Show f if An Alaskan Love f- f THE YUKON YUKON Story f By j 1 Copyright William Macleod Raine flame William Macleod Raine i I CHAPTER 10 r A New Way of Leaving a a aHouse House The surge of disgust with I t which Sheba had broken her engagement engagement to 0 marry Macdonald ebbed aw y as ras as the weeks passed It was impossible for her to wait walt upon him In his illness and hold any repugnance toward this big elemental man The thing he had done might be wrong but the very openness openness openness open open- ness and frankness of his Ills relation to redeemed It from shame He was neither a n profligate nor a squaw- squaw man This was Dianes Diane's point of view and in time it became to a certain extent that of Sheba One takes on the color of ones one's environment and the girl from Drogheda knew in her heart that Me Me- and were no longer thereal thereal the thereal real barriers that stood between her herand and the Alaskan She had been disillusioned disillusioned dis dis- saw him more ore clearly and though she still recognized the quality of bigness that set him apart her spirit did not now do such complete homage to it ii More and more her thoughts contracted ste him with another man Macdonald did not need to be told that he had lost ground but with the dogged determination that had carried him to success he refused to accept the verdict She was was' a a. woman therefore therefore therefore there there- fore to be won Avon The habit of victory was so strong in him that that he could s see e i 0 no alternative 1 The motor-car motor picnic to the Willow WillowCreek WillowCreek WillowCreek Creek camp was a Ii case In point Sheba w did not want to go but she went The i picnic was a success Macdonald was an outdoor man rather than a parlor one He took charge of the luncheon lit the fire and cooked the coffee without without without with with- out the least waste of effort In his shirt sleeves the neck open at the throat he looked the embodiment of masculine vigor Diane could not help mentioning It to her er cousin he a splendid human animal Sheba nodded Hes wonderful If I were a little Irish colleen and he had done me the honor to care for forme me Id I'd have fallen fathoms deep inlove in inlove inlove love with him The Irish colleens colleen's eyes grew reflective tive Not if you had seen seen Peter first I Jl i. i T mss ms's s nothing reasonable about a n a I d do believe She loves loves or or else she just do doe f t t. Diane fired a CiU at her pointblank point point- blank Have you met your Peter Is that why you hang back The color flamed Into Sheba's face Of OJ course not You do say the most outrageous things Dl Di They had driven to Willow Creek over over the river road They returned by way of the hills Macdonald drew up in front of a cabin to fill the radiator radi radi- ator t He stood listening beside the car the water bucket In his hand Something Something Something Some Some- thing unusual was g going on Inside the house There came the sound of a thud of a groan and then the crash c of breaking glass The whole window frame seemed to leap from the side of the house The head bead and shoulders of a man projected ted through the broken glass I The man swept himself free of or th me the e debris and started to run Instantly he pulled up in his stride as amazed to see those in the car as they were to see him Gordon I cried Diane Out of the house poured a rush of men They too pulled up abruptly at sight of Macdonald and his guests A sardonic mirth gleamed in the eyes of the Scotsman Do you al always I- I ways come out of a house through the wall Mr Elliot he asked Only when Im I'm in a hurry Gordon Gordon Gor Gor- don pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at some glass-cuts glass on his face Dont let us detain you said the Alaskan satirically Well excuse you o since you must go Im not in such a hurry now In fact 1 if youre you're going to Kusiak I think Ill Til ask you for a lift returned the field agent coolly And d do your hurry friends they want a lift too Big Bill Macy came came swaying forward forward forward for for- ward both hands to his bleeding head Hes a spy curse him And he be tried to kill me me Did he commented Macdonald evenly What were you doing to him He cant can't sneak around our claim under a false name growled one of the miners Well beat his head oft off Ive had notions like that myself t sometimes assented the big Scots- Scots man But I think we had all better leave Mr Elliot to the law He has Uncle Sam back of him in his spying 5 and none of us are big enough to buck the g government Crisply Macdonald spoke to Gordon turning upon him cold hostile eyes yes Get in if it youre you're going to Elliot met him eye to eye Ive changed my mind Im I'm going to walk up to you Gordon shook hands with Diane and Sheba went into the house for his coat and walked to the Ule stable He brought out his horse and turned it loose then he took the road himself for Kusiak A couple of miles s out the car passed him trudging As they flashed down the road he waved a I cheerful and n nonchalant greeting Sheba had been blen of gayety and life We but lk- lk mood was WUi chan changed chanced ed ADt All AD t ita i the way home she was strangely silent s s s s v The days grew short The last riverboat riverboat river riverboat