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Show 1 6lOSE I !Pwm-w Spruce 1 (Continued From Our Last Issue.) , She sat dry-eyed. Incoherent prayers at her trembling lips. Mostly eho did not touch tho man, only sat at his bodplde In Ihe crude chair Bon had fashioned for her The hours dragged by, the night loped down to th fores:; and the dawn followed the night Pen's llfo still flickered. like a flame In tho wind, in the twilight lund between llfo and death. t little could she do for him these first few days, except, In her sim-pl sim-pl f nit h. to pmy. But in the morning or the fourth, day he opened his eyes vividly, muttered, mut-tered, and fell Immediately to sleep. In the. days that followed he was iclous 10 tho degree that he could drink hrr.ih, et never roall7.ini, Beatrice Beat-rice nor seeming to know where he was. It would be long weeks before Ben COUld hope for sufficient strength to Start :hr. Journey dovn to tho settlements, settle-ments, even if the way were open. As if wns, their only chance lay In the fall rains lhat would flood the Yuga and enable them to Journey down to the native villages in their cauoe. Yel she still waged the fight, stru cling with high courage and tireless resolution against the frightful odds that opposed her. Bui now the renl hour of crisis was at hand - not from Mb Illness, but from the depletion of tbeir food sup piies. 31 . ..Iked to the mouth of the cave; and Famine itself stood close, waiLng In the shadows. She gated out in'o the gathering gloom. The forest was silent tonight Not a twig cracked or a branch rustled. It was huhed, breathless, darklv sinister. sin-ister. All at onco her eyes peered and strained into the dusk Far across the valley, beyond the beaver marsh and on the farther S of 'he lake nhr saw a little glim-mer glim-mer of light through the rift in the tries. A gleam of hope In the darkness dark-ness of despair. She hastened into the cave, drew the blankets higher about Ben's houl-ders. houl-ders. then crept out Into the dusk Half running, she hastened toward the dlBiant camp fire. CHAPTER XVI. THE SHOT THAT WARNED Impelled hy the excitement under which she advanced, her old agility ; Motion had for the moment returned return-ed to her, and she crept softly as a fawn between the young trees. One misstep, one rustling branch or crackling crack-ling twig might give her away; but 3he took ep.ch step with consummate . , 1 . . i v.... In ilu. - r-. . Kronrli. es from her path. One of the throe men looked up, and she saw hia face plainly through the low spruce boughs. It was with a distinct foreboding of disaster that she saw that the man was Ray Brent. At ono side, quite to the edge of the firelight, she saw a kyack one of those BOnaxe boxes that are hung on a pack saddle which seemed to he heaped with Jerked cRrlbou or moose flesh. For th time of a breath she could not take her eyes from It. Chan and Neiison were seemingly aslr-p. and hOW Ray was knocking the aahee from his pipe He got up. and removing hip outer coat, rolled In ble blankets Tin night hours begau their mystic march across the face of the wilderness. The fire was a heap of gray ashes except for Its red hot center; the ky ack was In gloom. Very softly Beat rice crept through the thickets, meau-v.hlle meau-v.hlle encircling lh' dying fire, and came up behind it. Now u was almost in reach; now h r hands were at Its loops. She start ed to lift it in her arms. But disaster still dogged her trail. Ray Brunt had bec-n too wary of attack, at-tack, tonight, to sink easily into deep slumber. He hoard tho nott movement move-ment and with a startled oath spran? to his feet. Still trying to hold the kyack of food that meant life to Ben. she turned turn-ed and darted into Ihe shadows. I Like a wolf Ray 'ped after her. The moonlight showing her fleeing figure in the trees, and shouting aloud be sprang through the coverts to Intercept In-tercept her flight. Emburdened by the heavy box she could not watch her Btep, She wa3 hurled with stunning force to the ground Desperate and Intent, but in realization reali-zation of Impending triumph, Ray's Strong arms went about her Nellson and ('ban were on their feet now. and they regarded her In the utter ut-ter silenc.