Show a r y w i. i n nw w ac son i e of r Cop as S 6 n ti t J r r CHAPTER III r 4 G LORIA LOnIA was genuinely glad to see King returning to herIt herIt her herIt It seemed that you were gone hours bours she said I never saw such sucha a dreary lonesome place as this sleepy little town It gives me the fidgets she concluded laughingly As side by side they went along through the sunshine King noted how bow Brodie Brodle and a couple of men came out to look after them He Be heard the low sullen bass of the unforgettable unforgettable un un- un- un forgettable voice saw that Brodie Brodle bad had left his companions and was going straight to old Honeycutt's shanty King frowned and for an instant hung on his heel drawing Glorias Gloria's curious look You dont don't like that big man with the big voice said GloriaNo Gloria No he said tersely It Is Swen Brodle Brodie Yes es But how do you know Oh I know lots of things people dont don't think I know knowl J All girls do Girls are rather knowing creatures I wonder If It you realize that I dont don't know much about girls he smiled at her Dont you like girls she asked For once she wasn't fishing she wanted to know Of Ot course I do he told her heartily As well as a man can can can- under the circumstances flY You ou mean not knowing them better better better bet bet- ter When he nodded she looked up at him again hesitated and then demanded You lIl like e me dont don't you She had never asked a man that before she was not accustomed to employ either that direct method or of matter tone Just now there was no hint of the coquette In her hershe she was Just a grave-eyed grave girl as serious In her tete-a-tete tete with an Interesting male maJ as sh she could have been were she sixty years old Of course I do he said heartily a little surprised by the abruptness of the question and yet without hesitation Very much She flushed prettily she Gloria Gaynor flushed up because Mark King said In blunt unvarnished fashion I like you very much The grave e sobriety went out of at her here e eyes es they shone happily Through the long shadows of evening evenIng eve eve- evening ning they rode back to the log house Gratton looked at them sharply and suspiciously King with a nod to the various guests and a few words with Mrs Gaynor entirely given to warm praise of her daughter daugh daugh- ter ter drew Ben aside for a discussion of at conditions as he bad had found them and left them today He was vas dead sure that BrodIe Brodle had gone back to Honeycutt bad had gotten what he wanted and was off In a line bee to put to the proof the old mans man's tale lale Gloria was Vas oft off to bed early saying sayIng say say- ing lag good night everybody rather absently She climbed up ap the stairs wearily When her mother slipped away from the others she found Gloria ready for tor bed but standing before her window looking out at atthe the first stars Gloria usually had so eo many bright gushing things to say gay after a day of pleasure but tonight to to- t c night she appeared oddly pied pled Oh Im I'm dead tired mamma mamma she said Impatiently Nothing hap hap- Ill I'll tell you tomorrow tomorrow- anything I can think of at And now good night Im I'm so happy She kissed her mother and added I didn't tell Mark good night night night- Mark Already my dear lie He was outside with papa said Gloria slipping Into bed Will WUl you tell him good night for tor me Hes gone retorted her mother with a certain relish Gonel Gone J Gloria sat up a very pretty picture of ot consternation Where Back Into the woods Where he be came from rom of ot course Gloria was silent and thoughtful Then Good night mamma she offered offered of of- again her cheek snuggled against her pillow And put out oat I the light as you go please Mrs Gaynor accepted her dismissal dismissal dis dis- missal though reluctantly sighed and went out As the door closed Gloria tossed back the covers and sprang out of ot bed going again t ther to o her window Through her mind swept a dozen vivid pictures all o oKing of ot f King most of them of him out there alone with the night and th thet the e t mountains All day she had thrilled L to him Now more than ever sh she e thrilled She wondered If It he would woul d d come up with Swen BrodIe Brodle most o of ot f all she wondered when she would 1 see sec him again Next Nest m morning Gloria was mildly y surprised that Gratto Gratton did not ap a appear p pear In the least to resent her da dayot day Y of ot adventuring ad with King He w was as I I interested but his Interest seemed to be chiefly In that quaint little relic of at past turbulent days Coloma Co- Co loma He lIe had her tell him all about it of ot the deserted houses everything Hence Dence his curiosity in and BrodIe Brodle and Just what happened between King and rind them did not stand out alone and made no Impression on Gloria By the end of ot the week the guests began taking their leLl leaves ves Ben leaving his oldest and most dependable depend depend- dependable able timber Jack to look out for the womenfolk hastened back to the lumber camp where he returned like a fish to water to his hs old pipe old clothes and roomy boots And Gloria was plunged deep Into lone lone- liness She grew mildly homesick for t town own A theater dance a ride through the park Activity And people It was