Show dr of the NOR H by HAROLD TITUS copyright by harold titus service CHAPTER XIII continued 21 ara franz anz I 1 some one said in a thick unnatural voice and he realized that he himself had spoken the n nime ame franz III let you go if you 11 give her back I 1 tea yes a voice ans answered vered not franz s voice that other vo ce yes I 1 in back it s all right I 1 in here what hat Is I 1 it he ile found himself staring li ii to that face a face now bathed in the soft warm light of a snapping fire oa oh he eald said and closed close d bis big eyes and smiled so she was all right then all right he whispered then something was pressed to his lips it Is hot a voice said that must be mary marys s voice W here did she come from A hand raised his head gently and he felt strong coffee scorch his lips he ile sipped obediently and dropped back this was strange he was alone with two girls and had a job before him A man with things he must do who cant can t kemem her what they are can t be alone with women he ile stirred trying to sit up and arid kate s voice begged him to lie quiet all right he murmured it if she wanted that then that was what she would have hane lord but she was lovely to look tool apont so it came to be dawn before he looked abent him with clear conscious ness at his feet sat mary her eyes fast on him hullo he said mary gestured for caution finger at her lips and tilted her head toward the sleeper your sister she said leaning close she tired sister that kate roused her movement cutting off his words oh I 1 she gasped as she saw the clarity in his countenance oh how do you feel are you stronger now strong not very he smiled slightly but all the fuss what went on howd how d we all oh G god od I 1 he moaned as memory of what had happened and what might yet happen flooded back what days day s this it t matter kate said sooth angly coming close to him so long ae as you re feeling better it doesn doean t matter matter of course it matters think I 1 what has hag happened I 1 got in tuesday and all day yester day that s it I 1 I 1 remember now all right if you say so I 1 wont won t sit up but listen I 1 im in giddy as the devil things are going round outside but im thinking straight today at four 0 clock that money moneys s got to be in mac donalds hands or polaris Is sunk I 1 remember now franz nicked me with a knife D I 1 stay out all this time whew I 1 say we ve got to snap into it but you t think of things like that kate protested as one would talk to a petulant child it makes no difference what happens to polaris until you re all right mel me I 1 be he scoffed feebly I 1 im in all right except for being helpless I 1 must ve lost a lot of blood I 1 in weak as as something but I 1 guess I 1 got weak trying to arrange things for you flynns flynne I 1 cant fall down on the job with the finish in sight where are the boys I 1 haven t seen a soul except mary here since you overtook franz and me yesterday morning said kate steve groaned 1 I sent word something slipped I 1 wonder he ile shut his eyes tightly and opening them stared at the ind an girl a long interval mary you ever been through the country between here and macdon old olds s oh yes idly how long would it take you to get there ther long ways may maybe be all day it d take you more than all day to go by canoe certain listen mary once you wanted to do some thing for me and were honest about it well now s your chance there s something lye I 1 ve got to have done today that a more important than anything ive ever tried to do in my life except one thing of course with a grave smile at kate hate understand that good lye I 1 ve got something to send to mac donald will you take tale a package to him across country and get there be fore four 0 clock today the girl squinted at the sun and shrugged sl ghaly may be I 1 go fast all time he ile tried to move and turned his face helplessly to kate I 1 im in stiff as a board in my hip pocket ts Is a note book and pencil no no other one yes yet that S it now write out a receipt for the laird to sign sim that options binding all we ve got to do la Is fulfill its terms get the dates straight in your head and make the receipt an led ment of the initial payment on the op tion recorded in this county as of such and such a date good bowl now 1 as the girl began to write after a moment she read it to him he suggested a change and then gave the document his approval that 11 hold him he said ex cit edly color beginning to stain his cheeks now where s the brief case used it for a pillow eh ell good he grinned but you can trust mary fe he shifted his gaze to the waiting ind an girl 1 I 1 ou get to macdonald s before four 0 clock this afternoon you give the bag to him and tell him to write his name on this paper then you take the paper to headquarters and give it to to mrs lafane he hell 11 be there surely you wait for me there and you 11 II have your reward or the stars 11 fall sure yo ng jim good by she said and tucking the rece pt into her blouse took the brief case and turned to her canoe steve was in a sweat by that time every pore seemed to be open letting his meager store of strength gush from his weary body he breall ed quickly and shielded his eyes from the brilliant sunlight ht no good I 1 he whispered after a moment I 1 in m all in but shell she 11 get there I 1 d bet on that girl don t talk please urged kate drawing the blankets about his ders its nothing to worry about compared to other things that have happened its a detail she rose and went to the fire here heres s a broth made of smoked meat meal and meal she said take it now and then more coffee mary said it was the thing to do she knows I 1 felt so helpless obediently he sipped from the cups she held for him his head held against her side and after that he slept tor for a time it was a deep sleep he was conscious of the girls girl s presence all the time and when he finally roused she was standing under the fly looking down at him he smiled weakly more to eat if it s from your band hand he an S evered x ered he ile was definitely better by then but still events and people were b tangled aed in his mind thans are all jimmied up he con fessel of course I 1 remember get ting shot at at was that right here was eh ell