Show heart of the north by william byron mowery 0 service by william byron mowery THE STORY bandits board the steamer midnight sun tied to the bank of the mackenzie hold up father Cl averly and other passengers kill jimmy formerly of the mounted and fret away with eold dust and corp bill hardsock reports the crime to berst alan baker at the abound police post at fort endurance baker has a dispute with hia incompetent superior inspector haskell over plans tor the capture ot the bandits CHAPTER II 11 continued maybee haskell lit a cigarette and went on studying the map turning he ordered you 11 take the launch and the five men baker and go up the aloiska Alo oska it you dont overtake those bandits reaching the forks leave the launch there split your party three men each and follow up both those branches alan objected but three men against six the six who pulled a trick like that robbery three lightn t be able to handle them got murder charges over them got a fortune in their possession going to put up a finish fight three men can handle them three men with the law behind them A alty cop may be a squad by himself alan interrupted but in the bush a man Is a man A legal bullet t kill any deader than an outlaw bullet men ho 11 hold up a big steamer n broad daylight and who face the gallows it caught aren t going to be paralyzed by the sight of a I 1 believe my party t 1 we ought to stick together and whip up that left branch the fork take t youre merely guessing haskell said coldly you dont know which branch they 11 take by my plan i oud be sure to overtake them on one branch or other les and have half my men shot up I 1 m responsible for them I 1 know what that kind of responsibility means youre hog tying me with orders I 1 know are dead wrong haskell tapped the table with his penknife ive given you my reasons baker and listened to yours if you refuse to obey orders you it stay here at the post and put corporal hardsock in charge of this detail take your choice alan was not the fool to believe haskell was bluffing the man would keep him here and demote him for refusing to obey a command he had been waiting months tor just such a chance it was a question of holding out against those ignorant instructions or getting away with the men and making the best of it perhaps after all he would catch up with the bandits before they reached the forks beaten weary of arguing he gave in all right inspector ill follow both branches to cut off further delay he whirled abruptly on his heel and strode out burgoon came down from barracks A little later whipple came and tim idly took his seat in the launch alan and bill and younge were storing aboard guns tent grub and blankets on the terrace above with a book in her lap elizabeth spaulding watched casually then frank demoniac arh er of the po erful launch slid into ir alan was not the fool to believe haskell was bluffing the wheel seat and slipped in the gears and headed north down the mackenzie they were at last away on the pur suit but all had gone all his leaping urge to be on the chase had gone premonition whispered and its whisper chilled him As he glanced around at his men at the comrades he was leading and was responsible tor be was thinking that tomorrow this time two or three of them might be dead somewhere up the spruce burled aloiska CHAPTER III A call to vengeance during that dash down the mackenzie thoughts were not en viable they used margaret as a means of making their i from the steamer it worked so well then that they might try the idea again they might try to capture joyce and use her as a sort of hostage to protect themselves but somehow he did not greatly fear they would do this he remembered the gun she always carried bis own gift to her on her twentieth birthday A black automatic a tiny thing like a toy it nevertheless was blunt and effective as a terrier bulldog that big red bearded bandit who had threatened to put a bullet squar the eyes of margaret Fo would likely get one between his own if he tried any brutality with joyce mac alllan to alan it seemed pretty clear that all in his haste and excitement had made a mistake about those men bein strangers to every one abband the steamer it look possible they knew this country knew it intimately it took years to learn the ins and outs of so huge a region but they knew alan concluded they arent strangers of course bill just made a mistake half hidden between two blanket packs constable sat fingering his rifle peering ahead anxiously as though at any moment he expected to meet the outlaw canoes here on the mackenzie alan watched him with something of scorn in his eyes whip pie was constantly spying upon the other men listening with long ears reporting thing that happened and a lot that did not I 1 miles below endurance sweep ln near to shore around a great bend alan looked alad and sighted the midnight sun out in midstream plowing steadily up south at his gesture swerved the launch and snubbed its headlong speed and bill began un lashing one of the canoes As the two craft drew nearer alan rose up and signaled that he wished to come aboard the steamer the boat stopped a ladder was let down pad adling across in the he and bill hurried up on deck margaret