-- of amazement. Breathing fa:-;, Ray came behind her. "Build up the fire. Chan." he said, in a strange, grim voice. "We want to see what we've caught." Obediently Chan kicked the coals from under the ashes, and began to heap on broken pieces of wood. Slowly the fire's glow crept out to her. leveallng her wide. rrlc;htened eyes and the dark, .speculative faces of the men. Then Ray spoke- sharp ly- "Well, why don't you ouesfion her7" he demanded of Nellson. "I suppose you know what she was doing. She was trying to steal food- it louks to mo like she's gone over to hc opposite oppo-site camp." Her father sighed. "Is lhat sa, daughter?" he asked sJmpb "1 was trying to take some of your food to Ben," Beatrice replied softly. soft-ly. "He's in need of It" "Vou soe, they're on intimate tonus." Rny euggestod viciously. "Bon was In need of food so she came here to ste-al It " But Neilpon acted sa If he had not heard. "Why didn't yoa speak to ue and tell us you were safe?" he asked e've come all the way here to find you." "Perhaps you did. If you bad been hem alone. I would have told yon. But Ray nnd Chan came all tho wa here to find Ben. They intend to kill him when thoy find him I I didn't want bim killed.'' Slowly bor father shook his head "But I can't save him now. He brought this on himself. "Remombor, ho was In the right," the girl pleaded brokenly. "Vou won't you couldn't be a partner to murder." mur-der." Nellson straightened his eyes uteely t BH WWW bbbbbbbbbbbbI . BIBS BBBBBBBBBBBBBBJ BSJ BSBSBIl and bright under his grizzled brows nnly too well he knew that this was tho test. Affairs were at their crisis at last "If ono of you dares to lay a band on Beatrice. I'll kill him where ho stands ." Even aa he spoke bis thought went I to his rifle, leaning against a dead j log ten fet away. The Jealousy and rivalry and hatred between hlmsolf and Ray had reached tho crisis. Ray leered, his muscles bunching. I "And I say to you, you're a dirty : traitor too," ho answered. P Nellson leaped foiward with all his 'power and If his blow had gone home, i Ray would have been shattered be-Ineath be-Ineath if like a treo In the lighting , blast. But Ray's ai ms were incredibly incred-ibly Bwlft, and bio rifle leaped in bis hands. Tho barrel gleamed. The roar re echoed in the sllenoe, Nellson'fl head bowed strangely; and for a moment he stood swaying then pitched for-ward for-ward in the flew-wet gmi I Beatrice last defense had fallen, seriously wounded: and Ray's arm jl BEATRICE'S LAST DEFENSE HAD FALLEN SERIOUSLY WOUNDED. seized her as. screaming, she tried to !flee. The shot that wounded Jeffery Nellson Nell-son carried far through the forest ; aisles. It came clear as a voice to I the cavern where Ben lay. i The man Started violently in his coL Ills entire nervous system seemed to I react Tho truth was that the sound acted iij-n h as a powerful stimulant to his retarded nervous forces. His mln1 .gave a preat leap and romembored Its 'familiar world The only possible explanation for th( .--hot was that a rifle had been fired by some invader In their valley in all probabdii v N'ell-on or one of his men. He looked out of the door of the cavern, trying to get some idea of the :. i aeag of the hour The very quality of the darkness indicated that the night was far advanced. fa tantly his keen eyes saw the far-off far-off gleam of tho enmp fire on the dis-tant dis-tant margin of 'he lake. His Btrain-ing Btrain-ing ear caught the fr.lntest, almost I Imperceptible vibration in tho air but Ben recognized it in a flaah In the sullen light of that distant camp flee, Beatrice had screamed for aid. Swlftlj he -arted down the glade toward hr. Yet in a moment he know that un-less un-less he conserved his strength he could not hope o make a fourth or the distance At the first steps he swayed, half .staggering Likely he would come too lato to change the girl's fate Yet even now ! be knew be must not turn back. If the penalty were death, there must be no hesitancy in him: he must not withhold ono step He fell again and agam as he tried to make headway In the marsh. Only too plain he saw that the time was even now upon him when he could no longer keop his feet at all. But at that instant ho remembered tho canoe. He plunged down into tho tall tules. Yes, the boat was still In place. It took all the strength of his weak ened body to push it out from the reeds The cance was strongly bat lightlv made, so that U could be portaged with greatest possible case: and his strokes, though feeble, propelled It slowlv through the water. . ii ! CHAPTER XVII. THE WOLF PACK For a strange, still moment Ray's face seemed devoid of all expression It was flat tnd lifeless as dark cluy. Then Beatrice felt the insult of bis quickening gaze. "Put a rope around her wrists, Chan." he said "We don't want to take chances on her getting away." She woro Ben's knifo at her belt, and her hand sped toward It But the motion, fast a It was, came too late Chan saw It; and leaping swiftly, his arms wenf. about her and pinned her own arms to her sides. Ray wa aiding his confederate now and in an instant more she was help less. "You haven't lost all your looks." he told her breathlessly. "That mouth Is still pretty enough to kiss. And I Kucs you won't slap this time " Her voice rose shrilly to a scream, "Ben help me!" (Continued In Our Next Issue. 1 |