and I 1 recall about franz trying to get away and knifing me and then drowning but after that it its S it its s kind of like a photo graph out of focus fuzzy how d mary get here for instance the girl sat cross legged beside him and told all that had transpired his period of unconsciousness and you all alone I 1 he murmured holding my life inside my body with your bands hands he ile looked at her hands they re so small he said I 1 I 1 ive ve wondered about your hands I 1 I 1 ive ve wondered a lot about you why a girl like you all alone and thinking you had a dying stranger along 1 not a stranger she said gently it was hard but chiefly because I 1 felt I 1 owed so much to you he ile experienced an odd embarrassment at such pointedly personal talk he was not strong enough for that yet he found nobody showed up III bet they went down river I 1 was so so up in the air that I 1 never left any warning at the landing she told him of her futile attempts to send up smokes rain eh ell that explains chances are some of em went right by us yesterday and never guessed we were so near its it s clear as a bell now and there s no wind hadn t we bet ter try the smoke signal again certainly I 1 get the fires going now wish I 1 could help sou you re no girl to be lugging a fire wood for a big hulk like me if you never help another person in all your life and if you live to be older than the hills youve done your share she said soberly and turned away to gather wood and hide the emotion in her eyes when the fires were going she returned to his side for an interval V those he said are the sweet est words I 1 ve ever heard she spoke no word and then when he smiled inquiringly she asked who are you I 1 in steve drake I 1 knew your dad when I 1 was a kid k nd of a ratten deal dulling a wool over your eyes the way I 1 did but ru tell you how it was he went back to that day when old jim flynn saved him and his father from perishing in a blizzard he told it all just as it had happened from that time on kate did not interrupt when he spoke of franz she lost color when he told of his maneuver ing with the laird her lips parted la in eagerness when he narrated how la fane had handled young jim tears came into her eyes creaks breaks marked the story of course twice she made him stop and sip food and stimulant youre you re still weak weal she said may be you re weaker than I 1 think oh some one must come before lo 10 long NN well ell that s it he f finally ended I 1 ive e been an impostor imposter but it seemed to be tl tie e only way ay if you d have known about the kid before he got bened out you d have been fran tic if the men realized I 1 was a stran ger tl ti ey never would have stuck to the job now it if mary gets to the laird s on time we re set if not if not then it never can be said that a brave fight wasn gasn t made I 1 I 1 NN hat can I 1 say to you steve drake words are so empty all I 1 can say I 1 guess Is to echo the words of mary IN wolf olf you are my friend those he said are the sweetest words le I 1 ie ever heard she surrendered her hand when he reached for it and be lie gripped it close CHAPTER XIV it was young jim himself who sighted the three smokes he ile and sic mc nally hastened toward the island and within minutes of their arrival the older man was on his way down the lake with plenty of orders for the detachment tach ment of men he would surely find there doctor 1 steve snorted when kate gave her first instruction 1 I I should say not f why III be good as new tomorrow III take it easy and go out with the boys he ile would do no such thing kate insisted firmly he ile would stay in this very spot until a doctor gave him per mission to move and so a larger tent was brought in before night and more blankets a and nd an abundance of food young jim and kate staved with him and between steve s rest periods the talk tall flowed al most constantly la e the nest next day the doctor ap feared he looked steve over carefully re dressed redressed the wound and ques cloned and prodded in a day or two he said you beep keep quiet here for a day or two and then you can go out safely good lordi lord I 1 you mean ie I 1 N e got to be babied and waited on when I 1 feel fit as a fiddle safer that way the doctor as sorted lafane stepped close to the bed then he ile had brought the doctor and carried news of mary as well she had made the trip through the timber successfully and with half an hour to spare had reached macdonald Mac Donalds a the old scot having no other course had signed the receipt and acc accepted apted the money but he t want to do it la fane added he hes s pretty mad he says you re a good fisherman and a good liar if mary hadn haan t gotten there on time he d never have gone through with the deal have to make my peace with him when I 1 im in permitted to do as I 1 please again I 1 ile hes s a nice old codger and I 1 d hate to leave the country with him feeling this way lafane and the doctor moved down to the beach leaving young jim and kate in steve s tent leave the country the girl asked what do you mean by that her brother looked sharply at her catching a repressed quality in the tone why what d I 1 stay here for steve countered the actual real certified young jim jims s all set to go I 1 don t aim to stick around here and ask the flynns flynne to make room for me ask them she cried NN why hy w when hen don t you see her voice choked up and arid her eyes misted steve looked at young jim and at the girl and then turned his head away gosh the boy said we 11 be need ing you now that it 9 going to be such a whale of an operation that Is if we could get you to stay well wel that s fine of you I 1 haverin haven t anything in particular to do there are things reasons that Is he cleared his throat as he felt color mounting into his cheeks what I 1 im in trying to say Is this it if you ve a job of work that I 1 can do I 1 sure 11 welcome a chance at it oh yes there 11 be work all right said kate as it if her mind were on other matters I 1 besides you see she in her turn was wag stammering and young jim uncoiling his long legs grinned as he rose where you going steve asked mostly out of the way until you two can say some of the things that seem to be on your minds he chuckled THE END |