Show y f a t I 0 L T I ti aC son i e of w. w J j il Of L rr ie r d E I Into the depths of ot the cavern ern erni she shel l heard beard his Ws slow measured steps receding receding re rc- re- re ceding ceiling she heard them again slow siow h and measured as he be came back Its only about thirty pa paces es esI straight tra bt back he hc was saying I There re I l e made a U little Je ll ot of of I rocks you sou cant can't miss It That marks the place Just Jus t at the thee side of t P J the rock pile where I found ih the gold Theres There's air down U there r th that t comes up p from below And Its It's f tc r better pl place ce to be than here here It If b anyone should come come- t She shuddered Bpi he be had n not t j. j lee seen He fie set to work wor mab making making- ld the If clumsy snowshoes sno shoes T They had ad ma made de th their lr scanty sup lJ 1 P per pers rs after atter It If If both were hungry ii a t They l had ad been een hungry thus for tor four tr days Tomorrow they tIley would be a br are great t deal hungrier the he n next t d day y ti th they would woul begin to starve f King g got ofu up D and out do down the I In th the dark for a last load d of ot of- of woo wood Rood 1 Wh When he came back she was lying Iring on n her bed d her hel face from the light He lie stood a little tug tag ather at her Then hen for the l last st time h he e spoke k to t. h her spa e 0 er J r It If I 1 a am ani long gone one you iou under under- understand stand atan why There Then Is not a chance 1 In In a thousand now that a t those ose men menz z 1 1 a will find this place l C 8 if t the they d do v there is not a a chance i In In 1 another M v thousand th that t. t they will ti find d the I. I middle cave i Yon will be be safe sat sale enough e I And And J Jf f I do not g get t 1 back a k tomorrow you will know that 1 ij t within three days day's s' s more more or four tour at most moat there will be a party in here here herer r A a i to bt bring ng you out CHAPTER XI r r i t. GLORIA f LORIA awoke with a start She h had d not heard hear King go yet she knew that she was alone ill alone ne in III the tha c cave ve Alone I By n now w Mark was s 1 t far away She sprang up and built a afire fir fire Less Leas for tor the warmth though she 1 j cold to the bone bone bonc Ifor the th-e sense of ot companionship She came 1 close clos to the tile fire arid and tor for a n l long ng time would not move from r m it Jt The morning wore wor wore on She vas was 1 vaguely aware of ofa orO ra difference it w was as s as though a presence presen e though what sort she could not tell b had d dj j approached w were re near her all about her She turned and and a glad cry broke broke from il her r Ups A k of t sunshine lay ac across ss U the e rocks rocks' at atthe t I the tho caves cave's mouth I It i was like the e visit J lt of of-an of an angel More ore than that like the face of ot a beloved oved friend d. d Sh She Shee rin ran to the front I and looked out Far below her bel downIn down downIn I In the gorge she saw sa something moving And that plowIng plow plo 1 Ing inQ i laboriously through through depths and drifts of ot loose fluffy n snow snow low was a 0 aman m man Her thoughts r raced td It lt wa was King KinK He was coming back tc tc h her r. r No It was not King U It was Swen Brodie I She began to to tremble violently but fascinated she ahe clung to the rocks Th The man man st struggling weakly against the pitiless wilderness wallowing In the snow seemed to tom tomake tomake m make e his way along the gorge I Inch ch by Inch He carried aoi som ething on his his' back something to which he be clung tenaciously He Ire stopp stopped and nd looked her h heart about him him bow how her rt pounded t then hen n He was looking for tor something seeking something I IBer Her Ber She Sher remained motionless powerless powerless power power- less to move moe though l she tiered Kings King's word of ot the hiding place where she would be be safe safe Brite she Sf p peered red out fascinated 0 rJ In time the man came closer foser and the first suspicion entered her mind that after all It might not be Bra Bro die cUe Then Then he looked UD up It was Gratton Gratto 1 l Gratton Grattan alone Gratton In a n mad attempt to make haste baste where haste was Impossible He was escaping from something Then Tilen what He had left lert the other men b he w was s running run I ning away awny from them A sudden spurt of j pity for tor him entered he her I heart he so 80 beaten belten and bewildered bewildered be be- I be-I and nd frantic and terrified d who bett better r than she could sympathize with with one one In Gratton's predicament predia I ament 1 T Then en she forgot everything thing saving lAvIng that the they had been that they were bo bound nl In a common fate tate She Sho leaned as ns tar farr out ont as she ehe could he was as just below now v the abe caned called to him You I Had not the silence been BO 10 complete his bis gasping voice olce would have bave tailed foiled to reach her her as It It was as washa she Iba barely heard It You Gloria 1 Here My G d have d have I gone mad The mans man's villainy of ot sq few days ago apt appeared eared now In the blessed blesse light of cIrcumstance circumstance a n pardonable a t offense Here wh when no