Show SERIA S F fa I 1 ajl STO TOR ri M MARCH A R N 1 H ob THE W WHITE N I 1 PF E ky GUARD ar UA R t by SIR GILBERT PARKER 4 liall I 1 1111 1111 bl 1 copy ight ina by R F fennoy co CHAPTER I 1 cont continued aued the men groipen themselves about the fire late carscallen getsi g the coldest corner each man drew his tobacco from his pocket and cutting it waited for sib S ib factor hume to speak ills eyes were debating as they rested on the tour four then he took out rose lepage a letter and with the group looking at him now he read it aloud when it was finished cloud Int in the heSky sky gave a guttural assent and gaspe tou jours looking at jeff hyde said it is cold in the barren i grounds we shall need in ch tabac these men could read without diff culty jaspar hume s reason for sum I 1 moiling moning them to gaspe to dijour s re mark jeff hyde nodded affirmatively and then all looked at late caracal len leri he opened his heay hear jas javis once or twice with an animal like bound and then he said in a general kind of way k to the barren darren grounds but who leads jaspar hume was writing on a slip of paper and he did not reply the faces of three ot of them showed just a shade of anxiety they had their opinions but they were not sure cloud in the sky however grunted at them and raised the bowl of his pipe towai d the sib S ib factor the anxiety then seemed to be d spelled for ten minutes more they sat so all silent then jaspar hume rose handed the slip of paper to sergeant gosse and said attend to that at once gosse examine the food and blankets closely the five were left alone then jaspar hume spoke jeff hyde gaspe Tou Toul Tours ours late car and cloud in the sl SI y this man alive or dead Is between here and the barren grounds he must be found for his wife s sake he handed jeff H hyde de her ber letter jeff hyde abbed hrs his fingers before he touched the delicate and perfumed missive its delicacy seemed to be w ider him he said in a rough but kindly way hope to die if I 1 dont don t and passed it on to gaspe irs who did not find it necessary to speak his comrade had answered for him late carscallen held it inquisitively tor for a moment and then his jaws opened and shut as if he were about to speak but before he did so the sub factor said it is a long journey and ahard a hard one those who go may never come back but this man was work ing toe foi his country and he has got a alle a good wife he held up the letter late carscallen wants to know who will lead you can cant t you trust me mea I 1 will give you a leader that you will follow to the barren grounds tomorrow to morrow you will know who he Is men are you satisfied 7 9 will you do if the four rose and cloud in the sky nodded approvingly many times the sub factor held out his hand fach man shook it jeff hyde first and he said close up ranks for the H B C H B C meaning of course hudson bay company once more jaspar hume apol e go to gosse and get your outfits at nine to tomorrow morrow morning cloud in the sky have y our sleds at the store at eight 0 clock to be loaded then all meet me at 10 15 at the office of the chief factor good night left alone the sub factor sat down to the pine table at one end of the room and after a short hesitation be gan gaa to write for hours he sat there rising only to put wood on the fire the result was three letters the largest addressed to a famous society in london one to a solicitor in mon treal and one to mr field the chief factor they were all sealed carefully then jaspar hume rose took out his knife and went over to the box as it if to break the red seal he paused however sighed and put the knife back again As he cd so he felt something touch his leg it was the dog jaspar hume drew in a sharp breath and said it was ras all ready jacques Tac ques and in another three months I 1 should have been in london with it but it will go whether I 1 go or not whether I 1 go or not jacques the dog sprang up and put his head against his master s breast good dog good dog its all right jacques however it goes it s all right then the t ja lay down and watched the man until he drew the blankets to bis his chin and sleep drew oblivion over a fighting but masterly soul CHAPTER II 11 at ten 0 blok next morning jas par hume presented himsel himself at the chief factors office he ile bore with him the letter letteri he had written the night beffie the factor said NN well ell hume flume I 1 am glad to see you that woman a letter was on my mind all night I 1 have you anything to Drop propose oseP I 1 sui sul pose not he added despairingly as he loo looked ted closely into the face of the other yes mr field I 1 propose this that the expedition shall rhall start at noon to today day shall tart at soon voon 0 day in two hours but who are the party jeff hyde gaspe Tou jours late carscallen and cloud in the sky and who leads them hume who leads with W ith fow permission sir ido I 1 do you hume you but man con sider the danger and then tien there la is there Is your invention I 1 have considered all here are three letters it if we do not come back in three months you will please send this one with the box in my room to the address on the envelope this Is tor for a solicitor in montreal which you will also forward as soon as possible this last one Is for 3 jour self b t you will not open it until the three months have passed have I 1 your permission to lead these mena they would not go without me I 1 know that I 1 know that hume I 1 hate to have you go but I 1 can cant t say no go and good luck go with you here the manly old factor turned away his head he ile knew that jaspar hume had bad done right he mew the possible sacrifice this man was mak ng of all his hopes of his very life and his so ind scotch heart appreciated the act to the full