Show V i. i If W D 1 v r ARE 1 B 1 I OF KAZAN 1 i 1 I r by I I J i r A. A JAMES OLIVER C I 1 l 1 I W fI U U t Chapter X Continued X-Continued Continued 18 18 Pierrot deep In his own somber thoughts scarcely heard the strange that came suddenly from her herUp Up 1 was Vas listening to the g Owl that was again In In Baree's It was a low but terrible t pound nd When half a mile from the cabin she the panniers from bit bI shoulders and can carried led them herTen her- her alt relt Ten minutes later the they saw a aTao alD lD Tao n advancing to meet them it was not Pierrot recd rec rec- him and with an audible breath bruth of ot relief waved his hand It tru at DeBar who trapped In the Bar- Bar nn Country north of ot Lac Bain Pierrot Pier Iter rot knew him well They had exchanged ex- ex changed b D ed fox fox poison They were friends and there was fas pleasure In the grip of their hands DeBar star stared d th then at Tonnerre she has grown Into a R ahe ionian Foman he cried and like a n woman looked at him straight with the color deepening In her cheeks as he het t towed low with a courtesy courtes that dated lack hick a couple of ot centuries beyond the trap trap line D DeBar Bar lost no time In explaining his mission and before they reached the cabin ab n Pierrot and knew why whylie b lie be had come the Factor at atac lac Lac ac Bain was as leaving on a Journey In r and he had sent DeBar as a to request st Pierrot la 10 o come up assist to the clerk and and- the the- h half half breed breed storekeeper per In his absence Pierrot made no co comment at first But Bat he was thinking Why had bad Bush hush s sent nt for tor him l' l Why had had he be n not t chosen so some some some- someone one one n nearer Not untiLa a the was crackling In the tle sheet heet sheet sheet-s Iron stove In the cabin and was busily engaged getting supper supper Sd did he voice these questions to th the t frix fox Ih hUnter P DeBar shrugged his s shoulders t He Hc asked me at first If I could II itay r. r But I have a wife with a bad long sag Pierrot It was c caught u ht by beY frost trost lilt last winter inter and I dare not leave her herl herlong long l one nl alone lie He has gr great at faith In you B Besides you know all the trappers on the Company's books at Lac Bain So SoJie he Jie sent for you and begs you ou not to lorry orry about bout your lines fur as he lie will pay you double what you would catch catchIn In the time you are at the Post fAnd And lc N 7 said Pierrot Wl expects me to bring her From Ij the stove the Willow bent her herto free Had dad to listen and her heart henrt leaped ir e again at DeBars DeBar's answer ile 1 He said nothing about that But ut It surely it will be a great chan change e for tor lile Pierrot nodded They discussed the lie matter no more moret that t night But nut for tor hours hour Pierrot was VIII thinking and a hundred times he Hk asked ked d himself the same question why Why fhy had M sent for him L must be lie he told himself finally that had sent for him because he wanted anted to win over the father of ot Creese and gain the friendship of f herself For this was un un- a vety vet great honor that the factor actor tt was as co conferring on him And AndJe Je let deep down In his heart he was fled filed Plied with suspicion DeBar ti was as about to leave lea theart the git art It morning Pierrot said Tell that I will leave leae for tor L lac c Bain Dalu the day after atter tomorrow If After DeBar had gone he said suld to toV e t V wAnd And n you OU shall remain here mu ma I l will not take y you u to Lac Bala I D- D DI I l' l have had a dream that not Dot not go on a Journey but that lint he bar hUlled a lied led and that he will be sick when 1 inure arrIve at the thc p post st- st stAnd And yet if it bold n that you jou OU care to go go- go n. n straightened suddenly like Tike liked K reed d that has been caught by the tle Ind Non Noni I sire she cried so Bo fiercely that list rot laughed and rubbed his hands F b o It happened that on the second doh after the hunters fox visit Pierrot lett tt for tor Lac Bain with N In the door wavIng him Mm him good by by until he was t ot shit toS lush Ou On 1 tilt the morning K of this same day ay MI rose front from hl trig Mr bed tt II U tt was waR still dark The ite time had hadit SOme it tl lIe hUd bud hesitated at t murder murder- t the killing Ing of ot and In ht his bt Dilation he had found a better way ete e could be no no- escape no-escape escape for tor Sc U IP was a wonderful scheme so cas easy rin so 80 inevitable In its ne- ne And all the time Pierrot think Ink he was away to the the East on a mission Ue