Steelea Steeles rea rea- reason reason son Laflamme dead What's h ts t's hap hap- happened pen cU he lio gasped gUlled Well Veil Veil In the Ul first place e began Steele Steele- Ills his pipe the tho time you ou scoffed at proved to be an Indian from We got him in a trap bear bear trap then then dosed closed In on und and picked up half his people on the time trails When we e walked In the lie rest hall had nl- nl already ready nl-ready rend ready stampeded d from sheer fright ht We IVe mh nila-ed nila ed by hy minutes The American enjoyed the time play of min mingled Incredulity and amazement on the features of or time tIle roan mun he fazed d the HP was WIlS found on the tou Rouge river trail later trail later Steele ad added l A private I affair I 1 Imagine Exit all alt competition to In the valley alley for St Onge One Its ts t's unbelievable unbelievable dead And Ills his fur It will come of course to Walling Wallin River HI added the trader with satisfaction The moment of the American had lie the deliberately knocked II out outI I hits hIs pipe as he lie countered That de depends de- de depends depends on whether you sign tills this this The I speaker fumbled In an Inner pocket and produced an un skin oil envelope with nn an enclosure Lascelles scowled as ns Steele drew out i ithe the paper What That Is this he demanded his hla small eyes ees shifting suspiciously fromn I time the paper to the cold gaze of ot the tho American This This Is your our title to fort forty thousand dollars worth of fur your when title when title title I you OU si sign n It and return It to me I Mystified ed on the defensive e Lascelles I walled waited In silence Ill read re-ad It to you continued I Stele Steele elle Denise St SL Onge Onse I hereby release you from your our agreement to marry me GEORGES LASCELL S Inspector Freres Albany District You dare to Insult me In my own house raged the furious trader get set setting getting getting ting to his feet and shaking his fists In Inthe inthe the face of the man who sat coolly In his chair looking up at him you Wh you Impudent scoundrel Ill scoundrel have you thrown out of ot the you place oU and your our dogs dos You You- YouLa You La Lascelles ell es choked with anger was wan unable to con con- continue continue continue You forget my man David drawled Steele the Indian who laughed nt at you on the shore You haven't got ot enough Swampy Crees at nt your post here to throw that Ojibway out The trader flinched from the threat In the lie wind burned features with the clamped jaw Now No sit down snapped Steele A At t the Stooping Stoop In River Hl there here Is forty thousand dollars In fur under guard or of ormy my men Sign this and It goes to St Onge refuse and It will he be traded at Fort Hope with the Hudsons Hudson's Day Bay Understand Forty thousand In fur furto furto to time tile Hudsons Hudson's Bay Did she slue send you with sneered the patently worried Inspector We Ve e wont won't discuss Mademoiselle St Onge but she slie knows nothing of this this- this nothing Furthermore you may he be glad to learn leant that this tills release will mean nothing to me me We have both lost both Lascelles-both you ou and I I Lets Let's tale take our medicine like men You expect me to believe belle you Believe me or not one thing youre you're going to do o that Is sign this thus release Suppose I refuse 1 Well Veil read this tills Steele St le handed the other oilier man a paper bearing the letterhead of ot He neres Freres and dated at Montreal Lascelles hand visibly trembled t aslie as ashe ashe he took the paper While be he read h his high color olor slowly lied died Y You ou understand that second sen sea sentence sentence tence dont don't you ou Steele Any attempt on your part to con con- con con- confuse fuse the compan company's s business with your prIvate affairs will be summarily dealt with he quoted How V would you like to have ha-e the Montreal office learn that you had for private te reasons tuned over o fort forty thousand dollars worth of ot pelts to the Hudsons Hudson's Ba tiny Bay Limp In Ills hIs chair the man lUnn who hud hind plotted for Denise St Onge Onse and he- he beheld be beheld held his victory n near r now sare stared hopelessly on detent defeat To Steele con con- coni confident confident i of ot the time the answer answer answer which was Inevitable Inc from time he char char- character character character I acter of the lime man be he dealt with the face fue-e of or Lascelles reflected collected each cadi stage of his mental struggle Ie Deep as had Imad been his obsession ln for DenIse St Onge his commercial future was hIs life After Afler an un Interval nI he lie turned to the American I 1 could have liac you put out of or the way easily In spite of It your |