Show 7 falt f V 4 I 1 eirv ICTOR ROUSSEAU li by ILL j sto MOLLY SYNOPSIS looking over dig muskeg a seemingly impassable swamp in uie the path of the alla tibi railroad joe bottock Bo Boa atack tock builder of the line and wilton carruthers chief of engineers are considering the A rifle one shot ansta instantly t villa little bealock and breaks alir carruthers rs arm handicapped as he be I 1 14 carruthers determines to carry the body to ft a statton station of the hud molls day bay company where mcdonald Is I 1 the factor actor Mc mcdonald Donalds daughter molly sees carruthers Carr uthera struggling la in the muskeg and drags him from the camp with his burden unaccountably her father objects object to her saying saving carruthers carruther weakened by his hi wound and exertions exertion carruthers can uthen in I 1 disturbed by the appearance of tom bowyer bostock bostocks Boa Bo stocks tock business rival and personal enemy bowyer insults molly and carruthers carruther strikes him after boerr boarer leaves leave carruthers carruther declares declare his hi love for molly she to be hi his wife I 1 CHAPTER 11 II continued 3 vis ilia eyes were suffused with red and his bla face twisted with passion it was wn evident that he had bad seen the rescue from his hi window above and had known what molly was doing lie he drugged dragged himself patt past her without a word and I 1 looked 0 aked in at wilton lying unconscious on the bed 1 I saw ye bring him in molly he mumbled thickly ye cant tool fool roe me with tricks like that its a trick that ye I 1 ve of beav between een 3 e yell cast him out again aye Ws his voice vibrated with fury dell cast him out into the or yere no longer daughter of mine 0 molly caught at her fathers arm you dont know what you are saying she cried lie ile has been shot and joe bostock Is dead lies hes lying dead without theres blood on ills his breast there has been a dreadful ac dbent 1 he grasped lier her fiercely by the flie wrist joe bostock dead he shouted sra who killed him 1 I dont know mr carruthers was carrying his body and got trapped la in the muskeg I 1 saved him aye one can see that answered mcdonald with slow malice yeve brought more trouble on me the body shall not lie ile tit in this house por nor will carruthers neither mark rae me lass yell put him out in the to keep joe bostock company or yere no DO daughter of mine youre maill madl flashed fas lied molly indignantly with a swift impulse she ran to the door and opened it A gust of wind widd blew a whirl of snow into the store to mollia excited brain it seemed to assume the momentary form of a fant asmal figure as it wreathed lied itself about the factor ile he uttered a cry and staggered back clutching at the edge of the counter will you let a dead man lie there out in the snow cried molly fiercely stretching out her hand toward joes frozen body do you think will cur ruthers shrill be flung out there to freeze to death beside him bilm why it would be murder und and on our head perhaps it was the remembrance of ithe past that checked the factor in h bis I 1 a fury and brought back sanity to his wind for a moment lie he stared at joes dead face then raised ills his eyes to hollys Mol lys arid and then mumbling and clutching at the counter edge lie he turned and began to drag himself upstairs CHAPTER III bowyer cornes come and goes goe wilton would not remain la in bed longer than two to days ills ilia hands had not suffered much but his feet were bably inflamed and swollen and ills his at nan in would take weeks to mend but hi could not rest and insisted that lie he must return although it was cleanly eItt evident lent that be was in no condition to travel molly almost cried with vexation and alarm ns as hl found that alj hl deter manalon ml nalon wasi as by the strongest tt persuasion site she induced him i to remain over the sunday As A tor for mcdonald lie sulked bullied in it lit tied bl b l and said nothing witton wilton tied had recovered con late on the afternoon of its his rescue that same diening his own sleigh had appeared at the ali portage with alth week weak as he was wilton ter i insisted In filled on seeing them lee M kr y lie he Itus aa i convinced that one of the men had fired nr d the ahot by accident and nd lind expected buth of thern them it I 1 hike fright arid and vanish with tit the i leagh into he wilile ile he was garlid startled lar lid by their protest tit tons of ignorance lenori ince 1 hey acore thill that neither of thein had left the he en caina tip until the anil and persisted in ili their statement that they ali 7 had not burd the dla diar of 0 the rifle following up ip their employers thoy they bad bloodstains on the un berh according to their story trie hi picked up tip Wil wilton tons brackin from the lower slopes of 0 the ridge to the edge of big Mus muskeg lieg and had followed them across the portage to the factors factora store where they had learned for the first time what had happened d their story staggered wilton on the face ot of it it seemed tin an impossibility for no one else could have fired the shot yet had either or of the men done so it was the least likely thing that lie he would haie bae returned to brazen out a concocted tale wilton was too weak meak to cross ques tion them he reso reached hed