Show CODE COD of the NORTH By y HAROLD TITUS Copyright t tI by r Harold Ill 8 Service CHAPTER X Continued X-Continued IS 18 IS Franz ordered her on again She obeyed reluctantly Oel let along I he be snapped Oft net lone along faster I IKatA Kate KatA was stubborn lie lit picked her herop op tip again roughly rough 11 and pressed forward holding her unnecessarily close and she 1118 lie writhed In lit his hla embrace until lie he N act el her hr down Then for tor a time she IhA walked rapidly He lie permitted her n II title brief rest rent further fur tur ther on nn To 0 gain coin time Inter she Iho tripped end and fell purposely an and lay Icy on tho the ground sobbing lobbing II It Oct Ott let on nn I the tle raged 1 She film tore toro th the In bondage bandage from her Up lip lips You I she moaned a u as he hI Stooped and lifted her to her feet ready again aitKin to till still her outcries with witha a hand never get away I You'll never get cot away from rom from She Rhe had find faith but no name Mme for tor the theman man annn In whom lint faith reposed Your Young Jim ilm JIm eh h Mean Menn him html lie Ito sneered Time The d d d-d d pretender I You didn't know he won wan using your yourl l brothers brother's name and authority until today to to- dill day did your you Do no you think hed he'd try trl to deceive me met she nuked naked bound bonnet to betray nothing He lie nt lit her In the tho darkness I the fine he could feel teel his hili breath on her fore tore lien head d. d Youre lying now What's he to you anyhow M My friend t stoutly stoutly and honestly She felt sure aura of ot that much Friend h h ll It Listen Kate Fate Handsome stranger cornea comes to the res rea rescue cue of ot the operation end and the lady lOlly In financial distress falls tall II for him That It No Of ot course courle not A surge of nt Jealousy swept Into his heart brut lie laughed scornfully The idea Iden of ot you falling for tor n II squaw man I II Il I l dont don't believe you you she simply atm sim ply fill even een If It I did It wens true trill It would be beside the lie point Me lie has done so ninny many Impossible sible things this summer that finding you and taking you back to answer for tor what you did this evening should he be II a simple dimple matter mailer Franz rani tiling slung up his pack with n a CHI grunt lit Devil with him html I he ht muttered uneasily un tin- easily and glanced behind Hut well we'll get t on rr regardless Ill I'll leave Irae that ofT off for a II while Screams In hero wont won't carry far and In return Ill I'll expect that you'll walk faster Otherwise lie III left Ift that threat unfinished A All As the stars began Kogan to fade tallo they reached he the Hind Woman A short distance from the river ricer the trail forked Walking through long grasses they came come to the tho canoe on the river riverbank bank Just helo below the swift water waltr You Vou stand here Franz Fran said Hell have lIe one more thing to guess about If tt Ithe he h. gets thIs tar I He tie launched the canoe canol put the duffle In It and lind then track line over Ofer Sits bis shoulder waded Into the rapid The girl understood his strategy Followers of their trail would see this Ign sign would believe that they had pone gone stream down and would waste days perhaps In searching the lower country The rhe man turned about and called Come on now Step Into the water water wa ter te-r there and wade up after me Swiftly with firm drags of ot her heel hlll Kate etched In the wet sand a crude arrow Its p point up the river Before Franz bad had cause to callagain call callagain again she was Willi In the water waler wading after tafter him as III he had bidden Iraln leaving Ian an an unmistakable message for any who 1 bo ho coming to aid her tier I And one was coming I II Ii I Through the darkness Drake pad pad- up the Good Hye It was Ion long I r larte-r after midnight before he approached the flat at where the trail troll came down the divide which separated Good Bye Uye from Mad Woman lie He landed at lit the foot toot of ot the trail and turned l on his hili flash nash And after atler tie lip had played the beam brom about the trampled landing and examined crammed the birch he knew what had happened en evento even evento to Kate Kate's tortured wait wall bound helpless help help- I less Rage Ilage swept him and fur for the first time In hl his hie life lite he was shaken by the desire to maim malm and kill as al canoe on his hilt back bark he plunged Into the trail trotting beneath his burden Hut only man tracks track were there revealed by the shaft from his hili flash flash- light It puzzled him Just the man sign Indicating two trips Rut nut on one carry he be had been n weighted down until un until til he staggered and sank deeply In Insoft Insoft soft sort places 1 I Then be he saw where Kate had been I put down yn for tor the first time Ume and the thought that Franz Franl had held her glender glen glen- glender del der der body In his arms made blood pound In his hili ears It Will was broad daylight when he be reached the Mad Woman He lie followed the footprints down the branch of the trail that led Ild to the right They had stopped a few rods from the waters water's ed edge e then they had gone on and the girl had stood waiting while Franz