for her mother that she consented to remain here another another an an- other week Mrs Gaynor declared that she must have a few more days of ot rest she was worn out from a year ear of going eternally entertaining 01 or being entertained Gloria succeed succeed- succeeded ed In getting her mother to drive with her frequently to Tahoe to call on those of their friends there who had bad come to the mountains so early In the season It was after one of ot these absences ab nb- absences ab- ab that Jim Spalding the old timber jack told Mrs Gaynor in tn his abashed stammer that Mark King had showed up while they were gone He had appeared late yesterday yesterday yesterday yester yester- day afternoon coming out of at the woods Looked like hed he'd been I It an gon goin it hard at that Had told Jim he wanted to tele tele- phone Had stuck around for awhile a awhile while gettin hIs bis call through bad had eaten supper with Jim had bad gone back into the woods Just about dark That was all ali Jim about it Rather that was all that he supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed he be knew until Miss Gloria was done with him She dragged other bits of information to the surface King had phoned her father father fa fa- ther they had talked ten minutes Mr Gaynor was to telephone to the log l house ouse again tomorrow or next neat day There would be a message for forKing forKing forKing King mos' mos likely from Coloma King wanted to know something Ben was to find out Ben would turn up within a few tew days for the message Twenty-four Twenty hours later the telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone rang and Gloria heard the operator saying Coloma calling Ben Gaynor's residence Coloma I J thought Gloria with witha a quickened heartbeat Then it wouldn't be her father after all nIl it would be Mark lark King King- But her father It was and she was disappointed The message however however however how how- ever was as for King Mark will show y up ap In a day or so he said Tell him that Idid I IdId Idid did as he asked that old Honeycutt boasts that what he be has hidden bidden nobody nobody nobody no no- body is going to find I think if It he ever talks to anyone It will wUl be to tome tome tome me and nd Ill I'll run in and see him whenever I get a chance to get over here And tell teIl King that that that-that- that Oh I guess that's all better let me have a word with your mother Ben Gaynor was n never ver the manfor mantor man manfor for tor successful subterfuge especially with his daughter she could read every look In his eye every twitch I of at his bis mouth and now over many I miles of country telephone lines she knew that her ber beloved old humbug of at a male parent was holding out outon outon outon on her Realizing that a father at the end of at a n long-distance long line was possessed of a certain stra strategic advantage presenting more difficulties ties than a mother at hand she said tightly lightly All right papa Ill Til call her Be sure you take good care of at your your- self She relinquished the telephone Instrument to her mother and stood waiting She could hear the buzzing of at her fathers father's voice but no distinct word Her mother said Yes and Yes and Yes es Ben And then Oh Ben Bent I J I dont don't understand And then her ber mothers mother's voice votes sharpened and she cut ait into something Gaynor was Iva a saying I 1 cant can't say an anything thing ilk like that J I It Is as though we suspected suspect suspect- ed d him of at being underhanded And And And- Such scraps of ot talk were baffling and antI Gloria with scant patience forthe for tor forthe the baffling moved mo up and down restlessly When her mother had clicked up the receiver Gloria followed followed fol to lowed her ber and demanded to be told In five ll minutes her daughter knew everything Gaynor had said King was to be told that Gratton Instead of going straight to San Francisco had gone down to Placerville and next nest had turned up at nt Coloma that ho he had spent three da days s there that he had gone several times to Hone Honey Honeycutt's Honeycult's cults cutt's shanty and bad bod been seen more than tuna once with Swen BrodIe Brodle Its an outrage cried Mrs Gaynor Gaynor Gay Gay- Gaynor nor to retail all that to Mark King What business of his Is it if Mr Gratton does go to Coloma or anywhere else We are going back to San Francisco tom tomorrow I 1 Why mammal mamma J After papa has trusted to us to see that his message message message mes mes- sage Is delivered 1 I G Gloria orJa looked shocked Incredulous Surely So they waited wafted for tor Mark King to come again out of ot the forest But the day passed and still he be did not come Mrs Gaynor went off to bedat bed bedat bedat at nine o'clock Gloria suddenly absorbed ab ab- absorbed in a a. book elected to sit up and finish her chapter At eleven o'clock the air was chill chUl and Gloria as she went upstairs shivered a little little lit lit- tle and felt tired and vaguely sad I The next nest day dragged by King did not come By nightfall the look lookIn lookIn lookIn In Glorias Gloria's eyes had altered and a stubborn expression played havoc with the tender curves of ot her mouth She resented at this late date Kingsway Kings King's Kingsway Kingsway way of going not only had he not told