Show I i GIVING t PIERRE EQUAL CHANCE J GEORGE ELMER COBB B By L uI r ISM West Wes rn m Newspaper Union lAN heart was beating FAN I fast ast as he came within sight o of old I Baptiste's cabin on the Peace river I lie He spurred his horse borse and ana It broke canter across u tile snow Into to o a the g ground was s still ll white was In the air ind spring was S heart of Jean for he hc heis in 1 th the Nanete Nan- Nan is s riding to see his his' sweetheart Ste ete ette 0 old Baptiste's daughter They had bd id been engaged eight months ever everice the cabin in inthe Jeans Jean's last visit to ice tie the le early fall Now he had amassed a pile of rich which he would e. e exchange for or org furs re oldIn ld In plenty at th the tra trading lIng store nut But lt g first he must see Nanette and get her hero o ii the wedding da day his cabin and He He lie had left his furs In Md lad ridden miles to see her ande and ie e bad ridden so eagerly that he had hall hadt Sot t even en turned the dozen en miles mlles out of th rEf s course that w were we're re necessary foito for foi forto for to meet his old friend PI Pierre DufOur Du- Du Tour fOur our Old Baptiste came to the the do door r and anda laid a hand upon his horses horse's brill bridle Ie I u have ha come for Nanette l' he heHe qu quavered yered He was wasl very old and alady al- al ady In his dotage Is she slie demanded demand d Jean feeling his heart ha hammering within ibis breast ent Hn Haven't you ou heard cried the old Ran roan man She left IH here re with Dufour this this ro tt A A fiery mist swam before Jeans Jean's Jeanse e yes s. s Pierre Dufour The two men bad been friends for man many a n year and Jean had known that Pierre vas was Inave in inloVe loVe lore ave with Nanette But ut the girl had plighted lighted herself to him and he had h ardly dIY thought of Dufour In the thern ec- ec I ec-I stasy of his happy bapp anticipations He had been so proud of her his beautiful bride be with her dark Mir h Ir and eyes One morE season season In Inthe Inthe the north and then if luck was with him he bad had Intended to take her south southa Fo t a civilization and the perils and hard- hard hips of the wilds would be a a. a thing o othe of the he the past Jean uy pulled up his horse LIsten 1 the old man began atch catch Ing ig zig at the bridle again But ut Jean was already alread spurring spurring spur- spur ring ng his horse back along the trail trall pryIng aying no DO attention to old Baptiste's shouts houts Only a single thought was In Inh Ins h s to mind mind to to kill the fal false e friend who had ad betrayed him Dufour's cabin la lay at the Junction of ot r the Peace an and St. St Paul a small tributary stream 40 miles back and andorne some orne 12 miles of off the route along w which he had come corne There was his c cabin In that was the trapping district h Dufour had m off for his own n Jean Jenn had had visited there In the tile lays days before they had ever thought of r rl Nanette anette l ette save sive as a shy girl of fourteen or fUe fifteen n. n and the they had spent many manya a Belong tong Jong evenIng e together smoking sl- sl le ent J happy in each others other's co company pan There they must fight it out face to fl ace e. e Jean contemplated no treachel o us s attack He would give Pierre an nal chance but It It must be a light fight t o the dea death th lit U Dufour had won th the girl girl- fairly J ean an would have lave acquiesced But Nan Nan- ett tc and ond he had been engaged so longan long an ad Dufour jr had known it and he had stolen tolen her ller Jean could understand what what pre pressure sure he be might have uS used d t hen en she had only a doddering old nan n for her comp companion His anger ro rose Into a fierce flame as he pursued his WR way ay Night Night fell before more than half halt of the 40 miles was accomplished Jean dismounted Amounted and scooped out ut a shelter n In the deep snow beside the stream lIe Ie e was vas not not nat sorry for the opportunity to o nurse his wrath He Ch crept pt inside turning fuming his pony loose for the weather er Cr was warm enough for the little savage cr creature Hure to take care of or Itself and Jean knew that it w would uld not t stray far from him i Be He wrapped i himself In his furs and lay do down dOWD But his mind would not l let t hIm forget his Ms- grief and rage in the they y relief of sleep He had dreamed s so long of the day when Nane Nanette Nan Nan- ette e Was vas to be his wife and now his dream ream was ended and and his life Ufe was shattered Battered Ward dawn he lie started up alert pon the Instant His trained ear had elected detected the approach of a mounted nan coming from the direction of the St St. t. t Paul laul It was not riot his own horse to that be heard d for that being In- In lj dlan dIan n did not trot as uit this horse did did did- besIdes the difference between th tho thov v hack back Jd of a horse with ith a a rider on Its and that of a horse norse alone Is