| Show t he no E SYNOPSIS stephen stephe n drake with his tour four year old eon son is I 1 rescued from a blizzard by jim flynn big timber operator whom drake has ha robbed flynn forgives the theft and drake until his death irn presses on the boy steve tl tr e debt they owe old jim twenty years later steve meets young jim flynn his benefactor a 8 son sent by old jim in capac bated through an accident in which kate his daughter la Is tempo harily blinded to take charge ol 01 the company a the polaris woods op orations 3 t the he youth Is 1 indulging in a drunken spree hoping to do some thing for old jim steve hastens to the comp company anys s headquarters finding franz plotting against the plynn flynn tn in forests borsting Wor sting franz in a fist fight the polaris crew assumes that drake Is plynn flynn 9 son and he takes charge as young jim A photograph of kate which steve finds intrigues him im densely steve gains the friendship of lafane woods scout franz discovers drake drakes s impersonation threatened with disclosure steve accuses franz of attempting to murder him exhibit ing evidence and the man dare not act steve sends lafane to find young jim and sober him up steve wins the friendship of macdonald who owns timber land vital to the flynn inter ests and the scotsman gives him an option tor for polaris to buy his timber CHAPTER VI continued 12 never mind just try to get any evidence on me for anything now and see how far you 11 get I 1 just be cause you ve gotten hold of an option don t think you 11 pulled polaris up by its bootstrap boot straps sl t not yet you he broke short as the la rd ope opened med the door bearing hearing in both hands bands the precious jug steve thought for a moment that franz was only awaiting a chance to go on and unmask him before th the scot and he was prepared to meet any such move with an adm assion of the truth the option was made out to the company to no individual and he would claim rightful possession of it no matter what came but franz said no more and drake put this down to the others other s knowl edge of macdonald his whims and moods likely franz did not dare in this mellow moment wield the club he held they drank together and steve folded the document slipping it into his breast pocket the time Is none too long now mr macdonald he said bound to leave before any complications arose have to be on my way now this means a lot of quick work in chicago ay seen days james nd taus a grand a grand bonny the old man did not rise as steve picked up his hat III see you I 1 trust on the seventh day sir my thanks for your hos Pite pito lity 1 avith ath n no 0 more farewell except a curt nod to 1 ranz he left them and strode down to the river the option in his pocket was a warm living weight against his breast a charge to keep a trust to guard where his own safety was concerned he would have laughed at any menace I 1 branz ranz might present but more than his personal safety was at stake now ile bore the hopes of old jim flynn ID in ha pod poel et and until he had it safely recorded in public files he could not rest his canoe was waiting having beed brought downstream down stream from where he had fished by one of the lairds laird s in d ans and as he launched for the first of the journey he had a flash of a pursuer ruthless and determined drake was unarmed he well knew that the shoulder holster beneath the others shirt was not empty he d d not hasten so long as he was in sight of the macdonald establish ment but when he rounded the first bend he bent forward and paddled until his canoe leaped and at the drive of the blade he knew the country and the trails well enough but franz knew them more intimately than he the landing landina above twenty mile rapid was the ob place for one to leave the river and take tale to his legs for transport to run the white water of course would cut miles from the journey but the risk of tragic disaster was great he speculated as he speeded along trying to put himself in franz a post aton trying to reason as franz would reason when he reached his decision he commenced to smile with tongue in cheek he relaxed his paddling and chuckled and sat back drifting with the current he ile could hear the grumble of the treacherous water below and ran his canoe into a shallows where it was screened by overhanging alders and waited looking backward of course franz might not do what steve expected of him but he was proceeding on fhe the belief that to block the recording rec record ng of that all important document he would be forced to tol fol low right 1 drake muttered aloud as a canoe shot into sight far behind coming fast he shoved off and bent to the paddle and in a moment fron from the tall of his eye he saw the other sweep into light right of him and then he was round rounding ln a bend with the voice of shaggy old twenty mile growing louder in his ears he ile looked over his shoulder just once franz had not rounded tl e bend bond yet A leaning cedar was fifty feet beyond bm bim ile rose to one knee dropped his padd timid e and balanced there arms raised the cedar rushed at him th first wig brumb brusta d his hands his ills right by TITUS copyright by harold altus service closed on a stout green branch he ile ana snatched ached at another with his left in ased and grappled grip pled at a it dry stub he ile gave these holds his weight gam gain bling tiling they would bear it lifted his feet and let the canoe shoot on the stub cracked warningly and wriggling k eking cling he let it go and grasped ily ing wood and with a heave swung himself sideways and up until he lay along the bole panting furiously as he drew branches about himself for concealment ile could see his canoe tossing like achia a chip enter the first white water and disappear around the sharp bend so much accomplished accomplish eill I 1 now he turned his face up stream franz was approaching making in toward the trail landing he leaped out as the bow touched rock and stopped to grasp the thwarts and lift the canoe out and checked all movement then moved slowly into the trail scanning the roe rocks 1 s and earth steve chuckled no sign was there for him to see seel I 1 even at the distance he could detect bewilderment he went a short distance up the he trail and returned scratching his head and peering down into the head of the rapid A moment before franz had had drake in sight the only place he could have left the river was at that trail leaving it he not have failed to leae leane signs easy franz evidently made up his mind he ile stepped into his canoe again and started down the current balancing gingerly drake worked his way t toward shore and ran along the ledge to the trail feeling his breast pocket to be certain that the precious paper was still there sinking into the he sun was v s sinking into the forest beyond lafane s meager camp lafane himself lounged beside the