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Show Dy JOHN R. MUSICK, Aatha al "Mjllatla.a Mr. Haward." Tad Dark Slrar..r." "Charlla Alla.daU'a Ua.Ua." Bit. CaajrHIUOTI, If aaaiatnoBpaa-lloaa. All rulu raaanad. CHAPTER XIV-(Contlnued.) The fellow set off at a llely pace on his snow shoes and In an hour and a half was bark, saying "They be not there " "What d'je mtatiT' asked Kate. "Gone ' "What Is gone? ' "Camp. "Where?" "Dun know," and he shrugged his shoulders again Bhe waa nonplussed, and In fact frlRhtened. "Oonel" she whispered, hnlf aloud. "Clone and left inu alone with this alck man In thle wilderness! (lone, and with that poor child Why. I can't hardly believe It, and yet my heart has alwaya told mo th' rascal waa a villain. Oh, Uura, lJiural whore are you now, my or child?" he began to aob "I promised yo I'd stay by yo through thick an' thin, an' I've gone an' lied to ye That ras caj put thla poor alck man off on me, an' what could I do?" In her helpless rage she looked about for somo object to vent her wrath upon, nnd atelng llnrsa Cum mlna emerging from the small tent In which he had slept, iho rushed at htm like a virago, crying: "You redheaded thief, whero la yer master? I say. where la yer master? Hpeak or I'll chuck yer head In the now an' hold It there till yo smother." With a look of surprise, he said: "Why, I did not know ho had gone." "Ho Is, and took my little, friend with him." "Well, that Is strange; that beats anything I otcr heard) What can he mean?" "I don't know, but there la some mischief In It, nnd I'll be bound you arn at Iho bottom o' It." "Why. my dear good woman, you do me n very great Injustice." began Cummins with mock humility. "lok hero!" she yelled. "Don't yo come nono o' yer monkcy-doodlo business around me. for I won't aland It. Hack out an' find that good for nuthln' master o' yours, and tell him V bring that girl bnck or I'll make Alaska so hot for you tho lecberga will meltl" With thla threat Kate turned and cn'cred the shanty. "That woman'a n regular aho tiger!" growled Cummins, as ho walked over the hill. Onco out of hor eight ho eat down In the snow to think tho matter over. "Ulamo mo If she ain't a perfect per-fect devil of a woman. Tho bosa haa put a hard Job on me. Bho knows I had a hand In ll. Now tho youngster don't show any signs o' dyln' very fast. I wish he would, but he don't. Wilt nm I to do with this tiger cat? Bho'll anatcli my eye out If I go back." Meanwhile Kate went Into the small shanty, lowing she would halo harmony har-mony or know the reason Her pa tlcnt was wide nwako, bis great, dark brown e)ca on the door. For tho first time Kate realised that he waa a young man and quite handsome. "Were yuu talking to somu ono out thcro?" ho asked. "Yes; I waa Just alayln' ono o' them trlflln' critter for not attendln' to his work. I glvo him a piece of my mind and I reckon after thla he'll know what's what!" Kate declared, "Don't your peoplo agree?" "Yea; all agree with each other, but nono don't agree with mo. They go do thing without aakln' me or consul con-sul tin' mc a hit moro'n It I waa a block o' atone, and had no moro aenae'n a Kansas badger." Paul, who felt considerably stronger, strong-er, raised himself on his elbow and asked; "What have they done, my good friend, without consulting you?" "Pulled up atakea an' gone) Yea, gone, an' not left a sled nor dog to toiler 'em with. I don't keor so much to fur as I'm concerned, but that poor child all alone with that man; and she told me with her own mouth she mistrusted htm, and I said I'd atand by her, and, like a lurk-head, let 'em side-track me off hero and then he slopes an' takea tho pore little thing with hlmt Oh, It makes mo hot; but I'll have harmony ylt; ecu If I don't!" "What do you mean, my good woman!" wo-man!" Paul asked In amazement "Who Is thla man that deceived you?" "That scamp from Kresno called Lacklandl" "Lackland from Fresno!" The patient pa-tient started up In bed staring at her. "Who Is tho poor young thing ho took away the girl?" asked the patient, pa-tient, seising her arm In a vice like grip. "I-aua Kean." With a wild shriek he leaped half, dressed from tho bed and mshed from the shanty. CHAPTER XV. The Old Man of the Mountains, I-ong after day had dawned the little lit-tle train of porter Indiana, doga and aleds, continued their way over tho snow. Ijurs protested against