Show 1 f O Q r sr I I r aC son i of i c- c tf a Of G f ii SERVIcE I r h would not give rIve her up up would would she have wrenched away from him hot with anger or anger or would she have 2 i V crept close and known at nt last whether or not she loved him But Buthe Buthe he turn turned d and went off oft for tor his wood she crouched shivering by bythe bythe the fire Ore They breakfasted d In silence the tire fire between thorn diem Neither did much more than drink the strong sl J f coffee He went methodically about camp work cleaned the plates and cups and pans remade the two r packs All this thus time she did not f c. c stir At last he came back to her herand herand and stood by the d dying Ing fire ominously om on silent Theres n a days day's work to b be done t he said at nt last His llIs voice meant to be Impersonal was only stern That means menns an early start You see we didn't come very far yester yester- y day r ThIs Tills she supposed was a n fling at nt ather ather L her and she stiffened under it It begins to be rather rattier obvious that 1 l should not have ha come Doesn't It she asked Well Now Note If It I turn back back back- To the house hous 1 i I And then to mamma and papa In n Coloma And then to San Fran Fran- i Cisco 8 And I 17 i. i t If It you would go with me as far faras faras as the house house- house It She saw how his body straightened straight straight- c ened how his broad shoulders squared Mark King with no toleration tol tol- i. i of a clutter of side Issues came straight to the main barrier harrier which must be swept aside for tor good c and all or which must be skirted and EO so passed and relegated to the limbo of dead hopes Do you love Io roe rne Gloria 1 he de de- As lovers love lore As 1 have ha loved you As a wife should love e her husband I explain all of ot that last lat VV V V night she said petulantly Must V V we go over o It all nil again I thought I made you see how I was placed how flow there was but the one thing for tor me tue to do Marry Gratton or me And you chose me She hesitated She knew that he hf was angry though he gave gD so littlE V outward sign Nor did she fall tc recognize that he lie had grounds tot foi anger But none the tile less she re vented his Insistent questionings I I I Intended she sue began In a low I afros strange ga voice to go lie to you to tell you rou- you Answer me mc me he said sternly c- c Yes Tea or no Did you marry me V r without love and Just to save yourself yourself your your- self from possible gossip of being 1 alone all night with a man Is that why you rou married me Yes or no no To Gloria as to King the Issue was clear and not to be clouded to her credit be It said that she wasted no time in fruitless evasion e Yes she answered defiantly Then suddenly It was given n h her r to see a Mark King she had never dreamed of ot a 0 Murk Mark King of ot blazing biasI blaz bias wrath wroth thrusting aside the man I ing lug t f whom she knew and who had held heldi i 1 1 r himself in check and throttled h 1 1 down his emotion until she ste spoke The word E f that quiet Yes was 1 1 like a spark to a train of or 1 I der His few words seared and andi i scorched a place in her memory to endure always s You are utterly contemptible 1 I he shouted at her And I am nm done j f with you If 1 i f He lIe turned and left her Until thelast thelast the j last second he be had sought not to 4 condemn too soon Now r after his ills I fashion he condemned sweepingly s For the moment he held that she was less to him than the grime upon his boots He coiled colled his horses horse's tie rope and led him back to camp As he drew near Gloria promptly turned herback herback her herback back and studied her nails she counted fully tully on bringing him to a full tull and contrite sense of his crime before rc she condescended so much as ns to look at him But when she sho flashed him a n quick furtive glance glanco she saw that he had his this back upon her and that he gave ga neither hint of softening nor yet of or knowledge of her presence He began making his pack When she noted how he took from their breakfast breakfast break break- fast tast table one cup one plate one oner oner r r- r r knife and fork for only how he did j not appear Interested In the marmalade marmalade mar mar- malade Jar which she knew had been brought for her how he left i half halt of at the coffee and bacon and sugar a n strange ularm alarm came over her He lIe was going to leave len her I King went swiftly about his i preparations He lIe did not even en see seesT T s I her he studiously kept his eyes ab of Within his soul he swore that he would never ne look at her again He took up his rile rifle You are not going to leave me her ber aJO tire ore you 1 Gloria det de de- t I mended coldly I am going on was his Ills curt rejoinder re re- Joinder And I U she persisted What you ou please Terror sprang up into the girls girl's heart henrt I would never find my way out she cried Jumping to her ber feet and coming coining toward him I am nm not used to the mountains I dont don't know which way I would die You have