Show t r f f 1 t H M-EGBERT M W N U C CHAPTER APTER I Darrell crouched beside his Cruiser Nat Page at the he bf mf f the motor boat peering ugh the storm gh the great clouds of spray nt sweeping past them ev- ev was alternately as black h 1 and suddenly illumined thi I Y f the two one-two two one-two of the these se beam as it clove the foghorn which had been in- in sounding its dull dun note past hour had ceased evi- evi Ithe the fog had lifted though thought t was not apparent to the then En n in the boat cutting her through mountainous seas each instant to cap- cap 1 C drenching drenching rain showed no lessening and the howling rind ind had become an Inferno 7 f q w the lighthouse approached t. t 1 IO long s-long ng ridge of Ian land d project project- ec t m in the black rugged coastline coast coast- I line the northern St. St Lawrencer Lawrence r le e boat apparently heading I ij for for the rocks beneath the se e seemed doomed to swift i tion I Page P ge turned and shouted Inear in I Hi Tear fear ear No hope of rounding I it t. t But theres there's the little cove the ilie l. l the rocks at the point Well We'll I her Ill I'll iI make her Mark shouted 11 neither man believed it it for foroff Off eff the point the seas were ul l Huddled up in their led ed d furs the two watched the Brous black shifting pano- pano f shore and rocks while the ready tready growing water-logged water t crazily in the troughs and seemed to surmount the tow- tow rests above herd her id d d been a foolish act to start the St. St Lawrence that rous TOUS noon in spring when had only lately gone out of I iver ver and the first ocean ad but a week before forged I ay upstream to Montreal I ose se logs in the icebound Dd St. St c would be read ready for running eek or so and that would I little more cash for the new ise rise ise And Horace Hote I ote te from Montreal demandt demand- demand at t the sale of the mill miU and andI I fj i rights be canceled had haded ed bied Mark Mork a good deal tas s disturbing Mark even now V their lives seemed a matter 1 t ends rather than of minutes Ud of the breakers on the was as louder than the wind ht t ahead visible only when I e two e-two two of the light gleamed oe e tall 1311 lighthouse tower all it It the black implacable siy si- si y of the cliffs underneath the thed d roar of the currents cross n ithe the the point the dash of the 1 the he suction back-suction of the tint uno un- un t o w w the blinding spray I k gripped the side of the boat great ledge of rocks rose al al- beside them They had es- es that by a miracle of luck At eel Nat Page was fighting I ill ll 11 his might to keep the little I Il on head to save her from battered battered against the rocks I swIrling log in the St. St Victor n its is is in in Pulpwood V I est rest d dest Mark arli If six years' years experience work- work r r. a company on the secondIne secondIA second- second Ine IA W V logging lands higher up theW the wrence ence with the increasing of t pulpwood Mark had real real- at the time had come to take I the the huge untapped forest reps ret re- re t ps 8 further east cast a hundred beyond Tadoussac and the thenay thenay I nay where summer tourists I 11 nd d play golf gou With his little M 1 and two bad backers ers who beIn belin beto be- be l lin to In him he had seen the prof- prof be made out of the timber timberon on n the Kinross there here was something more to the profits There was the theof s of of t mastery in the taming of reat Teat real f forests erects and harnessing J strew streams ms driving runways i ng g corduroys sending the logs p 1 ng g down the rapids Into th the e It meant accomplishment It We itself lease of that waterfront sect sec- sec I t the Kinross had hadI the market for three Io I years j 11 of M the big companies had been i to negotiate The fall P Mark ark ha had d closed with Horace ac ae the Quebec lawyer act act- f 0 behalf if of his ward the widow 1 Hate seigneur who had been ld cd ed at sea with villi the sealing fleet ears ears tars before u ac smooth suave i ingrati- ingrati ad struck truck Mark as the type toner t who required watching I ark rk had satisfied himself that g is were Indisputable and a 3 t i een en S Madame Radame Kinross' Kinross signs signa- authorizing her guardian Hod Ho Ho- d roussac to make the lease ul aft f. f t f behalf LI J thad ad been a widow five years If J e was not je yet twenty one I L r k J hadn't seen her the l' l u. B. l when he I III visited St. St Victor wed near the lighthouse of her late Inte father had had charge She wouldn't see sec him and Mark had s sensed an indescribable hostility among the sullen habitants They lived by fishing and each spring they joined the sealing scaling squadrons off N Newfoundland They were not woodsmen like the people of the upper St St. Lawrence probably resented the presence of an American American American Amer Amer- ican even though Mark could speak French with fair fluency The landlord of the tiny hotel patronized patronized pa pa- only by traveling salesmen had been dour and uncommunicative tive a Frenchman of Scots ancestry ancestry ancestry ances ances- try like so man many of the people But had been with Mark and had been effusive conciliatory and evidently the one man whose word counted in the tiny settlement where he had a summer home The cheap little milling outfit would serve as a start Loggers brought from higher up the river were hard at work along the banks of the St. St Victor had promised two thousand cords of ot logs at the runways before spring Mark Markwas Markwas Markwas was satisfied with his purchase stillmore still stillmore stillmore more so with the fine growth of heavy timber For the first time in his life he was his own master It was curt letter from Montreal that had decided Mark to take Nat Page to St. St Victor at once and look into the situation There was no transportation in April except except except ex ex- ex- ex by motor-boat motor from the south shore The They should have reached tn- tn F o i i ir r 4 a r t iii M M Mt t Tons of white green-white water hurled I him forward the wharf before dark except for forthe forthe forthe the sudden storm Now there was about one chance in ten that they might make the little cove at the point They'd never round that point Well make her herl Nat shouted once more His voice was exultant a defiant challenge to death A swirl of white water half engulfed them The boat righted herself and sped on Another ledge of rocks another