Show t 1 M 4 W 4 M AAA oH C CH H H l I II BAilEE I f Son of o f Kazan By JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD t t rr rrt I H M H-M M t M K Jo 5 i Double Doubleday d ay y Page Pace r t 6 J Co Service Chapter XVI Continued XVI Continued 26 26 Close to the deep dark pool In which he lie and ond the Willow had disport so disport disport- so often Barce naret too had stopped lIe could hear the rippling of ot water and his eyes shone with a gleaming tire fire os as he quested for lie Ile expect expect- expected expected ed to see sec her there her slim white body shimmering In n some dark shadow of o erhan overhanging spruce or gleaming sudden suddenly I white as snow In one of ot the warm plashes of sunlight ht Ills lIls eyes ees sought out ont their old hiding hiding- places the great rent split spilt rock on the other oilier side s the which shelving hanks banks under which they used to dive like otter the spruce boughs that dipped down to the sur sur- surface sur- sur surface surface face and In the tle midst of which the Willow loved to screen her naked bod body while he searched the pool for her hr And at last the realization was as borne upon him that she was not there that he had still farther to go 0 He lie went on to the tepee The little open space In which they the had built their hidden wigwam was ns flooded flooded with sunshine that came through a n break brenk In the forest to the west The tepee wa was still there It did not seem eem very pry much changed to Baree naree And rising from the ground round In front of the tepee was what had come to him faintly fin the still the air air the smoke of or a small fire Over that tire fire was bending a person and It did lid not strike Barce naree as amazIng amazing ing or at nt all unexpected that this per 11 per per- person person son 0 1 should have ha two great shining braids down her back lie He whined and at ot his whine the Person Ierson grew a little rigid and turned slowly Even Eyen then It seemed quite the most natural thin thing In the world that It should be and none other lie He had lost her yesterday Today he had found her lier And In answer to his whine there came a n sobbing cry straight out of ot the soul of the Willow Carvel Carrel found them there a 0 few minutes min min- minutes minutes utes later the dogs dog's head licad hugged close up against the Willows Willow's breast and the Willow was crying crying crying like a little child her face hidden from himon him himon on Baree's Barce's neck lie did not Interrupt them hut but waited and as os he waited wafted somethIng In the sobbing voice and the stillness of the forest seemed to whis- whis whisper whis whisper per to him a n bit of time the story of ot the burned cabin and the two graves gra-es and the meaning of the Call that head come to Baree from out of ot the south Chapter That night there was a new camp camp- campfire camp fire In the open It was not a n small fire built with the fear that other eyes might see It but hut a fire that sent Its flames high In the glow of It stood Carvel Canel And as os the fire had changed ed from that small smoldering heap over o which the Willow had cooked dinner so 80 Carvel the officially dead outlaw had changed The heard was gone from his face he had thrown thron n off skin his skin caribou coat his sleeves were ere rolled up to the elbows and there th r wasa was wasa a wild flush In his face that was not altogether the tanning of wind and sun and storm and a glow In his e eyes es that had not been there for five years perhaps never neer before Ills eyes were on She sat In the firelight leaning a little toward the blaze her wonderful hair glowing warmly In the nosh flash of it It Can Carvel did not move while she was In that attitude lie He seemed scarcely to breathe The glow In his eyes grew rew the deeper deeper die worship of a aman aman moan man for a woman Suddenly turned and caught him him before he could turn his gaze There was wa nothing nothing- to hide In her own eyes ees Like her face they were flushed with a new n w hope and a new gladness Carvel Carrel sat II down own besIde her on the birch log las Ii and ond In his hand hant he took one of her th braids and crumpled It as ns he talked At their feet teet watching them lay Baree naree Tomorrow or the next day Ilay I om am going to Lac Bain he he said a hard and bitter note back of ot the gentle Jentle wor wor- worship worship ship i of ot his hia voice I will not come comeback comeback comeback back until I have killed have killed him The Willow v looked straight Into the fire re For n a time there was a n silence broken only by hy the crackling of the flames and ond In that silence Cartels Carrels fingers In and out of the silken strands of the Willows Willow's hair His nIs thoughts thou Hashed flashed back What a chance he had mIssed that day on Bush Mc Ic- Ic Taggarts Taggart's If trap trap line If he had only known Ills Jaws set hard as he saw In the red-hot red heart of the tho tire the the menta mental pictures of the day when the tte l- l Factor lator ator from Bain had hud killed Pier Pierrot rot She bad had told him the whole story Her night flight 1 ht Her plunge to what she had thought was certain death Ileath In the Icy torrent of ot the chasm Her lIer mirac mirac- miraculous miraculous