Show or a aI o I 1 t I I f I Ain lAI Alaskan Love THE YUKON T t n Jd II 0 nT I I rl l Story J J LJ t J 11 1 1 By I i. i Copyright William Macleod Raine Inc William lj Mac Macleod eod Raine aine CHAPTER r. r fa faA 10 A New Leaving a House The surge of disgust with which Sheba had broken her engagement to marry Macdonald ebbed away as the weeks passed It was impossible fortier for forTier Tier to wait watt upon him In his illness and hold an any anI repugnance toward this big elemental man The thing he lie had done might be wrong but the very openness openness open open- ness and frankness of his relation to Iet redeemed It from shame He was neither a profligate nor a squaw- squaw man This was Dianes Diane's point of view andin and andIn In tn time It became to a n certain extent that of Sheba One takes on the color of t ones one's environment and the girl from Drogheda knew In her heart that Me- Me and were no longer the thereal thereal thereal real barriers that stood between herand her herand and the Alaskan She had been disillusioned dis dis- saw him more clearly and though she still sUlI recognized the quality of bigness that set him apart her spirit did not now do such complete homage to It It More and more her thoughts c contrasted him with another man Macdonald did not need to be told that he had lost ground but with the dogged determination that had carried to success he refused to accept the verdict She was a woman therefore therefore therefore there there- fore to be won The habit babit of victory was so strong In him that he could see DO no alternative The motor-car motor picnic to the Willow WillowCreek WillowCreek Creek camp was a case In point Sheba did not want to go but she went The picnic was a success Macdonald was an nn outdoor man rather than a parlor one He took charge of the luncheon lit the fire and cooked the coffee without without without with with- out the least waste of effort In his shirt sleeves the neck open at the throat he looked the embodiment of masculine vigor Diane could not help mentioning It to her cousin he a splendid human animal Sheba nodded Hes wonderful If I were a little Irish colleen and he had done me the honor to care for forme forme me Id I'd have fallen fathoms deep in inlove love oYe wi with th him The Irish colleens colleen's eyes grew tive tive Not If you had seen Pet Peter r first DI DJ Theres There's nothing reasonable about a a girl I do believe She loves loves or or else she just Diane fired a question at her point- point blank Have you met your Peter Is that why you hang back The color flamed Into Sheba's face Of or course not You do say the most outrageous things Dl They had driven to Willow Creek over oyer the river road rondo They returned by way of the hills Macdonald drew up p In front of a cabin to fill the radiator radi radl ator ator tor He stood listening beside the car the water bucket In his his' hand Something Something Something Some Some- thing unu unusual al was going on inside the house There came the sound of a thud of a groan and then the crash of breaking glass The whole window frame seemed to leap from the side of f Jho house The head and shoulders of f a man projected through the broken glass 1 s. s u The man swept hImself free tree of or the debris and started to run Instantly he pulled up in his stride as amazed to se see those those In the car as ns they were to see him Gordon i cried Diane Out of or the house poured a rush of men men They too pulled up abruptly at sight of Macdonald and his guests f r A sardonic mirth gleamed In the eyes of the Scotsman Do you alays always al al- ways ays come out o of a house hous through the wall Mr Ur Elliot he asked Only when Im I'm In a hurry Gordon Gordon Gordon Gor Gor- don pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at some glass-cuts glass on his face Dont let us detain you said the Alaskan satirically Well excuse you ou since you must go Ini Im not In such a hurry now In fact if If youre you're oure going to Kuslak Kusiak I think Ill I'll ask you for a lift returned the field agent coolly And your in hurry do they want a n lift too Big DIg Bill Macy l came swaying s forward forward forward for for- ward both hands to his bleeding head Hes a spy curse him And he tried to kill me me Did he commented Macdonald evenly What were you doing to him He cant can't sneak around our claim under a false name growled one of the miners Well beat his head off Ive had notions like that m myself self sometimes assented the big Scots Scots- man But I think we had all better bettel leave leav Mr M. Elliot to the law He ne has Uncle Sam back of him In his sp spying Ing and none of us us are big enough to buck tl the e government Crisply Macdonald spoke to Gordon turning upon him cold hostile eyes Get in If It youre you're going going to Elliot met him eye to eye e. e Ive I changed my mind l' l Iro n g in io I to o wf wily Ik k up to you Gordon shook hands hands' with Diane and Sheba went into the house for tor his coat and walked to the stable He lIe brought out his horse and turned it loose then n he ho took the road himself for Kusiak A couple of miles mites out the car passed him trudging As they flashed down the road he be waved a n cheerful and nonchalant greeting Sheba hud had b hj ben been en fut u. u of ga gayety ety