boat before the up freeze-up had long since gone A month earlier the same steamer had taken down in a mall mail sack the preliminary report of Elliot to his department chief One of the passengers passengers passengers gers on that trip had been Selfridge sent out to counteract the influence of the evidence against the claimants submitted by the field agent An Ah information Information information in In- formation had been filed against Gordon Gordon Gordon Gor Gor- don for highway vay robbery and attempted murder Wally was to see that the damning facts against him were brought to the attention of o officials in high places wh where re the charges would do most good The d details of the story were to be held in reserve for publicity In case the muckrake magazines should try to make capital of the report of Elliot Kusiak found much time for gossip during the long nights It knew that Macdonald l had gone on the bond of Elliot in spite of ot the scornful protest of the younger man The case against the fi field ld agent was was' pending Pursuit of the miners who had lead robbed lobbed the big owner mine-owner had long ago been dropped Somewhere in the North the outlaws lay hidden swallowed up by the great w white bite waste of snow The general opinion was that Mac l was playing politics about the trial of his rival rim He would not let the case come to a jury until the time when a conviction would have have ha most effect inthe Inthe in inthe the States the gossips pr predicted They TIley I did not know that he was waiting for forthe forthe forthe the return of Wally Selfridge The whispers touched closely the personal affairs of Macdonald The report of his engagement to Sheba ONeill O'Neill had been denied but it was noticed that he was a l constant guest at the home of the Young Elliot called there too Almost any day one or other of the two men could be seen with Sheba on the street Those who w wanted wanted want want- ant anted ed to take a sporting chance on the issue knew that odds were offered sub subrosa subrosa subrosa rosa at the Pay Streak saloon of three to one on Mac Sheba rebelled impotently at the situation The owner mine-owner would not take No for an answer He wooed her with a steady dominant persistence persistence persistence persist persist- ence that shook even her strong will There was som something resistless in the way he took her for granted Gordon Elliot had not mentioned loveto love loveto loveto to her though there were times when her heart fluttered for fear he be would She did not want any more She wanted to be let alone So when an invitation came from her little friends the signed by all three of the children asking her to come and visit them at the camp baCkof back backof of the Irish girl Jumped at the chance to escape for a u n time from the decision being forced upon her Sheba pledged her cousin to secrecy until after she had gone so that Miss ONeill O'Neill was able to slip away on the stage unnoticed either by Macdonald 1 or Elliot The only other passenger was an elderly woman going up to the n camp camp c to t take take ke a n place na fiS n c ci i cook Later Late on the same day Wally Selfridge Selfridge Selfridge Sel Sel- Sel- Sel fridge coming in over the Ice reached Kusiak with Important news for his chief He brought with him an order from WInton commissioner of the general general general gen gen- eral land office suspending Elliot pending pending pend pend- ing an Investigation of the charges against him Oddly enough it was to Genevieve I Mallory that Macdonald went for con con- when he learned that Sheba had left town He had always found it very pleasant to drop in for a chat with her and she saw to It that he hemet hemet hemet met the same friendly welcome now that a rival had annexed his scalp to her slender waist For Mrs Mallory 1 did not concede defeat If the Irish girl could be eliminated ed she believed she would yet win His hostess looked up at him with it a n mocking little smile Rumor Humor says that she has run away Vay my lord Is lt it true Yes Slipped away away on the stage this morning a good sign She was afraid to stay It was a n part of the fiction between them that Mrs Irs Mallory was to give him the b benefit of her advice in his wooing of her rival She seemed to take It for granted that he would at nt last marry Sheba after wearing away the rigid Puritanism of her resentment resentment resent resent- ment Macdonald had never liked her so sowell sowell sowell well as now Her point of view was wasso so sane so reasonable It asked d forno torno for tor forno no impossible virtues in a man There vas was something restful In her genial derisive understanding of him She had a silent divination of his moods and ministered indolently to them Do you think so Ought I to follow follow fol fol- fol low her he asked She showed a row of Co teeth In a low ripple ripply of amusement nt The situation situation situation sit sit- at least was piquant even though it was at her expense No Give the girl time Catch her impulse on the rebound Shell She'll be bored to death at and she will come back docile Her scarlet lips the long unbroken lines Unes of the sinuous opulent body the challenge of the smoldering eyes the i warmth of her lau laughter all invited him r im L. L 11 to forget the charms of other