Ile ate hi Iris his breakfast before dawn G dW It as on o the trail before It was yet b There was a vast vust amount of satisfaction lon to In r fen Den I J what was a about out to hap hap- d There tha h h he rev reveled lef In It to the full tuU t re Was as no chance for tor disappoint disappoint- t t t. t M He e wag pas positive that auld flUid nf not t a accompany her father tather to HC c c R Bal am Bala She would be at the thc cabin cabine 4 lh be e c v loon alone k This aloneness was vas to bur bur- wl with h no thoughts thought o of danger There were times now when the thought of being alone was pleasant nt to her bel when she wanted to dream bream ream b by herself herselt when she things Into the mysteries of which she would not I admit even Pierrot She was growing Into womanhood womanhood just Just the sweet closed bud of ot womanhood as yot yet still still a girl with the soft velvet of ot girlhood In her eyes yet with the mystery of ot woman stirring gently In her soul as If It the Great Hand were hesitating between between be be- tween awakening her and letting her sleep a 8 little longer At these times when the opportunity came to steal hours by h herself she would put on the red dress and ond d do up her her wonderful hair hall as RS she saw it in the pictures of the magazines Pierrot had had sent up twice a Q year from Nelson House On the tite second day of ot Pierrot's ab Pierrot's ab absence sence dressed herself like th this 9 but today oday she let et her hair cascade Ina In Ina ina a shining glory about her and about her forehead b bound nd a circlet of r red ribbon She was as n not t yet done Today Today Today To To- day she had marvelous designs On th the wall Wahl cl close se to her mirror she slie hud had d tacked a large page vage from a n vo woi woman's womans mn's i maga magazine lne and nd on t this ls page w was i. i a lovely vision Islon of curls Fifteen tiun nn- nn dred miles miles- at Oe the tC all lIl- fornia studio I C it G ure t 1 been taken lW-cP lW t ar 4 ec lips and puckered er d. d f h ink Ing to master master r the 11 rrt of th the theother r other ther- ther girls girl's c rl t ti Sh She was was' was was' l Into her mirror r I her face tace flushed flushed- flushed and and her eyes aglow inthe In th the f. f excitement ex of ot the fhe struggle t to 7 i s. s 5 I I Itc tc Y 5 5 M Ml I Tell Tel l u That I Will Leave Leav the Day After Tomorrow fashion one of the ct co coveted d ringlets from a tn tress ss that fell feU away below her hips when the door opened behind her and old Bush walked In Chapter XI The i e Willows Willow's back was toward the thedoor thedoor thedoor door when the Factor tl from om Lac Bain entered t the cabin and for tor a few tew startled seconds she did ld not turn Her first thought was of for PI Pierrot tor for some reason h he had returned But even een as this thought came to o her she Bhe heard In Baree's throat a snarl that brought her suddenly to her ber feet facing the door his hits rt was wai u standing standing- back against the thc door and ami at In In her wonderful dress and ancl flowing ire hair h hair he h. je was as It If stunned for tor fora a a. a space pace at it what he saw Fate Tate or accident was wag playing against the lie Willow now If It there had lain been a spark of slumbering chivalry of ot mercy mercy mercy mer mer- s 's soul It cy even een In Bush i-as i was extinguished by what he saw Never er had looked more beautiful beau benu- when MacDonald MacDonald MacDonald Mac- Mac not even en on o on 1 that it day clay Donald the had taken hr her The the sun son n- n flooding through window lighted up P her a ait marvelous hair her flushed face was waa framed In a aT it its It i lustrous darl darkness like a a tinted cameo He lie T had dreamed but he had pictured nothing like thIs woman wh stood before him now her eyes eves widening wid wid- erring ening with fear and the the flush leaving Her face even even as he looked at her u It was not nota a long Interval In which their eyes met In that terrible silence tel terrible to th the girl Words were un un- necessary At last she un understood understood- understood what her her p peril had been I that mat day at the thre edge of ot the chasm and in the forest when I fearlessly she had Played with the m menace nace that was as con con- I her now A AI breath that that was as like a sob broke brok hO from l her lier lips UIs I she tried d to say But It 1 was only a n gasp gasp nn nn effort Shi SM seemed clinking choking Plainly she heard th the click of ot tit the Iron bolt holt as ItS It locked the thc door Mo Taggart advanced a stop step p. p