Show ile va f zw NY ya 41 v W uce a by GEORGE MARSI MARSH 1 author or of Toi boilers toilers lers or of the T trail rail IT the h e whelps bithe of the wolf TT M V artle copyright by the th penn rab lishin co A THE WINDIGO tou never saw a windigo go su bure re the chances are ara that you never heard one but have you ever aver heard a superstitious inman indian or halfbreed half halt breed of the canadian wilds tell of its horrors ile he certainly makes a blood curdling thing out of t the h a windigo anyway this in fit the story of a windigo that was real enough to leave tracks like of a great bear and to kill a big bloodhound it la Is also the story of a factors daughter and an american naturalist the sirl la Is beautiful and educated and a wonderful violinist the man Is brave and strong and when drent brent steele aerts into the valley of voices and sees seea the charm of denise st onge and realizes that the mysterious windigo la working for her destruction why he drops everything else also and starts in to solve tho the malign mystery theres a tierce rivalry between trading posts which complicates the situation and denise to save her father has been forced into a promise of marriage so grent brent steeles Bt eeles job Is a lie mans job but he does the job and gets his reward I 1 CHAPTER I 1 steele beede stopped in ills his tracks with his right hand lie he treed freed ills ear from the headpiece head piece of ills his tump line and stood listening surely he thought those were the unmistakable notes of a violin clear above the noise of the rapids curious lie continued up the steep portage now convinced that faintly through the bent beat of broken waters which the trail paralleled floated eerie music now doubting his senses at length his alert cars failed to capture the strains of the magic violin and lie he dismissed ills illusion as the vagary of nerves ortense ov from the toll of the trail over which he be had come for a space he be went on engrossed in other thoughts when through tile the roar of the waters a n violin sobbed tip lip to a wild crescendo then ceased erasing the top bag to the ground steele swung the lower pack pa ck with its attached tump line beside it and waited these were no fancied melo dies of summer it was no wealth music which a shift in the august breeze had brought him this mad playing again the notes of the violin were audible clearer now some magician out there on the neighboring shore was boring baring ills his soul it was un unbelievable here in this ost lost valley of tho the north pure wizardry enchanted steele listened as the violin sang of yearning and despair unutterable which genius lifts has voiced to the world through the magic of its strings and ns as lie listened he wondered what tragedy lay behind that playing what trick of fate had burled this ninster finster of bf the bow in a fur post on the river wint you hear de windigo deug in de strong water turning steele smiled smile at the blocky figure of the speaker standing in the trail ills his head and shoulders bent un der a canoe no david but ive been listening to the violin of a shaman a ine medicine dIcine nan man conjuring up the spirits of the rapids someone at this french post is a sorcerer Bor cerer maybe you hear windigo all de same dryly suggested the ha liala if b reed easing the stern etem of the canoe to the trall trail to uncover a broad swart face wrinkled with amusement up tit at fort hope de scared of its river for or sure cure dey tell me de strong water by de french post bad place for de devils an de windigo yes I 1 heard that too the valley has a bad name on the albany francois at Alar martins tins falls says it was ca called lied the walling river because of the moaning of the he rapids liere here in winter I 1 told him it was only lie file wind but lie have it insisted ed vint the file place ivas bud bad country I 1 bewitched dey say plenty drown there long tarn tam ago gravely added david so old alerre once told me down at flenoy house lie was traveling from ngoke to the albany one winter and struck tills athla gorge about sunset hut but the spirits scared him film so with their walling that lie he drove his dogs ten miles before lie he dared to ninke make camp I 1 cant understand why the french built a place on a tabooed river they must have known its reputation nt uta tion atlon wal replied david with a gri vince 1 I nevalee imir hear one of dese NV Indigo howl een de night but cef I 1 see him now I 1 eat bebin for bure I 1 cull call dis de spin in riviere steele laughed loudly tit at the remark of his hardheaded hard headed companion whose legacy of cf superstition from on an way fay mother had been heavily diluted ty fly tho the blood of a scotch fattier father 1 I could eat a caribou myself he said but well have it big feed nt at the he post tonight you take the canoe over while I 1 tind out aut chos playing that eliat violin who would guess that there unit fl a man within u chousa thousand nd miles of these badlands bad lands who could play like that the halfbreed half breed started over the portage while steele specie turned into the thick scrub toward the river from the toot foot of the rapids the trail had swung away froni from the broken hanks banks odthe of lie gorge hut but shortly steele saw patches of foam through the spruce ue stopped to listen and again the notes of the lie violin shrilled above the monotone of the broken waters slowly ile he worked his way along the shoulder of the shore then forced back to circle a gash in the eroded clat stumbled upon a trail and following it a short distance suddenly stiffened the path led fed to a huge hat flat topped boulder bowlder thrusting out into the stream on the rock her dark head nestling a violin to her cheek stood a woman surprise held the roan man motionless to eyes bejes which for months had not looked upon a comely white woman the picture of the lithe figure of the mu musician a crown of dusky hair halt half masking the face turned to the river was a delight lie he hesitated to cut short by a betrayal of his