fire smoking indolently young jim 0 1 J down into the rushing maw of the river went franz flynn sat with his back against a tree glowering going to starve me next I 1 he blurted the other shook his head no whatever Is done to you you do within limits that Is limits I 1 bitterly when I 1 didn t want to come in here you beat me up when I 1 tried to leave you did it again now its it s nothing but coffee for both of us enjoying it are you I 1 much yes you youre re sober now you ve been sober bostl most of a week there a s a little rifle yonder in that birch sits a grouse if it you ashamed to show how shaky you still are you d try to get him because you re hungry when you are able to take your living from the country well feed not before I 1 can stand it longer than you can after a time he said I 1 in glad you re ashamed go to h I 1 il I 1 lafane larane smoked on he was depending on you and you turned him down think of that I 1 an old man laid up with smashed bones his back to the wall and you turned him down I 1 recall how gentle he always was with kids I 1 shou should id think they d break their necks to do things for him I 1 shut up I 1 the boy snapped and averted his face no ill keep reminding you of it and of what you might have been able to do to me and of what you can do tor for him and to me if you make up your mind to it it A fine man your fa ther not the kind most men would turn down young jim winced and lal lafakes pane s lips twitched as if he wanted to smile CHAPTER VII down into the rushing maw of the river went franz spray lashed his face the canoe bucked and reared like a frightened living creature he ile grazed a rock and although the touch was light the jolt all but upset him he shot between protrude ng boulders with scarcely a hands breadth to si are and straightened out for the run down doan a stretch that was white from cliff eliff to cliff he was forced to work frantically to keep himself in shallows because pro rocks were so thick outside no craft could thread them he lie skirted a lodged tree top canoe rasping through the outer branches N f disaster but was turned cross crosswise wise of the current for a ton long moment it seemed as though the pull of the river would defy his ls efforts to straighten out and that the canoe surely must capsize but he put in into to the paddle every energy of his splendid body the bow responded swing ng slowly at first swinging faster threatening by that spin to bash the one rock with even a greater vigor than the current alone could have impelled but he won won by inches he ile straightened ou out sl aped past and was in safe water at the foot of the rapid a big eddy swirled monotonously As franz came abreast the eddy his jaw dropped because along its outer edge beside a half submerged log floated a heavily listed water weighted canoe he ile altered his course and went close saw the shattered bottom where a rock had impaled the water weight ed craft observed the polaris star branded on the bow and let a long breath slip through his lips so I 1 he said and laughed somewhat hat uncertainly uncertainty so young jim flynn or whoever you are I 1 old awen ty mile got you eh you and your d d option I 1 meanwhile along the trail that led through the timber out to the shoestring road steve drake covered the miles at a woodsman s swift pace at dawn he entered shoestring and break fasted inquiry developed no news of franz he ile had a moment of won der of doubt if the other had met death in the rapid cut but he shrugged that off to prevent his ar rival here franz would have shot him down without compunction concerned only with escaping suspicion tor for such an act later he lingered in the regI registers office until he saw that the entry had been properly made and then draw ing the first really long breath it seemed he had enjoyed since he first stepped into the store at goodbye good bye and picked up the gage hurled by old jim flynn s enemies he walked down to the telegraph office franz thwarted might try for vengeance now but all he could do would be to harm steve drakes body and that was a trifling consideration 0 I 1 sleep well lafane larane asked th that at morning no shortly 1 1 I heard you rolling around A boy in your shape who s done to himself and his father what you have done expect to sleep very I 1 for the love of god lafane wont you please lt lot up I 1 honest appeal was in both voice and gest gesture p re tears showed in his eyes and his breath caught slowly his hands which had been wide spread dropped to his sides his head hung and he turned away for an interval the older man watched him then he walked close he ile put a hand on the boys shoulder an and gripped it tightly look at me son he said and his tone was most gentle I 1 look at me that s right I 1 and listen to this it was all you had left your sense of the decent thing it almost got away but you hung to it youve got it now its yours for keeps if you hate me I 1 im in sorry but you won t have much longer to endure me that s a promise As soon as the last shake Is gone we go the ja job b waiting Is not one for a man who I 1 isn sn t steady as a rock I 1 I 1 young jim stared at him and his up twisted as he fought back emotion I 1 dont don t hate you I 1 he said quietly I 1 im in only hating myself the myself that was 1 1 busily then the other began dumping the contents of the grub sack on the rock he smiled serenely as he cooked that hearty breakfast steve drake wrote his telegram to kate flynn with great care he told all that had happened as briefly as was possible but reread re read it carefully to be certain that no word important to the proposed transaction hid been omitted his last line was I 1 this deal la Is only way out money must be in Mac macdonald Donalds s hands thurs day at tour four p in to the operator he be said send that and wait right here until an answer comes 0 butter butte would not melt in franz 9 mouth at times mcnally had eald said and this day was one of those occa alons he stood on a high point beside the laird and showed him where he had found steve drake drakes canoe he spoke in a hushed tone as one does of tragedy he ile led the old man slowly fo to where the wrecked craft was beached and there macdonald stood with bared head while tears ran down his wrinkled cheeks I 1 oh a gude glide lad he was wast I 1 A fine gude lad nd a grand angler why why rhyd d he chance th rapid franz debated with himself craftily the queer part of it all mr maedonald macdonald Is that the fellow was not young jim flynn the real young jim was drunk over on moose lake when this fellow showed up and passed himself off for the one been expecting he admitted it to me but I 1 think it was any of my affair so I 1 said nothing to anyone but who was he what was he doln I 1 cant answer that who he wax was t matter what he waa was doing here I 1 could only guess tto BID BE CONTINUED |