thla separation from her friend, but It was all In vain. When tho tenia wero pitched Laura met Lackland and asked; "Where Is my companion, Kate Willis, Wil-lis, from whom you promised I should not bo separated?" "She la back with the alck man," he answered, "It waa our wish to bring her but the storm came up so sudden that we had no time to sao for hor" "Can on not do It now?" Ho shook his head and said the avalanche had fallen In the pass behind be-hind them nnd they were completely shut In where thero were, "Will there be no escape?" ahe asked "Not until spring unlees we can cut our wny through." ljiura went to her tent and wept She realised how helpless ho was and began to distrust tho man who professed to be her friend. "Oh, tlo.l," she) groaned, "to Thee atono can I now appeal for help! I need oxiwt nono from these men." Mr. I nffcland s emeil very much dlstreaeeil that she waa cut off from her female companion, nnd selected four men to go back, as lie said, and bring her over the fallen nvalancho If possible. The four selected were lien Allen. Morris. Neil Padgett and Tom Ambrose. When Ijickland look them apart, to gliu hi final Instructions, Instruc-tions, he aald Take the woman and wounded man bnck to Hkaguay " "What! An' have him hang ua for holdln' him prisoner In tho moun-tains?" moun-tains?" asked Allen. "Hut he Is Insane. You arc four w Intense to one." Ned shrugged his shoulders and muttered something about neier wanting want-ing to aee Skaguny. especially while their late prisoner lived. "Very well, then, etart with them toward Rkaguay hut don't reach tho place, lleiome lost. You understand how to du that At least ho must not know anything of tho young woman wo-man here, and ahe must bain no knowledge that Paul Miller Is alive." Ills final Instructions were ao clear and Imperatlie there could be no possible pos-sible mistaking them, and when ho had finished they took their departure. The story about the avalanche falling fall-ing In their rear nnd blocking up the way was all n clever Invention on tho part of Mr. Ijirkland. Lackland went In Laura's tent, his white face wearing a careworn and troubled look. The lines of bis feature fea-ture seemed more deeply drawn and hi face was eipreiahe of the greatest great-est concern "Laurn Mis Kean," he began, In hi caution, considerate, manner, "I hope you will believe me when 1 say that thl lamentable accident causes mo unaccountable annoanco on your account. When awakened In the night with the Intelligence that a storm was coming and the pass would 1)0 Impassable, I decided that for you I must act at unco If no wero aboard a sinking ship and I should rescue you and tako you ashore, would you deem II an act of hostility becnuso 1 did not wait for somo companion of )ours?" Hhe bowed her head and waa silent In argument, Iho subtle villain alwaya al-waya beat her, but when left toihor-self toihor-self to con over what lio had sail and communo with her own heart, the Instinctively In-stinctively felt tho man was a vlllsln. Intuition, or whatever you may choose to call It, told Laura her lover lived Hhe waa conscious of his presence aomuwhuro In this vast world, and felt aa Instinctively drawn to him as the ncedlo to tbo magnet. Da) a passed and tho small party waa still In I lie valley, hemmed In by tho mountains nnd etornal snoas, Lackland mndo frequent visits to Ijiur-t after despatching tho four men to glvo an account of their progress In cutting their way through the pass, "Laura," ho said, In a low gentle tone, which would havo thrilled aay other woman, "I havo tried to hope against hope for your sake. 1 have tried tn bellevo your lover lived, but I must yield to facta. All thla Journey, Jour-ney, hardship and auffcrlng, this paaslng the winter In an Alaikan wilderness Is to no purpose," "Is It not?" "Laurn, aro you very strong?" Alio gn.u hi m a awlft, wild look an Imploring glauco and gasped: "What do you mean?" "Can you bear a great shock?" "What shock what la It speak out, I beaeech joul" "Paul Is dead!" "It la falso!" "It la true!" "What evidence havo you?" "The evldeuco of men who saw him die. He died three weeks ago!" Ills face waa so white, ho expressed such concern, that aho was strongly Impressed with his manner, yet sbe cried: "What you aay can't be true! My heart tells mo he Uvea." Nevertheless, hor eyes grew dim with tears, which trickled