hn made me waste time as ns it Is and I promised Ben that Id I'd b be In Gus Ingles Ingle's caves with no notime notime notime time lost So I am going on But and all of her surging terror terror ter ter- ter trembled In her rushing words I would die I tell teU you And I tell you ou he snapped back at nt her that I dont don't care a ad d n d-n n If it you ou do Must I tell teU you you twice that I am through with you He set his foot In the stirrup Gloria pride lost In panic ran to him bim and grasped his arm crying to him If you wont won't take me back then let me go with you Worthless and selfish and cowardly cow cow- cowardly ardly I 1 Useless and vain and brainless brain brainS less Good G G G-dl dl I am I a man full fuU grown to l loiter lter on the trail with the like of you ou Let go He shook her hand off roughly and swung up Into the sn saddle dle Gloria screamed after him calling out Mark MarkI Mark For Gods God's sake dont don't leave me I am afraid I will die of fear tear Take me with you i He did not look back at her but buthe buthe buthe he did pause After all she was the daughter of his old ld friend The woods are free and open he said slowly To 10 even such as you For the third time and for tor the thelast thelast thelast last I tell teU you OU this I am done with you But Dut If It you like you may follow follow fol fol- fol low behind me I will watt wait for you ten minutes Not here but on the ridge up there And If It you have not come I t will go on at the end of that time That Is my solemn word Gloria Gaynor He rode from rom her straight and massive In the saddle She stood like one ane In a sudden trance Then with an Inarticulate moan she ran Into the grove and grasped Blackie's rope la In half the allotted 1 time she came riding up the ridge Now Nov King glanced toward her briefly But less at nt her than at nt her pack You had better go back for the rest of the grub he said to herAnd herAnd her And for your blanket That would be ms my advice to the devil himself You can do It In the five minutes left to you ou You hideous brute she flung at nt him But none the less she hastened hastened has has- back for tor the outfit Five Fire minutes min min- utes later they rode on Into the ever ever- deepening wilderness she Just keeping his form In sight he never turning nor speaking I CHAPTER VII OR his brutal treatment of her FOR Fon Gloria fully meant that In the ripeness of time he should pay to the utmost After that first panic she felt toward King only such anger anger an nn ger as she had never experienced before never having cause for it I Coolly and collectedly she turned I her thoughts upon the insufferable Insult The decision was cold and stubborn he be would pay and in full tuU When her fear tear died as It did swiftly swift swine ly after the way of fear It left lert not the old hot anger but a new elemental elemental ele ele- ele- ele mental emotion emotIon cold cold hatred Thus upon the second morning the honeymoon entered upon its second second sec sea ond and phase Every ery moment brought some new discomfort to her the saddle hurt her ber her clothes were torn her tender skin bruised and scratched pains came with early fatigue As for King being beIng being be be- ing a man of ot high honor he convicted convicted con con- her out of hand as one wIthout without without with wIth- out honor despising her he despised despised de de- ed himself for Cor having linked his life lite In ever so little with hers At ten o'clock the air was sun sun- warmed and sweet In the upland meadow meadO through whose narrow boundaries a n thin cold stream trickled they King slipped sUpped Bucks Buck's bridle and let the animal forage along the fringes of the brook To 10 Gloria he said Better let your our horse eat Weve We've got to go pretty steady to get anywhere anywhere any where today Gloria got down stiffly from her saddle In all the da days s 's of or her life lite she had lead never been s so o unutterably weary Further she was faint with hun hunger er and antl her throat pained her she went to the tile creek and threw herself down and put her face tace Into the cool water from which she rose with a fl long long- sigh King Icing made coffee and frieJ bacon While he lie with his tire Ure he lie looked kd wore than than once once at C the sk skIn slay sky in n the southwest With all his heart he wished that he had turned back with Gloria this morning By now he lie could hn have e set her ber feet In Ina Ina ina a trail which even a fool could travel el back bock to the tube log house and he lie could be again hastening upon his errand When his coffee was rea ready y he called to her saying In Indifferently i Better have a cup It helps But Dut I Gloria did not reply King when i ibe be he had drunk his own coffee and she still lay quiet on the grass I 1 I 1 r r 1 A h I. I 1 r Better Have a Cup It Helps But Gloria Did Not Reply sweetened a cup for Cor her put some milk In It It and set it at her elbow Better drink it he said coldly And Gloria gathered her strength and sat up and drank Thereafter she ate some bread and potted