Show 0 t 0 r t. t i fiill Y ll J e l Eve w Lu SYNOPSIS As Alan Garth prospector Is preparing preparing pre- pre paring to leave for Cor his mining claim In the tho Far North a plane piano lands at atthe atthe atthe the airways emergency station In It are Durton Burton millionaire mining magnate mag his daughter LIlIth Lilith Lil- Lil ith and Vivian pilot and mining engineer Believing him tobe to tobe tobe be only an Ignorant Ig prospector themen the tho themen men offer to make malo an air trip to Garth's claim although h they refer reCer I Ito to his samples of t platinum bearing ore as nearly worthless Lilith product of ot the tho Jazz age plainly shows her contempt for Cor Garth Through Garth's guidance tho the thoC C pIano plane soon reaches s the claim site and Hamill after acter making several tests assure Garth his claim Is nearly valueless but to encourage encourage age young oung prospectors they are willing willing willing will will- I ing to take a chance chanco In Investing a small email amount Sensing treachery ahead Garth secretly removes e a part from the pianos piano's motor and Lilith taunt Garth with his gullibility gulli guili but their tone changes when they try to start the crippled plane Returning to shore they try to force Coree Garth to give up tho the missing part Garth manages manac-ee to set the monoplane adrift and the current carries It over tho tto rails falls He lie points out to the en enraged enraged enraged en- en raged trio that th he Is their only hope In guiding c them out of ot the tho wilder wilder- ness CHAPTER III III-Continued III Continued 5 Where the spring rill rm came burbling burbling bur hur- bling over o ledges down to the rocky shore share he halted In a n small clear clear- ing Here had been his camp on his previous pre visit to the valley alley Ten feet up the trimmed branch-trimmed trunks s of four closely grouped birch trees a n tattered moosehide hung over oer the edge ede of a n pole platform Garth glanced up at the platform Wolverines Woh have robbed the food cache But theres there's plenty more meat on the hoof While I go for tor tt- tt ttA some Borne you OU two will start gathering wood Miss ner es nerves were on edge ede She snapped at nt him hysterically Bally cally You Insolent buIl bully I Dont Don't you dare to tr try to give me orders Her father had squatted down 1 on the warm rock tired out by hi bl his days day's exertions Garth spoke to him Too much Is enough The condition condition con con- was that all three of at yO you l I would do as I thought best promptly tried again to bluR bluff meNow me Now ow ow your daughter balks Mr raised his down sa sagged ged head bend not be able to say that of at me young oung man I 1 stand by your terms I alwn always s 's splay play to win But no one can truthfully truth truth- ful fully Cully y claim I ever welch or re re- I woke voke I will take your orders and I so EO will Vivian now that he has bad had time to realize the situation I How now about your daughter I Ill lea leave leae e that t to you If It youcan you youcan yon can control her you'll be doln doing more than I 1 have ever been abl able to do Garth met the disdainful gaze oze of ot the girl with a smile So your father turns you over to me m my ms lady Jady Let me hasten to assure you I be beg to decline the honor Ah Au Indeed Yes Ill I'll let old Mother Nature spank you till you come to your senses Her blue eyes flared with scorn scorn- it Oh you you yon you 1 D n D-n n I 1 If f Better save e your energy enery he ad need it all all unless your pride stoops to to the squaw work of ot fire camp tending Smoke drives off orr Insects For another thin thing no wolf wolverine ne or lynx or even a n grizzly will venture close cose to a n fire Think that over Mr fin Ra- mill you ou have hn your our patent lI lighter He swung away between the spruces without waiting for any re re- re- re ply Left alone with her exhausted father the girl might come to realize rea ren laze lize how utterly she had crashed out of her soft and luxurious civilized civil civil- zed hed environment A girl whom even en her father had bel been n unable to control 1 I That had been evident from the first She was ns a n badly spoiled product of or the jazz age willful jazz willful arrogant utterly selfish Fortunately she had shown herself no less hard physically than mentally Otherwise he would have e played the game In a different a way No ho weak weak muscled woman could make that travois to the Mackenzie As for her father he had hud only himself to thank A pirate should e expect to take e his chances He lie might be gotten otten out to the river and he Iw might not That depended upon his heart nearL Soft Sort muscles could be hardened harl Not so a weak heart henrt No Nu question as to the girl Irl and if the they obeyed orders The They could make It A A. crash In the alders broke In upon t Garth's thoughts The splash that followed told him a mouse moose had ell caught n h t his scent and und taken WIen to the lake To have run to the bank and shot the swimming beast beast- would have hun h been heen en easy Only he had no nu canon canoe or raft or-raft raft and the water here was rather deep offshore He lie stalked through the timber For the first hundred feet or so out from the shore thickets wil wll