Show e A V 3 4 wl 11 SYNOPSIS enid maitland Malt land a frank tree free and un spot polled led young Phal ladelphia g rl is taken to t the he colorado mounta mounts ns by I 1 er uncle robert maitland Matt land james armstrong maitland Malt MaltI land ands s falls in love th her his ills pers stent wooing tl ti rills the g rl but the she hesitates and arn strong goes eist on bus ness R V phout a dafin te answer enid hears bears the story of a n n ng engi neer new bold R alose I 1 ose wife fell off a c iff and was so seriously hurt t at he as compelled ed to sl si oot I 1 er to prevent her be comp in ing eaten at e b wol es walle RI ile I 1 ie e went tor for be help ap kirl kir I 1 b the old g de vh who 0 te Is I 1 e story gives alrid ln d a pad age of letters which he sa a ft ere found on tie dead woman s body she reads the letters and at kirkby 13 request I 1 beeps them h ie bathing in mountain stream eod Is at tacked by a bear R h eh Is tn mate ste loussi hot shot A storm adds to the gi Is I 1 s terror A sudden deluge transforms brool into raging torrent katch sweeps en d into gorge where sl RI e Is rescued b a moun tain hermit after a tl ti rill g experience campers in great confusion upon d ing fold a absence when tie tl e storm breaks maitland Malt land and old kirkby go 90 1 search of the girl enid d ers that her ankle is sprained and that sl si e Is u able to walk her rn mister lous rescuer carries her to I 1 Is can p enid goes to sleep bleep in the strange mans bink miner cooks breakfast for enid after which they go on tour of inspection tl TI e I 1 er anit tells enid of his unsuccessful attempt to find the maitland Malt land campers he ile adm ts that he be Is also from PI I 1 ll adelphia tl TI a e hermit falls in love with enid the man comes to a realization of his lo 10 e for her hei but naturally in that strange sol tude the relations of the girl and her rescuer be tome come unnatural and strained the strang er tells of a wife he had who Is dead and sal sais s he has sworn to en ever er cl el erial her memory by living in solitude he ile and enid however confess their love loe for each oti er S e learns tl at he Is t e roan man who killed his ite ife in the mounta n enid d drovers the writer of tl e letters to newbolds new NeR holds bolds eife to I 1 a e been james Armst armstrong roig newball decides to start to the settlement tor for I 1 elp the man 1 is 19 9 ra racked ked ay by the belief that he is 1 unfaithful to his afe s n emory a d arnid Is 1 te T pt ed to tell him of the letters in her pos session armstron ac compan ed by and robert maitland find a note that re new bo bod d I 1 lad ad left in the deger demerel e I 1 cabin and know that the girl Is in his keep s g a CHAPTER continued not altogether admirable had been james armstrongs armstrong s outwardly success tul ful career in much that Is high and noble ard manly his actions and his character had often been lacking but even the base can love and sometimes love trans transforms forns if it be filen enaa wa Sk erriC made a manjang prince out of the 0 fe for enid maitland Malt land for or armstrong than I 1 e himself or any one who knew him as he was and few there were who had such knowledge of him dreamed was possible was one thing that love coull not do however it could not make him a patient phil a good waiter his rule of life was not very iery high but in one way it was admirable in that prompt bold desire action was his clile fest charac te terl on this certa n a month after the heartbreaking heart breaking li his power of passive endurance I 1 ad been trained to the vanish ng joint i the treat white range was flu i g in his face mat like I 1 if ja e a challenge will in its secret re besses lay the solution of the mystery somer somewhere here dead or alive bey be oi old d the soaring rampart was ras tl if e woman he loved it was ras impossible f for him to remain quiet any longer common sense reason every that had been addi d suddenly became of no weight he lifted bis his head and stared straight westward his eyes swept the long semicircle ol 01 horizon across which the mighty range was drawn like the chord of gigantic arc or the string of a mighty bow each white peak mod ed I 1 im the insolent aggression of tl ti e range called him lr ir resistibly to action by heaven he said under his breath rising to his feet winter or no winter I 1 go robert Milt land had offices office s in the same building having once come to a determination there vos ras no more un certainty or hesitation about arru arm strong s co arse in another moment he was stand pg rg in the private room of his friend the two men were not alone stephen maitland Malt land sat in a low chair before another window removed from the desk somewhat staring out at the range the old man was huddled down in his seail seat every hi ili 0 of his f agi gi re spoke of grief and despair of all the places in den ver he liked best his brother s office fronting the rampart of the moun bains ind hour afeei hour he be sat there quietly looking at the summits some times softly shrOL shrouded ded in white some times swept bare by the fierce winter gales lat blew across them somo some times shining and sparkling so that the ey eye e scarce sustain tl if air reflection of the dazzling sun of colorado and at other times