Show 6 i The Th TheY Yukon kor Trail Love Lobe AZ Alaskan Story Sor an By MILLI WILLIAM AM MACLEOD RAINE RAINS Copyright Cop William Wllliam Macleod RoID Rane ELLIOT AND SHEBA FIND THEY HAVE MUTUAL FRIENDS- FRIENDS HE AND MACDONALD BECOME RIVALS of the government Gordon Elliot Is Ison Ison As Synopsis As As a representative on his way to Alaska to Investigate coal claims clams On the Ule boat he meets and becomes Interested In a fellow passenger whom he learns Is Sheba ONeill O'Neill also going gong In Colby Macdonald active head of the land- land grabbing syndicate under Investigation comes aboard Macdonald l Is attacked by mine laborers whom he had bad discharged and the active Intervention of Elliot probably saves his life Ufe Elliot and Macdonald become In a measure friendly though the latter does not know that Elliot Is on a mission which threatens to spoil spon plans of Macdonald to acquire millions of dollars through the unlawful l exploitation of Im Immensely m- m mensel valuable coal fields Elliot also gets a line on the position occupied by Wall Wally SelfrIdge Macdonald's right hand man who Is re returning returning returning re- re turning from a visit to the States where he had gone In an effort to convince the authorities that there was nothing wrong In Macdonald's methods Elliot secures an introduction to Miss Mss ONeill O'Neill and while the boat Is taking on freight the pair set out to climb a n locally famous mountain They venture too high and reach a n position from which It ItIs ItIs itIs forward turn back Elliot Is Impossible for Miss ONeill O'Neill to go or leaves Sheba and at Imminent peril pern of his life goes for assistance He Ho meets Macdonald who had become alarmed for their safety and they return and rescue Sheba CHAPTER V V Continued 1 13 3 About a mile mUe below tIle the falls h he met two men One of them was Colby Mac Mac- donald He carried a coil of rope over one one shoulder The big Alaskan explained explained explained ex ex- that he had not been able to I get It out of his head bead that perhaps the climbers who had waved at his party had bad been In difficulties So he ho from the cabin of an anold anold anold had got a rope old miner and was on his way back to the falls The three climbed to the falls crossed the bridge and reached the top of the cliff cUff You know the lay of the land down there Mr Elliot Well We'll lower you decided decided decided de de- Macdonald who took command as a a- a matter of course Gordon presently stood beside Sheba on on the little plateau She had quite recovered from the touch of hysteria that had attacked her courage You weren't long was all aJl she saidI saidI saidI said I met them coming he answered as he dropped the loop of the rope over o b Tier her r head and arranged it under her shoulders He showed her flow to relieve part of th the strain of the rope on her flesh I by using her hands to lift All ready Macdonald called from above All ready Elliot answered To Sheba he said Hold tight I IThe iThe The girl was swung from the led ledge e I and rose Jerkily In the air She I l laughed gayly down at her friend below beJ be be- J low w. w Its fun Gordon followed her a couple of min min- etes ates later She was waiting to give him a hand over the edge of the cliff Miss ONeill O'Neill this Is Mr 11 Macdonald Macdon Macdon- ald aid he e said as soon as he had freed himself from the rope You are fellow fellow fellow fel fel- fel- fel low passengers on the Hannah Macdonald was looking at her straight and hard Your Tour fathers father's name was name was it Farrell ONeill O'Neill he be asked bluntly Yes I knew him The girls girl's eyes lit Ute Im glad Mr l Macdonald cdonald That's one reason I want want- ant y I I I V Swung From the Ledge and Rose Jerkily Jerk Jerk- ily lIy In n the Air ed to come to Alaska to Alas Alaska to a-to to hear about I roy my my fathers father's lIf life here bere Will wm you tell I me i Some time We must be going now to catch the boat boat after after Ive I've had bad a alook alook J look rok at the cliff this young oung man I crawled across across He turned away abruptly it struck i Elliot and climbed down the natural I stairway up whIch the young oung man had come coma Presently he lle r rejoined those above Macdonald looked at Elliot with II a now new rc tc t. t luu c 1 fu lui-L. lui k my friend that I I were we're not carrying you rou from the fo foot t cliff cUff I wouldn't wouldn t of the he be said dryly cross that rock wall for a hundred thousand dollars In cold cash Nor I again admitted Gordon with witha a laugh But we had either to homestead homestead home home- stead that plateau or vacate It I preferred preferred preferred pre pre- the latter Miss O'Neill's deep eyes looked at him She was about to speak then chan changed chanced pd her mind CHAPTER V. V Sheba Sings Sings and and Two Men Listen Elliot did not see Miss 1 ONeill O'Neill next morning until she appeared In the dining dinIng dining din din- ing room for breakfast He timed himself himself himself him him- self to get through so so as to join her when she left They strolled out to the deck together I. I He came abruptly to what was on his mind I have an apology to make Miss ONeill O'Neill If I made light of your danger yesterday It was because I was afraid you might break down