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Show ; THE WHITE DESERT : By COURTNEY RYLEY COOPER. (Copyright, Little, Urown & Co.) v (Continued Krm Our Last lanue.) i She pressed her lips t.L-ht. "I'm not Kln ' t'll - yet You' e ! gut to do somi thing for mt firnt. I'm iln trouble " Sh win Hp. akinit mp- i Idly n w. the wurdt flooding ov.-r ir lips l'fiwf n guspi, her cyr.i t. h-r 1 nan flu knitting. "He ran awuy and bft ine for three days. The fir w-nt out -my baby " Hysterical liiughti-r broke from hr dry lips. "My hahy died, and mill he ! didn't come. He " I "Agues!1 Houston grasped her) hands. "Try to control yoursoir: j May he he coulilii't et bnck. The : storm 1 " j ' Yen. the storm' It's always the. storm! Wo would have be-n married - but there was the Kiorm." i Then she halted, for th briefest part ! of a momfiit. to become midden I y madly cajoling, rrazlly cunning. i "Listen. I tarry. You want to know things. 1 ran tell them to you oh. so many of th( rn. I'll tell them, too if you'll only do th's for me. 1 1' my baby my huby. Won't you promise for me? Take htr to a prie.it--plf.ise, 1 Harry -and have her burled In hallowed hal-lowed ground. Won't you. Horrv? Po ynu want me to die, too or do ou want me to live and tell you why I did the thing I did? lH you want to know who was back of everything ' I didn't do It for myself, Harry. It was someone rise- -I'll help you. Harry ; honestly I'll help yon " "A!out the murdir?" Hon it on was tea -ilng forward now. tense, hopeful. Hut the woman shook her had. "No th lra am) the contract. I'll help you about tint if you'll help me. Tak my baby The mun ro.e. "I'll promise. Agnes. If you want to help me afterward, well and good. If not you are free to do as you ph-sse." The woman had rained cugerly. "Then look In a box In the top ' I Impoaaihle. The neareat prleat la at a acitw-mrnt near CreaMlne." i "Creatline?" Houalon Instinctively turned toward the hllla, a bleak, for-j for-j Lidding wall agHlnat the aky. "Will you lend ma Lour Win. to run an errand? I want to get Ila'tlate- for her." Certainly." Hhe apok to the Indian In Rloux then and drew anay. Houston, pointing point-ing with hla head. Instructed the red- ; akin. The Pioun atarted on. aoon to he engulfed In the awlrllng veil of tha 1 atorm. Barry turned again to tha Kirl. I "Juat one more request: I can't enrry the child up there thla w-iy. Will you help strati her to my pack" Hllently ahe assisted him In the grim task of mercy. Then: "Po you know the rsss? He shook his head. Hhe tapped ona Kb'va agnluat the olher. "It Is impossible then. You " - , "I'll mttke It soma way. Thank you for helping me." He surted on. But she called him back. "It'a ilangeroua too dangeroua," and there wua a. note of pity In her voice. "It's Imd enough on foot when there'a no mow-If you're not familiar with It. I-- " "Tell me the way. I'crhnpa I could find It. It's not for myself. 1 made a promise to the child a mother. I'm afraid she'a dying." A new llaht came Into the glrl'a eyea, a light of compassion, of utmost pity. Slowly she came toward Houston, Hous-ton, then hent to tighten the fastenings, fasten-ings, of her snowshoes. "1 know the wny." came quietly. "I have been over It -In summer and winter I will show you." "You! Medulne! I I beg pardon." The outburst had passed his Hps almost al-most before be reallled It. "Miss Koh-Inette, Koh-Inette, you don't know what you're auylng " "1 know the way.", she anawered. without Indicating that aho had heard his remonstrance. "I am glad to go for the suka of- -" She nodded allght-ly allght-ly toward the tenderly wrapped bundle bun-dle on the park. "1 would not feel rlsht otherwise." CHAPTER XVIII. An hour found them In the hills, plodding steadily upward, following the smoother mounds of snow which Indicated heavy, secure drifts. As they went higher, and the wind heat against them with ita hail of splintered Ice purtlclea. Houston saw her heavily gloved hands go to her face In audden pain and remain there. The man went to ber aide, and. grasping her hy the shoulder, atopped her. Then, without explanation, he brought forth & heavy b.tiuiniina handkerchief and tied It about her featurea. aa high aa pnaslhle I without shutting off the alght. Her eyes thanked him. They went on. "A mile more." She aald r.o more. He nodded In answer and extended a hand to aid her over a alippery