her ber good good-by he had left no word with her father for her 1 Two O da days s later Inter she said to her mother out of a long silence over the coffee cups Lets go back to San Francisco This stupid place gets on my nerves Why of ot course dear agreed Mrs Gaynor That day they left Jim Spalding In charge and departed for tor Truckee to catch a train for tor San Francisco Mrs Gaynor dutifully to Spalding her husbands husband's message for forMark forMark Mark King That is to say that portion portion portion por por- tion of the message which she considered considered con con- Important Three or four tour weeks passed before before before be be- fore Mark King and Gloria met again Weeks of busy gayety on her part of at steady persistent seeking seek seek- seeking ing on his Now again Gloria and her mother and Ben were at the log SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS In 10 tho the C California sierra Mark King KIne pros prospector tor tees ecea Andy Parker killed by Swen Brodie Parker Parkers outlaw companion both known to King who It Is lIon on his bis way to tho the home bome of 01 an IlD old friend Den Ben Gaynor Their friendship strained by Gaynor Caynor's marriage King has bas not met Mrs Mra Gaynor nor Gloria Gaynor Caynor's cl year old year old daughter King and Gaynor share with Brodie Brodle and hi his hla crowd knowledge of a vast vall tore store ol of gold cold bidden to m the sierra years year before A pros prospector tor Loony LooDY Honeycutt Honey cutt Butt Is I. believed to know the hilling hiding place King meet meets Mrs Gaynor and aad ends end's Is 15 Impressed Impressed Im lm- pressed by Gloria Glorias youthful beauty Among Gaynor's Gaynor EU gueste ta Is Ia Gratton Cratton San Francisco capitalist apparently a favored suitor for Glorias Gloria's hand With Gloria King rides to the tho village of Coloma Intending to sound Honeycutt He finds Brodie with the tho old pros prospector tor and animosity ity flares Brodio threatening King KIna house In the mountains this time tim e with a fresh set of at guests Only on one e of ot the former flock had been Invited invited In in- In- In Mr Gratton King came the day after the guests guest s arrived For a talk with Ben Gloria gave him a bright little nod friendly enough but casual and r re resumed her lively chatter with he her re-I re r friends King went off oft with Gay Gay- I nor That night King betook himself himself him him- self to smoke upon the porch Gloria slipping sUpping out from a dance felt feIt the little thrill that would no not t down when she found him there In their two chairs the faint fragrance fragrance fra fra- grance prance from her gown and hair hai r blown across his face tace by the night nigh t breeze for breeze for them his bis pipe hastily ty y laid aside they aside they sat talking softly or In a pleasant silence The next morning the morning the matter seemed to a arrange arrange ar ar- r range Itself with little help fro from m either they either they were to have a ride to gether They would take their lunch When they said good night Gloria Glori Impulsively gave him hm her tw two hands he remembered how bow she ha had bad d done that the first time be he had seen see n her ber Her Ber face was lifted up to his bis f in tn inthe nII II the starlight he saw her eyes shInIng shinIng shin shin- Ing lag softly gloriously he ho saw her bet mouth the lips barely apart For Foran Foran Fo Foan r an Instant his hands bands shut down baron hard bard bardon hardon d rd re on hers he be felt the faint pressure pressur e of ot her own In return When the they y heard beard her mother in tn the doorway y I calling Gloria where are you they started apart Gloria whispered whis pored Good night Mark and then the n calling Here I am mamma Just jus ng cooling off otT she went skipping g down the porch slipped her am arm m about her mother and carrIed and carried he her herback herback r back Into the house Before the new day was fairly y come they met in the fringe of ot the tin pines Again they shook hands again for an Instant they stood a athey as ns s they had stood last night The They st were tremblingly close to the first firs t kiss Suddenly Gl Gloria with he her r color high and her eyes bidden hidden a un- un n. n del dec lashes which King marveled at I lashes laid tenderly against he her r cheeks pulled her ber hands out of ot hi bis bisana s ana and began drawing on her gantlets gantlet s Gravely as though here bere were a rib rite e to be approached solemnly he be Lifted lifted lift ed her Into the saddle They turned turns d their horses and rode up the ridge e among the trees He Be promised to show her his hi hiest latest latest lat lat- t est temporary camp They came to t tit it before noon at an altitude of ot we well 11 above seven thousand feet teet In a grassy open space they left theli thel t horses King carried their lunch rind h bundle and they went on on toot foot His Hs camp was uns In a little nearl nearly y level spot sheltered by cra crags a and s so 0 hidden bidden by them that one must come corn e fairly farly upon it before guessing It Its s proximity A wild place savage savagely y silent save eave for tho the hissing of ot the wind around the cliffs cUffs above Kin King made a fire where already there was a little heap of or charred coals |