| Show c 2 e 0 4 1 anise nIl h e d M Men Penn Publishing Ca o j By Br GEORGE GEO MARSH V IIa Service sence I K t II lIE IE STORY STOny SO FAR FAn Bound for foj the jr gold cold country six men coca lost ir r ves on the river riter Red ned Redone P one ne Garrett Finlay brother of one onet arrive t the e six and malse half breed guide e at posing as surveyors if- if 3 The trader led lcd his rus guests into a large living room the floor of which was strewn with moose caribou and and skin bearskin be skin r-skin rugs Two hundred miles from the railroad the trader lived in comfort So youre you're surveYing surveying sur sur- the lakes he be began I I suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose that will take you ou all sum sum- mer Almost Garry answered his thoughts with the girl But we have the lower to finish before joining our party at Rupert I Lucky youre you're not mapping the I big rivers that feed this chain of lakes I You'd need canoe men men men-In- In We left the best white-water white man mm manIn manin In Canada out there on the Island but wed we'd need more than Indians said Finlay pointedly wed need luck Oh Oh you have a man with you Yes So you thought Blaise was killed on the river did you surmised surmised surmised sur sur- Finlay Then he said I I judge from the buoys you use planes here There was a shadow of annoyance in the others other's battling baffling eyes I i have to hire a plane from Quebec to bring the girls in and out They dont don't like the river I cant can't get them to winter here It makes it pretty lonely Shortly a girl appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap at the door and nodded There was laughter outside and Isadore's Isadore's Isa- Isa I dores dore's wife wile and step daughter entered entered en en- the large room at one end of which a table was set Hope you wont won't mind i if we dolled up and powdered our noses bubbled bubbled bubbled bub bub- bled event Corinne Isadore Its an to have guests and such and such guests 1 Isadore disappeared and returned with a cocktail pitcher and glasses The two guests watched him closely closely closely close close- ly as he filled the glasses with martinis martinis martinis mar mar- tinis and passed them Finlay gave the Okay signal to the questioning questioning question question- ing eyes ees of Malone as he lifted lilted his glass To our charming hostess hostess' he said holding his glass at his lips until Isadore and Corinne had started started started start start- ed to drink He watched Lise closely closely closely close close- ly as she placed her half emptied glass on the table making her so nervous nervous' nervous he wondered On the surface she seems too decent to be the stepdaughter stepdaughter stepdaughter step step- daughter of this tins buccaneer Garry caught the trader studying the bulge in Reds Red's coat caused by bythe bythe bythe the 45 in his hip holster as ns he bent over the effervescent Corinne sudden death Isadore he reflected IIi if youre you're so foolish as to try to pull an anything thing tonight tonight sudden sudden death Watch your step stepP There was red fleshed sturgeon and roast ptarmigan gm and the hungry hungry hungry hun hun- gry men did honor to the half breed cook When the girl brought in bottles of red Bordeaux Garry gave Malone the okay signal signal sig signal sig- sig nal by rubbing his left ear So far so good mine host Garry mentally mentally mentally men men- tally applauded The wine may make your our ladies talk It was evident that Corinne Isadore Isadore Isa Isa- dore was making a night of it it She was mercilessly flashing her black blackeyes blackeyes blackeyes eyes at the russet-haired russet giant blowIng blowIng blowing blow blow- ing cigarette smoke in his face and greeting his pitched low-pitched conversation conversation conversation conversa conversa- tion with bursts of laughter while he casually filled and refilled her glass As be he talked with Garry Isadore's Isadore's Isadore's Isa- Isa dores dore's cold c eyes es constantly wandered wandered wan wan- dered to his wife's flushed face inching inching inch inch- ing closer to Reds It was different different differ differ- ent with Lise She lit and snuffed out smoked half cigarette after cig cig- arette The hand holding her fork was unsteady It was evident that Lise Demarais Demarais Dema- Dema rais rats was either cither excited or worried Your home Is in Calgary Lise Use asked r Yes he li lief liol So your So your work has been In n the west broke in Isadore Yes S. S Finlay was on his guard The were questions he wished to av avd d. d I suppose youre you're a th int inU of Quebec mm man man he countered Isadore laughed You think Im I'm French No my father was Spanish Span Span- ish If Finlay saw Corinne Isadore answer answer answer an an- what must have been a signal by bv raising her black brows She Shet t turned