presence from rom the lie passionate hopelessness of Ilass Masse nets eners eaegle El egle the violin swung into a deathless lament of grim with the eternal tragedy of his own gray north sea As she played the girl turned exposing her face on her cheeks were tears cars but she did not see sec the listener for tier her e eyes at s were closed she ceased playing with atense of awe at having heard the cry oi of r ei 1 I 1 come here to play monsieur often she replied in a tense uneven voice stark despair the trespasser conscious of sacrilege had bad turned to retreat when lie ho was stopped by qui to la who Is there caught the eavesdropper faced about lint hat in hand mademoiselle he began reddening under the questioning gaze which swept jilin him from moccasins to tattered shirt then fearfully searched his eyes as aa if seeking a sinister meaning in his sudden appearance 1 I am packing up tip the carry to the post II heard your marvelous playing and came you will pardon joy listen listening the dark face of the girl in turn flushed flu sheil the guilty inan humbly awill awaited teLl the revelation of her just anger that eliut meant for tie the forest and waters only the naked anguish of a soul a stranger hull had heard it was right that tip should t pay 1 I come coiny here to play mons monsieur leur often she replied led in n tense uneven voice 1 I was sturt startled ledl 1 we ve see no more but bm the Ind indians hins there Is nothing to tc pardon she spoke in english with a flavor 0 of f accent which steele had heard before but not in krench relieved at till fils reprieve lepric i lie hastened to explain alst presence on that bush grown grow n portage of the waung waiting river sly my man david and I 1 are bound from the albany to 0 ngoke ake lake inke and the nepleon Nep lgon weve been in the bush since may ile he laughed painfully aware of a three days growth of beard bear with a deprecatory gesture toward his frayed clothes und and have some pome trading to do at the post as ion pee fee Is it far only a short distance monsieur my bly fattier father will welcome the sight of a white man for him it la Is so lonely here but surely he protested it Is more lonely for a woman so she was aa the lie daughter of the french factor nud awl lie wondered what force of instances had driven the father of tills this talented girl into the fur trade as an employee of the french company tills this girl with the somber pea who came to the white waters 5 with tier violin and lier her grief was it li lie had chanced upon or more mere loneliness lonely iiona ly here for a voi nun surely monsieur you ou sheuk as istuan of the i orld alth the sen itle boutt of the girl arl s shaped a faint smile but the dark eyes did not change as she continued yet I 1 have my father and my violin while he he has only ills hla memories but lie he gallantly protested your father mademoiselle has the companionship of a very ho he hesitated and finished weakly his daughter she lau glied in ills face ah monsieur you have french blood in your veins but the very ils his daughter she mocked la is a dull substitute for a world of men ns as your browning tays my bly father will be much pleased nt at the comlus to walling waiting river of Mons monsieur leur a steele he prompted my name la Is brent steele i teele I 1 arn am in the held field for the american museum of natural history slie she bowed low with mock gravity monsieur steele my father col hilaire st onge will be honored in offering the poor hospitality of walling river to a learned american scientist 11 smilingly steele raised protes protesting fing hands nt at her c characterization now HOW charmingly he thought this strange girl whose violin had sung so bolg bantly of despair whose face had reflected fear of the stronger stranger now lapsed into raillery oh pardon monsieur she went on 1 I forgot myself I 1 am bentse st onge now that the conventions have been satisfied will you foil follow ow me to 0 our ur chateau of logs thank voul you I 1 her simple muslin gown and beaded moccasins seemed but to authenticate the ibe stamp of race in the figure and d carriage of the girl who led the curious man over tile river trail to the carry at the portage she stopped my aly packs are below here where I 1 left them to follow the lorelei of the walling he said smiling her face swiftly sobered ah monsieur she replied almost inaudibly do not make jest of this terrible river then with a shrug as if ridding her mind of oti an oppressive weight added 1 I shall not wait for you the post la Is very near and walked swiftly up the portage followed by the quizzical eyes of the man lie ile stood in the trail watching the retreating figure of the girl until a bend shut it from sight what eyes find and hair lie mused and what piny playing ingi I 1 it was clear she was breaid breaking ng her heart over something the look in her eyes proved that to think of such a glorious creature burled in this country I 1 iler her father probably was a retired french ot officer ticer heaps of them marooned between labrador and the peace 1 but why lie he asked himself they nien mention tion her over at hope this charming daughter of the factor at walling wailing river yes he decided she certainly had been frightened at hla fits appearance had looked him over as if he were a ghost then she had seemed superstitious ious but she really believe in this tradition of the valley vallel this and spirit stuff that was inconceivable she was not afraid to come here alone and yet she called the river terrible what had happened here whom could she fear and why thus speculated abed the intrigued steele then swinging lits fits bags to jils his back lie started for the post known as walling iziver I 1 As steele left the forest to cross the clearing the lie logs dogs of the post started the usual uproar half way to the group of log buildings he be was met inet by on nn indian sent by the factor and relieved of his pucks packs evidently walling river has a mystery and one that challenges a brave man and the girl I 1 TO BM BE CONTINUED |