and life hut ut U h hr r mood 1 was Mii chan changed ed All the way home she was strangely silent S The days grew short The last river riverboat riverboat riverboat boat before the up freeze-up had long since gone A month earlier the same steamer had bad taken down In a mall sack the preliminary report of Elliot to his deI department chief chIc Ono One of the passengers passengers gers on that trip had been Selfridge sent out to counteract the Influence of the evidence against the claimants submitted by the field agent An Information Information information In In- formation had hind been filed against Gordon Gordon Gordon Gor Gor- don for highway robbery and abd attempted murder Wally was to see that the damning facts against him were brought to the attention of officials in high places where the charges would do most good The details of ot the story were to be held In n reserve for publicity In case the muckrake magazines should tr try to make capital of the report of Elliot Kuslak Kusiak found much time for gossip during the long nights It knew that Macdonald had gone on the bond of Elliot In spite of the scornful protest of the younger man The case against the field agent was pending Pursuit of the miners who had robbed the big owner mine-owner had long ago ngo been dropped 1 Somewhere In the North the outlaws lay lar bIdden hidden swallowed up by the great white waste of snow The general opinion was that Mac was playing politics about the trial of his rival He would nOt let the case come to a jury until the time lime when a conviction would have most effect In Inthe Inthe inthe the States the gossips predicted They did not know that he was waiting for forthe forthe forthe the return return of Wally Nally SelfrIdge The whispers touched closely the personal affairs of Macdonald The report of his Ills engagement to Sheba ONeill O'Neill had hind been denied but it was noticed that he was a n constant guest at the home of the Young Elliot called there too Almost any day one or other of the two men could be seen with Sheba on the street Those who wanted wanted wanted want want- ed to take a sporting chance on the Issue knew that odds were offered sub subrosa subrosa subrosa rosa at the Pay Streak saloon of three to one on Mac Sheba rebelled Impotently at the situation The owner mine-owner would not take No for an answer He woo wooed d her with a steady dominant persistence persistence persistence persist persist- ence that shook even her strong will There was something resistless In the way he took her for granted grante l. l Gordon Elliot had not mentioned love loveto to her though there were times when her heart fluttered for fear he would She did not want any more She wanted to be let alone So when an Invitation came from her little friends the signed by all three of the children asking her to come and visit them at the camp back barIc backof of the Irish girl jumped at the chance to escape for a time from tho the decision being forced upon her Sheba pledged her ber cousin to secrecy until after she bad had gone so that Miss ONeill O'Neill was able to slip away on the stage unnoticed either by Macdonald or Elliot The only other passenger was an elderly woman going up to the camp to take a place as cook Later Late Lateon on the same day Wally Nally SelfrIdge Selfridge Sel- Sel frIdge coming In over the Ice reached Kusiak with Important news for his chief He brought with him an order from Winton commissioner of the general general gen gen- eral oral land office suspending Elliot pendIng pending pending pend pend- ing an investigation of the charges against him Oddly enough It was to GenevIeve Mallory that Macdonald went for consolation consolation consolation con con- when he learned that Sheba had left town He had always found It very pleasant to drop In for a chat with her and she saw to It that he be hemet hemet met the same friendly welcome now that a rival had annexed his scalp to her slen slender waist For Mrs l Mallory did not concede defeat If the Irish girl could be eliminated 1 she believed she would yet win His hostess looked up at him with a mocking little smile Rumor sa says s 's that she has run away my ray lord Is It true Yes Slipped away on the stage this morning a n good sign She was afraid to stay It was as a part of the fiction between them that Mrs Mallory 1 was to give him birD the benefit of her advice In his wooing of her rival She seemed to take It for granted that he would at last marry Sheba after wearing away the rigid 1 Puritanism of her resentment resent resent- ment Macdonald l had hut never liked her so sowell sowell sowell well as now Her point of view of-view view wasso wasso was wasso so sane so reasonable It asked for tor forno forno rio no Impossible virtues In a man There was something restful In her genial derisive un understanding of him She had a silent divination of his moo moods and ml ministered Indolently to them Do you ou think so Ought I to follow follow follow fol fol- low her he asked She showed a row of t perfect teeth In a n low ripple of amusement The situation situation situation sit sit- at at least was piquant even though it was at nt her expense No Give the girl time Catch her Impulse on the rebound Shell She'll be bored to death at and she will back docile Her scarlet lips the long unbroken