considerations existed save the 7 eternal and vital Hal ones all nIl of ot Gratton's Gratton's Grat Grat- tons ton's futile trickery was as though It had never been She was callIng call call- rf lIT tae inK to him again urging him to clamber up the cliff bidding him hurry before he was aa seen And Am then before her eyes he slumped down dO where he stood lying In the snow I III cant can't Ive I've gone through h 1 h 1 already I am nearly am-nearly nearly dead I couldn't climb up there I I- I Ob Oh my G G-d G d why did I ever come Into this Inferno I l But It Is so easy she cried to him forgetful of ot her own terror at mounting up here I have done It It It I cant cant can't he said miserably It was all I could do to get this far I I-I I I think I am nm dying dying- Again and again she pleaded with him But he had either reached the limit of his p physical endurance or shaken and unnerved he had bad hadnot hadnot not the courage to attempt the steep climb To Gloria came the swift fear tear that the man might be dying I I am nm coming to you 1 1 I she called caned She began making the hazardous descent She did not take time to ask herself If It she could make nn e It she knew only that she must Atter After a weary time she came to the base of t the the cliffs I Gratton was not a doi dozen n paces from her He did did not move but bet looked at nt her ber berIn In In a aJ J strange b bewildered fashion Seeing that be he made no no o attempt to move mope s she le made made her her way i to him Its you you Gloria loria he be muttered But I J don dont don't t understand VI 1 came with Mark King The storm caught t us Just as It caught you But you must come come with me me if IL you He lie le here you will nil be e chilled you will freeze He Be shook his bis head I 1 cant can't he groaned I l am am more d dead d than alive e I tell you He cast a bleak look lookup up up along the cliffs cUffs and dered Id rather lie here and die than attempt lt It It Once more Gloria was urging and pleading It was s so clear dear to her that he would perish If It he lay here Theres a 8 hole in the cliffs clUa Just yonder ld r- r wt yo yonder Gratton Grattan said drearily 1 was was Ya going to crawl In ther there when hen you TOU You called colled e d. d j ai 1 Then Gloria saw for tor the J ini I the oDe opening to that cave nj Gus Ingles Ingle's Bible had been town set W as Calve number one It was as ml 1 most directly under Kings King's cave atthe atthe at atthe the base of the cU cliffs rs Come then she said Lets see If Its It's big enough for tor a shelter Gratt Gratton heaved himself up with a groan Gloria did not wait walt for tor him but b t b began g n the tedious breaking of ot a path th the few feet to the hole bole She could coula see see nothing she heard beard noth noth- ing Nothing save Gratton's hard bard breathing close dose behind her She got gota a grip upon upon bersel herself and made a astep astep step forward paused extended her hel arms arms' to td grope e to for a wall and made mad another step There was still no sound she br breathed thed more freely treely assuring assuring as as- I suring hers herself lt that save for herself the cavern was empty She stumbled stumbled bled overa ar rock k stopped again and called to Gratton Only now was wai he entering g She str struck ck a match carefully cupped tb the tiny flame with her hands and strove to see what l lay layabout layabout y about bout her There was a n Utter litter oi oj dead limbs about her feet She b be began gilD gan gatherIng up some of the small smaller small smaller er brunches branches groping for tor others a aher as asher asher her match burned 1 a out It was wai Glorias Gloria's hands wh which ch started th the fir fire and placed the bits of ot dry woo wood upon UDO it If It The flames llames crackled the the wood caught like tinder Under the flickering flicker tUcker i lag ing bt light retrieved cd much of ot the cavern ern about them from the utter dark Here lIere I stay sn said ci Gratton He dropped d down n and an warming his shaking hands A A- A Amore more abject miserable miserable- specimen of humanity Gloria lori had hild never e er looked I looked k kd d upon H He was jaded Jaded d spiritless cowed But he hew was s a human being and aad she was longer no-longer ir alone I She was I lifted from toa a realm bright with hope King had gone for tor succor she had bad a n co companion n anlon to share with her the dread hours of ot waiting S She I caught up f a burning brand as ns' ns she sheI had se seen Mark n King d do and hold bold I ing It Jt high made a n q quick survey g gIng goIng go go- Ing log timidly step by step stev from the entrance de deeper pcr Into the cavern it It was much like the on one I so EO high above Gratton could notor nolor not nol notor or would not cot climb to the higher cave then tiler why should they nol make tills this their shelter She w would ul have to climb the cliffs nr again ln bul but she would ml have have to do that In an any I case casel Once up there It would b bi be biso I so 50 simple a n. matt matter r to toss down dOWD blankets and food rood and cooking ells BUS a hour half would see her hercamp hercamp camp moved moed from one cave care to the other Eager Engel and excited she began be be- began gan to tell teU Gratton w