Show M EN an w MARO MA JIL ial CHAPTER X continued irl 16 miss quarrier you know my wishes if you choose to disregard them mr guthrie Is tin an educated gentleman broke in joan not a cave man I 1 will be home by ten good night 1 and crowding past the discomfited swan joan quarrier closed the door of the mission in his face it Is not difficult to tell chos commanding here chuckled guthrie Gu thrle 1 I dont like to humiliate the little man conn ile Hs means well enough but if they bey will send weak men to work in this country and the oblates ablates strong ones like your friend pere rousseau the indians will flock to the french but cameron tells me youve done wonders onders vr with the orphan crees crucs 11 oh yosl ive been useful to them why he be dare exert the authority which my honorable brother bestowed upon him imagine nursing three years in france and having mr jr swan to guide my faltering feet she laughed merrily as they swung through the stinging air of the clearing the man beside her was hardly aware ot of tits his moccasins touching the brittle snow so eo lifted in spirits was lie be with the nearness of the girl whose strange decision to winter at albany defied analysis you tell me this afternoon why you deceived me as to your whereabouts to in your christmas letter lie be hazarded if I 1 had told you would you have come to see we roe she asked turning tier her hood and meeting ills his eyes witt will rank frank impersonal gaze yes I 1 that Is the reason you mean you want to see me 1 I meau mean that you had find your work to do it would have interfered ue walked for a space in silence then turned to her you are that kind of a woman you understand 1 I hope so lie ile was thrilled by the thought that joan quartiers rs friendship was like that dut but why had she stayed could it be that after the photographs she had seen at elkman with their inscriptions script ions lons she had stayed nevertheless at albany because because what nhat lie ile could tell her now that he was free since his reply to ethels letter which went out that afternoon to moose cut but what had ills his freedom to do with the girl whose overshoes shoes crunched the snow beside him 1 I v would like to ask you a question he said at length iier her laugh rippled on the frosty air this sounds interesting sir mr exile but to avoid antl climax climas you should watt wait tor for our walk back the moon will be up then the question wont wait waft lie he replied ilas has your brother written you of my engagement yes think thank you I 1 I 1 wanted to tell you that it lias has been broken by her in this christmas mall mail in silence the girl walked stiffly garth thought watching her with 1 I 1 ar J I 1 she laughed merrily head turned to the river ile he looked but could riot not see tier her face burled buried to in the fur hood the reason given was ninda she turned fiercely questioning eyes as site she demanded lie ile told your family that story evidently said garth grimly it if there was capacity for feeling in this girl he thought shall show it now my brother has done with me you see ive ie disgraced the family no I 1 dont bee she said hoarsely gazing straight ahead my brother has haa told that story in montreal injured you beyond reparation my br brother otherl 1 im coiry sorry I 1 told you he replied shocked at the depth of her emotion but I 1 wanted iou to know that my shackles are off iva ira a tree free man I 1 wanted you to know in the tide df emotion which stirred him cuthill faltered stopped the shoulders of the girl lifted to in a sob as fille turned to conceal tier her distress lie ile touched her thrilling at the contact ilease im so sorry I 1 he ald aid by GEORGE MARSH copyright by the atie penn co ca lc MY br brother otherl 1 ilow low utterly low lowi I 1 he heard beard her say then she got herself in hand straightened lightened nod and said 1 I will write at once to your brother do no such thing do you suppose Id Idi lallow atlow you to still soil yourself your with tills this family row your brother lins has unintentionally done me a service for or which I 1 thank him joins joans dark brows contracted as she gravely searched soar chad his face you are not joking you mean it 1 I mean every syllable of it now lets forget it all and pet get on to tile the camerons before you freeze out here I 1 its growing sharp he sold said but what lie meant was it if you stand there another second looking at me like that joan quarreler rier ill kiss you the talk of the factors was not allotted by that jubilant fur trader to stray far from the raid mad raid on akl misu by garth and etienne and the maling of old saul from the mouth of cameron joan quarrier quarreler learned the details of the desperate effort to save saie the trade and its ultimate success arent you proud of yourself mr exile slie she said as cameron finished and her patent joy in his success was like wine to his blood and shot too lie he earned his citation but how gruesome it was awful As he walked beside her under the frosted stars to the mission guthrie strove to shift the conversation to the personal to recapture the note struck with such snell poignancy when she learned tile the aftermath of her brothers story in montreal