Show m en by GEORGE MARSH Ser derriell Sr iTic copyright by the ronn publishing co C STORY FROM THE START oarth guthrie Gu thrle canadian war veteran having to me iho in the open on account of weakened lunga lung Is talor of 0 a hudsons Hud sons bay post at elkman lie he cattle canie back from the conflict with it a permanently scarred face abi which ch he realizes cost him the love of his fiancee edith falconer sir charles GuU irle his brother to la a millionaire war profiteer with etienne savanne halfbreed halt balf breed hla his firm friend garth meets doctor quarrier geologist and tile his slater joan their schooner hits has drifted ashore quarrier com pajas he has been robbed by a tran known as laughing mcronald Litin ald at elkman an indian girl nanda tuberculosis victim ra whom garth has befriended Is dying joan trained war nurse cres cares tor for ninda but the girl dies charles guthrie writes reproaching his bis brother tr tor not coal coming n 9 home charles wife assures h him I 1 tin ethel still loves him but garth in his heart knows better CHAPTER ill III continued 6 it A was an act of providence I 1 wo bomler ilder he hesitated hesi then went on if you tou would care to send word of yourself to an exile this winter re be saw her ber brows contract in if thought for a moment she seemed in loubat then turned to him tense in her earnestness you are not merely courteous you really wish to hear fro n me nia ills face reflected ills his pleasure yen will write then to tile the exile there was a sudden gleam of white teeth a whimsical flash in fit her eyes as she he asked it be un grale graceful ful to refuse so modest a request aroa one who has rescue rescued the ship it it would be most ungrateful and cruel he laughed it if write ill ba asre ve a little spruce villi waiting ting for the lie christmas mall and hang burg your jour letter on the tree with candles candies unread unread till christmas morning thu thin shot and I 1 will read it together cur ur christmas from you and the other letters she queried avoiding his quick glance the others oh not be in kersting ter sting with their crill criticism elsin and ad alo and be news of my distinguished brothers doings A none of them bliem juan joan quartiers rs volee rolie was strangely throaty as she gazed out over tile the shimmering river none one of them aas tile hie quiet reply reilly ile he thrilled to the realization of the absolute sincerity of his answer without meeting 1 ills his eyes she turned impulsively to the alfredale al alred ile who accompanied compa nied them goodby good by shot 1 im going to miss you hoy and she elie took the alie head of the dog in tier hand As shots tall beat the air his haly throat tumbled rumbled then he bared his big great tangs fangs und and mude made little soaps snaps at the girl bending over him wily why youve made arde a conquest I 1 briol guthrie Gu thrle ile he dues ties that with no one here the girl looked up us slie she rubbed the dogs ears iles hes only saluting a brother I 1 dinean a slater ln in firms one nho served ns as he did with the wounded added the lie man they were at tile the door of the goodby good by the days viii dang up there in the snow waiting for the christmas mall said gald guthrie bcd lcd at ills his emotion strangely reluctant to leave leaie her wondering on dering at himself 1 if bood by mr exile 1 she gave him her firm hand hardly conscious of his purpose he bent to search the dark eyes frankly meeting his look she smiled lie thought wistfully as he said what you yon did for a comrade in distress he will never forget good by healer of wounds her eyes widened groping for his meaning she elie watched him straighten bring his hand to his forehead in a military salute and turning walk rapidly away until his tall figure was lost in the shadows she stood blond lips parted won alering then slowly opened th the e door and went in I 1 CHAPTER IV little did those whom garth guthrie had brought to albany in his york boat sense what this act of friendliness to strangers might mean in days of drudgery pre precious clous days lost from the goose hunt which was nearing its end for the men from elkman As the fhe boat drifted down the south channel of the delta past the scrub grown shores of albany island guthries thoughts tra traversed the days since the storm anif the meeting with the girl back at the albany mission who was going down tile the coast and out of ills hla life as the davies wa vies from the arctic linger through the soft september weather urill the sting of the first norther sends them down the wind cut but the davics wa return there would be no return to the west coast for joan quarrier ile he had bad left tier the night before puzzled by ay the elation her promise to bilte him by the christmas mall had aroused and always as he strove to A the nature of hla his onse to tile the appeal of tier genUt genuineness LeneSS her level eyed meeting of ct life 11 te the blond loveliness of 0 ethel with her shrinking from the unpleasant the inevitable intruded with the knowledge of disillusion ethel was growing so vague so shadowy here in a land where raw life admitted of vo PO subterfuge no compromise and yet ethel would wait for the brother itt it sir charles Clin rles guthrie Gu thrle he told him hemsell sell with a tightening