leaning up needle needle- fanged out of the white water Darkness The eye the double eye of the light above them them them- Then miraculously the little sand sandy beach among the rocks at nt atthe atthe the point But they'd never make it They were approaching it di diagonally diagonally dl- dl and a ledge of rocks on either side shut off oft the direct approach approach approach ap ap- ap- ap and the boat was being sucked sidewise into a vortex of boiling water A Miraculous i Escape From Drowning b Nat's shout was cut of off by the crash of the little craft as the un- un ripped the bottom out of her She sank like a stone and in inan inan inan an Instant Mark and Nat were fighting blindly in that frightful surge of ot seething water And for some seconds Mark knew nothing except the tense vivid joy of ot physIcal physical physical phys phys- ical combat with the tons of ot green- green white water that hurled him forward forward forward for for- ward sucked him back then raised him like a roller-coaster roller and sent him plunging forward His hands clutched graveL He drew In a deep breath and clung while the undertow grasped him and buffeted him then another mother surge swept him forward again and in the double light of the eye overhead he saw v Nat's figure doubled up on the shingle ahead of ot him On hands and knees he crawled forward over the groaning shingle still sUll wave swept dazed feeling leeling asif asif as asif if his whole body had been beaten into pulp But Nat was on his feet now and staggering toward him His hand grasped his The two young men stood silent motionless motionless motionless mo mo- suddenly aware of the miracle that had befallen them But voices were shouting out of the swept rain darkness An el el- el I derly man and a boy clothed in sleek dripping slickers were approaching ap ap- approaching them a coil of rope I ap-I in their hands Behind them clothed also In a slicker a girl was stand stand- I ing They are all right Madame I the elderly man shouted to herBring herBring herBring her Bring them up to the cottage I Immediately t She turned and next moment I Mark and md Nat were being assisted I up a long gravel trail then up two I flights Sights of concrete steps to the plateau plateau plateau pla pla- on which the lighthouse stood I Here were other structures too presumably housing the stores the dynamo and the apparatus for the I foghorn and opposite them was a along along long story single-story cottage with a alight alight alight light shining in one room The girl turned holding up a lantern lantern lantern lan lan- tern and inspecting the two young men She looked about one-and- one twenty her dark hair was tumbled about her face tace her hood dripped and Mark noticed by the lantern light the firm setting of ot the corners of her mouth odd in so young and beautiful a girl Bring them here Andre I will question them she said Again Mark thought that odd She addressed Mark in French Monsieur we have been watching your boat half the afternoon and were afraid you would never make the landing You owe your thanks to God she said There is but butone butone butone one question Is either of you the Monsieur Darrell who was here last fall It It Is he this he-this this one cried old Andre suddenly I am Mark Darrell and this is Mr Page Mark replied You must be Madame Kinross whose lands I have leased A growl like a bears bear's came from old Andres Andre's throat For a moment he looked as if it he was about to hurl himself at Mark Madeline Kinross' Kinross quiet level tones restrained restrained restrained re re- re- re strained himBe himBe him Be quiet Andre she commanded command command- ed These men are guests They cannot go back until tomorrow Put some more logs into the stove inthe in inthe inthe the spare room And bring them dry clothes I Messieurs shall heat you some soup and coffee She disappeared into the back of the house and old Andre viciously flung open the door of the room that occupied the other wing of ot the one- one story house It was damp and cold inside but a flicker of fire came from a stove Andre lit a candle and placed it on a table He thrust two logs into the stove and turned grinning malevolently at Dan and Nat through his gray beard It was the devil saved you from fromI I the sea he growled Tomorrow you can go back to him I I There were two cots in the room From a closet the old man pulled 1 some clothes trousers clothes trousers pullovers mackinaws and socks I It It is because she told me to do doso doso so he snarled We Ve do not want I you here Well theres there's a nice pleasant customer for you Mark grinned I Nat as the old man stamped out of I the room I had a hunch folks weren't so friendly hereabouts when I looked over your timber last fall but if it they're all like him him him- Madame Kinross Is Also Unfriendly Well find out what its it's about tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow to to- morrow answered Mark They had just changed Into their dry clothes and hung the wet ones over the stove when Madeline Kinross' Kinross Kinross' Kinross Kinross' Kinross Kin Kin- ross' ross clear voice was heard outside the door If It you gentlemen will go back Into the kitchen you will find what I have been able to provide in the way of ot food for you she called Mark opened the door slightly May we not thank you Madame Kinross he inquired Not now or ever she answered curtly and turning back into her own room closed the door Mark and Nat made their way back into the kitchen where by the light of candles they found steaming steaming steaming steam steam- ing soup and coffee fresh bread canned beef and jam Battered and weary as they were they fell to with the gusto of youth Nat grinned as he mouthed his food Queerer than I thought he added Seeing that the lady leased her lands to you through Must be some explanation the sort of fellow I who'd try to cancel a deal If he got a better offer answered Mark Ive got an idea hell he'll find some means of getting up here pretty quick I wIred v him I was starting for tor St. St Victor after alter I got that note from him They ate and yawned warm now an and dog Both were look good ing young men of the virile clean- clean cut type Marks Mark's light brown head and Nat Not Pages Page's darker one nodded over the food I feel as if U I could sleep a million million mil mil- lion llon years said Mark staggering to his feet teet Im going to bed You never said anything better answered his friend TO BE CONTINUED |