willows lows grew along both sides of or the thelow thelow thelow low edge A peer through the foliage toll foil age showed the time Immense palmate antlers of or an nn old bull hull moose Garth flattened down on the thc moss covered dyke and crawled away from rom the bank Shoreward on the other side he caught sight of a slight movement mo among the willows s lIe He rose on his knees and swung up his ripe rille Though he lie was still screened by the brush alongside along alone side the ledge lede his quick movements sent a strong whiff of or scent man downwind With loud snorts of ot alarm two cow moose a n calf and a n young bull heaved hen up among the willows less than thun n a dozen yards apart The They started to plunge forward fOr out of the thicket Garth's first shot dropped ed the cow with a l bullet through the head hend His second second sec sec- ond and bullet glanced off ofT the base hase of the bulls bull's left antler Partly stunned by the time shock the hull swerved ed sideways s ani only to drop In his tracks s shot through h the heart A few steps along the bank banI brought ht him to n a game ame tr trail ll through the thickets He laid down his his rille ripe and amI waded out to the dead lead bull The bod body lay on a n down down beaten beaten mat matot of ot willow sten stems s. s Garth at once set setto setto setto to work with his knife When he had finished with the bull he went to the cow She weighed perhaps pounds less and was as therefore easier ensler to dress dress' o out t. t With the two skins shins and all nil the meat ment ashore he took a dip dtp In a clear pool and washed his buck sl skins As be he sloshed out of th the willows In the theet wet et garments he saw Miss staring through h her headset at nt the eight bl big legs les He had hooked them on the stubs of or spruce limbs Her gaze low ered from rom the other raw moose t products that were piled on one of or the hides She turned from them Faugh laugh What a sickening mess Have Hn you started a n packing plant 1 The packing is just about to start he replied Are you too feeble to carry this rolled skin Its It's the lighter one That filthy thing You may be sure Im I'm not so fe minded feeble a ato as asto asto to touch any of your butcher mess Very well Only remember its it's your own choice sister He lle bagged the contents of ot the bull hide slung it on his bis back p l picked ed up his rifle and headed for camp The girl looked ed from him to the folded moose cow hide hesitated hesi toted flushed angrily and followed empty While still some distance from the rill he whiffed a tang of or wood woodsmoke smoke e. e He quickened his step It gave e him n a pleasant surprise After all nil the girl seemed to have given gl glenIn In at le least st partly fie Be turned to her with a friendly look She met It with a scornful smile They came ame ameto to the opening where Garth trimmed n 11 pair of or green willow willow wil wil- low spits opened t the e moosehide 11 I I II ih II I r i irCy Cy Q t tSz Sz f err t The Tho Splash That Followed Told Him a Moose Had Caught His Scent and cut two slices of or liver lie He put puta putu a u slice on each ench spit and started to broil them over u the coals With Witha a n look of or disgust Miss liss Hamill I turned turnell her hack and sat down on th the rill bank bunk I Before long the broiling liver begun began henn be he- gun gan nn to send out an un appetizing odor The girls girl's nose went up for an Involuntary In voluntary sniff Garth met the Intent In In- Intent tent look of her father and allowed d his left eyelid to flutter flatter lItter slightly Another turn of ot th the spits ed the broiling He handed one of ot them to Mr The millionaire lifted his head- head net to take n a gingerly nibble at nt his hot meat Ills His heavy hen face race brightened brightened bright bright- ened with a surprised smile He UP smacked his lips and bit bil off alT a n large mouthful At the sou sound nil his daughter daugh daugh- h. h ter Jerked around Garth was bitIng bit bit- In lag Ing Into the other ph piece le of or liver The girl cr cried ed out her tier tion You greedy pigs I Wheres Where's my piece Garth pointed to the moosehide Help yourself He met her furious I look 00 It with cool Indifference and went on eat cat Ing Unable to blast him she turned to her father Ill take Dad I yours Youve You've had two bites hites It will not take you youlon lon long hung to cook another piece Make It three At that Garth swung around between be tween father and daughter Mr Ir Hamill well we'll settle this right now You said you'd leave her to tome me roe I 1 cool cooked conked ed that meat for you She Rhe will cook her ber own meat or go without The older man sat for se several moments moments moments mo mo- ments considering the matter He Ill then raised his piece of meat ment and resumed his meal Lilith Hamill stared at him her e eyes es wide My I own father r 1 I But nut wait walt till un comes back 1 lIe He winced Garth Ignored her Better lie down and rest sir Youve You've done enough h for a while Im I'm going to get you Into hard training I as soon as ns possible But we must not overdo It at nt the start Might mean a breakdown I am nm tired hoy and hay and hungry hnnry asa as asa asa a shark Could eat ent all the rest of ot