but the armor of her reserve him baffled by her mood but respecting ting it he asked if he might come to say goodby the following morning end and left tier her at the mission door to the man whose love had been on his lips when hs his hand touched her shoulder the new mood of 0 the girl defied analysis lie he had left the camerons full of what joan had come to mean to him hungry to tell tier her there above the white tile albany what he had first sen sensed ed that september night caught in the mo magic le of her nearness here on the rim of the world with only the glittering stars to see lie would have offered the scarred face and the love of garth guthrie Gu thrle black sheep but slie she had known ills his purpose and closed his lips yet why unless the exile up the coast had meant more than a passing had she stayed on to the drudgery the unspeakable monotony of the mission CHAPTER XI xa she was waiting in the clearing when shot loped up sniffed looked at tier her curiously then pawed her joyfully with fore feet shot you know we at and she rubbed the ears ft inc ice wriggling alre date dale lie has a good memory tor for his friends said garth as the dog leaped in tile the snow around the pleased girl 1 I think it quite wonderful though that he be should remember me I 1 lie knew me but live five days barths mouth cutlet coiled ills master knew you no longer and the factor of elkman reveled in the slow color that touched tou clied her temples the alie swift flickering of heavy lashed lids ills master had reason to remember tile alie guests who insulted him in ills his own house bouse one of tits his guests countered guth ale was an angel of mercy we seldom forget the visitation of angels do we and tile the other an ungrateful scan dal monger 1 I told you last night lie was a bles blessing slog in disguise slie site looked squarely in his eyes as she said cut but I 1 lid did not believe you sir mr exile with a gesture of helplessness he insisted hut but how bow um am I 1 to prove it to an unbeliever her ees clouded lets walk along the shore she parried and led the way shot circling her begging for a frolic youre again for the spring trade from the island she asked oh with there and the echo of his spirit voices in their ears we shall hold the hunters who alio crossed the strait then elliean will have a wonderful icar yes the best in its liti history tory Be couse of its new factor because Ue cause of etienne daonne and saul no because you went inland and fond douel ond and had the acne ner e to cross the channel through the ice in III a york boat then took a long chance over the new ice to reach the lite leland in time sir mr cameron knows lie glanced sharply at the clean profile crowned by a plume of win wind tossed hair youre a doughty champion no im only it a fair critic slay ivalay I 1 never have a fairer nor dor one more unfair unfair what do you mean mr exile she hod had given him his bis opening 1 I mean joan quarreler that you have shut your heart to the truth he plunged in impetuously 1 I mean that you are coupling me with ghosts dead memories that you will not see sec understand in his eagerness to clarify her vision of 0 him erase the memory of ethel with whom in spite of his denials he still seemed hopelessly involved garth foundered floundered came to a halt through sheer excess of emotion cant we continue the good friends we are mr exile we need friendship tinder understanding standing up here on this lonely const cont cant we like two good coni comrades rades hold to what hrit we have dazed helpless in the face of her obsession lier evident co that tier her brother brot lier had been the coue cause of ills his ultimate bronk break with ethel falconer guthrie walked on in silence cant we hold to our friendship she repeated facing him and slipping oft off her mitten extended tier her hand lie ile took it it at the raw pain in ills his ebes joan lips opened in tin an involuntary catch of the breath tier her eyes widened in a look of wonder as if startled by what she saw you know you always will have my friendship lie he said thickly im coming down the coast in february to see my frler friend id may I 1 your friend will allf be ba very glad to see you at tile alie door of the mission she met his reluctant goodby good by with a smile so personal so like a caress that the hand lie gave her shook like ille a leaf in the wind my illy friend he repeated under his breath as he followed shot back to etienne and the waiting do dog team my friend my world ilour hour by hour over the coast ice fee the light sled reeled off the miles so good was the ping going so keen the five great huskies for or the trail that the men left their robes only to stretch their heir legs tile the forty miles to the big willow river slid past by early afternoon and the hungry men turned in to the aler mouth to build a fire from driftwood and boll their kettle twenty miles directly across the strait the gray Aki miski hills parted to form seal cove id give a good deal to know how bow they took the news oer there of the loss of the Dor northern thern fur etienne said guthrie Gu thrle busy with ills plate of beans and bacon hello I 1 theres a team coming in oer the ice wonder who it