but he did not know all he ile did not know that jaspar hume was starting to look for the man who had robbed him of youth and hope and genius and home here is a letter that the wife has written to her husband in fn the hope that he is alive you will take it with you hume and the other she wr wrote ote to me shall I 1 keep if stood in front of the store 01 t chica the british flag was hoisted with an pother other beneath it bearing the magic cletters letters 13 B C magic because they have opened to the world regions that seemed destined never to know the touch of civilization the few inhabitants of 0 the fort had gathered the dogs and loaded sleds were at the door the e gi ard were there too all but their leader it wanted but two minutes to twelve when jaspar hume cane carle from his 4 house dressed also in the white blanket costume and followed by his dog jacques in a moment more he had placed jacques at the head of the first team of dogs they were to have their leader too and they fled to the act fact by a bark of approval punctually at noon jaspar hume shook hands with the factor said a quick good bye to the rest called out a friendly howl to the indiana stand ing near and to the sound of a hearty cheer heartier perhaps because xane none had a confident hope hode that the five would come back the march of the white guard began I 1 S I 1 CHAPTER III 4 it la Is IS 18 days after in the shadow of a little island of pines that liesen a shivering waste of ice ana anci snow the whito guard samp they are ablerto do this night what they have not done tor for days dig a great grave of snow and building a fire of pine wood at each end of this strange bouse house get protection and something like comfort they sit close to the fires jaspar hume Is writing with his numbed fingers the extract that follows Is taken from his d ary it tells that days day s life and so gives an idea of harder sterner days that they have spent and will spend on thia this weary journey december this Is christmas day and camp 27 we have marched only five miles to today day we 6 01 TA ayi or T va we JI drink to the day when we see them again no sir I 1 will keep it it if you will allow me it Is my commission you know and the shadow ot of a smile hovered about jaspar hume humes s ups lips the factor smiled kindly as he replied ah ali yes your commission capt jaspar hume of ot of what hume just then the door open d and there entered the tour four men whom we saw sat ai around the sub factor factors s fire the night before they were dressed in white blanket costumes from head to foot white woolen capotes covering the gray fur caps they wore jaspar hume ran his eye over them and then answered the factors question of the white guard sir good was the reply men you are going on a relief expedition one in which there Is danger you need a good leader you have one in jas par hume jeff hyde shook his head at the others with a pleased I 1 told you so ex cloud in the sky grunted his deep app approval roNal and late carscallen smacked his lips in a satisfied man ner and rubbed his leg with a school boy sense of enjoyment the factor continued in the name ot of the hud son bay company I 1 will say that if you come back having haung done your duty faithfully you shall be well re warded and I 1 believe you will come back it if it s in human power to do so here jeff hyde said it isn t for reward were we re doin doln it mr field but butt I 1 because capt hume wished it be beuse we believed he d lead us and tor for the lost fellow a wife we wouldn t have said we wed d do it it if it wasn gasn t for him just called us the white guard unde the bronze of the sub tac fac tor s face there spread a glow more red than brown and he said simply thank you men for or they had all nodded assent to jeff H de s words come with me to the store V A e will tart start at noon and at noon the whits guard are 80 miles from great fish river and the worst yet to do we have dis covered no signs jeff hyde has had a bad two days with his frozen toot foot gaspe Tou jours helps lim nobly one of the dogs died this morning orning ru jacques is a great leader thu this nights abel ter Is a godsend cloud in the he sky has a plan whereby some ot of us will sleep well we are in latitude 63 begreen grees 47 minutes and longitude degrees 52 2 minutes 14 seconds have worked out lunar observations have marked a tree 27 and and raised cairn calm no 3 we are able to celebrate christmas day with a good basin of tea and our standby of beans pearls cooked in fat I 1 was right about them they have great sustaining pow er to tomorrow morrow we will start at ten 0 clock the writing done jaspal jaspar hume puts his book aay and turns toward the rest cloud in the sky and late car are smoking little can be seen of their faces they are mut fled to the eyes gaspe Tou jours la Is ar drinking inking a basin of tea and jeff hyde Is fitfully dozing by the fire the doga are above in the tent all but jacques who tonight Is permitted to be nea neat bis ilis master the sub factor rises take takeo from a knapsack a small tin pall and puts it near the fire this operation IC 1 watched by the others then he takes five little cups that fit snugly into each other separates them and juts i ats them also near the fire none of the I 1 barty arty peak A change seems to 0 pass over the faces of all except cloud in the sky he ile smokes on unmoved at length the sub factor speaks cheer 11 now men before re turn in wall do something in honor of the day liquor we none of us hae hane touched aln since e we started but back there in the fol foil and maybe in other places V too they will be think ing to us so ne vell 11 drink a health to them though it its s but a sl and to the day when ne see then adalue TO BE CONTIM CONTINI rd |