miraculous ulous escape from the lie waters and how she he was discovered nearly nearl dead hy by the th toothless old Cree whom out of ot pity had allowed to In part of his this domain He lIe felt withIn himself the tragedy Roll nod the horror borror of ot the one ODe t terrible hour In InI I which the suu um UlI had bad gone 1111 in rat of ot the t r world for the Willow and ond In the names flames he lie could see faithful old as he called coiled on his last lust to bear over o the lie long lone lon miles mites that I y between the chasm and on his cabin he caught shifting shirting visions of ot the weeks that followed In that cabin weeks weeks of at hunger and of Intense coldIn cold coldIn coldin In which the Willows Willow's life lite hung bya by bya bya a single thread thread And at last when the snows were deepest had died Carvel's fingers finters clenched In the strands of the Willows Willow's braid A deep breath rose out out out of his chest and he be sold said star star- staring staring ing deep Into the fire Tomorrow I will go o to Lac Bain For n a moment did not nn- nn answer an answer Site She too was looking Into the fir fire Then she said meant to kill him when the spring came and he could travel tro When hen died I knew that It was wasI as I who must kill him So I came with wills gun It was fresh loaded loaded- loaded yesterday esterday And And she looked up at him a triumphant glowIn gloW In iii her eyes as she added In a whis whisper whis- whis per You per You will not go to Lac Loc Bain I have ha-e sent a messenger A A messenger Yes a n messenger Two days das ago I sent word that I had hadnot hadnot not died but hut was here waiting here waiting for him and and that I would be ao now his wife Oo-oo Oo Oo oo he will come he Teem Teem lie will come fast And you shall not kill him Non I 1 She smiled Into his face and the throb of Car Car- Carrel's Carvel's vels vel's heart was like a dream Tile The gun Is loaded she said soW softly I will shoot Two da days clays s 's ago ngo said Carrel Canel Can el And from Lac Bain It Is- Is Is lie will be here tomorrow Ne Ne- Ne Ne answered him Tomorrow as the sun un goes down he will enter the clearing I know My blood has been sInging It all day dar Tomorrow tomor Tomorrow tomor tomorrow row row for for he will travel fast fast Yes he will come fast Carrel Carvel had bent his head The soft tresses gripped In his Ills fingers fin ers were crushed to his lips The Willow look look- looking lookIng looking ing again Into the fire did not see nut But she slie felt felt and and her soul was beat beat- beating beating ing like the wings s of a bird she whispered whispered whispered-a breath a flutter of the lips so soft that Carvel heard I no sound If It old had been there that night It Is possible he would have ha read strange warnings In the winds that whispered now and ond then softly In the Then Still Very Ver Quietly He Drew Aside the Flap tree-tops tree It was such a night n 0 night when the TIed Red Gods whisper among themselves a carnival of glory glor In which even the dipping dipping- shadows and the high stars seemed to quiver quler wIth the life of ot a potent language ItIs It ItIs Itis Is barely possible that old with wills hIs ninety years behind him would have learned something or that nt at least lie he would have suspected a 0 thing which Carvel In his youth and confidence confidence dence did not see Tomorrow Tomorrow-he Tomorrow he will come tomorrow I The Willow exult exult- exultant exultant ant had said ald that But nut to old the trees might have lIae whispered why not tonight It was midnight when the big moon stood tood full above the little open In the forest In the tepee the Willow was sleepIng In the balsam halsam shadow hadow back from the fire slept Baree naree and still farther back In the edge of ot n a spruce thicket thicket slept Carrel Carvel Dog and man were tired They Thy had traveled far tar and fast that day and ond they heard no sound But they had bod traveled neither so farnor far farnor farnor nor so fast as Bush Ile- Ile Be Between tween sunrise and midnight he lie had come forty miles when he lie strode out flUt Into the clearing where cabin had hod stood Twice from the edge ot of the forest he lie had hall called and now when he lie found no answer he lie stood tood under the light lIht of ot the moon and lis listened is- is toned l was to be here here waiting lie He was tired but exhaustion could not still the fire that burned In his blood It 11 had been blazing nil all allday day and now so now so near Its realization and Its triumph the triumph the old pa passion lon was like a n wine In hrs hits veins eins Some where near where he stood stool Ne Ne- was waiting for tor him him waiting for tor him Once again oguin he called his heart i beating In a tierce fierce anticipation as he listened listened There was no answer And then for a thrilling Instant his Ills breath Stopped lie He sniffed the air and air and there came to him faintly the the smell of l smoke moke With the first Instinct of or the forest man he lie fronted the wind that was buta but buta buta a faint taint breath under the Ilse starlit skies lie did not call coll again but hastened across the clearing was WIlS ort off there somewhere somewhere sleeping sleeping beside her lire fire and aud