women The faint feminine perfume of her was wafted to his brain He felt a besiegIng ing fag of ot the blood Stepping behind the chair In which she sat he tilted back the head of lustrous lustrous lus Ins trous bronze and very deliberately kissed her on the lips For a moment she gave herself to his embrace then push pushed d h him m back rose and walked across the room to a little table With fingers that trembled slightly she lit a cigarette Sheathed in her close fitting close fitting gown she made a strong carnal appeal to him but there was between them too a close bond of the spirit He made no apologies no explanation Present Presently she turned and looked at at- him Only the deeper color benea beneath her eyes betrayed any excitement Unless Im I'm a n bad prophet you'll get the answer you want when Sheba comes back Colby He lIe thought her reply to his indiscretion Indiscretion indiscretion indis Indis- superb It admitted complicity complicity com com- reproached warned and at the same time Ignored Never before had she called him by his given name He lIe took it as a token of forgiveness and renunciation Why was it not Genevieve Mallory that he wanted to marry The mine- mine owner carried with him back to his office a sense of th the futile Irony of ot life A score of men would have liked to marry Mrs l Mallory She had all the sophisticated graces of life and much of the natural charm of an unusually unusually unusually un un- un- un usually attractive personality He had i ionly only to speak the word to win her and his fancy had flown in pursuit of a little little lit lit- tle Puritan with no knowledge of the world In front of the Seattle Kusiak Emporium Emporium Emporium Em Em- the Scotsman stopped A little little lit lit- tle man who had his back to him was bargaining for a team of huskies The rhe Theman Theman man turned and Macdonald recognized him Hello HelIo GId Arent Aren't you off your four usual beat a abit bit he asked The little miner looked him over im Im- Im- Im Well Well well 1 If It aint aint the big mogul himself himself and and wan tin to know if Ive I've got permission to travel off off the reservation I reckon you travel where you want to GId same Gid-same same as I do I shouldn't wonder If if you'd find out quite soon enough that What Im I'm doing here ere You never can tell telI the old man retorted with a manner that concealed volumes Those who were present remembered the words and in the light of ot what took place later thought them significant Anyhow it Is quite a social event for Kusiak Macdonald suggested with a a smile of Irony Without more words Holt HoIt turned back to his bargaining The big Scotsman Scotsman Scotsman Scots Scots- man went on his way remembered that he wanted to see the cashier of the bank which he controlled and promptly forgot that old Gid existed The old man concluded his purchase and drove up to the hotel behind one of the best dog teams in Alaska Gideon asked a question of the por por- ter Second floor That's his room up there the man answered pointing to toa toa toa a window Oh you seven seven ninety eighteen ninetynine ninety ninety- nine the little miner shouted up Elliott appeared at the window Well Ill I'll be hanged l What are you doing here Timer Old-Timer I knew a man lived to be a grandpa minding his own business Ll N P Pa a 5 P t tP 1 l For a Moment She Gave Herself to His Embrace grinned the little man Come down and Ill I'll tell you all about it it boy In half a minute Gordon was be beside de him After the first greetings the young man nodded toward the dog team I How did you persuade Tim Ryan to lend you his huskies r Why dont don't you take a paper and keep uy up with the news son These huskies dont don't belong beloni to Tim o J. J tJ i Meaning that Mr Gideon Holt Is Js the owner W Youve done guessed it it admitted the miner complacently He had a right to be proud of the team It was a famous one even in inthe inthe inthe the North It had run second for two years in the Alaska sweepstakes to Macdonald's gr great at Siberian wolf wolf- hounds The leader Butch was the hero of a dozen races and a hundred savage fights What In Halifax do you want with the team asked Elliot surprised The whole outfit must have cost a small fortune Some dust admitted Gideon proud proud- ly He winked mysteriously at Gor Gor- don I got a use for this team If anyone was to ask you taken the government mall mail contract have you Not so you could notice it Ill I'll tell you what I want with this team as the theold theold theold old sayin Is Holt HoIt lowered his voice and narrowed slyly his little beadlike eyes Im going to put a crimp In Colby Macdonald That's what I aim to do with It How The miner beckoned Elliot closed and whispered in his ear ar CHAPTER In the Dead of Night While Kusiak slept that night the wind shifted It came roaring across the range and drove before it great scudding clouds heavily laden with sleety snow lir From m dark till dawn the roar of the wind filled the night Before Before Before Be Be- fore morning heavy drifts drifts had wiped i out the roads and sheeted the town in virgin white unbroken by trails or fur fur- rows With the coming of daylight the tempest abat abated d. d Kusiak got into Its working clothes and dug Itself out from the heavy blanket of white that had |