what at she meant to to do ilo o. o Walt Wait a while he urged her I Iam 1 am am terribly shaken Gloria Do yea joe oi are er c going to get out f of ot of this alive Yes Her lIer v voice rang with n ns- ns I Murk Mark ling King has gone fox foi help All AlJ we have ha to do Is s to wall wait wall for tor a few tew days t I nis ale Ie flew I King He has hns gone He fie hat has left you alone here Again she said Yes Gratton I began plucking at his lip striding up and down n now now w. w It became become ob Pious to her that there had been nothing wrong within him beyond what his frantic terror had done tc him He began to tG look his old self Now Noy Ill I'll go for tor the things In theother the other cave case she suggested And a at atan nn an afterthought Now that you yot are feeling better perhaps you will go up with me and help helt 1 Why he be said Why Why of of course Yes well we'll both go Having seen seen that she had done donI the thing with no mishap he was wat willing to do what before he could not do Come he said sold Lets hurry They r reached ached the upper cave Her fire though low still sUll burned burned She put on more dry wo wood d from the great nt heap King had bad left for foi her She began to look about planning plan ning swiftly j Just st how easiest to move the few belongings which must go with her He Ho came ame forward and stood warming his bis nervous ous hands at hex bet tire And HAnd you ou he said marveling you yon actually came with a man like Ilk King Into a place like this I T was a fool cried Gloria A pitiful little fool tool Oh I You u found King wasn't your yOUl kind he announced You have quarreled 1 i From the very beginning she replied quickly He Is I able nt Ha I J told you I was If i a f fool I didn't know w then q quite what men were some men She She was as not measuring g ever every word now now She meant simply thai that she w was lI d determined to have done with Mark Kin King g holding holding bitterly rl that she would f g go go to anyone t to be bt definitely through with King His eyes eyes' followed wed her as she g gathered up her few tew personal an and Intimate possessions A taInt faint c color lOl seeped Int into hiS hiS- usually colorless lips When When she saw the look In hi bl his eyes she stared at nt him wonderIng wonder wonder- wonderIngly Ing y r What W at Is It Iti she asked h hex hei J voice puzzled What That are yot thinking f He shrugged I was Just thinkIng think fag Ing l how superb yon are he replied Glo Gloria a you are wonderful 1 I An Any And y you m have come com cometo to me De mel I IGlorIa I IGloria Gloria met his rather too ardent adm admiration with that cool little J laugh lough which had been her In other d days ys siJ She was s not afraid of ot Gratton I I came to you she Sl she said said frank tra k ly iy because I I w wt s sa w woman In iri dla J tree treM and hJ had n no tso alternative You Yon nd d' d m in me do dont don't it you He Be hardly heard beard her To his big mind the situation was clearness It Itself I self elfr lt Gloria had come come alone Int into th them the forest with Mark King She had d b been m with him all in these days and nights nightS- But she he and King Ding had quarreled tired o of each other already already already al al- al- al ready perhaps Graf Gratton ton did not care what the reason was was- he was gloatingly satisfied with the out out- come He bad had always coveted her He came a step closer and the firelight showed how the muscles of ot his hla throat w were re working Gloria's Glorias Glan Glo Glo- n ria's rias as a's eyes w widened d ned But not yet did she fear tear Mr Gratton she began Gloria I 1 he e cried out Gloria I His BIB hands suddenly flung out were were upon her Sl She tore them away wrenched herself free tree from him and started back Oh lOh 1 I she cried shrinking not so sO much from him as from the thing she read so So plainly at last Sure Surely ly 11 you do not think you misInterpret misInterpret mis- mis i Interpret my being here bere at nt atall attil all til my being with Mr King u uNo I No cried Gra Gratton on wildly I misinterpret nothing You gave yourself to him you saw your mistake mistake mistake mis mis- take you yon hated him You Tou have ha come to me I have always loved you I want you Her cheeks flamed red with hot anger anier She drew back from him He followed his arms out You know What I mean what I want he was muttering That I II sweet young-thing young Innocence Is Is all allright allright I right In Its place DIsco but bt that place is not hero here alone In the mountains I with a a. manMan man Man I I she she burst burst buret out scathingly You a man I Why you wretched little beast 1 l But Gratton his brain n reeling with hot fancy came carne on His arms groped for tor her Gloria sw swept pt up a n dead pine limb that lay by the he fire 4 I You Beast She Sha Pa Panted ted You Cowardly Contemptible and swung it t in both hands bands and struck him full across the Ee face c He Ie reeled back his hands bands to his face You beast I she panted You cowardly contemptible beast His ms mouth was Vas bleeding And she read In III the gesture and In the mans man's whole cringing attitude that danger of ot any physical violence from rom him was past and done with Mr Ir Gratton Gratto she said swiftly |