seen dimly through mists of whirling snow oh yes the mountains challenged him also to the other side of the range his ills heart earned learned tor for his child but hs he was too old to make the atteLn attempt pt he could only sit and pray and wait with such faint and fad ing hope as is he could still cherish un til the break up of the spring came for the rest he troubled nobody nobody noticed him nobody marked him nobody minded him robert maitland Malt land transacted his business a little more softly a little more gently that waa was all yet the presence of his brother was as a living grief and a living re to him although he ras a as quite blameless he blamed himself he had not known ho hoc v he had grofft n to love lov e his niece until he had lost her his ills conscience accused him hourly and let yet he knew not chere he was at fault or how he could have done dit dif terentiy terent ferent ly it R was as a helpless and hope less situation 10 lo 10 h in therefore en armtrong arm Arn trong maitland he began 1 I can t stand it any longer I 1 in going into the moun bains you are mad I 1 cant can t help it I 1 can t sit here and face them damn them and re main quiet iou ou will never come out e oh yes I 1 will but it if I 1 don t I 1 swear to god I 1 don t care old stephen maitland rose ily fly to his feet and gripped the back of his chair did I 1 hear aright sira he asked with all the polished and graceful cour tesy of birth and breeding which never deserted him in any emergency what do you say I 1 said I 1 was going into the moun bains to search tor for her it is madness urged robert malt land but the old man did not hear him blank tl ank god be exclaimed w th deep feel ng I 1 have sat here day aft er day and watched those mighty hills and I 1 have said lo 10 myself that it if I 1 ha I 1 youth and strength as I 1 have love I 1 would not wait you are r returned arm strong equally moved and indeed it would have been hard to have heard and seen that father unresponsively and I 1 am not going to wait either elthe I 1 understand fow four feelings jim and yours too steve began robert maitland arguing against his own emo eions even if she escaped the flood she must be dead by this time you go over the old ment bob I 1 im in going into the moun kalns tain and im goi goin genow no nohe be i or ph bismouth hi nl ll 11 rth alons you naila r j K abegg a 9 i gg 01 n aa aa to tode decide clde wha ha an 0 0 argument there is no for force e there is no appeal there is nothing that will restrain me I 1 cant can t sit here and eat my heart out when she may be there but Is I 1 s impossible it is impossible how do I 1 know that there may not have been some body in the mountains she may have wandered to some settlement some hunter hunters s cabin some prospector prospectors s hut but we were there for weeks and saw nothing no evidence of human ity I 1 don t care the mountains are filled plied with secret nooks you could pass by within a stones throw and never see into she may be in one of them I 1 suppose she Is dead and it a all fool ish this hope but 19 I 1 never believe it t ji i bucino ae story cc al e persons berso who deark ob ars rd 4 rad A vl i s Y to an 0 4 6 setter attim 1 ard iba 8 11 WOO lU swAT i H q afa afy until I 1 have hay examined every enery square rod within a radius of SO 50 miles from 0 3 o ir camp ill take the long cl ance the longest even een e en well that s all right said rob ert maitland of course I 1 intend to do that as soon as the spring oper opener but what s the ue of trying to d do MV nov its it s use to me ill I 1 II 11 either go i here in deaver or I 1 must go to see for her there S but you will rill never come ba aki 1 voi yet once get in thoe mountains alone I 1 don t care whether I 1 do or not its it s no use old man I 1 am go ng an that s all there Is about it hobert robert maitland knew men he ile rec finality when he heard it ori or when he saw it and it was quite ei eni dent that he was ras in the presence of it then it was ras no use if to say more very well he sai sat I 1 I 1 onor ary for your feeling even eien it if I 1 dont don t think much of your common sense damn common se sete ice cried arm strong triumphantly its love that moves me now at that moment there was a tap on the door A clerk from the outer of flee b adden to enter announced that old kirkby was in the ante room bring him in directed maitland eager to welcome him he fancied that the newcomer would undoubtedly assist him in dissuading arnstrong from his foolhardy useless enterprise mornin old man drawled koft howdy armstrong my resper eJ 1 t to 0 you sir he said sinking his voice a little as he bowed respectfully t toward 0 d mr stephen maitland a very look in the old frontiersman s eyes at the sight of the bereaved fa ther kirkbr you youve ne come in the very nick of time at once began robe robea maitland allus glad to b beu johnny 0 spot smiled the older mann 1 3 armstrong here heri X onti u other intent tp an he no con fan t wait walt f as w uthe trpo P 1 taT 71 nilow now to molook look tor for en d A kirkby didn dian t love armstrong he care for him a little bit but there was something in the bold hardi 6 f it Is madness urged robert maitland I 1 end of the man something in the way which he met the reckless challenge of the mountains that