Show s y HM EGBERT H M SERVICE Mark Darrell young American t lumberman lumberman lumberman lumber lumber- man Is boss of a lumber camp near St. St Victor Canada Nat Is his assistant Mark Marie has fallen In love lo with Madame Madeleine Kinross the young oung widow who owns the timberland She returns his affection but tells him that she believes her husband is still alive so that there Is no hope of or marriage Her lIer lawyer Horace also is 15 a suitor Brous Brous- sac has made several se cash offers otTers to Mark to get out the last for lor He lie tells Mark lark that ho be intends to marry Madeleine Madeleine Made Made- leine to train gain her property as well as herself Mark l visits the parish priest to try to learn the truth about Eric Erl Kin Kin- ross The priest tells him simply Madame Kinross is not for you ou CHAPTER R VII P The lighthouse had just begun to flash its two one-two two one-two of warning warning warning warn warn- ing through the night when Mark made his way along the natural bridge and down the steps toward Madeleine's cottage He kept a sharp lookout for Andre Andre Andre An An- Galipeault but the old man was evidently in the lighthouse And in inthe inthe inthe the twilight Mark was knocking at Madeleine's door She came out she stood holding the sides of the door looking at atMark atMark atMark Mark her breath coming and going going going go go- ing quickly Madeleine I He took her hands in his and still she stood looking at him unresisting unresisting ing her gray eyes luminous Ive been to see Father La- La combe combo I told him that I loved you I thought it right to do so I asked him what happened on the ice floe I and he refused to answer me He will not answer me mc said I Ithe the girl They know know but but I am amnot amnot not permitted to know what happened happened happened hap hap- to my husband When I Isaid Isaid I said slid that he was still alive you I thought me crazy Now you under under- stand But if he is alive where is he Who knows Those four know know Andre Andre Hector Hector Hector Hec Hec- tor Mackintosh Alphonse and Father Lacombe But I must never know My husband is alive somewhere I know and insane as the result of ot his exposure He was never never quite sane He would drink until a kind of devil took possession of him then he would fight a dozen men at a time and beat them He was the most adored and hated man on the lower St St. Law Law- rence I know he is living mad s somewhere r and they will not tell me Madeleine I love you Ah what is the use of telling me tl that at Do you not see my fate I married the seigneur when I was fifteen because I was forced into it and it-and and also because he fascinated me I was proud to be chosen wife of the seigneur And there was never any other woman in his life He had always loved me And there was as my fathers father's little proper proper- ty What could I do Now I know blow that he is alive for father Lacombe has told me that I must remain a widow all my days daysI I I who was married hour half before the fleet sailed and did not even know what marriage meant Do you see my friend Do you see my dear She laid her hand handon I on Marks Mark's face and stroked it gently gent gent- ly I Then we must not see each other other other oth oth- er again We must try not to meet c t again Then J. J J I shall give up my lease said Mark r y She She caught caugh her breath sharply Ah An but Horace He believes believes believes be be- In nothing He laughs at Father Lacombe He wants me to marry him in Quebec come back defy them all I am afraid of ot him s I have thought and thought and I think that I shall go away I have havea a cousin who is a in JH Quebec She will take me in I If f cannot bear it any longer p We e Must Try NotT Not NotTo 1 T To o Meet Again She was weeping weeping desolately desolately desolately deso deso- lately in n Marks Mark's arms and he bent L' L and kissed her tear-stained tear cheek r They stood looking at each other iJ hopelessly f Cant you speak to Father Lacombe Lacombe Lari La La- ri combe an and find out whether your 11 husband is rea really y alive asked v Mark She shook her head He would not answer me she said is Why not Because it would violate the seu se- se secrets secrets se se- u crets of the confessional tJ You mean that those three men have told him the truth If It that is the case old Andre knows Yes Andre knows but he has bas n neVer ver told me a word There was wasa q a time when I used to plead with I him Now I have learned enough to keep silent Ill make him talk said Mark grimly No N 0 answered Madeleine There is s nothing more to be said Everything that could possibly be x said has been said in the past five years You must go Mark and we must try not to meet again Ill give up the lease said Mark once more For a moment he held her close to him and their lips met Then Mark turned away toward the bridge But not before he had seen f Andre Galipeault standing at the lighthouse entrance a bitter sneer upon his bearded face Had he been a witness of ot that 1 1 j good-by good Mark didn't care for he i realized that he was through St Sl Victor had got him down with its secrecy its furtiveness its hugging of its own mysteries to its breast But what about Mark didn't mind the ignominy of at having to go to and accept his I offer afTer But he had promised to protect protect pro pro- Madeleine against the lawyer Now it seemed that he must abandon abandon aban don even this small dream Yes St St. Victor had got him down with its pertinacity its dogged tion It was fast growing dark as Mark made his way down m the slope to toward toward toward to- to ward his shack in the little clear clear- ing The two one-two flash of the lighthouse lighthouse light light- house was growing clearer There came the resonant bellow of the foghorn and looking back Mark saw that one of the white mists was creeping up the St. St Lawrence Even as he watched it blotted out the lighthouse and the rocks crept upward until the bridge disappeared disappeared disappeared began to envelop him with its clammy arms Mark hit the trail groping through the mists toward his cabin On the morrow he would tell Nat that he had decided to relinquish 4 1 E y f e t r hK Alphonse the mayor maor was closeted with Hector Mackintosh the landlord his lease write to his backers At least there would be a small but substantial profit coming to them That night he would be glad of ot the solitude of ot the shack That night he would fight out his battle alone He was almost at the shack when suddenly he saw the bearded face of Andre Galipeault rise out of a clump of ot bushes At the same in instant instant instant in- in stant he was conscious of a violent violent violent vio vio- lent blow upon the back of the head He swung about with flailing fists to see two other men unknown to him standing over him with clubs I in their