ham King his back to a n tree sat and smoked until the hour passed Precisely at nt one ne o'clock they were on their way Gloria caught her own horse coIled colled the rope and mounted By four o'clock when it seemed to Gloria that she had reached and passed the limits of her endurance came two momentous occurrences oc oc- For the first time King had briefly mistaken the trail they were on the steep flank of the mountain mountain moun moun- tain he lie turned and abd rode back The liThe trails trail's down here he be announced announced an an- shortly He did not lift his e eyes es to her face His look was all for tor her ber horse and a new and unreasonable unreasonable unreasonable un un- un- un reasonable spurt of anger was In his heart Through her ber unbounded Ignorance she had needlessly fatigued fa ta fa- fa her mount Gloria understood dully that she was too far Car up and must ride down downto to his level With a sudden jerk upon the reins she brought Blackie about King cursed under his breath too steep I 1 he called to her Want to kill kilt your horse Blackie tried to swerve and sidle down Gloria lifted her whip and struck him Blackie snorted and obeyed her command Some loose dirt gave way underfoot the tired beast stumbled a n dead limb caught at nt his legs tripped him and Blackie lurched downward and fell tell Through the grace of ot fortune Gloria rolled clear and nod unhurt Blackie got up tottering with one quivering fore leg lifted Kings King's face tace went black with rage He Ile dismounted and made his way up to the lamed horse Gloria without without with with- out stirring and without experienc experience experiencing ing emotion watched him listlessly then shut her eyes Her most clear cleur sensation was one of or relief they would no doubt make camp here A cold drop of rain splashed on her cheek She opened her eyes ees King was removing remo Blackie's s 's sad sad- dle die Gloria closed her e eyes es again and sighed Come Conic on on called coIled a voice as ns though from some som great distance Weve Wee got to hurr hurry as fast as God will let us Blackie was standing where King had led him Glorias Gloria's rolled canvas pack and the rifle were across Kings King's back He lIe was going on foot expecting her to take his horse I III cant can't she said miserably I You can do what you please hi he retorted curtly I am nm going on She rose and went stumbling down the slope She swa swayed ed as ns she tried to mount but he did not offer his band When she was In the saddle he strode on ahead Blackie looked ed after otter them wistfully The liThe legs leg's not broken King told her gruffly grum Just a n bad sprain Hell He'll take care core of ot himself God knows hes he's got as good a chance as we have ha What do you OU mean menn she asked quickly lie He merely swung his arm toward the sk sky by way of answer and went on The second big rain drop hit bit Glorias Gloria's cheek It was chill chili Its chillness chilliness seemed to drive straight to her heart The flie storm cau caught them as it has bas j I caught so 50 many a wayfarer before and since Ince For twenty minutes they crouched in what scant shelter was az afforded them by a squat wide- wide limbed cedar Then through the still air fell teU scattering flakes of snow big and unbroken and feathery feath feath- ery err Again Glorias Gloria's tired body was assured assured as as- surer of ot rest again again King said ex ex- I Come on 00 This time he helped her into the saddle being In haste and of oC no mind to wait walt for tribes Presently the flukes flakes grew fewer and then Ulen ceased utterly anti and with their departure the last light of oC the day nl was gone Now J Iu led the horse nut and Gloria Cluria rode rOIe n a gathering darkness o Now o and then she half dazed At In si it wits wa pitch dirk lirk and the rain was wm beginning ln l King had hud stopped and helping hl her down She he was numb now in body her bruin brain was numb Site Slie he waited until un tin til m KIn King prepared some kind of or a shelter and then went vent wordlessly to It she felt fir houghs under her aching ach adl ing body hody and amI was In pure animal fashion conscious of oC blanket and canvas comas over o her Iter and of n a grateful warmth Through a tangle of or bushes she site saw the flicker of a small fire she smelled coffee she drank half halt of a hot cup which he brought her Then she passed like Ilke a n child Into n a heavy sleep By his hIg fire lIre of oC little cheer Mark King sat with his canvas drawn over oer his slumping shoulders his head down his heart as us black as the night his soul possessed by ravaging ravaging ra aging blue demons At the end of ot ofa ota a fools fool's day came a n fools fool's night He ne should have turned hack back with Gloria the first thIng tiling thU morning mornIng- he should have done nn anything In tho the world save e. e exactly what he had done clone After the cold wet night came a soth sodden en morning KIrg r stood up and looked about him curiously and a n. glint of satisfaction came Into his eyes J I To Be Continued |