the old man and all the others felt that moved the in most soul of the hardy frontiersman he threw an approving glance at him I 1 tell him that it Is absurd b e that he risks his life for noth ing and I 1 want you to tell him the same thing you know more about the mountains than either of us mr kirkby quavered stephen mait land allow me I 1 don t want to in fluence you against your better judgment but it if you could sit here as I 1 have done and think that maybe she la Is there and perhaps alive still and ajl I 1 il i need you would R not say a word to deter him why steve expostulated robert maitland Malt land surely you know I 1 would risk anything tor for enid somehow it seems as if I 1 were ere being put in the selfish position by my opposition no no said bis his brother it isn t phat hat you have your wife and calill dren bat this young man kwell well what do you say kirka not ot thit 1 I it maltes makes any difference to me tb 0 tat aaa anybody an body bays come we are casting time interposed armstrong who now that he had made up his mind was R as anxious to be off jim armstrong answered kirkby decidedly I 1 never thought much 0 you in the past an I 1 think sence you ve pi pt t au out this last of yot goirn rn that I 1 im m entitled to call you a damn fool w ich you are and I 1 in an coyier ot er tor for I 1 in goin into the mountains with you I 1 m goin into the mountains with you oh thank god godf cried stephen maitland Malt land fervently I 1 know you don t like me answer ed armtrong that s neither here nor there perhaps you have cause to dial ke k me perhaps you have not I 1 don dont t like ou any too well myself but there s no man on earth I 1 d rather have go with me on a quest of this kind than you and there a s my hand band on it kirby shook it vigorously this ain aint t committing com mittin myself he said taid cautiously so fars far a im I 1 m con arned berned you ain aln t good enot enoich gh for miss ditland Malt land but I 1 admires your spirit armstrong an im I 1 m goin with you tain t no good atwon t produce cothin most likely we 11 never come back agin but jest the same I 1 in go n along nobody s goin to show me the trail my nerve and grit w en it comes to helpin a young female like that girl s ab a good as any an body s I 1 guess you re her father he drawled on turning to stephen maitland Malt land an I 1 ain aln t no kin to her but by gosh I 1 believe I 1 can understand better than any one else ere what you are feelen kirkby sa d robert maitland Malt land smil ing at ta tie e other t vo 0 o have gone clean back on me I 1 thought you had more sense but some 0 v I 1 guess it a contagious for I 1 am go ng along with 3 ou t vo myself and I 1 cannot I 1 accompany youg pleaded stephen maitland eagerly drawing near to the other three not much said old kirkby prompt ly iou ou aint ain t got the ol 01 man you don t know them mountains auther you i on d be helpless on a pair 0 snow shoes there ant anything I 1 yoi 0 1 could do yo i d jest be a drag on us without sayin anything about myself w ich I 1 in too modest tor for that there aint better men in colorado to tackle this lob job than jim armstrong an bob Plait jV altland land an vell as I 1 ald I 1 won wont t mention no other names sou go ess ass you ou all gentlemen fal tere d stephen phen ma maitland Malt 1 land I 1 think per bais hats J may have been wrong a little prejudiced against the west you are men that would do honor to any family to any society in philadelphia or any where else lord love ye drawled kirkby his eyes twinkling there aln aint t no three thre e men on the atlantic seaboard that kin match up with two of us yere to say bothin of the third well said robert maitland the thing now is tie to decide on w what hat a to be done my plan said armstrong Is to go to the old camp yep said kirkby that s a good point of dee as my se seafaring sea tarin ta fa ther down cape cod way used to say an wot s next I 1 am going up the canon instead of down said the man with a flash of inspiration that ain aln t no bad idea auther assented the old man we looked the ground over pretty thoroughly down 7 Z rd it V 7 the canon debbe we can find some thing up it and what do you propose to take with you asked maitland Malt land what we can carry on be backs ot of men we will make a camp some where about where yoi yo i did Weca we can nget get enough husky men up at morrison Morr lson who will rill pack in what we want and with that as a basis we will explore the upper reaches of the range and when cio u we there Is a train for morrison Morr lson in two houi houis s answered armstrong we can get what we re want in the way of sleeping bags and equipment between now and then it if we hurry about it lt lf we are goin to do do it we might as well git a moia na us assen ea en kirkby making recy reay to go right answered robert maitland Malt land grimly when three men set out to make fools of the themo elves the sooner they get at it and get over with it ft the better ive I 1 ve got some busl ness matters to settle you two get what s needed and bear my share A week later a little band ot of men on snow shoes wrapped in furs to their eyes every one heavily burdened with a pack staggered into the clearing where once had been pitched the malt land camp the place was covered with snow of |