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Show FLAMlNGiii jfc JEWELjfl KL. hi ROBEOTV CHAMBERS fc OlQQl2 OEORGt RDCTQAN COhiUAtVf (Continued from Our Loot Issue.) i EPISODE TWELVE. HER HIGHNESS INTERVENES. CHAPTER I. Toward noon the wind changed, andl 'about one' O'clock it began to snow, j Bvo, exhausted, lay on tho sofa In her bedroom Her step-father lay on a tnhle in the dano hall below, covered cov-ered by a sheet from his own bed And beside him sat Trooper Stormont, watting. watt-ing. It. wns snowing heavily when Mr Lyken, the little undertaker from Ghost Lake, arrived with several as-j slstanta, casket, and what he called, "swell trimmings." Long ngo .Mike Clinch had selected his own mortuary site and had driven I 'a section of iron pipe Into tho ground' on a ferny knoll overlooking Star I on. I. In explanation he grimly remarked re-marked to Eve that after death he preferred to bo planted where he could reo that Old Harrod's ghost dldn t trespass. Her two of Mr. Lyken's able assistants assist-ants dug a grave while tho digging was still good, for If Bilks Clinch was to Ho underground that season there i might in need of haste no weather prophet ever having successfully forecast fore-cast Adirondack weather. Eve, exhausted by shock and a I sleepless night, was spared the morej harrowing details of the coroner's visit1 and tho subsequent Jaunty activities Of Mr. Lyken and his efficient assistants. assist-ants. I She had managed to dress herself ln la black wool gown. Intending to watch j by Mike, but Stormont's blunt author-, Sty prevailed and she lay down for an 'hour's rest. Tho hour lengthened Into many hours, the girl slept heavily on her sofa under blanketa laid over her by Stormont. I All that dark, snowy day sho slept, mercifully unconscious of the proceedings proceed-ings below. In its own mysterious way the news penetrated tho Wilderness; and out of the desolation of forest anil swamp land mountain diluted the people who l somehow existed there a few shy, I half wild young girls, a dozen silent, (lank men. two or three of Clinch's own people, who stood slltntly about In the falling snow and lent a hand I whenever requested. j no long-shanked youth cut hemlock hem-lock to line tho grave; others erected 'h ilttle fence of silver birch around It. making of the enclosure a "plot." A gaunt old woman from God knows where aided Mr. Lyken at intervals, la pretty, sulky-eyed girl with her (slovenly, red-headed sister cooked for ! anybody who desired nourishment. When Mike was ready to hold the ; Inevitable re. i-ptlon everybody filed ln-ii ln-ii the dance hall, Mr. Lyken was mas- ter of ceremonies. Trooper S'ormont stood very taU and straight by thS head of the casket. Clinch wore a vague. Indefinable smllo and his best clothes that same smile which had so troubled Joso Qulntana. Light was fading fast In the room when the last visitor took $ilent leave of Clinch and rejoined the groups In the kitchen, where were the funeral baked meats. C Eve still slept Descending again from his reconnaissance. Trooper Stormont encountered Trooper Lannls below. "Has anybody picked up Qulntana's tracks? " Inquired the former. "Not so far. An inspector and two state game protectors are out beyond Owl Marsh. The troops from Five Iakes are on the Job, and we have enforcement men along Drowned Valley Val-ley from The Saur to Harrod Place" "Does Darragh know?" "Yes. He's In there with Mike. He brought a lot of flowers from Harrod Place." Tho two troopers went Into the dam e hall where Darragh was arranging arrang-ing the flowers from his greenhouses- Stormont said quietly. "All right. Jim, but Eve must not know that they came from Harrod'.s ' Darragh nodded "How Is 6he, Jae" "All In " "Do you know the story?" 