I had to seem unsympathetic rather than risk that She smiled forgiveness All you said was that I might have sprained my wrist It was Vas true too I I might have have and and I did Sheba showed a white linen bandage tied tightly around her wrist Your whole weight came on it with witha a wrench No wonder It hurt Sheba noticed that the Hannah was drawing up to a wharf and the passengers passengers passengers pas pas- were lining up with their belongings be be- longings Is this where we change Those of us going to Kusiak transfer transfer transfer trans trans- fer here But theres there's po no hurry We wait walt at this landing tiro two hours Gordon helped Sheba move her baggage baggage baggage bag bag- bag bag- gage to the other boat and joined her heron heron heron on deck They w were re both strangers In the land Their only common acquaintance acquaintance acquaintance ac ac- ac- ac was Macdonald and he was letting Mrs Mallory absorb his attention attention atten atten- tion just now Left to their own resources resources resources re re- re- re sources the two young oung people naturally naturally naturally natu natu- rally drifted together a good deal This suited Elliot He lie found his companion wholly y delightful not the less because she was so different from frolD the girls he be knew at home She could be frank and even everi shyly ly audacious ious on occasion but she held a little note of reserve he felt bound to respect Macdonald left the boat twenty miles below Kusiak with Mrs Mallory and antI the A chauffeur with a motorcar was waiting on the wharf to torun torun torun run them to town but he gave the wheel to Macdonald and took the seat beside the driver Are you going to the hotel or direct to your cousins cousin's Gordon asked Miss 1 ONeill I To my cousins I fancy she's down I here to meet me It was arranged that j I I come on this boat I Elliot caught a glimpse f f the only I people In Kusiak he had known before i coming In but though he waved t to o them he saw they did not recognize oe e him After the usual delay about getting get get- ting tang ashore he lie walked down the gangI gang gang- I way carr carrying ing the suitcase of the I Irish Iris h girl Sheba followed at his heels beels 0 On n the wharf he came face to face wit wita with witha h a slender well well dressed dressed young woman I Diane I he crl cried d. d She stared at him You What i In heavens heaven's name arc are you doing here Gordon Gor Gor- don Elliot she demanded and before e he could answer had seized both hands hand s and turned excitedly to call all a stock stocky v man near Peter Peter Peter I Guess Gues s who's here Hello Paget grinned Gordon an and d he shook hands with the husband o of ot f Diane Elliot turned to Introduce his friend but she anticipated him Cousin Diane Dane she said dryly dont you know me mel Mrs Paget swooped down upon th the e girl and smothered her In la her em brace This is Sheba little Sheba-little little Sheba that I have told you ou so often about Peter she cried Glory be bev Fin Im I glad to se seyou seo seg a you child And Diane kissed he her r again warm warm You two met on th the S same boat of course coming In I hope you didn't let her get lonesome Gordon Look after atter Sheba's suitcases Peter You'll come to dinner tonight t Gordon Gordon Gordon-at at seven seven Im In the kind hands of my countrywoman countrywoman coun coun- laughed Gordon Ill ce certainly certainly be on hand But Dut what In the world are you doIng doIng do- do Ing lug here Youre You're the last man Id I'd have expected to see Im In the service of at the government government govern govern- ment meat and Ive I've been sent in on busi busi- ness Well Im I'm going to say something original dear Mrs Paget re re- re- re plied Its a small world isn't it While he was dressing for dinner later later in the day Elliot recalled carl early memories of the He had known Diane ever since they had been youngsters together at school He remembered her heras as a restless wiry little thing ke keen n as ns a knife knife binde Always Al Al- AIwa Always wa ways s popular socially she he had surprised surprised sur sur- surprised everybody by refusing the catch of the town toun to marry a young mining engineer without a penny Gordon was In college at the time but during the next nest long vacation he had fraternized a good deal with the Peter The young married people had been very much notch In love with each other but not too preoccupied to take the college boy Into their happiness as a comrade I Then the Arctic goldfields had claimed Paget and his bride That had been I more than ten years ago and until today Gordon had not seen them since While Elliot was brushing his dinner coat before the open window of the room assigned to him at nt the hotel botel somebody came out to the porch below The voice of a woman floated faintly to him Seen Dianes Diane's Irish beauty yet I Ned 7 I Yes a man answered I The woman laughed softly Mrs I Mallory 1 came up on the same boat with her The inflection suggested that the words were meant not to tell tella a fact but some less obvious Infer Infer- ence wonderfully pretty and of or course Diane will make the most of or her But Mrs Mallory Is a woman among ten thousand Id choose the girl if it were me said the man But It isn't you