adown her damask check. Lackland, for several sev-eral momenta overcome with his own emotions, at laat aald: "Laura, It's our noble, sanguine naturewhich na-turewhich I admire that makes you hopo against hopo. Hut, alasl It is useless for you. to feed yourself on hope longer. I know It must be true, for men whoso word I cannot doubt tell mo, and It must bo true Hut Laura, whatever may happen, bellevo mo, I will oi cr be your friend Let rao weep with you over your lossl" "Don't, don't talk so! You frighten me I" alio gasped, "Frighten jou, darling?" he whlrp-ered. whlrp-ered. "Frighten you? Oh. If you know tho pangs of thla heart If you only know how tenderly devoted I am to you; If you only knew how willingly I would chango places and Ho In the unknown mountain tomb until the Bounding of that great trump which ahall wake tho dead, you would not havo tho least causo for fear " "Hush-hush! Don't talk ao!" Bhe was stunned and confused by his Impassioned speech. Poor atirl. alone In an unknown fere, wU r.admn -no wonder she wa fright. ened Bhe had started up from the camp stool and taken a step toward the door of the tent a If she would fly l"t he qul kl put hlmseir before her and aald "No no don I leain me. dearest. 1 w'll not tarm nti I will not touch JJ 1 only want to ay one word When com diced uur poor, dear Paul Is no more, will ymi. oh. will you look IU more fin or on my milt" 8he found her voire now. Tho words the stinging Insult fired her oul-and In a voire In which grief, fW and disgust wero atrangely blended she cried 'No, no n thouaand times no! It It ai for thl on have followed mo cross the ocean and wilderness you "n go yes go' I will hate no more tossy t,)oU g,i" "rawing herself up to her full hUlit with all the scorn which an Injured In-jured soul can depict In a handsomo face, she olnted toward the door of the tsnt Unable to stand before tho proud, defiant creature whom ho had In his grasp, he started toward tho door of the tent, when ono of the alrsngest figures either had over aeen, entered It was a man fully fifty year of age, his long white hair and board evident 1 many yeara strangers to ellhrr rators, scissor, cnmlt or brushes. In his hind the old man carried a Winchester Win-chester rifle, the butt of which he placed on the ground, while he leaned on tho mussle, and flied his curious eyes on the man beforo him. Bo piercing was that glanco that It seemed to ienetrate tho very soul uf the scoundrel. The old man might hnvo been taken for a Itlp Van Winkle, but for the fact that his anna were all uf tho latest ImproiemenL Adinnclng a pace or two and pausing, he leaned on his rifle, glancing from first ono nnd then the other, but uttered not a word After a moment's amaied allcnro Lackland gasped: "Who In Hatan'a name aro you?" The old man of the mountains," wts the answer, In a low husky voire, which seemed to chill tho blood In the veins of tho rascally lackland. There was flrmne In the voice, a steady gleam In the eye, which Indicated he hid met a man whom It would not do to trifle with. "Where did you como from?" asked Uckland, quaking. "From Uie mountain," was the an swer. "What aro you doing hero?" Without palng any heed to him, the ok) man of the mountains, none other tlin our hermit friend, tho rnptaln, tamed his eye upon Ijuira and uked' "Aro you going to the Kloudyko?" "I was going," alio answered. "And nlono?" "A woman companion waa with mo but alio remained bnck tin Iho trail twenty-five miles, and an avalanche u filled tbo trail, so she cannot come." "Thcro has lieen no avalanche," iho old man answered, In hla deep votco; "There has been no avalanche!" Bho quickly fastened her garo upon the faco of lackland, who began to retreat Inward the door "So you havo deceived me, mon iter!" alio began, "If you listen to that old fool you will bellevo anything, He la craty!" cried lackland, and darted from the lent, leaving I-atira alone with the old man of tho mounlalna, CHAPTER XVI. Driven Ui Desperate Btralts. Once outside the tent, l-nckland wai llko ono dated and confused, Ho saw a figure, coming toward him and recognised recog-nised it as one of his men. He hur rled toward him, saying. "Cummins, you haio come at last?" "Yea; they relieved mo and told mo to report hero. Ittght glad I am of It, too, for If eier thcro was o fiend In woman form It'a that termagant down Uiore." (To bo continued.) |