'Tel. Mike went Into Drowned Valley early last evening after Quin-tana. Quin-tana. Ho dldnt' come back. Before dawn this morning Eve located Qulntana, Quln-tana, et a bear-trap for him. and caught him with the goods " "What goods7" demanded Darragh sharply. "Well, she got his pack and found Mike's watch and Jewelry In It " "What Jewelry "" "Th Jewels (juiniana was aftei But that was after she'd arrived at the Dump, here, leuvlng yulntaiia to " free of tho trap and beat It. "That's how 1 met her half crazed, going to find Qulntana again. We'd found Mike In Drowned Valley and were bringing him out when I ran into Eve. ... I brought her back here and called Ghost Lake. . . Thoy haven t picked up Qulntana s i tracks so far." After a silence: "Too bad this snow ram so late" remarked Trooper Lannis. Hut we ought to get Qulntana Quln-tana anyway." Darragh went over and looked silently si-lently at Mike Clinch. "I like you," he said under his breath. "It wasn't your luult And II YUBU I Millie, illKO .iii ir square tilings Lon't worry He came back slowly to where Stormont Stor-mont was standing near the door. "Jack." ho Bald, ' you can't marry Eve on a Trooper's pay. Why not quit and take over the Harrod estate ' You and I can go Into bueinei I together later If you like." After a pause: "That's rather wonderful won-derful of you. Jim," said Stormont. ' but you don't know what sort of business man I'd make ' "I know what sort of officer you made .... I'm taking no chance. . . . . And I'l make my peace with Eve or somebody will do It for mo. . . . "Is It settled then?" "Thanks," said Trooper Stormont. reddening. Thoy clasped hands Then Stormont went about and lighted the candles In the room. Clinch's faco, again revealed, was still faintly amused amus-ed at something or other Tin- dead have much to be amused at. As Darragh was about to go, Stormont Stor-mont said: "We're burying Clinch at eleven tomorrow morning. The Ghost Lake pilot officiates." ' L'll come it It won't upsot Evn," said Darragh "She won't notice anybody. 1 fancy." remarked Stormont. He stood by tho veranda and watch-ed watch-ed Darragh take the Long Trail through the snow Finally th glimmer glim-mer of his swinging lantern was lost In the woods and Stormont mounted the stairs once more, stood silently by Eve's open door, realized she was still heavily asleep, and seated himself him-self on a chair outside her door to watch and wait. All night long it snowed hard over the Slar Pond country, and the lalo gray light of morning revealed s blinding storm pHting a white robed world. Toward ten o'clock, Stormont, on guard, noticed that Eve was growing restless . Downstairs the flotsam of the forest for-est had gatherod again. Mr. Ljrlrtn was there in black gloves; the Re -Brand Iaoml Smatter had arrived in a sleigh from Ghost Lake. Both wcr I breakfasting heavily. The pretty, sulky-faced girl fetched a tray and placed Eve's breakfast on It. and Trooper Stormont carried It to her room She was awake when he entered. Ha set the tray on the taI. She put both arms around his neck. "Jack." she murmured, her eyes tremulous with tears- "Everything has been done." h- said. "Will you be ready by eleven'' I'll come for you " She clung to him In silence for i while. At eleven h knocked on her door. She opened It. She wore a black wool gown and a black fur turban Some of her pallor remained traces of tears and bluish smears und i both eyes. But her voh e wns sli av "Could I see Dad a moment alone' "Of course " She took his nrm; they descended the stair There seemed to be many people about but she did not lift her eyes until her lovor led her Into the dance hall where Clinch lay smiling his mysterious smile. Then Stormont left her alone there and closed the door In a terrific snowstorm they burled Mike clinch on the spot he had selected, se-lected, In order that he might keep a watchful eye upon the trespassing ghost of old man Harrod. It blew and stormed and stormed and the thin, nasal voice of 'Re Smatter" was utterly lost In the win 1 The slanting lances of snow drove down on the casket, building a white mound over the flowers, blotting the hemlock boughs from sight There, was no time to be lost now. tho ground was freezing under a veering veer-ing and bitter wind out of the we.it Mr Ly ken's talented assistants had some difficulty In snaplng tho mound which enow begun to make into a white and flawless monument The last slap of the spade rang with tho metallic Jar across the lake, Where snow already blotted the newly forming film of Ice. the human denizens deni-zens of tho wilderness filtered back Into It ono by one "Rev Smatter" got (into his sleigh, plainly concerned l about th road Mr. Lyken betrayed j unprofessional haste in loodlng his wagon with his talented assistants and starting for Ghost J.ake (Contluuexl In Onr .Next Isue) . or, |