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Show HIT, N0t m,til she cam to the Jore to embark in the launch which was to take her to the yacht hand clung to his. her violet eyes were tear-flued. J2 WishJ were the one to stay with you, Bruce." He smiled and shook his head. winter" 'rg,0Uen toe l0n' dark th? V. wlUjntoet that with the first sight of the lights of Van-couver, Van-couver, you'll be thanking all the gods that be that you're back in civilization." Side by side Harcourt and Grant watched the launch as it shot like a brown streak for the yacht. Indians In-dians and Eskimos stood In groups on the shingle behind them, section sec-tion bosses and engineers, with unconsciously un-consciously wistful faces, waited for the Modern Mariner to hoist the anchor. Janice was leaning against the H house, eyes on the pale blur which was gliding into an opaline mist. Her long lashes were wet, but she faced him with gay bravado. "Sorry not to have been moved out before you came back, but Pas- 8 BX,X t Zr showed symp- ?back testimony" nt bristled. J J could I? Because I 'Sale to tell herself. . Llwife. She's been J ut whimpering I . ,;6ut The world s 'J stories of man's 1 but there isn't so : 1 woman', loyalty to S3 Sto her tell her own q J idea of loyalty to L hadn't told?" ididn't he? But I pro-I pro-I that When I've read if, seemed to me that ..hashed months after -ok place couldn't be ' t The morning after 6 wrote down everything 1 seen. Sealed it. Took !! ;,man. He stamped it ;i date just as he does' :t o out. Here it is." She ;0mmissioner an enve-1 enve-1 sed It over in his hand. ; th the deputy. Rose. J jate and I agree that Hale met his death by 'I be inquest is closed." J . . J mule doughboys come ? r chow!" The ringing ;Sle pierced Bruce Har-rption Har-rption as he left the Would he find Janice at would she have gone to se had slipped away di-th di-th Commissioner had i verdict of accidental ixton, Immaculately at-eep at-eep lines of exhaustion yes and an apparent every Joint, had come unced an afternoon de-i de-i had offered to take wanted to go back to lilllicent had been tear-to tear-to get away, Mallory trt surgical treatment Chester. ) i hooding her typewrit-tered typewrit-tered the office. Her ' bore faintly pink evil's evi-l's mercurial tempera-r tempera-r eyes and smile were the cyclone of excite- nvor T Vinno tn fled him. "Iceberg! I'll g0, but only from the H house. Now that the one person to be impressed by convention Is leaving-I will return to Argus of the Hundred Eyes and Miss Mary. They'll be glad to have me back with them." Grant pushed open the door. "Thank heaven you've come, Tubby. You almost lost your secretary. Your superior officer was giving her notice. Don't ruffle up like a turkey-cock. She wouldn't accept it." The door closed behind her before Grant emerged from a stupor of surprise. "New orders for us came by plane this morning. No bridge-building this winter. Retrenchment all along the line. We are to push the tracks from here south while the weather holds the Crowned Heads are all excited about pulp-wood possibilitiesthen possibili-tiesthen keep the repair shops at headquarters humming till spring." "Headquarters for us all. Janice will be crazy about the winter here. We'll teach her to pilot, to handle a dog-team." Harcourt crossed to his desk. "I want her to go out on Paxton's boat with the others this afternoon." "Says you!" The words bubbled with indignation. "Granted you're a wow of an. engineer, as a married man you're a total loss. Isn't he, Miss Martha?" he demanded, as the elder Miss Samp entered the office. "Isn't he what? I heard you shout-In', shout-In', Mr. Tubby, as I came from M's. Hale's cabin she's pretty near packed up an' dropped in to see if you were tryin' to talk with Fairbanks without a wire." Grant's grievance was too acute to permit of appreciation of her humor. hu-mor. "You'll shout when you hear that the chief wants Janice to join the party on Paxton's yacht" "Sakes alive, has the excitement turned his brain?" Miss Samp dropped Into a chair. "Course 'tisn't any of my business any more than 'tis Mr. Tubby's, but why are you sending that child away, Mr. Bruce?" "You have been so kind to Janice that it is your business. Miss Martha. Mar-tha. I don't want her to experience the hardships of a winter here. Remember Re-member what this life did to Milli-cent Milli-cent Hale." Martha Samp's gnarled fingers stroked the glossy coat of the black cat circling in her lap. She regarded regard-ed Harcourt with shrewd eves. ca was so busy helping the travelers off that he had no time for me." He caught her by the shoulders. "You're not going back to the Samp cabin. You will stay in my house." She defied him flippantly. "Big Chief! Heap bossy! You tried to push