of tile the lips of that he had biad no doubt the york boat reached the open water of the bay as aa the sun lifted bringing on an easterly breeze As they worked up the channel to the post a sense of loneliness chilled the heart of guthrie Gu thrle there would be no welcome which through the weeks of the summer he had grown to cherish on ills his homecoming no joy in tile wistful eyes of the lie girl who walled waited all that remained to him now was the memory of a devotion sell self fi f I immolating amol at in complete poor ioor little bindal I 1 old anne and the wife of etienne stood on the shore while the voyagers voyn gers unas the lie boat fast to its ita buoy As the men paddled in it was evident that news awaited them So meting happen said etienne Et lenne marie ver vcr mooch excite wen site she not stan still ron jour lad ladles lesl 1 called guthrie Gu thrle as he approached the chattering women on the beach what seems seem to be on your minds oh dey have come here dos benl men cried old anne what men de man in de beeg boat she was here dat one wad de bad ance mcdonald lint hal hill hal de injun call heem guthrie and etienne started incredulously at the speaker what did lie he want he want talk wid you ile he leave dds old anne handed guthrie a folded sheet of paper opening it ile he rend the hudsons Hud sons bay company elkman this Is to sae you a trip to the island after the stuff stud left on the beach by that walrus faced geologist her I 1 can use most of it and will pay st johns prices for it on my return home have made an inventory c D 0 11 A 1 D well hes a cool one I 1 commented guthrie Gu thrle etienne shook his black head ile he steal dat stuff lie he steal all de fur on Ald miski not if I 1 know it I 1 if lie he thinks hes going to got get our share of the hunt liell hell have to light fight for it hell find lie he cant bluff us replied guthrie Gu thrle with will increasing irritation at the thought of the highhanded high handed methods of the unknown to the north a cache was inviolate and the stores of quartier on the Akl beach had not been abandoned but cached to be recovered later Mc Donalds appropriation of them under the circumstances was a distinct breach of northern custom if tills this wis was a sample of what could be expected from him later in the fight for the fox trade tile the winter and spring would hardly lie be dull on tile west coast As soon as they had shot their winter supply of geese lie he wt would uld have a talk alth a ith graham and ana at and kapiskas kapiskau Kapi Kapl skau too had bad etienne Et lenne we were not irre hore to meet mr laughing mcdonald cDonald SI what did you think of him anne iles hes a big roan man with red hair hel he oh ver beeg strong man wid hair lak fire ailees facet face I 1 anne stopped to shudder ile he got get de crazy foce face all tani tam from hees bees hurt mout 11 poor devil thought guthrie Gu thrle bran branded tied for life with that grini grin then he asked who came ashore with him the question was a signal for tin an emotional outburst from marle dey were bad men maleu Gu authree three one beeg one wid de barlie barbe bolt black beard he try kees me cre femme of etienne Sa ianne anne the black eyes of tile the comely wife of etienne flashed with anger at the memory catl dey try dat wid you dees people pe the sinewy fingers of tile the halfbreed worked nervously as it if groping for a knife handle wat you do marle he demanded mcdonal hal hal broke in anne he talk ver cross to de black beard give heem push lak isk he was litti boy dis mcdonal dey all scare of beem dose men den dey paddle out to de boat good enough I 1 mcdonald Donala Uc seems to he boss all right laughed guthrie black beard that must be the newfoundland found land whaler etienne Et lenne the captain of the schooner the face of etienne hardened ile he mak mooch on its coast dis mcdonal hal tin ha mooch 11 it looks like a lively winter tor for us eh shot and the factor of elkman bent to rub the ears of ills his dog 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 it was early october on the west coast hunting we allier illier when the i geese restlessly crossed and re the wide flats between the timber and the kea fea and the duck in flocks of thousands endlessly rose from the shallows Bli allows to skirt for a apace stace the rim of the tide only to settle again and shortly repent repeat liwai the flight dijt when they had two backbreaking back breaking loads loada etienne and guthrie started for their camp out where a boulder strewn sandspit tb thrusting rusting seaward rendered the launching ot of a loaded canoe possible nt at the height beight ot of the tide A mile from the tent on the sandspit etienne lifted ills his lowered head banded by the tump line which held the the nour lour bags filled with geese then he swung round to the bent figure following eyes on the ground boat fit at de camp guthorle straightened until his range of vision included the sandspit below the boulders ot at the nose of the spit lay jay a ships boat A boat could come only from the schooner of mcdonald cDonald iI what were they hey after nearing the camp the packers dropped their loads and continued with their guns if these people lind had abused shot chained to ills his stake guthries Guth rles pulse quickened at the thought