Show Tin n- n r 5 ar w i HE hLL RETRIBUTION V 1 l i I. I Jl a J Ii EDISON MA AI u 5 T e 8 9 COMPAN A y I 4 Liberty That's what It means if the plan goes through For the first time Neds Ned's voice revealed Suppressed suppressed suppressed sup sup- pressed emotion Liberty Liberty He spoke the word a as a devout man speaks of ot God Cod Its the o only lY chance now now or never never he went on with perfect coldness Youve got to hold up till and do your our share share share-I I know you can can If we succeed succeed and and weve we've got every chance its chance Its It's freedom escape escape es escape es- es cape from this i Island and and Dooms- Dooms dorf If It we fail fall Its It's likely death death- but d death ath couldn't be any worse to than this So weve we've nothing lose lose and and everything to gain II by their ardor Lenore enore turned back through the doo door Her Instructions were simple The I. I easiest task of the three was hers Bess took ono one of ot the crude chairs per her ier handkerchief handkerchief clutched clutched as if she had been weeping weeping weeping-In In her lap Ned sat down In one of the other chairs Intending to arise and ex- ex cuse himself the instant ant appeared His muscles burned under under un un- un- un der his skin It was only about fifty yards to the cabin If It came at atall atall all it would be in the space of a afew afew afew few few seconds Could she take the tIle fighting chance Could she rise above e this awful first fear master It scorn it it go her brave way way- In the tho face of it But before ever she she found her answer she found herself at the cabin door Listless terrified almost almost al almost al- al most to the verge of ot collapse she turned the knob and opened the door had not yet et gonto gone gon to his blankets otherwise the great bolt of iron would be in place He Hewa was wa was still sitting be before ore the great glowing stove dreaming his savage dreams The girl halted before him leaning leaning- against a chair At first her tongue could hardly shape the words Her throat filled her heart faltered in her breast Bess asked Bess asked to see you she told him at last She says for tor you to come come to come come- to o her cabin The man regarded her with quickening Interest yet without the I slightest trace of ot suspicion He got up p at once Lenore Jenore stared at him as asIf If in a nightmare She Sheh h had Md d hoped in her deepest heart that he would refuse to come U that at the great test teat of her should be avoided but already he was starting out thedoor thedoor the door She had done her part she could wait here If it she liked till the thing was settled In a a. few seconds see sec sec sec-j she ehe would know know- her fate Yet she couldn't stay here and i wait To surprise she shei followed him hint through the door into the glare of the Northern Lights She did not know what Impulse moved her she was only aware of the growing growing- cold of terror Not only I Ned and Bess would pay U the price I if It the plan ta failed led She must pay 1 too The thought haunted her every step every wild beat of her heart was walking swiftly already he was halfway from the door The desperate fight for freedom freedom freedom free free- dom was almost at hand But what was wa freedom compared to that fear and darkness that is death 1 1 There were no depths of Ignominy beyond her how now She cried out shrilly and Incoherently then stumbling bling through the snow snow caught arm ann No no she cried fawning with lips and hands Dont go in there there they're they're going going- t to try to kill Idil you ou I didn't have any any- to do with It ItI It-I I swear I didn't didn't- and dont don't make me suffer when Ive I've saved you you you- He shook her roughly until the torrent of her words had ceased and she was silenced beneath his lurid gaze You say say they've they've got a trap laid for me he demanded Her hands clasped before him Yes but I say Im I'm not guilty guilty- He pushed her contemptuously from him and arid she fell In the snow Then with a half haH snarl that revealed all too plainly his murderous murder murder- ous rage he drew his pistol from his holster an and started d on Watching through the crack In Inthe Inthe inthe the door Ned saw the girls girl's act rid ind her treason was Immediately evident evident evi evi- dent to him Whatever darkness engrossed him at the sight of the Ignoble girl begging for her little life even at the cost of her lovers lover's not at all in his white set face Whatever unspeakable despair came upon him at this ruin of his Ideals this destruction of all his hopes it was evidenced neither in his actions nor In the clear cool quality of his thought No other crisis had ever found him better disciplined His Hia mind seemed to circumscribe the whole dread situation in an instant He Ho turned met Bess' Bess straightforward gaze saw her smile half of ot complete com corn understanding As she leaped him he snatched up their two hooded outer coats and his arm half her he guided her through the door Whether or not she realized what had occurred d he did not know but there was no time to tell her now Nor or were explanations necessary trusting him to the last she would 1 follow where he led Well Vel have to run for it he whispered simply Fast as you OU can 1 Ned had taken in the situation made his decision seized the parkas parkas parkas par par- kas and guided Bess through the thedoor thedoor door all In one breath the drama of L Lenores Lenore's nores nore's tragic dishonor was still in progress In the glare of the North Northern rn Lights standIng standIng stand stand- Ing ins back to them did not see the two slip out the door snatch ch up their snowshoes and fly Otherwise his pistol would have hae been quick to halt haIt them Almost at once they were concealed except for their strange flickering shadows in the snow behind the first fringe of stunted spruce Ned led her straight toward the icebound sea pe le e realized at once that their last shadow of 01 hope lay In fast fH flight ht that m V t take le them to some Inhabited island before could OVertaKe them never in giving giving- him a a. chase across his own T They IJ ey halted a single