Well We'll see what well we'll see see They were moving up the street street and Gordon heard no more What he had heard was not clear to him Why should any importance attach to the fact that Mrs Mallory 1 and Sheba ONeill O'Neill had come up the river on the same boat Yet he was vas vaguely dIsturbed disturbed disturbed dis dIs- by the insinuation that In someway someway some someway way Diane was entering her cousin as asa asa asa a rival of the older woman He resented resented resented re re- the Idea that the fine young personality of the Irish girl was being cheapened by management on the part of Diane Paget Elliot was not the only dinner guest at the Paget home that evening e He found Colby Macdonald sitting in the living room with Sheba She came quickly forward to meet the newly arrIved arrived arrived ar ar- rived guest Mr Macdonald has been telling me about my rny father He knew him on Frenchman creek where they both worked claims explained the girl The big mining man made no comment comment com com- ment and added nothing to what she said There were times when his face was about as expressive as a stone wall The dinner went off offery very ery well Diane and Peter had a great many questions to ask Gordon about old friends Bythe Bythe By Bythe the time these had been answered Macdonald Macdonald Mac Mac- don donald ld was chatting easily with Sheba She listened with glowing eyes to the strange tales this man of magnificent horizons had to tell Never before had she come Into contact with anyone like him Paget was superintendent of the Lucky Strike a mine owned principally I pally by Macdonald The two talked business for a n few minutes over their cigars but Diane Interrupted gayly to bring them back into the circle Adroitly she started Macdonald on the account of a rescue of two men lostIn lost lostin in a blizzard the year before He lIe had the gift of dramatizing his story of at selecting anI only effective details There was no suggestion of boasting If It he happened to be the hero of ot any of his stories t the flie e fact was of no importance I to him It was I merely a detail of the picture he was sketching Gordon interrupted with t fi question a story he was telling of a fight tt he had seen between two bull moose Did you say that was while you were on the the- Way over to inspect the coal fields for the first time The of the eyes young man were quick with interest Yes Four years ago last spring Macdonald looked at him with a wary steadiness Some doubt had found lodgment In his mind Before he could voice it if Indeed he be had any such intention Elliot broke In n swiftly Dont answer that question I asked it without proper thought I ama am ama a special agent of r the general land office sent up to investigate the Macdonald Macdonald Mac Mao donald coal claims and kindred In Slowly the rl rigor or of the big Scotsman's Scotsman's Scots Scots- mans man's steely eye Cel to a n smile that was genial and disarming If IZ this I news hit him hard he e gave no sign I o of f it And that it was was nn an unexpected blow there could b be no doubt Glad youve you've come Mr Elliot We ask nothing but fair fall play plop The men who own the Macdonald group of claims have nothing to conceal Ill I'll answer that question I m meant ant to say sap two years ago last spring His voice was easy and his gaze unwavering unwavering unwavering un un- un- un wavering as ho lie made the correction y yet et everybody in the room except Sheba knew he was deliberately 1 lying to cover the slip For the admission that he had Inspected the field just before his dummies had filed upon It would at least tend to aggravate suspicion sus sus- susI I p pi don that the entries were not bona fide It was rather an awkward moment Sheba unconsciously relieved the situ situ- situation But what what about the big moose Mr Macdonald 1 What did it do then I IThe The Alaskan went back to his story He was talking for Sheba alone forthe for t the he young girl with eager fascinated eyes which flashed with sympathy as asI ast I 4 J. J t I I j ys 7 t e Q 4 aty Dont Answer That Question they devoured selected glimpses of his wild turbulent career She v sa saw him with other e eyes es than Elliots The government government government gov gov- official admired him Macdonald was an empire builder He blazed trails for others to follow in safety But Gordon could guess uess how callously his path was strewn with brutality with the effects of an ethical color-blindness color largely selfish though even he did not know that the mans man's primitive jungle code of ef wolf eat wolf had bad played havoc with Sh Sheba's bas ba's young life many years before Diane Dlane satisfied that Macdonald had scored called upon Sheba I want you to sing for us dear if you will Sheba accompanied herself The voice of the girl had no unusual range but it was singularly sweet and full of the poignant feeling that expresses the haunting pathos of her race Its It's well I know ye Sheve Cross Ye weary stony hillAn hill hilI An Im I'm tired och Im I'm tired to be looking on ye still sUlI For her hero I live the near side an he Is on the tho far tar An all your heights and hollows are between us so they are Och aneel I j Gordon as he listened felt th the strange hunger of that homesick cry steal through his |