however that the matter should be probed bothe to the bottom and meanwhile decided to abstain from arousing their suspicions ot of his doubts lt it was as on the sunday afternoon that lying on his bedd bed on which molly had bad insisted he saw through the window it a sleigh approaching the store lie he recognized the two town mil who walked val ked with the driver as tom dow bow yer and lee chambers the latter a constructional engineer who had once been employed by joe bostock but had left him for the new northern lie ile wondered what tom bowyers Bow errand was ile II 11 suspected that learning of their journey bowyer had come to spy out the progress ot of the mis he was in no mood to welcome either him clra or chambers chambers was suspected of having betrayed a good many of the Missa tibi secrets to the ilia new northern lie he decided to stay where he was unless bowyer showed signs of remaining ma ining but suddenly an exclamation of anger from molly brought him sharply to his feet and into the store bowyer had his arm round her and was trying to ing to draw her toward him chambers at his side a small man with it ft sharp mink like face aa was sniggering at the scene waltons Wil tons advent adent was like a thunderclap to the pair in his flannel shirt and trousers with his left arm slung to his neck wilton yet looked so BO menacing that bowyer released molly at once arid and put himself into an instinctive attitude of self deef nse ile he was a man bf about five and forty red faced with red thinning hair gray over the temples and the bold staring gaze that falsely passes for candor which some rogues acquire in place of the furtiveness of weaker souls such ns as lee chambers bowyer stared and suddenly tie he recognized his man why its will Carrut carrithers hersl he exclaimed with an affectation of illoyd howd aou ou hurt your arm will molly come came quickly between the two men perhaps realize that this stuttered wilton inaptly enough lie he was quicker with his fists than with ith ht his tongue by george it I 1 cried bowyer in cordial agreement 1 I seem to have put my toot foot in it as usual your pardon miss molly meet the bill will he continued kc keeping up ills his pretense of Jo jolliness Illness wilton gulped toms eyes moved swiftly from rora his face to the girls were just in to have a look around continued bowyer not much construction constructions being done this weather en ther I 1 suppose you might think ive come to spy out the land well be right it if you did wa will I 1 I 1 tills this story about coal deposits on your property but perhaps what the lawyers call a leading question eh all the while bile that lie he joked he lied fixed wilton with till ills staring gaze and wilton found himself wondering liow how much tom bowyer knew the man was as sly wt as a fui fox for all his effrontery anti and that was his strength lie he gave the impression of being one kind of rogue whereas lie he was quite another as many malay vad li ad discovered to their cost there were few more resourceful and cold blooded men even in the prairie city 1 I heard you and joe hod had come up continued bowyer so I 1 dropped in to have a chut chat with hloi film though its taken roe me fifteen miles off my road il planned to ask him hilin to sell out his valuable holdings maybe molly who mho was standing behind bowyer looked earnestly at wilton ile he dared not signal to her but he caught the hie answering message in her eyes as it if telepathically conveyed 1 I wont ont tell him she meant to say waltons Wil tons beart went out in intense hitense gratitude it would have been unbearable bea ruble to have had to tell bowyer abat joe was us lying behind tant thin par partition tilon of pine it would lime hwe been blasphemy to have let bowyers gloating eyes fix theiu elves upon poor joes body youve youre lied a long drle for nothing then lien suld wilton curtly sir mr bostock here ill ilk say good morning to the factor tor any ty no you wont an answered wilton mr mcdonald Is too III to be seen my had a stroke said raid molly taking waltons Wil tons cue bowyer stored stared at her and as she spoke they heard the factors voice above raised in ili irritable inquiry sir mr I 1 Mc Donalds mind is affected said wilton ile he cannot see you I 1 am sorry sir mr bowyer I 1 am speaking for miss mcdonald bowyer grinned viciously wll well lee I 1 guess wed better have the dogs harnessed lie he said lee chambers went out wilton wondered whether the two suspected joes presence in the building A moment later bowyer turned to him youre next neit to joe bostock will lie said in his smooth voice so ns as joe here apparently id like to have a word or two with you pass it on to him ehl eha Witti without out waiting tor for waltons Wil tons reply lie he walked toward the room at the back of the store 1 I want the carruthers Carrut liers he begun began entering and turning round and facing wilton 1 I guess I 1 made a mistake in letting that bill through the legislature im looking ahead sime ame day not in our time maybe but some day these branch lines will viii haiie hae a value I 1 always meant to have mtv it it hurts my reputation to have this dinky concern of joes bringing on to mine but I 1 guessed juc joe raise the money and that id get it cheap some day well I 1 was