out of ot him t rose a low 10 cry of exultation Ue lIe came to th they j e edge ge of the forest chance directed d his steps to the overgrown o trail troll he bt followed It and the smoke smell came ame stronger to his nostrils i I It was the forest mans man's Instinct too that added the element of ot caution to his advance ad That and und the utter still still- stillness stillness stillness ness of the night He lie broke no sticks under his feet lie He disturbed the brush so quietly that It made malic no sound When he came at last to the little open where Carrels Can fire was still sending a spiral of ot spruce scented spruce smoke up Into the air It was with a stealth that failed even en to rouse na Ba- Ba Baree Ba ree Perhaps deep down In him him there smoldered an nn old suspicion perhaps It was because he hie wanted to come to her while she was sleeping The sight ot of the tepee made his heart throb Ca faster ter It was light lIht a as aJ day where It stood In the moonlight and ond he s saw w hanging ln outside It a few bits of ot wom wom- woman's woman's woman's ans an's apparel He lie advanced soft footed as s a fox and stood a 0 moment later with Ith his hand on the cloth flap at the wigwam door his head bent forward to catch the lie merest breath of ot sound Ile Ie could hear her breathing For an Instant his face turned so that lint the moonlight struck his eyes They were aflame with a mad fire Then still very quietly he drew aside the flap rat o t the door loor It could not have been sound s sT und that rou roused ed I Barce Ilaree 11 re hidden In the black balsam shadow v n a dozen duzen paces awn away Perhaps it was scent Ills His nostrils twitched first then he lie awoke For n a afew few tew seconds his eyes glared glare at the bent figure In tle lie tepee door lie He knew that lint it lt was not Can Carrel Carvel 1 The old the smell the beasts beast's smell filled hIs nostrils like a hated poison polson lie He sprang to his feet ft and stood with his lips snarling back slowly from his long fangs had disappeared rom From Inside the tepee there came a sound a sudden movement of bodies a startled ejaculation of one awaken awaken- awakening awakening ing In from sleep sleep and and then a n cry a smothered low smothered half frightened cry cr and In response to that cry Barce Baree shot out from under the balsam with a sound In his throat that had In It the note ot of death deaths e In the edge of the spruce thicket Carrel Canel rolled uneasily Strange sounds were rousing him cries that in his ex- ex exhaustion ex exhaustion came to him as If It In a 0 dream At last he sat up and then In sudden horror hor leaped to his feet and rushed toward the tepee r was In the open crying the name she slie had given gl him She was wag standing there white and slim her ces eyes with the blaze of the stars In them and when she saw Carvel she flung out her arms to him still crying oo Oo Oo-oo Oo In the tepee he heard the rage of ot a beast the moaning cries of a man He forgot that It was only last night he had come and with a cry he swept the Willow to his breast and the Wil VII Willow's Willow's lows low's arms tightened tI around his n neck ck ns as she moaned Teem It It Is the man-beast man In In there therel 1 I It I Is the beast man ma from Lac and ham Bain and Baree- Baree Barce Truth flashed upon Carvel Carrel and he e caught up In his arms and ran away awny with her tier from the sound that had bad grown sickening and horrIble In the spruce thicket he put her feet teet once more to the ground Her arms were still tight around his neck he felt the wild terror of her body as It throbbed against him her breath v tas as sobbing and her eyes were on n his face He Ile drew her closer and sud sud- suddenly suddenly denly lie he crushed his faca fac down against hers and felt for an Instant the warm thrill of her lips against his own And he lie heard the whIsper soft and trembling oo 00 When Carvel Carrel returned to the fire alone his Colt In his hand hund Baree naree was In front of the tepee waiting wailing for tor him Carrel Carvel picked up a burning brand hrand and entered the wigwam When he carne out his face tace was white lie tossed the brand In the fire and went back to He lie hind had wrapped her In his blankets and now he knelt down beside her and put his Ills arms about Ler Ier lie He Is dead Dead Yes Baree killed him She did not seem to breathe Gen Gen- Gently Gen Gently U with his lips In her hair Carvel whispered his plans for tor their paradise No Xo one will know my sweetheart Tonight I will bury him and burn bum the tepee Tomorrow we will wilt start for Nelson House where there Is a MIs Mis- Mis MisI I stoner doner And after that we we will come comelIa lIa back and k and I will build x a new cabin comeI I where the old one burned Do you love lo me ka yes Out yes I I lov loss you you you- Suddenly there thre mere came an interruption Interruption Interruption tion Baree narce at last was giving his cry ot of triumph It rose to the stars It II walled over o the roofs roots of ot the forests forest and filled Oiled the quiet skies skies-a skies a wolfish j howl of ot exultation of ot achievement ol of I fulfilled Its echoes died f slowly away awny and silence came again a I IA iA A great peace whispered In the breath of ot the tree tops |