that liver ll Not Nol now You'll rest do some work and then get gel slice Call this valley alley use one of ot those cal cui culture sanitariums Vh where r the tired business Ulan titan Is worked and dieted back Into lit Ht it condition I 1 ha have hae e yet et to agree to such training Garth Take rake your our choice If It you refuse refuse re reo fuse e 1 I give you my word you'll never ne reach the Mackenzie 1 I might back pitch you OU in some sOllie places you dont don't weigh h much over o two hun hun- dred Happens though Im I'm not a donkey You'll go on your own feet feeL Very welL Put me on them Obedient to directions the bI big bigman bigman man stretched out tint flat upon the sun sun- warmed rock ruck Garth turned about to pull the and what was upon It into the shade of ot a n birch Miss Hamill thrust In front of him and nOlI seized his knife She slashed at the liver The bla blade e ewas was razor Her ller angry stroke nut not only cut through the liver It slit silt the moosehide as ns well Garth said nothing Enough for him that hunger had humbled the girls girl's pride She had learned her first lesson Long hours had passed since her ber finicky brea breakfasting on wine and delicatessen In the cabin of at the monoplane far over on the Mackenzie She was fairly raven raven- ous Her rouged lips twisted with anticipation as ns she held the spitted slice of liver close upon the time coals canis of the low-burnt low fire tire Well Vell satisfied satis satis- fied fled Garth hung the remaining liver liv 11 er or the tongues and muffles under the cache platform Miss only thought had been heen for her food She did not think to put fresh fuel on the cook cook- fire When It died down to em embers embers bers she jerl Jerked ed the time partly burnt Inwardly rare slice of liver lI from the charred willow spit There was now no finicky fastidiousness about her eating She thrust off orr her and sank her teeth Into the piece of liver ll with the gusto of a n hungry boy hoy RIte Bite followed bite In rapid succession CHAPTER IV The Whip Hand T pHE TilE LIE girl licked erl her lingers fingers and A turned to stare covetously atthe at atthe the pieces of moose dangling In the thre smudge lire smoke She spoke poke to Garth almost civilly Ive no need to rest like Dad Dart Do I have to wait walt for another piece Certainly not But nut youve you've let the time fire cook go o out Keep this one going and you can use It Better cut another spit Mind the knife edge It If you dont don't want to lose a fin finger er She showed she could he be deft dett enough when she chose One stroke of the knife harl hacked off orr a willow twig two cuts sharpened the end Grasping the bottom of the uncut second liver she sliced up len lengthwise lengthwise length length- th wise all nit the way to the rawhide thon thong She hp pol poked d the green wool wood from the near edge of the fire plied on dry sticks and crouched down downto to hold hc her r s spit over o the blaze hinze Garth had at ut once begun to make cutout It would be needed to sew the moccasins He was Intently at nt work orl and the girl was still more mure Intently eyeing her laer meat when came carne striding between the spruces The once elegant engineer was waR smeared with Ith mud from train his mid mill hotl body down dawn to where the milk ruck-milk water of the ford had drenched the ho hog bog slime from frum his shoes and leather leath heath er aviator u trousers Snags hurl had scratched his 11 flying ln Jacket Jarlet and even cven torn through one une sleeve Worst of all his bis bare hurl face and neck was us a n swollen mass of nuns nuns' hate welts weHR and the bleeding wounds WU of deer fly deer ily stings 8 The skin had tumid already begun to fluff and discolor dis dis- color At sight of or the mans man's condition Garth picked up his bas rifle Even en the most cold blooded c en calculating a I 1 C I a I at I n g schemer can be tortured Into crazed crozel violence Miss glanced up from her ber cooking conking and uttered a n startled cr cry It awakened her father tather from his doze 1070 He lie sat erect to stare at lox by My Iy G G G-d d Vivian what's happened happened hap hap- You look like something the co cat t brou brought ht home Those d ti-ti ti d p pests e s B t s B cursed Left my headset Hey fley you OU airplane thief thier fetch me a n drink Jump lively Garth lifted his rifle Put up your hands No dont don't reach for tor your oUr pistol Up with them or Ill I'll 11 wing you you-That's you That's It Now hold them there while Mr lr Hamill takes your pistol Ive I've had hind enough of your our threatening The millionaire looked ed at nt Garth's cool gray eyes and heaved hea himself upon his feet to shuffle around mound behind behind behind be be- hind shoulder He Lie pulled open time the leather Jacket and drew II t 1 I r 1 t tJ J tr I Ir r ff C Garth Lifted His Rifle Put Up Your Hands the automatic pistol from Its high high- slung sheath Holding the butt forward he brought the weapon to Garth Keep it yourself Garth told him You can cnn give It back to him soon as ns he be gets bets over this fly mad mad- ness Theres There's your our headset Hux by Better etter stand In the smoke till you get It on For the first time since Garth had met Lilith Ramm she showed consideration for or |