hands As Mark struck Andre hit him from behind The wrapped mist-wrapped scene began to swim before Marks Mark's eyes and he felt his knees begin to buckle Fighting desperately he was borne down and once more a stunning blow dropped upon his temple He fell and everything went out in darkness consciousness itself became extinct Mark lark Gives Up and andA A Awaits waits the En EnMark End Mark could not have been out for long He came to to find himself lying upon the floor of his cabin his head aching dully from the blows he had received He tried to move and found that he was unable unable unable un un- un- un able to do more than flex his fingers For a while he lay still in sheer exhaustion until a sudden flare fiare of ot flame showed hl him hm 1 that the bush around the cabin was on fire He tried to move his limbs again and now discovered that he was tightly roped so that all motion was practically impossible His arms were fastened to his body at the wrists and elbows his legs bound in a similar way and he himself was bound to one of the corner uprights uprights uprights up up- rights of the hut The glare was growing bright bright- er Torrents of ot smoke came pouring pourIng pouring pour- pour Ing into the cabin Through the entrance Mark could see a long line of at fire running toward the bridge and sweeping in a wide curve about him With that he realized his merit ment One day more and his announced announced announced an an- determination to give up the lease would have meant security rity for some reason driven to this desperate course had had him tied in in the cabin which would shortly be ablaze The ropes with which he was tied would of course shrivel into ashes There would be nothing to show that Mark had not been overcome by the smoke while he was asleep He began to struggle desperately in his bonds without the least re re- sult Try as he might he could not move a limb At last he gave up the fight and lay panting waiting for tor the end All the woods about the bridge seemed afire Dense torrents of I smoke came pouring into the cabin cabin cabin cab cab- in and rose above the tree treetops I IThe The crackling of the running flames grew louder and spires of fire shot up and vanished in the curling smoke wrea Mark tried again He put forth every effort of the muscles of his strong body Once the ropes seemed to slip but they grew tight again And it was growing insufferably insufferably hot inside the cabin The I surge of at smoke was stifling Mark gasped as he tried to draw his breath They'd think he had been overcome overcome overcome over over- come by the smoke while he was asleep and burned to a crisp and nobody would know that he had already already already al al- al- al ready decided to relinquish his lease of the But what about Madeleine If the seigneur was really alive what about Mark felt trapped He was not fighting Father Father Father Fa Fa- Fa- Fa ther Lacombe he was fighting all St. St Victor and he had always felt I that from the beginning Again he fought furiously against I his bonds and again unsuccessful unsuccessful- ly The hut but was filled with smoke now Mark drew in great gasping I lun of it it and felt conscious conscious- ness going out in death Nat Page down at the mill watched the cloud of smoke slowly thicken through the white mist that had crept in from the Gulf GulI That mist had blotted out everything It had made St. St Victor a n phantom village village village vil vil- vil- vil lage obliterating the houses and the masts of the schooners fishing-schooners that lay off ofT the wharf The very voices that called to one another from doorway to doorway seemed strange since their owners were no longer distinguishable Alphonse the mayor was I closeted with Hector Mackintosh the landlord in a back baek room of the hotel There were two glasses and anda a bottle of spirits upon the table between them and at first sight you might have thought the two men I were drunk It was only after another another another an an- other glance that it became evident that they were not drunk only drunk only shaking with willi mortal fear There was a n fumbling at nt the door and Andre Galipeault of the lighthouse lighthouse lighthouse light light- house staggered in His face was blanched a deathly white above his gray beard He dropped into a chair poured himself himsel out a glass of at raw spirits and drained It Eh well asked Alphonse Vi Vi- tard We have done what we agreed to do Have we not wives and families famili families fam fam- ili s Are not our own lives at stake Why should we die and our families starve because an outsider I er comes into St. St Victor to spy I have sometimes wondered said Hector Mackintosh whether that Monsieur Darrell was really a spy It may be that he was hon hon- est He certainly was a lumber lumber- man What have we to do with that shouted Andre Who gave us our orders Monsieur Who threatened us with the loss of ot our lives or at least swore that we should never see St. St Victor again unless we did what he told us Who showed us that cabled dispatch from France Three Men lien en Are Filled With W Fear and Horror They stared at one another with white quivering faces Where is the American demanded demanded demanded de de- de- de Alphonse Dead Dead A crisp in what is left of ot the blazing hut answered Andre I tied him and left him there Ma foi it was our lives against his I tell you Hush dont don't speak so loud whispered Hector Mackintosh glancing apprehensively at the thedoor door What of Father Lacombe He shall never know Then we we-we we we are damned whispered Mackintosh There are other priests to whom to make confession mumbled Alphonse Alphonse Alphonse Al Al- phonse When ones one's own life is at stake and the well-being well of at ones one's little ones one has to fight Bien are we sinners because we chose that one one ne man should die in place of ot all of ot us But the seigneur did not die whispered Hector Mackintosh I Itell Itell Itell tell you the whole thing should never never never nev nev- er have been covered up We were were I fools And Horace was a knave to keep the money that was raised from the seigneurs seigneur's lands I pity Horace when the seigneur gets his hands on him rum Where is he asked Andre Listen Alphonse grasped him by the shoulder Did you see Horace yacht steal into the harbor just before the fog shut down Do you think I he is going to stay and face the I seigneur I l' l tell you he Is going to get that girl to sail away with him Dieu no nol shouted old Andre springing to his feet Hector Mackintosh put out a brawny hand and forced him down into his chair again Dont be a fool Andre he said You will ruin everything Horace is too clever clev clev- er for you and me Aye but the seigneur the seigneur seigneur seig seigneur seig- seig neur God pity Horace if the seigneur gets get his hands on him TO BE CONTINUED |