un un- mistakable ea Jean crept out of ot h hi shelter The Thc dawn awn WO Was not far away but the moon J Still shone brilliantly A horseman k Yas M ridi al along ng the bauk bank of the Peace river flyer K- K i r Jean reco recognized Dufour though to toL Other ther L eyes he would have been only a Silhouette a against the snow BeV He Be fea aw V font Dufour r rein In his horse and lean forward They were within 2 20 paces of I each other he Jean drew hi his revolver Garde tol toll 1 Pierres Pierre's shouted ft U and fired again and again j horse reared and plunged do down Il th the 17 st steep P bank of the Peace I The he feet ett frIghtened animal regained Its I I and Stood tood 04 trembling W upon the brink or ot Afu u the descent But Dufour was wasP lYing upon P n his back In ln the river b bed d. d Jt s Ler ere tv wM no sign of ot blood blod upon him bun i and his horse had hud not been struck either It had shied at it the sudden sound of the shots and fallen with Its rIde rider Pierre was badly stunned but breath breath- ing lug Jean Tean stood over him looking Into his unconscious face All at lit once he realized that his vengeance had slipped from him He lIe could not kill D Dufour four now that the man was unconscious unconscious unconscious' He caught the horses Then he lie took the unconscious man In his arms and pla placed d him Im In his his' saddle He lie sprang sprang upon the back of his own horse and supporting his enemy with one arm armand armand armand and guiding the reins of the thc two two I bridles with the free hand haid he began the tile slow march toward Pierres Pierre's cabin The day dawned and the sun rose Irose flooding the vast plains with her golden gold gold- en light They traveled rayel d at a snails snail's pace the horses stopping from time to time to crunch at ti the We new grass that was appearing where herc the snow w was s smelting melting beside th the river Onee Once or or twice Jean dismounted bathed and his his' hisen en II S face with snow It was wis during one of these halts I that Pierre began mu muttering I I love thee Nanette anette he said and J JOan Jean an cl clenched his fists and ground 1 his ls teeth together t as S he listened d his will I love thee hee Nanette I will go and find meet him He cannot be far away So Pierre had been on un his way to kill ill hIm him when Jean hud had had Intercepted Intercept Jd him And this Iman man who who hl had stolen his bride and planned his death was lying helpless at lila Ills side I. I t Jean sat Pierre upon his hOI horse e ag again ln and the slow journey was wis re re- e- e Burned But it was well toward evening eve eve- ning when Pl Pierres Pierre's cabin came ensue Into vIm view I Jean set st him him down again lg and rode up to the little shack What a place to take a woman to live In 1 Nanette must love Pierre g greatly t to be will willing willingto In to share that exile with him The thought no longer enraged him He had put the matter to the test of f fate and she had decided against him Jean I I Nanette had flung the door open and was vas standing In front of or him a radiant image exactly as when he had last seen her Jean turned his head slowly I away Come Corne Nanette I he said and rode back to where Pierre was 1 lying Ing IngAs As hi he dismounted and kneeled at Pierres Pierre's PIerres side his enemy opened hI hise his e eyes es There was consciousness in them He looked into Jeans Jean's face Where am I n he muttered It Is thou J Jean enu Yes it Is I L whom you tried to murder murder mur mur- der her answered Jean slowly sIO bitterness P Pierre erre looked at him In bewilderment bewilder bewilder- mentI ment I shall say nothing t to Nanette Jean Tean whispered and then the girl was beside them Jean Tean I t What hat has happened happened hap hap- 7 she cried Your lover fell from his horse answered Jean Tean slowly My lover lo 1 she exclaimed and nd came close to Jean Dost thou not love m me then she cried ered Jean looked dully at her ber 0 Jean I could not wait walt for thee she sobbed Hast thou not understood under stood I knew mew that another day would bring brIng thee b but t I wanted thee the sooner and rind Pierre told me that he ride back with me along the tr trail And we did n nOt t f see rOe e thee and and so la last night he left me ue In his ca cabin ln 1 J j 1 L 1 1 41 ilia fohn o Tl OC ana ama rout roue n u ii nc LU to find If thou lo lost t the way way Jean thou thou dare dare to think I think I loved Pierre Jean Tean was st staring rIng at at her tier wildly He Ho could not be mistaken in his Interpretation interpretation Interpretation tation of her look of Innocence and love love Suddenly he caught her to his breast and covered ered her with kisses I II know 1 I know I he cried I was wasa a fool fool and and madl madly Jealous Nanette But nut now all ll Is e ended ded and we shall ride back to th thy fathers father house house- Pierre touched him upon the sleeve I s shall l say nothing to Nanette he whispered |