Is for a time etienne studied the alie lilack black object through the binoculars but when the kettle and fry pan had been stowed and the sled cover re lashed two rifles in their skin shin cases rode by the sides of the passengers A mile from the noon camp at tile the river the sled evidently headed for the mouth of the kapiskas kapiskau Kapi skau drew inshore A hunter from de kapiskas kapiskau Kapi Kapl skau we veel now hear how dey swear on de schooner dis dig christmas christinas the dog team slowed to a walk and shortly were within speaking distance Nequa Ke quay called savanne you go leaving his panting dog who straightway lay down on the ice fee the stronger stranger hurried to the sled from elk wan As he approached it was evident to the two meu men that the cree was laboring under strong excitement ills sled was beally loaded and his hard breathing indicated that he had run much crossly cross cros sla lua the strait staggering up lie gasped de boat bovair dere all gobiel mcdonal hal flat Us ua dead all dead what aliat liat cried garth the schooners ners crew dead you come from dere you see dem demanded the astute etienne A sinewy liand hand shot out and gripping the crees shoulder shook him 0 to o gently you see dem how many repeated the halfbreed half breed searching tile the Ind luns face in on an attempt to probe the truth of his statement 1 I see eee one dead man no answer when I 1 bell i ell insisted the other and seemingly at the memory of 0 the ship of the dead tits his small email ees filled with dread what happened was tills this man shot demanded garth exchanging glances with Sava savanne nue ue lle die of sl sickness ekness 1 I look an run it was ver ter bad down dere een dot dat boat said the indian with alth a ki ludder were the dogs there 1 I see no dog were you from snarled savanne vanne a face fierce with suspicion into the crees F from born de Kapi kapiskas kapiskau skau I 1 go to do de boat to trade some fox you get dat flour from de boat steal hazarded etienne Etlen nt guessing at the nature of tile the bulky load on the indians sled fled the cree nodded dey day not use it now the swart face of the head man at elkton hardened bordered into creased leather as lie turned to garth and whispered 1 I dou don lot lak dis dig tang lie ile see one man debbe de ciders ambush us what we do im going over to find nd out its my duty boucher will wait aalt for days they may not nil be dead im going suppose beet ees a trick suppose de ones not dead wait for der re vanche wen ven we come well stalk ein cin and see dropping ills his milieus and dellbeni abely reaching under his capote etienne drew tits his skinning Sug halfe coolly a thumb over the edge he thrust lis ils face foal into that of the dig indian while his silt like ilke eyes snapped as lie he bit oft off the words you the indian had seen but one body lie mcdonal BIc Donal ila iia ilal iia sen yo you to Kapi Kilpi skull you salk de or I 1 and seizing the indian by his hood lie he made a quack pass at li his Is throat threat Oera ch erased Ned by the fierceness of 0 the strangers the undersized cree swayed on tits liis feet repeat repeating repeated iD in chiq hi seeming terror 1 I salk de you go to de boat you see we go to de boat an you go will us snarled etienne Et lenne at the words the indians face went gray de spirit I 1 am scare to go back lie protested but the inexorable etienne ordered him to turn bis big dogs and lead the way back it was hard on the hunter it if his story was straight strai glit but bearden bearding a waiting mcdonald cDonald I in his lair was not not to be lightly hazarded 1 I think the man Is honest etienne Kt lenne lie ile naturally hated to go again to tile the ship but what could have happened flu smallpox savanne shook his head only recently the bay had been swept by influenza fiu flu enza brouil brou gl Z in by a whaler impartially striking down eskimos indians and dogs but lie he was still suspicious of a counterstroke by the schooner people sore from their defeat and confidently expected a confession from tile dog driver ahead before the dusk caught them guthrie on the contrary believed that some epidemic or possibly scurvy had stricken the crew and wondered it if the great mcdonald in III the pride of his strength had found a grave in the ice the indian had seen but one body and fled so lie said but the schooner had been silent as a tomb queer that all had died so soon As lie he left he bud bad culled called repeatedly from the deck without willi out answer except once faintly he be had heard something like the voice of a spirit when the cree had reluctantly cached his lond load of flour and they started to cross the twenty miles of ice he bogged begged them not to force him into that grave of white men the ship was ba haunted tinted by demons an indian from tile the north had said they had bud brought the lie sickness were displeased with mcdonald hot ha ila and would surely bewitch beitch him it if lie he again wont went to that ship of the dead but bul etienne insisted that the seeming fear of the cree was tas only a ruse to lead them into tile the trap uldale lie he hung bung back and thus avoided a shot in tile back for ills treachery TO BE CONTINUED |