me out of headquarters, and now, you are dictating as to where I shall live. I am working for Tubby Tub-by Grant, not for you." His hands tightened. "Jan, my dear, don't you know what it means to love a person so much that you would tear your heart out if you thought it best for her?" He cleared his voice of huskiness. "I know that you are forcing yourself to stay, triumphing over what you think is a fear-complex, what I know to be imagination. I know, also, that if you stay here you are bound to be miserably unhappy." Angry tears drenched the eyes which made them think of bronze pansies. "How do you know that I would be unhappy? You and Tubby Tub-by and the Samp girls think Mrs. Hale a marvel of sweetness and light because she carried on. Why shouldn't she? It was her job. You talk about love. A lot you know about it I can see you following a omething." licked up a letter from This is Alaska. You ict life here to be like York. It's a different wilderness." yacht goes out this aft-Kirs. aft-Kirs. Hale, Chester and ioner aboard. I want rith them." alternation wiped the ici from her face. "I! Ion's boat! You advise igo I would not have but he has proved him-hy. him-hy. This letter is from Billy. I wrote him aft-ed aft-ed the identity of Jim- Fve told you before ot let you spend a win-u win-u soon as I can get "in you and we'll well, things over. I will ca-meet ca-meet the yacht at Se- that! " Her eyes were anger, he could see ontract. "You needn't iile Billy. i'm not go-Grant go-Grant hired me to work I shall keep my posi-u posi-u talk about my going Eh it were as simple as or dinner and dance. earn my living when States? it isn't sn na "Did to her! It made a woman of her, didn't it? Think back. She came here just an ordinary, spoiled, flighty young married girl. At first she fretted. Then she kinder found herself. Never complained. She developed de-veloped the heart, the endurance of a noble woman." "And how did it end?" "You mean about her kinder fly-in fly-in off the handle at the last? I've got a pretty good idea of what caused it. She got to leanin' on you, Mr. Bruce, you were all her husband wasn't. When Janice came along, so pretty an' gay an' attractive, attrac-tive, she got to broodin' on her troubles an' thinkin' life played favorites, fa-vorites, an' something snapped. She hadn't any notion of hurtin' Joe. Course she shouldn't have threatened threat-ened him, but who doesn't do a fool thing or two in the course of a life? Doesn't it restore your faith in human nature to find an officer of the law with the common sense to recognize an accident when he sees one, an' not try to make a criminal out of a female who hasn't enough sense to leave a revolver hangin' in its holster?" Martha Samp's argument seethed like an undercurrent in Harcourt's mind during the afternoon as he packed for Chester, sent messages, helped the Commissioner with his person nan across me woria. wot a chance!" "Jan!" The Incredulous whisper brought her eyes to his. Even his lips whitened. "Jan!" He caught her up in his arms, kicked open the door. His laugh was a caress. "This time I'll carry my bride across the threshold as big, strong men do in the movies and points south." He set her on her feet, gently raised her chin till her head rested against his shoulder, demanded softly: "All right with you. Beautiful?" Eyes valiant, lovely color tinting her soft skin, she answered with an unsteady attempt at raillery. "I never did think much of that trial companionship idea of yours. If you care " "Care! If I care!" In a fury of passion he kissed her eyes, the hollow hol-low in her throat, her mouth. Kissed her vehemently, thoroughly. Said with a husky, reckless laugh:' "That's how I care." Tubby Grant pushed open the door. "First call for tea in the dining-car! You" His voice dwindled to a gurgle. He blinked something suspiciously like tears from his wistful wist-ful green eyes. With a softly breathed, "Praise be to Allah!" ha gently closed the door from the outside. out-side. THE END I. Perhaps you think brother. Absolutely wept him like a red fJ wife does not need 1 have half my salary, need it." 61 I'm not your wife. companion on trial. "figure in that agree- ron think I would ac- W You can't give standing. When you F lie to Ned Pax-pelf Pax-pelf as I was, always my imagination. I jf1" I would do my ut- ' you happy, t didn.t f t if you'd only wait-have wait-have married Milli- ihlT face-doesn,t 'her now. Better P yacht yourself and 2 Proceedings. Once when you mushed dog-team and saw ed le coming home, that only a e-boy waited for ft t ghted window-1 it .nT winter you ;toai me there too. l, ,Cnjured of her lf for him to come i ?Vflre- With a" Volc under rigid con- you will go- 'iTpfh gling sob- ups between her wt threshold she de- |