to Red with When youve you've finished the map of the lake you'll let me see it Could it be traced Id I'd love a map of Waswanipi his first move thought Garry He doesn't believe were we're engineers Of course Ill I'll trace one for you replied Red beaming into Corinne's challenging eyes yes fine applauded Isadore Wed We'd appreciate it Well gentlemen gentlemen gentle gentle- men lets let's drink to a successful summer summer sum sum- mer for us all But your glasses arc are empty Ill I'll open another bottle Finlay noticed that the glasses of Isadore Isidore and the girls were full That couldn't be accident Hed He'd watch this As the trader half hall turned to uncork uncork un cork a fresh bottle held at his side Garry aw maw his left hand grasping the neck move over the thc mouth as ashe ashe ashe he took the bottle in his bis right and rising fill th the glasses lasses of his guests i. i i r I A INSTALLMENT FIVE Finlay Is b told tola that the six men were not drowned as reported Suspicion prevails pre pre- vans vails that Isadore rich fur man has Ius made a gold cold strike and alms aims to keep pros prospectors out of of or orthe the country at any cost The three men start out on the at Finlay's eyes found and held Malones Malones Malones Ma Ma- lones His right hand lazily moved to the back of his neck Red caught the warning and turned to Corinne he laughed In British Columbia for fora we always exchange glasses a toast Isadore coughed sharply The veins in his forehead swelled Corinne Corinne Cor inne innel Not another drop Youve You've had too much already I His voice split the silence as an axe splits oak Blood flooded the girls girl's olive skin Her eyes kindled Im no child to tobe tobe tobe be told what to drink she shot at atthe atthe atthe the man who sat rigid watching her then drained the glass in her hand On the hush that followed broke an Idle tapping on the spruce ta ta- ta ble As he watched the infuriated Corinne Malones Malone's straining ears caught the dots and dashes in Morse code of Finlay's signalling fingers I New bottle drugged Isadore's pitched high voice now under control broke the tension Im sorry gentlemen You'll excuse excuse excuse ex ex- cuse Corinne She's not used to much wine Corinne drew deeply on her cigarette cigarette ciga cIga- rette blew a cloud of smoke into Reds Red's face as she lounged round arms on the table Do you Ive I've had too much wine beeg boy she whispered Of course not Beautiful Red returned from the corner of his mouth watching her fast drooping eyelids Weve forgotten our toast insisted insisted insisted in in- I the tight-faced tight Isadore rals- rals I r H HOn On the surface she seems too loo decent to be the stepdaughter of this buccaneer I ing fog his glass A successful summer summer summer sum sum- mer to us all With a Pardon me Finlay reached past the surprised girl beside beside beside be be- side him and lifting her glass i turned to his host To a successful successful success success- ful summer His voice carried the ring of splintering ice E Eyes es locked the three men drank Lise turned on Finlay Why did you do that It was Just as if it- it Lise Lisel There was bottled fury in Isadore's tone W Will you help Corinne Elbows sprawled on the table chin cupped in one hand a plume of hair hairlike hairlike hairlike like a drooping crows crow's wing maskIng masking mask mask- ing an eye Corinne sighed to Malone Malone Malone Ma Ma- lone What has come over me I 1 feel so drowsy Did you hear me Lise Use Isadore's Isadore's Isadore's Isa Isa- dores dore's voice was as brittle as March crust But Lise Use Demarais s sat t frozen to her chair her frightened eyes riveted riveted riveted rivet rivet- ed on something across the room Finlay followed the direction of her gaze Through a opened half door peered a hideously grotesque face framed by yellowish white hair Blanche Tote Finlay muttered Lise But the girls girl's obsessed eyes were still anchored to the closed door across the room Lise Else She rose and went to her stepmother stepmother step step- mother followed by Isadore while Finlay waited wailed with folded arms fingers fin gers glued to the stock of his hidden pistol Excuse me for a moment gentlemen gentlemen gen gen- said the tr trader lder He raised his hall half conscious conscious wife to her feet and took her from rom the room followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed by Lise Use At the door she turned a bloodless face toward the two men at the table then disappeared Red Malones Malone's puzzled eyes clung to his chiefs As he caught the meaning of the folded arms he stiffened stiff still ened right hand on hip and pivoted pivot ed swiftly In his chair But the thedoor thedoor thedoor door Finlay was watching remained closed On the silence of the room broke the tapped message from the middle finger of his left hand band Tete Blanche was at the