fournter Fourn ler was safely back on board several of the men hastily patching ona of the smashed canoes had followed up the aloiska a mile and found her on a willow island where the bandits bad set her off when alan came on deck almost his first sight was of jimmy little girl perched upon a pile of cargo showered with care and attention from every one As he glanced at the tiny golden haired tot alan thought of her mother dying less than a year ago of her young father cut down today by an outlaws bullet and he had a swift vision of the bleak orphanage the friendless and homeless life which lay ahead for her now that jimmy was dead he was not deceived by the attention she was getting now every one was all sympathy for her today but that would cool mighty quick and then shed be thrown into some orphanage maybe along with halfbreed and indian children alan thought ashes jimmys child jimmy was my partner its up to me to do something about her with nothing more definite than this in mind he directed ashmun the white haired kapper you put lier olt at endurance tonight give her to elizabeth say be back in two or three days following the old captain he stepped softly hat in hand into the one w ell fitted cabin of the steamer he remembered jimmy as a trait partner and a quiet gentle soul and the most utterly fearless man he had ever known stone he stood beside the berth looking down for the space of halt a minute sick at libart his ees blurring had it been jimmy who was cut down a young man a young father the best and bravest of them all then like a small whisper in hh loss a thought came edged with pride in jimmy and the manner of his death you were the only one who brew a gun lou knew kill you I 1 a belt gun against six rifles but you stood up and shot you were always that kind and so was curt now youre both gone now im alone of us three the desolation was unbearable bill following he turned and went out of the ciban into the sunshine of the deck A grim mood had come over him a mood shot through with personal and deadly intention he was no longer merely the stern and efficient represent ath e of the law vengeance a burning and righteous vengeance had entered his heart with a dozen men crowding amount to listen he questioned skipper ash annn briefly bill said these men were strangers that cant bea you recognize them at all vent you go some idea who they were alan I 1 positively never seen man of em till I 1 looked up and there they stood binting their weapons at us and I 1 see just about everybody that goes up and down the river and they knowel the lay of the land like a book another man spoke up the queerest part of fc alan was fairly staggered bill had reported accurately the men were strangers how under heaven could six men enter this country unknown unseen 1 then granting they had granting a 2 joyce tried to pray that alan wa not leading this patrol them strangers how did they come to know the lay of the land so perfectly where to strike when to strike how to escape by a straight shoot to their one superlative refuge the thai amzah in all his years of police service he had never met quite so dark a circumstance cum stance as this As he and bill went down the lad der the rail was lined with people wishing them a quick capture wishing the criminals a swift and speedy jus tice alan did not hear did not care but as he stepped into the canoe and with a shove sent it skirling toward the launch he did hear one voice from some man on the steamer and it rang in his ears like a croak of evil prophecy going after men like them alan baker better take your luck along 1 at the trading post joyce had lighted candles in the kitchen and trading hall though she hardly knew just when her father would return from his fur buying trip she bad kindled a comfortable alre in his bedroom and had prepared a supper of scones and breaded mushrooms and willow ptarmigan which shet herself bad shot that morning As she stood tiptoe at a pantry shelf away from the crackle and sough of the cook stove she heard some peculiar noise somewhere out in the night she went over to the window and there heard it more distinctly a faint drone that rose and fell with the ground winds drifting out of the spruced spruces the puzzling sound grew louder plainer then suddenly joyce knew the police launch coming up the big aloiska coming slowly be causer of the treacherous channel but on through the twilight in spite of the danger that launch went out only on matters of importance and this patrol must be very important to bring the men up a perilous river at this hour throwing a cape about her ders she ran through the trading hall out into the sharp pine scented air down to the canoe landing at the river bank As she stood on the mud filmed planking with the whispering breeze molding cape and dress closely about her vigorous oung body joyce tried to pray that alan was not leading this patrol her girlish pride was crying out that she did not want to see alan baker her rational mind was warning that it would be better for her if she never saw him again at all but no pride or rationalizing could beat down the secret throbbing expectancy of meeting alan of hearing his voice in a few minutes more TO BE CONTINUED 1 |