lines of the sinuous opulent body the challenge of ot the smoldering eyes the warmth of ot her laughter all aU Invited him to forget the charms of other women The faint feminine perfume of her was I wafted to his brain He Ho felt a besieging ing lag of the blood Stepping behind the chair In which she sat he tilted back the head of lustrous lustrous lustrous lus lus- lus- lus trous bronze and very deliberately kissed her on the lips For a moment she gave herself to his embrace then pushed him back rose and walked across the room to a little table With fingers that trembled slightly she lit a n cigarette Sheathed In her fitting close-fitting gown she made a strong carnal appeal to him but there was between th them m too a close bond of the spirit He made no apologies no explanation Presently she turned and looked at him Only the deeper color beneath her eyes betra betrayed ed any excitement Unless Im I'm a bad prophet you'll get the answer you want when Sheba comes back Colby He lIe thought her reply to his IndIscretion Indiscretion indiscretion Indis IndIs- superb It admitted complicIty complicity complicity com com- reproached warned and at the same time Ignored Never before had she called him by his given name He ne took It as a token of forgiveness and renunciation Why was it not Genev Genevieve eve Mallory that he be wanted to marry The mine mine- owner carried with him back to his office a sense of the futile irony of ot life A score of men would have liked to marry Mrs Mallory She had aUthe all aU the sophisticated graces of life and much of the natural charm of an unusually unusually unusually un un- un- un usually attractive personality He had hail only to speak the word to win her and his fancy had flown in pursuit of a little little little lit lit- tle Puritan with no knowledge of the world In front of the Seattle I Kuslak Kusiak Emporium Em Em- the Scotsman stopped A little little lit lit- tle tIe man who had bad his back to him was bargaining for tor a team of ot huskies The Theman Theman Theman man turned and Macdonald recognized him Hello GId Arent Aren't yo you off your usual beat a bit he asked The little miner looked him over Im Im- Well Well well If It aint the big mogul himself and himself and wan tin to know If Ive I've got permission to travel off oft the reservation I III reckon you travel where you want to GId same Gid-same same as I do I shouldn't wonder if yOu'd find out quite soon enough what whal Im I'm doing here You never can tell tell the old man retorted with a manner that concealed volumes Those who were present remembered the words and In the light of what took place later thought them significant Anyhow it Is quite a social event for Kusiak Macdonald suggested with a smile of Irony Without more words Holt turned back to his bargaining The big Scotsman Scotsman Scotsman Scots Scots- man went on his way remembered that he wanted to see the cashier oi of the bank which he controlled ant and promptly forgot that old GId existed The old man concluded his purchase and drove up to the hotel behind one of the best dog teams In Alaska Gideon asked a question of tho the por por- ter Second floor That's his room up there the man answered pointing toa toa to toa a window Oh you seven seven ninety eighteen ninetynine ninety ninety- nine the little miner shouted up Elliott appeared at the window Well Ill I'll be hanged I What are you doing here Timer Old I knew a n man lived to be a grandpa minding his own business H 1 l r f s hill 1 1 i t For a Moment She Gave Herself to His Embrace grinned the little man Come down and Ill I'll tell you all about It boy In half a minute Gordon was beade him After the first greetings the young man nodded toward the dog team How did you persuade Tim Ryan to ro rolend lend you his huskies Why dont don't you take a paper and I keep up Ull with the news son These huskies dont don't belon belong to Tim Meaning that Mr Gideon Holt Is the owner Youve done guessed it admitted the miner complacently He had a right to be pr of ot the team It was a famous one oven even Inthe In the North It had run second for tor two years In the Alaska sweepstakes to Macdonald's great SiberIan wolf wolfe hounds The leader Butch Dutch was tho the hero of a dozen races and a hundred savage fights What in Halifax do dD you want with the team 7 asked Elliot surprised The whole outfit must have cost a D small fortune Some dust admitted Gideon proudly proud proud- ly He winked mysteriously at nt Gor Gor- don I got II a use for this team 1 If to anyone was was- ask you taken the government mall man contract have you Not so you could notice It Ill I'll tell you what 1 I want with this team as the theold theold theold old sayin is is Holt lowered his voice and narrowed sl slyly ly his little beadlike eyes Im going to put a n crimp in Colby Macdonald That's what I aim to do with it I How The miner beckoned Elliot closed dosed and whispered in his ear 1 CHAPTER In the Dead of Night While Kuslak Kusiak slept that night the I wind shifted It came roaring across the tho range and drove before belore It great scudding clouds heavily laden with sleety snow l From rom dark till dawn the roar of the wind filled the night Before Before Be Be- fore morning heavy drifts had wiped out the roads and sheeted the town in virgin white |