Show I CODS DE of the lie NORTH Olt I u 1 CHAPTER IX IX Continued Continued 17 17 about cleaned up weG tl youve you've Just lust When hen you yon rot got here he be was on Mf fa 10 the golden den chaIt Youve You've II dom monkey gout out of ot him since He tie t a ode d. d Quit the country and he aint the t skit to forgive ow It IM I was to want to toan tob kind who started this fire Id I'd the maw man an b where now up op on right no begs this fore tore esquire Ire Will was at t lr Fran Frans a a premonition ran through A there there- thought ht Just as IlS he did reasonable to suspect Vis perfectly it tees 11 2 outmaneuvered In more that thai Franz Franx ambitions i than the foreman knew v about would resort to the torch porch before accepting defeat Lad And on this a companion fear commenced com- com to form within him The fuL fu fu- L of ot Polaris lay between the folds lUre Ore t I tt of t heavy benr brief case back there at beai protected only oDly by br an aD anold M old crippled man and a temporarily bUDded blinded girL This fact assumed ominous omI om om- proportions although he tried I loons inous Doua to laugh at himself Franz could not Dot know that the Why hT money had arrived he argued silently I u II WarUa talked on about plans for forthe the next breath ft the Ibe night but In remembering that the man had ke h eras was bees been present when MacDonald dictated ed hIs terms and would know that any representative e of ot the Fly Flynns Fl arriving Mw row would bring currency B lie He called La LaFane Fane to one side Tm To dropping back to headquarters duet juit to have a look he said Ill II take tote a i canoe because may Deed the boats for supplies Just tell Young Jim to sit tight until I get back When Then the boys bors are told what we three ho know we should all be together RIght Bight Dusk was falling failing as Steve landed A silence hung over headquarters which teemed seemed weighted with Import u II be stepped to the sand He tie stood a moment listening and aDd then theD oiled ailed sharply Iii HI TIm I You Tim I 1 Io So Ro o answer and aDd again a premonition premont tion of trouble went crawling along Hi lily spine He lie called again still no response Be Se could see that the door of ot the tore Bore was open and stopping only to take tale an electric light flash-light from his packet jacket In la the canoe walked swiftly toward It TIm 1 he called sharply from the step that premonition more pro- pro TIm I IA I IA A taInt faint faint sound rewarded him I a soaping scraping on the floor a husky gasp He fIe stepped within snapping on the beam of his torch He rie halt halted with n 1 nt t oath at sight light of ot the figure there Tim he cried Tim what hap hap- r Franz the old fellow tellow gasped Tram Frans shot me took the the money Words died to In his hie throat throat throat-as as he be struggled valla valiantly for tor forthe forthe the breath to speak Franz 1 I Steve echoed II lie He e shot fon JOo ou down n Tim a Tea faint taint whisper A tremor ran raD through the tra fragile lle bod body and it tensed as under a wave of ot Win pain for a moment The light Steve held on Tims Tim's face tace revealed the heroic he be made for strength to speak tether hitter i iOne One of the old hands cold as Ice sot 1011 gripped his wrist rm Tm dusted Jimmy Its It's tt its Ita money money aDd and He lie t tat M struggling against the darkness t thick nth ch closed over his mind clinging to that mat remnant of consciousness that that Mined fighting to keep mind and olee jolce functioning until he be had done M the thing that he alone could doto do Money he e mumbled l as Drake trIed tried to t. ease M his posture Money MOlle E took It It nd Dd shot me nd K Bate te Shot Shot Kate Stet voice olce In ens en's eon d sounded like a women's wom- wom drawn raWn by br panIc lend kard DIdn t shoot her She Shei Shelie lie toot took h Saw him dust i t me her er Bad tied her up P- P can t let h DO canes and outfit Took Took led Up Dp lake Said t L It It'll 11 be just Steves Steve's ID monn o n was thIck and aDd heavy Lae uth th gas ns 1 rib t dry hIs hie heart nailed flailed 11 the old He had bd IDa mans man's eyes were closIng Jone Ce lived to tell this which he hei coald tell lis i chIn sank breast beast b to his histo he seemed to nestle almost him y tt n thee the strong arms wc whIch hl I e allm e had ad done all that he D Po y do tit o. o NOW he wanted Bat Bt the D Drake k 1 cO could ld not 01 let him rest w long fen 07 T m he he l ask ed edW quickly Eo Bow W long ong If ago When dId he so g. g got e Ia aan ago W iO Was WM It U Franz took e n of f a frown crossed eyla 1 labored f face ce Old Tim drew a last breath rea th an and he be began f aD n and aDd hIs chest did from 1 his the t ot fe the h breath I n It torn torD and tortured carrIe r the lon long drawn drawn 0 boi at ww n ble The he word d was oa tIo the The lay Wholly holl y Inert In In Drakes Drake's old h had fluttered art had tying fluttered to ars t to be function eh tr true e to his trust 1 until he had duty dut discharged Tim ad h had a failed So happened ppe much h ed of f last treachery and paInI pain A I that