rani loaded his hI canoe She had stood still but not Idly The Indicating arrow she had hall drawn In the wet wrt sand stared up at him and ond he grinned and said aloud Good girl I l Where ere franz would elect elert to leave e the Mad Woman Steve could not know Out But one thing was wall certain he would not leave Moose lake at nt Its III lower end because cause the country to the t westward was muskeg for tor miles mile He lie would keep kelp to the high land and high highland highland land was on ahead He tie could not be bean beso so an far In the lend lead nl now These tracks track left lert In the silt lilt were not old e e e e e e In III a little hay bay of ot the lake as lIS dawn carne came up Mary Wolf was 01 blowing up the tie breakfast fire With the blaze blare goIng going go go- Ing she looked at the meager mealier beet bed beeta a where here her father lay his hili back bark to her ber and spoke He tie did not answer She placed more wood on nn the time fire Ore and ond set a pot close to the blaze blue to boll holL Again she called her hr father Again received no response o i Then slowly apprehensively she I moved toward the crude shelter She I stood ont outside lle and bent forward a hand at her breast to see lire the face of ot the wrinkled old man She sank slowly to one knee and touched him HP lie did not move Old Jim Wolf had followed his hili fathers CHAPTER XI Franz paddled briskly He lie believed believe he had left lert only sign Ign which would Indicate In In- tint he ho had gone gont In the opposite opposite site direction tx Long ng channels threaded thread thread- ed ell the groups of ot timbered Islands and ond looking backward Franz had hod a II glance now and ond then of ot the open water waler they had traversed lie He stopped paddling to roll a R cigarette to consider audibly the matter of ot food tood But he did not hot finish what he had started to say any did not complete the cigarette Far far tor behind him a II fleck had hod appeared appeared ap lip- on the water He tie broke his words short arrested all movement mo 8 and nd then opening his hili fingers let paper paper pa pa- per and ond tobacco drop to his hili knees So now More shooting he asked and Kate started up to a sitting posture For an Interval both strained their eyes ejes to ob observe that approaching canoe anI and then Franz Frans laughed laughe-d. If U Its It's one removing him Is III aim sim pIe And It looks 1000 one I he be growled lie He swung toward a point of rushes which projected from the nearest Island The girl gone white now did not speak k as ns they glided Into the screen screen- J 1 M g kI t r rc c 3 cur 11 Sh She Jabbed at Him With All Her Strength h Hurling Him Backwards Backward Ing growth Franz Frana drove one paddle Into the bottom and hitched forward placed the other on the opposite side of ot the light craft and turned to Kate Queerly fascinated by his hla deliberation deliberation delibera delibera- tion she watched him draw his pistol slip out the clip and fill nil It to capacity ca ta parity Youre going to shoot from ambush she asked For answer he grasped her quickly In his arms arm drawing her head bend U tightly against his shoulder With his hll handkerchief hand hand- kerchief he bound hound her mouth again despite her efforts to break brenk away and again removing his belt helt twisted the leather about her wrists From rom ambush he said Im either making my get away or exactIng exact exact- Ing a heavy price And If It you try to tomake tomake make one move you'll be Ilie I 1 lie He stroked the trigger significantly Kate reclined In the bottom making sounds In her throat twisting her hands against the leather which bound hound then them Steve Drake kept on He Ill watched l constantly for another craft scanned the time horizon for tor the smoke of ot a campfire campfire camp camp- fire rl even eyed closely the scattered flecks of ot froth and bubbles bobbles on the placid water In the hope they might yield some lome Information of ot significance No Nes 0 sign of ot life lite was present however except water fowl In the canoe screened b by rushes Franz spoke the nr first t word for tor half halt an hour Alone lone the fool l Relief was In tn his tone along with a terrible sort of ot elation He lie twitched the muzzle muzzy e of ot his pistol to 8 toward rI Ka Kate tl II and nd added Id 11 as soon loon rend you with him as not Remember that It If you please When this Is over Ill I'll land you at lit the head r of ot the Ink lake lake- You'll get back somehow some some- e how bow Steve approached the Islands In to a quandary thU this first group h he e knew the take lake open opened Id I'd again and i It 1 would woul he be better to have a 0 look tonk there before ho tie commenced searching ou out t landing places for tor sign signs of ot recent tray trav 11 elers en Each Kach moment that passed add added added added ed to Franz's Franza chances of ot escape andas and andas 1 as for tor Kate ole He lie drew his shout I. I ders upward In a shuddering shrug when he thought of ot her alone with that renegade I Ducks flew new up UI as ns he he- slipped past st the first l island i J and on their III pitched hed toward a patch of rushes off to his hll left lert Gracefully the ducks duch plummeted for tor It and then