InstAnt the the shelter of the tickets slipped en cn their snowshoes then fast as aa they could on to the bea beach beh h. h In scarcely a A. moment they were ere venturing out on the Icebound d wastes M encountered their tracks as aa he reached the cabin door and guessing their Intent raced for far forthe forthe the higher ground Just above th tIe the cabin But when he caught eight sight of ot the fugitives they were already read readout out of effective pistol range He H fired impotently until the hammer clicked down against an empty breach and then still senseless with fury darted down to the cabin for his rifle aBut a But he halted before he reached the door After all there o particular hur hury He lie knew h how w many miles mUes of ice some Ice some of Ita ital most moat Impassable lay Impassable lay between Jils his Island and Island far to the h east It was not the Journey journe for a man and woman tra travelIng travel travel- I. I Ing without supplies There was was no need of sending hIs hia sl singing sing sing- g. g ing lead after them Cold Cola and nd hunger If he gave them play w wo would ld I stop them soon enough A He had however other plans lIe turned through the cabin door spoke to the sullen squaw then be began began be gan to make preparations for forfa fa journey He took a a. cold proof wolf hide robe wrapped In It a great reat sack of pemmican and made It l into to toa a convenient pack for his b back bacic k Then he reloaded hIs hia pistol took tok the rifle down from the wall and d started forth down the trail that Ned and Bess had made Tired though Bess Besa was waa from th the days day's toil toll she moved freshly and d easily at first Ned broke tr trill trail n she a few tew feet behind Sh She had no sensation of cold hard d to steel her muscles moved like the sliding parts of a wonderful machine The Ice fee Was wonderfully lly smooth as yet almost like the first thin bay Ice fee frozen to the depth of safety But already the till kill ing pace had begun to tell sh Sh She couldn't keep It up forever without with but out food and rest And the brute behind her was waa tireless tireless less as s death Itself The Northern Lights died In the sky and the two hastened d don on In the wan light of a little moo mon that was waa already falling tow toward rd the west And now she was waa made niad aware that the night was bitter cold It was getting to herrl herin spite of her furs But as yet She hp gave no sIgn of distress to X Ned d Out of her love for him a ne new MW i strength was born that born that and unnamable strength of wor women n that is nearest Dearest to divinity of a arty any y thing upon this thia lowly earth earth- earth earth-ard she he knew that It would hold her hei herUP up be beyond ond the last limits of ot physical phi phy exhaustion She would not give way to unconsciousness thus thu causing Ned to stop and wait walt be beside e. e side her till she died None to ot these things would she do Her spirit soared with the thc wings resolve Instead her plan was waa ply to hasten on to keep up Itria pace until she toppled forward lifeless on the ice She would II mas mis ter ten herself until death mastered her Then Ned halting but an anDI- anDI ann ann- stant to learn the truth could speed on on al alone ne Thus he would have no cause cause to wait for her On and on through the night the sped over that wonderfully smooth tb Ice never daring to halt halt strange ge wandering wandering- figures In the moonlit no nIl snow But Bess was not to c carm rry her brave braye Intent through end She had not counted on power of observation He sudden suddenly ly halted turned and looked into late her face f It was waa wan and dim dint In the pale pal light and yet something about deepening lin lines s quickened his terest She saw him with witha a a. single syllable of an an oath reached his ha hand d under her hood to th the track of the artery at her throaT t He needed to listen but an Instant to th the fevered pulse pulse- to know knee th the truth IP Were Vere going too fast he told fold her shortly a g X No o-no o no Her tone was ate and his e eyes es narrowed with suspicion Wrenching back her ber herself er self control she tried to sp speak l casually I can l keep up she told him I dont don't feel reel it yet et L Ill I'll tell you ou when I do We cant can't ma mal make e it if we slow up ft He shook his hia head lead wholly un convinced I d dont don't nt know wha wh got Into you ou Bess You cant can't fool lol lolme me I know I feel teel It good a and d plenty and youre you're Just running yourself to death himself himself him self cant can't nt do do- any more than kilt kill killus us us- us But he can can can- kl-III kl Were going to hit an e easier pace Believe me ine hes he's not ru jj ning ning- his heart out Hes He's planning on endurance rather than was waa a fool foot not to to think about you OU until it began to get me me II It was true that the killing I pa Pat ac had been using up the vital ner nervous nervous voua forces of both their bod bodies bodies- S Ned was suffering scarcely not riot a aall f all as aa yet yet but et but he had caught th he first danger danSer signals Bess was al already al already ready approaching ching the danger point of fatigue When Ned started 0 o on again he took a quick but fairl I easy walking pace fali m mn They on in silence n 10 P even glancing back to keep tract track track of And it came abou abou- In the last hours houra of the night t tf tIl the rest both Doth bothof of them so dire needed was waa forced upon them lL f L L' the pow powers rs of nature The woon mag set and generally smooth the Ice was they could not go goby by starlight t. t There was noth nt r to do but rest till dawn Ned Md r a ao Lie down on the Ice and dont don't worry abour moved mO M Si waking up His voice and thrilled her in the darkness at tn the Ill set myself to wake up first ray that's one thing I CS can always do do She lot let her lter tired b boi slip down on the snow rely i I fur only on her warm protect her from It Ned qUick I settled beside her ber And 10 you I better Jle lie 63 s close to O me mecan 55 yo as-yo u can can Con Continued I in ip our n nest neit ext fU 8 1 5 |