uns right you cant cross croas big muskeg and you the money to loop it tell joe im open to terms and say im going to have them tell him he wont live forever heaps of men forget that and ask him who in thunder will go ahead on the when joe Bo stocks gone I 1 lie ile could not have nicked flicked wilton on the raw more surely it if he had known joe ine was ana dead the reference was wag like a new stab in his wound and wilton had the momentary impression that bowyer did know of joes death and was playing with fill him you be dd d d dt lie he shouted unleashing his suppressed anger atha I 1 a my message to you and joe bos bol tocks never get your fingers in the not nol all just that no an ugly sneer flitted flirted across bowyers face seems to me youre speaking tor for a good many people today carruthers he shouted angrily shaking his fist in waltons Wil tons face first it was tor for miss mcdonald and now dow its for joe bostock thou though ir maybe you have the right to speak for both of them judging from appearances and he added a foul insult half viciously cious ly half jocosely he got no further for waltons Wil tons fist shot out and landed fairly on A jal b ta L t I 1 he got no further for wilton Wil tona fist shot out and landed fair fairly ay on bowyers Dow mouth bowyers bowyer mouth wilton put all the st strength lie could muster into the blow olow torn tom bowyer taken by surprise stumbled arid and fell for a moment he slit upon the floor looking up at wilton in stupefaction then lie he leaped to lo his feet anti and ran at him ills his fits fists whirling but before he be could strike ailta molly came running in it followed by lee iee chambers slie she sprang between thorn them you coward she cried are you going to strike mr carruthers in III that condition you coward torn tom ilow yer I 1 lie ile struck me yelled bowyer la in fir fury lies ilea the coward not 1 I walt wait till lie he gets ivella just ill fix you Carrut hersl lie he glared about him in an evil rage and then without a word ord pushed past molly slid and strode from the store with alth ch chambers robers at his big heels A few minutes later the sleigh was wag whirling hack back along the southward rond road toward cold junction the nearest point of the new northern wilton groaned with pain in his broken arm mused by the aist in ast 1st of of lilt ills body as he delivered the blow for art an instant the room swam about him blin then the scene cleared and molly as holding him her ryes eyes fixed on oil ills were filled with pity bild a maternal over lihn him that touched tou cheil hini ak ably her face as very near ills owai wilton realized realize 0 of a sudden what lie ire hall had known in a dim wily way een bear beford his fourth arrival at hie file por portage lagi that molly mcdonald cDonald il was the one girl in tin the w 01 tit lil for him lie drew her ter to him and bent his alle lips 3 to 0 hers bers then because he be was not very well versed in many of the elie world in slate of his thirty years he looked xa as it he had committed an unpardonable insult but holly opened her shut lids and the jea as that smiled into Wil wilton tons did not show signs of anger nor cor even of surprise this winnipeg will she sha said with a little happy catch in her voice the marvel of their love transfix ared them in ili each others sight bight they were hardly aware of bowyers departure it was not until molly realized that there was the supper to prepare that she became practical once more why must you go tomorrow she asked wistfully A message could be sent bent to kitty lve its more than that molly said bald wilton its the line itself joes joea work that Is at stake and ive got to be at the shareholders meeting on monday morning you see its this way lie he went on to explain eipl aln we laid out our route to cross big muskeg at this point and miles have been completed but our surveyors were either too optimistic or had been bought by bowyer we found when it was too late to change our plans that big muskeg was a harder proposition than anyone had suspected Ther er forty feet and more of quick mud where we e believed bedrock bed rock to exist a few feet down the records lied and you cant lay a permanent way upon upon mud 74 the shareholders are frightened and Ij hayre of the bank of new north manitoba who Is an influential one and and represents bowyer has had the lie tip from him to make trouble f bowyer want the line till the transcontinental route was shifted northward now he does docs partly be cause we shall ultimately link up with it and become a valuable property and I 1 think he suspects that theres there comet something bing in our territory worth the devel ping TI tie e plan hin Is to refer the situation to a of engineers who of cours 1 would be largely in bowyers Bow pay and ind who would report that the preset present route Is not dot feasible that would mean increasing our capital A and tle issue of new stock would lye B bowytz 0 Y arid and the cont controlling rolline 1 interest t As things stand joe controls ahe he company although he actually a majority of the shares jo joe would take most chances but he t gamble with the fortunes 4 of those who alto trusted him even to light fc owyer he wanted to have reasonable so D a b e hopes that the line could be |