door behind y you ul It scared Use Lise If Isadore doesn't rc- rc return turn well we'll shoot our mir way way to the a anoe a- a floe noe noel I 1 a t f. f a L I despite warnings On the third day out they are ambushed from I shore They escape serious Injury and start for lor the Hudsons Hudson's Bay nay post Finlay I and Malone visit Isadore and meet Use Lise se his pretty stepdaughter Red nodded Action There was the glint of sun on young ice in th his blue eyes Stiff in their chairs the themen themen themen men waited Then the trader return re re- re- re turn turned edIt ed It is most embarrassing gentlemen gentle gentle- I men he coolly apologized Mrs Isadore took more than she's accustomed accustomed accustomed ac ac- ac- ac to I hope you'll under under- stand Garry rose Of course coursel he said Will you thank her and your daughter daugh daugh- ter for a most delicious dinner and interesting evening But youre you're not going The night Is young I Finlay admired Isadore's callous nerve Its late he replied Well say good night Well if f you insist Ill I'll give you a light to your canoe Outside the night was black as a spruce swamp Isadore produced an electric torch and walked to the shore beside Finlay Close on the heels of the trader followed Ma Ma- lone As he pushed off the canoe Finlay Finlay Finlay Fin- Fin most lay said The evening was pleasant Mr Isadore and and tive Finlay and Malone paddled In si silence silence silence si- si lence until they were well offshore Now what do you think of that for a dinner party Think snorted Red My fingers fingers fingers fin fin- gers ached to drown him in front of his place Drugged his own wife Some joke on the slick Jules Isadore Isadore Isadore Isa Isa- dore And was he sore That was clever headwork of yours Red when I signalled that hed he'd drugged the wine That strange western custom of switching glasses had him stopped dead Nothing like an Irish imagination Red chuckled Thought you'd like it Say the girls couldn't have been wise to his plan No it didn't look so But what was his plan when he had us doped I believe he wanted to search us Hed He'd let us sleep it off then oft then hed he'd apologize for his strong wine we couldn't handle Our showing up here must have staggered him But hes he's got nerve nerv What interests me most is this Tete He seems to be a bogey man at and Lise looked as if shed she'd seen a ghost when she spotted him in the doorway She must know hes he's Isadore's private killer I wonder how much those gals do know Get anything out of Corinne She threw a wicked eye at you Red I was worried worried thought thought shed she'd kiss you right before King Isadore Red laughed What a doll to trot on your knee She's right up my alley for looks I But she didn't ask aska a suspicious question How about Lise She puzzled me She started of off with a rush was rush was gay and flippant then suddenly grew minded absent Drank hardly anything Didn't hear half hall what I said She was sure easy on the eyes in those whipcords And easier in that white dress at dinner Skin sort sort of transparent The distinct impression I got was that she wants to leave Waswanipi She didn't say so so of course But I sensed it She's worried a aThe The approach of the canoe to the island where Blaise had a bright fire burning as a beacon was announced by the barking airedale Well BlaIse what do you think of it asked Finlay had finished his story We leave here quick You mean tonight Brassard nodded Why tonight Two fallar come here after alter dark I g give ve dem deco and taste of whiskey Den dey talk We move out now Onles you wish to fight Well what's it all about Blaise demanded Red Bl Blaise ise told his story That afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon the two hunters had brought a t canoe load of sturgeon to Isadore's place to be traded for supplies They were in the trade-room trade when the Peterboro was first sighted far down the thc lake Labelle rushed in and called the man with the scarred face outside where Isadore was watching watching watching watch watch- ing the distant canoe through glasses Curious the two Indians moved to the door and listened The trader was wild with rage You liar I he said to Batoche Here come de men you said drown in de deLong deLong deLong Long of de The trader struck Batoche in the face but Labelle stepped between them Then they moved away out of earshot of the eavesdroppers Later the were starting starting starting start start- ing with their supplies for their fishing fish fish- ing tog camp when they heard an angry voice up the shore Wat good are you Now Isadore send me to dat island tonight to finish your job They looked end and nd saw the man with white h hair ir the l is culled called the Killer with a little man Tetu talking to Batoche So after dark the hunters had come cometo to the the island with the warning TO UK BE CONTINUED 1 l |