the leader with a quick hank bank and a rise was wot In full tull night flight again sounding an unmistakable note of warning to the others Something Something Some Some- thing was there hidden from Drake by hI the ro rushes III which frightened the ducks dUlk e Almost In a relies reflex Steve dropped his hili paddle and grasped the rifle which lay 1111 between his feet fret and hitched bitched forward weapon poised anti and ready to fire He tie was 1 way half erect when a mans man's head dead and shoulders emerged above aboe the rushes and a girls girl's scream sharp and clear carried to him across the water The man mon was Franz fifty yards from him Franz whipping his hll gun hand hond upward and F Franz's ranz's pistol leaping leapIng leap leap- ing as It harked barked I Steve was BI poised on bent knees kneel clapping the stock tork of ot the rifle to his shoulder as lIS the Hie other fired It was gas wasas ILl ILlas as If a II sledge had hind struck the barrel borrel of ot his hili gun 8 as though hot Iron seared the thumb of ot his hili left hand hood and th the Impact set get him reeling sagging lagging fightIng fighting fight fight- Ing to stay In the canoe but de despite his efforts pitching over sideways with witha a mighty splash The gun slipped from his bis right hand hanl handas ns os the butt raked the gunwale lie He was In 10 the water on his hili b back ck the rifle ride slipping through his hili weakened fingers sinking down Into the depths to leave Icae him unarmed lie He came up the canoe screening him for tor the moment and again be he heard beard the girl scream A bullet tore through the canoe an arms arm's length to the right of ot him and he sank at lit once ontI feet tet foremost beneath the surface sur face Kate Flynn nynn In a ferment of ot fright had lifted her bound hands to the ho handkerchief across her mouth as 1 Franz ruse rose for tor his hili first shot One Jerk and the tho gag was about her throat and heedless of ot the penalty that might be exacted enacted from her she had bad screamed her warning D n D n you I Franz snarled pay for But he did not look at her Ue H stood watching waiting having morn more Important matters mailers than her disregard for his hili threats to occupy him at the moment The girl tugged frantically at the time belt holding her hands handl Stop I she cried after arter that second lIe shot Stop It I He's Hes helpless and you tier Her voice failed her as Franz shot again and ond still sUII again drilling the empty canoe conoC with lend lead lie waited after that fourth shot poised pistol ready rendy lIe He hoped that he hal hail hit to kill but hut was not certain and took no chances Steve his lungs luns bursting ceased his struggle to remain submerged looked upward to locate his canoe and shot to the surface He lie all nil but gained that meager menger shelter shelter shel shel- ter without betraying himself Only the flip Jp of ot one hand beyond the bow of ot the craft gave him away awny but that was enough and Franz tensed as he took careful aim to bore the canoe at atthe atthe atthe the point where he knew now the Ite theother theother other hung gasping for breath Kate saw and understood She felt the tremor which ran through Franz Franz's body as he steeled himself And then ns as his hili hand squeezed to send Bend the bulIt bullet bullet bul bul- let It speeding to where It surely would find n a mark mork she threw her whole bod body 1 to the right as sharply as vigorously as all she could and drove the rail of ot his bis canoe to the waters water's edge The rhe pistol exploded The rhe bullet tore tor up the water harmlessly a few tew yards beyond the rushes rushell and Franz with witha a retching oath stepped Into shallow water The rising gunwale caught hi his toe and he sprawled In tn the rushes throwing out his hili hands to save himself him him- self I D n n you you you- he cried again lungIng lunging lung lung- Ing to hi his feet Ills hands his wrists were thick with mud and as he floundered floun noun dered tiered up he turned the pistol to look Into the barrel and swore again aln as all he be besaw helia saw lia silt clogging It And Kate called shrilly Quick I Quick I lIe He cant can't shoot I r 11 He Ile cant can't cant cont Franz shook the gun S savagely tore at the slide allele to make It function and looked hack k to see Steve Stefe shoving the canoe recklessly ly from before him Ing out toward the rushes In a long swift crawl stroke Franz rapping the pistol on the ct canoe noe watched 1 Steves Steve's rapid approach as as he work worked Id I'd the slide frantically It begun began to slip easier lIe He gave gue th the e weapon laon one more flip nip and mud from the barrel horrel spattered the theSter water Ster about his knees lie He turned as Kate late with witha a desperate wrench freed her hands bands He tie laughed and raised his arm once more His ilia man was there wholly ex cx exposed x posed coming clover closer all the time Tome ome on 1 I Franz Franl called thickly Come Comp on to h ll h 11 And Kate was on her knees wrenchIng wrenchIng wrenching wrench wrench- Ing one upended paddle from Its It place plat e In the lake bottom She he tore It tt free tret swung wung It with all her might and Franz Fran seeing from the tile tall tail of ot his eye duck |