stretch of Ice-I Ice-I coated granite. The anowfall ceased. I to give way to spasmodic flurrlea of driving white. And It was In one of the momenta jf quiet that Medalne pointed above. Klve aplotrhea showed on tho mountain moun-tain aide tho roofs of aa many cab-, cab-, Ina: the reat of them were hurled In I n"v. No amoka came from the I slanting chimneys: no avenuea were ahoveled to the doorways. ""ne!" Houston voiced tha mono-ayllable. mono-ayllable. "yea. Probably to Crestline. If, too late to turn back now." She looked at him queerlv. then nrned away At last they reached the cabins. There waa no wood: ha tore the clapboards from a nearby cabin and tha tar paper from the wind swept roof. Fiva minutes later a fire waa booming: a girl, tired, bent ahouldered. her eyea drooping from a sudden desire for sleep, huddled near t Houston walked to the pack and took food. I shall be In tha next cabin-awake. cabin-awake. "A wake'"' ' Yea. I'd rather-keep watch." Hut there la nothing ' "'"nf" anowallde-a fresh drift. I would feel easier In mind. Oood night. Then with hla anowahoea and his park of ,i,!h he went out the door to unge through another drift, to force his way Into a cabin, and there go aortdenly about the dutle. of comfort The wind swept night became wind swept dawn, to find him atlli grim and !,,n'' n' wl,n leeplcssneas and fatigue. Then lie rose at a call from without: rm" "Are you ready?" He affixed the pack. Together they went on again, graceless figure, m h,"n.,rl0Ll"n'r' 'hP P'"ntlng the way he aiding her with his strength. In the final battle toward the summit of the range-ahd Trestllne. Noon. And a half cry from both of faded. Kor above waa Crestline even as the in, , settlement had been-amokele... been-amokele... lifeless They had gone rr.m here also, hurrying humans flee, ing with the last snowplow before the einpest. beings afraid , remain, once broken " communication were Roofless houses met them, stacks of crumpled snow, where the beam, had cracked beneath the weight of high piled drift,: staring, glassies, windows and room, filled with white, (lloomlly Iloiisl.ut surveyed the desolate picture at last to turn to the girl. (Continued In Our Next Issue.) drawer. You'll find a crucifix. They they might want to put It on her." In a maaa of tangled, old fashioned Jewelry he found the crucifix. Its chain broken and twlated. and placed It In a pocket. Tlum he turned to the grimmer grim-mer taak and the goodbye. A half hour later, white featured, his arms cupped gently about u blanket-wrapped blanket-wrapped form, he stepped forth into the atorm, and, bending agalnat the wind, turned toward tile railroad in obedience to tho haay dlrectlona of the aobblng woman he hail left behind. The anowfall win lighter now; he could find hla way more easily. Hlack aplotrhea against the snow, two figures suddenly had come out of the sweeping veil a girl and a man. Something akin to panic seized Houston. Hous-ton. The man was lost Wing. The girl was Medalne Kohinctte. Medalne's eyes went with womanly Instinct to the bundle In his arma. "A hatiy!" There waa surprise In her tone. Forgetting for the moment her aversion to the man himself, she came forward, touching the blankets, .then lifting one edge ever so slightly that she might peer beneath. "Where did you find It? Whose Is It ?" Houaton sought vainly for words. And the words seemed to come un-bjdden: un-bjdden: loes It matter?" "Of course not." She looked ut him queerly. "I merely thought I could be of assistance." "You can. Tell me where I can find a priest the lhy la dead." "Oh." She touched the bundle ever so softly. "1 didn't know." Then with o sudden thought. "Hut her mother. She must need " "Only a doctor. I will try to get lla'tlste to come out." "Hut couldn't I " "I'm sorry." He felt that he waa miring hlmaelf hopelessly. He wanted to tell live truth, to aak her aid, to aend her back Into the woods to the assistance of the atrlckvn woman there. Put he could not frame the request re-quest Instead: "I I cant tell you. I've given a woman my word. 8he wouldn't underatand If you went there. With Ha'tlste It Is different. He la a doctor. Ha haa a right. I "I understand." came quietly, and In those two word, Houston felt that her opinion had been formed: that to tier, he waa the father: the quiet 'rm In hla arm hla own child! "You ar asking something almost |