h it Irs seemed I L d oft z had only y Justa just bearing Kate as a aBad at be had bad said laId i and then after By B y HAROLD HAHOLD TITUS t or Harold 4 TUu I Selee that last pause he was WOl ever to make In speaking Now He Ile was as dead slain In the service of or the Flynns but this was no hour to give way to regrets to be he concerned with the dead dead- One ed tweedy tragedy had ended end end- and nothing beneath the fife stars could undo It ft and another was In the mak m ing tag that very ery moment perhaps and nd a fear such as Steve had never known possessed him He lie went eDt quickly to the far end of or the room and took down a rifle ride from it Its s resting place on a n set of antlers It t was all loaded lie He slipped more ammunition am Rm- Into his pocket and ran out closing the door behind him He lie strained his eyes eyl'S up the lake to where the first stars struggled to show through the edge of the smoke moke haze Franz and Rate Kato must be somewhere not Dot so far off heading for the upper river elver and aDd the big country to which It gave gars access As he launched the canoe his only thought was swift pursuit No I idea don that old Tim might have been mistaken mistaken mis mis- taken In n what he be hlll had told entered his mind He lie felt that they were out there thereon on the lake almost within sight perhaps per per- haps still within the distance that or sounds of travel might carry carr In the beginning the e evening air was clear and he could see fairly well weI fl nut Dut at no craft no no suspicIous suspicious sus sus- suspicious shadow rewarded his vigilance H lie e stopped paddling now DOW and again to listen With an outfit and Kate In his canoe the fugitive e would be unable to tomake tomake tomake make much speed The thing to be i done then Steve reasoned was to get ahead of ot him up Into the river beyond beyond be be- y yond ond the smoke awoke where he could lie He In ID wait waft w ait He ne approached the northern end eDd of the lake He lie was tempted to cut across to summon help to call the entire enire en en- t tire ire crew off the fire tire which was a I menace only oDly to property and aDd turn them out to head oft off the scour scourge e which threatened such each a precious thing as Kate Flynn FlInn And yet that would take time and Kate was Franz's prisoner and he knew he was capable of effecting rescue res cue duo alone once he be could locate that other canoe Ills His eagerness his a anxiety therefore upset his usually g good Judgment He lie could not Dot sit lilt still stal If It he had miscalculated miscalculated mis mis- calculated If It old Tim had been wrong about the time of or Franz's departure l Ir w e efi I fi a t I t I I Wont Won't Be Gone So Long Franz Said Bald After He Had Swung the Canoe to His HI Shoulders Shoulder they might be still beyond him Th The e wood camp was not Dot far away h he e would go that far anyhow A A solitary window gleamed yellow lellow I as he rou rounded the bend bow below th the e dump and ho he called You Francois On the Jump I It was waa the French Canadian with a crippled foot who nho had bad given Steve hi his s directions the evening that he arrived arrive d at Good Ills crutches were dl discarded dis s carded now DOW and he hobbled with only y the aid of ot a cane caDe Francois you been here all aU day dar Outs Dull Dat foot she hurt talc lak h h I hIso 1 i so so- so Seen anybody going up the river Sure out oui Wan man Franz sh she e go op long Alone Francois Was he alone He lie grasped the mans man's arm an and d shook It Out Dull I She got canoe all load toad ve ver r heavy Heavy packs eh Lots of grub The man maD nodded d Los stuff stutt Yong How long ago was It Francois Oh mabby sees hour mabby four on r hour AfterGood AfterGood After After- After After- Good Lord are you sure suret Wh Why Wh y that cant can't be I I Out Mabby blabby she cant can't be but 6 she he so De sun she stan staD op In sky a ared allred all allred ll red laak lank coal Steve brushed past the man an and d stepped Into his bis shanty With the stub of ot a pencil he scra scrawled a hasty note Franz killed Tim took the mon monand money ey and forced Kate to go with him Is headed up the river with a long eta start rt and Im I'm going my best Send plen plenty 11 of ot help on my trail and In a hurt hurry y Not for me understand but Kate ins may y need It There he ho muttered Now ow Fra Fran Fran- cols youve you've got to get this note to McNally somehow Franz ranz killed TI Tim m Todd and stole money moner from Old Jl Jim Understand If It you rOil take a long tt time m e a getting this to tlc ally sat to sizzle youre you're likely In l i for It I And leaving the bewildered chopper dUly Impressed rIver he ran down to the and began paddling up the current cur cuz rent believing that a man plannIng a get away Into Sf would take the first portage the Mad Woman CHAPTER X XOn XOn On her back hack K Kate irate J. J In n the canoe bottom Flynn was as s transported the up lake Until they were ere well Into the smoke Franz did not Dot speak Then he said Quite different my dear from a trip Id I'd once planned to take with