Only a Q 1 single ln le step art ad advanced On the floor Baree had re ref like liken a carver carven thing thine He hadnot had hal hadnot not moved mo He had not m made de n a sound but hut that one until snarl narl until Mc fc T Taggart J took fook the step tep And then then like Ilka a flash he was up and In front front of every hair hall of or his body on end and at lit the lur fury In his growl crowl Mc- Mc Taggart art lunged ba back k against the barred 1 door A word from In that moment and I It would have havo been over oyer But nut nn an Instant was lost lostan lostan lostan lost lost- an In Instant before her cry came In that mon moment ent mans man's hand and brain L worked WOrl swifter than Ulan brute understanding understanding under under- standing and as Baree launched himself him self serf at the thc Factors Factor's throat there ther came camen n a flash fla and a R deafening explosion almost al aI- most In rn th the Willows Willow's ey eyes s It It vi was lS l'S a n chance shot hot R a shot shot from rom the tl e J hip lp with s automatic tlc Baree fell tel short He struck the thin floor floor nOO w with n a thud ai and acid d r rolled against the lo log will wall There was was' n not t n kick or l. l n a quiver l left ft iii n lily his Iii hotly hotly- laughed nervously as as he ie shoved his pistol back f r He knew that only nl a abrain br brain afe done that I With Whit her la against the further I wall se was was waiting gart could ouIA hc h hear r fler her her- panting breath He advanced hAllway to her Nep s t I ha e have come to make yon you m my J JW wife r h he said I i x t n not 1 er r He Ue could Q see tl UI- UI UIt nt t h her r ht t was wits s. s choking h nr her Sh She r raised d A Tier r throat He e took o k two more mort ste sten steps sto stopped led He had I never ne seen Been st such h eyes ejes J s. s I have lave come come o t to make m e you yon my wife I N Tomorrow 1 you will go on onto t to Nelson House Hou t with me me and then back to Bain Bain aJ forever rever t He e added add ed the last st words words as asan as nn an n afterthought Forever ore r he repeated II He did dl n not t. t mince words His courage courage cour com age and his his determination rose as he saw her body droop a little a against the wall alt She was powerless There Ther was no escape s ape Pierrot was gone gono Baree was dead He had thought ht that no living creature creature crea crea- ture turf could move mo as swiftly as tile the wn Wil low when his arms reached out foi for her She made no sound s she darted dart dart- darted ed cd under one of ot his outstretched arms He e made a lunge n a brutal his fingers caught a bit of ot hair H He heard the snap of ot It as she tore tOTe herself herself her her- self free tree and flew new to the door 1001 Sh She had thrown back the bolt when h he h. I caught her and his arms closed about her He dragged h her r back and no now nou she cried out out cried cried out In her despair despair de do sparr for tor Pierrot for Baree for some miracle of ot God that might save her And fought taught She twisted in n his arms until she was facing him She could no longer see She was war smothered In her hair It covered her bet face tace and breast and body suffocating her entangling her hands and arms arms- and still sUIl she tou fought ht In th the struggle le stumbled over the body of Baree and they went down e was up fully five seconds ahead of the man She could have reached the Ue door doon But again It was her hair hall cne paused to fling tUng back the thick masses of ot It so that she could see and Mc- Mc Ic- Ic r gart was a at the door dour ahead of herlIE her lIE He did not lock It again but stood facing h her r. r His face was scratched ant anti and bleeding He was no longer a aman aman aman man but a devil deyl Nepes was broken panting a panting a low sobbing came cam with her hel breath She bent down and picked pip up a piece of or firewood could see th that t her strength Y was Ys s almost al al- almost most gone She She- clutched ed the stick as ItS he approached approached ap ap- I her Ir r again But nut lcT rland r land lost all nil thou thought ht of or fear or caution t lIe He lie sprang upon liron h her r like an animaL The stick of fir firewood fell And R again nID fate played against the girl rl In her hei terror and nn hopelessness she Rhe h Imd t hand hat the first stick her cf caught up a touched light one With he her lass strength she he struck nt lit with It It and as ns It fell on his head ht hf h staggered red back hack But nt It did not maki makr him loose loMe hl his hold TO TO BE CONTI CONTINUED I |