near the tent three men idled evidently wailing for the owners you keep out of this etienne Et lenne youre sore let roe me do the tal talking kinq warned guthrie Gu thrle its as he approached the camp suddenly breaking into a run he shouted slop baiting that flog dog or ill turn him lone ione on youl standing out of it reach a young sailor tossed sand into the face of tile infuriated straining nt at ills his leash all right 1 turn him loose was I 1 the le truculent reply and retreating the sailor cocked ills his shotgun tut put down that gun gub you young fool commanded the elder of th the 51 e r 3 L val 1 I 1 1 1 1 X 1 I kicked him out so he wants his revenge three strangers to tile the boy as garth reached the camp what are you people after trou brou ble alel demanded guthrie Gut lirie fl for ills self control for tile lie badgering of his dg had left him liot hot the man inan addressed grinned good natu and extended his hand good day mr hudsons Hud sons 13 eliy ay we aint ausy an ay from none we saw your tent and rowed in to get some shells if you have any to sell self guthrie took the hand of the hie speak peala s er a heavily heally built man with a heard beard the anger left his face as lie he said oil 01 youre not going to tahe the shells then ile he fag conscious as he spoke of the curiosity in the ei yes eyes of the man he faced as they lingered on ills his scarred cheek check no drawled the other you must think were pirates we pay as we go dut but you robbed that cache or OD AkIn ilski you left a note at klowan to that effect mcdonald cDonald SI will pay for that hint stuff it would spoil in the rain well we dont touch a mans catlie in the north by the way cherp la 19 tills mcdonald from we all hall ball from st johns newfoundland found land but Me donald mdonald M 1 well he be halts halls from there too wu was the reply but from the tall of his bis eyo ey guthrie cou bit a look in the lie face ot of the hie companion of the spokesman which belled the accuracy of the statement you say sell us some shells continued the speaker no we cant give you anell it was guthries Guth rles turn to smile we need every shell weve got ue he glanced at the muzzles of tile the guns of tile the stran gers our shells fit those cannon of yours anyway we ue bee twelve gau cause e guris guns with no 6 shot at close range it gets more geese than this big stuff mcdonald gets em with a lewis fires Is a burst into a flock and kills a halt dozen so youve got lewis juns guns eh abruptly demanded garth oil oh yes I 1 were heeled it if you people ale should take the notion to try to run us ou out it of the bay wily why man mant I 1 youve got as much right here its as we have but it if you dont play straight well run you out all alv the blue eyes of 0 the sailor met the chill gaze ot of tile the soldier in a long unwavering stare and from that mutual appraisal the react reaction loa lo in the mind of each man was identical you may but sweat some now I 1 want to give you fair warning that some of your people have come to us tills this summer of their own accord theres an injun who claims you stole his daughter abatt that skunk ot of an ojibwa ile he tells you that guthrie sickened at the thought of AN Indas memory being made the of indian gossip what he be claims its none of my business but hes got it in tor for you so dont blame us its iles hes working tor for us of course for the fur A girl he claimed as his daughter came to elkman in june dying with tuberculosis said bald garth quietly she travel we tre took care ol of her till she died ne he tried to hold me up for stuff I 1 kicked him out so he wants his revenge just tell himi him mr clr skene prompted the other just te tell it him for me mr skene that ill give him to the dog it if he shows up op at the post ile he knows shot looks like a tough old vete veteran rant 1 commented skene admiringly glancing at the al tense as a statue hair and tall up bristling at his stake lie ile Is iles hes an overseas man heo hed tear that indians throat out to in one snap theres another matter mi itter too continued garth when whan your people come came to elkman when ben we were down the coast one of them fellow with a black beard tried something that will get him knifed it if he shows up tip at tile the post again at the words etienne slowly moved up to a position beside guthrie Gu thrle his right band resting carelessly on oil his hip the fingers touching the bone handle of 0 his sheath knife the bearded leader of the sailors glanced curiously at the hint flint like ilke face ot of the halfbreed half breed and smiled indifferently at the threat just tell him for me will you tc keep away from Rl kwan oil oh you mean black breault Il iles sailing master owns tile the schooner im tile the mate iles hes a bit tough dougli ill admit but dont make any mistake about chos boss mcdonalds Donalds Mc run nine bing this party wily why im asking you to tell mcdonald that we wont stand for man manhandling handling women on this const coast insisted guthrie Giitl irle right o ill tell him well well be off said tile the big sailor offering his band which garth carth shook im glad to meet a reasonable hudsons Hud sons ray bay man find and one who sitting snug on the bay when we had our backs to the wall in front of allens amiens and as garth |