you ou I He lie laughed That was another year Ills mouth twist t ed oddly as though he were drowning futile regrets I loved you Jou l Kate ate Mo Malbe be I still do maybe With fhe thousand dollars and you OU Not by br so much as the flicker of or a lid Hd did the girl Indicate that she gave heed but her heart was In tumult Franz paddled steadily and aDd after darkness had fallen guided his canoe against the bank and stepped c. c out ut He lie helped I Kate irate ate to a sitting posture and then to her feet fett She was stiff and lame from her long confinement and swayed as If It she might fall lie He I held her In his strong hands peering close Into her face with the bandage across her mouth Its a long carry where were we're going If you'll give me your word to come i along walk fast tast and not DOt hinder me Ill I'll untie your r hands I She shoo shook her head and aDd made a I courageously spirited sound Good I If It that's how you yon feel teel I should have ha no qualms Its It's my 11 liberty liberty lib lib- b erty Im I'm working for now DOW Nothing g else counts 1 I lie He stripped oft off his bis belt backed backe d Kate to a birch tree secured one en enof end d of the strap about her wrists and aDd tied the other to n a branch at the height o of or f her shoulders By ny drawing down she sh e c mild ld hold her hands at the level with the small mall of ot her back when she did not Dot resist the pull of ot the branch brand h they were held high In a position that tha t strained muscles and aDd tendons an and d forced her to bend beDd far forward I wont won't be gone so long Franz Fran z said after he be had swung the canoe t this to his shoulders Maybe by the time I 1 get back you'll be more reasonable Actually he was not gone long bu buto butto but to the girl a II whole epoch passed b before before be be- fore his return unwelcome though 1 It t was as She wept at times and breathed Drenthe td d irregularly She tried to stand m motionless mo mo- at Intervals and listen In to th the e faint falDt hope that help might be coming nut But who could know what had bad ha happened happened hap hap- p Who could guess where sh shwas she e was wust Old Tims Tim's body might have been beet n discovered ered long since Ince but what woul would d that moan mean to McNally and that man ma who had kissed her hert They had called him Young JI Jim m but he was not Dot her brother Of Ot that tha t she was certain Certain too of other othe r things his strength and aDd resourcefulness resourceful resourceful- ness and courage Some unidentified d worker wonder was on the job at Coo Goodne Good Good- d Bye ne and aDd had hod been for over a mont month h Could he be help her now Could h he e come and In to time She began t to sob again Franz reappeared without a warning g sou sound nIl Still SUII here eh eb t he whispered d. d And ADd alone He Ite didn't come then the n did he he Jeering lie He didn't C Chere get et here in time I 1 ISo So the thing for tor which she had hoped hope d gave this man maD concerns concern I It U In tur turn n gave her courage lie He rearranged his pack and asked Will you keep still If It I remove the thega t he ga gag She fhe shook her head bead Fair I t Will enough you walk Again she ahe Indicated refusal Well Nell once I wanted to hold you IOU in n my arms Now Ill Ill I'll have to tot I IlIe He lIe unfastened the belt which he held ld I Kate prisoner lifted her quickly and an d holding her close took the trail troll wl with th his double burden He De went to t the he limit of hIs bis endurance and aDd put her h er down with an oath You kitten I 1 he snaffled led holdt Holding ng you IOU so stirs memories and aDd In Impulses Im pulses Ilie P I PHe lIe He kissed her roughly on the cheek the eL and aDd she struck out at him with an ar arm m which still ached and aDd throbbed fro from m her experience at the landing lie He laughed then hoarsely Dont like It eh eh Perhaps you you'll have to Well We'll go 0 on Will y you IOU ou walk now DOW She would walk yes yes- A Anew new tore terror or was Injected Into her heart to wing mingle le with other fears by the burden of pa passion pas pas- s. s sion blon which his laugh revealed She Si e nodded and turned starting before re him Good I I he said ald Its Us better And ADd now to delay delar him became an j Kate halted In la the glee gloom m of ot the trail and aDd tried to make him n understand un s she was tired needed re re- spite lIe He Jerked the gag free from fro m g her lips holding a hand ready to stifle fie any aDr outcry Im m weak I Tm rm tired P I she plead plea d ed Ill Til 11 walk as long as I can b bI but butI ut I must rest rest Sit down dOWD here mere then be he said gru dg Ill El glue gIve you rou a minute And Ill Til leave lease this off orr It If I have yo your u e word that you wont won't screech Not NoP 0 I she said stoutly and aDd t the he bandage again pressed her lips tips tight tightly ly As she sat on a boulder she work worked her ner feet const constantly In the trail softly loftly fly scuffing up the forest duff dult to attract aft re ef the eye of ot any aDr who might come that way later fro ass |