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Show 1,1 P 1 1111 I" n , j m M Robert WServiceli "No; I'm not," I answered sullenly; "I'm just going ns far as Dawson." He stared and expostulated, but my ,mlnd was made up. I would fight, fight to the last Berna on the dance halls words cannot convey all that this simple phrase meant to me. For two months I had been living In a dull apathy of ,pain, but this news galvanized me into immediate action. , For although there were many degrees de-grees of dance-hall depravity, at the best It meant a brand of Ineffaceable shame. She had lived with Locasto, had been recognized as his mistress that was bad enough; but the other to be at the mercy of all, to be classed with the harpies that preyed on the Man with the Poke, the vampires of the gold camp. Berna Oh, It was unspeakable! The thought maddened me. Bidding good-by to the big cabin, with my two partners looking ruefully after me, I struck off down Bonanza. AH I thought of was Dawson and Berna. I would make Berna marry me. I cared nothing for what had happened to Iter. I might be a pariah, an outcast out-cast for the rest of my days; at least I would save her, shield her, cherish her. The thought uplifted me, exalted me. What did it matter if physically they had wronged her? Was not the pure, virgin soul of her" beyond their reach? I was just in time to see the last boat go out. As I strolled the streets I saw many a familiar face. I went into the Parisian restaurant, and there was Madam, harder looking and more vul-turish, vul-turish, a creature of rapacity and sordid sor-did lust. I marched up to her and asked abruptly: "Where's Berna?" She gave a violent start. There was a quality of fear in her bold eyes. Then she laughed, a bard, jarring laugh. "In the Tlvoli," she said. Strange again I Now that the worst had come to pass, and I had suffered all that it was in my power to suffer, a new sense of strength and mastery had come to me. The greatest evil had befallen me. Life could do no more to harm me. I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. I cared for no man. I despised them, and, to back me in my bitterness, I had twenty-five thousand dollars in the bank. I was still weak from my illness and my long mush had wearied me, so I went into a saloon and called for drinks. I felt the raw whisky burn my throat, I tingled from head to foot with a strange, pleasing warmth. Where was that bitter feeling now? As I drank it all seemed to pass away. Magical change! What a fool I was! What was there to make such a fuss about T It was all a farce anyway. What would it matter a hundred years from now? Again I drank. How wonderfully strong I felt! 1 smashed my clenched fist against the bar. My knuckles were bruised and bleeding, but I felt no pain. I ached to fight some one. Then all at once came the thought of Berna. It came with tragical suddenness, with poignant force. Intensely it smote me as never before. I was drunk, deplorably drunk, and I was bound for the Tivoli. To the right as I entered the place was a palatial bar set off with bur- , nished brass, beveled mirrors and gilt- J tering, vari-colored pyramids of costly liquors. Up to the bar men were belly- I Ing, and the bartenders In white jackets were mixing drinks with masterly mas-terly dexterity. To the left I had a even tell your old pard. Now you've 'lost her," "Yes, I've lost her." "Did you ever see her after yon came out of the hospital?" "Once, once only. It was the first day. I dragged along wearily, leaning lean-ing on a stick. I wag thinking of her, thinking, thinking always. Then suddenly sud-denly she was before me. She looked .like a ghost, poor little thing." "Yes, what did she say?" ; "Say I she said nothing. She just looked at mo. Her face was cold as Ice. She looked at me as if she wanted to pity me. Then into her eyes there came a shadow of bitterness, bitter-ness, of bitterness and despair such as might gloom the eyes of a lost soul. It unnerved me. Then she drew a great, gasping breath, and turning on her heel she was goue. "She cut you?" "Yes, cut me dead, old fellow. And my only thought was of love for her, j eternal love. But I'll never forget the i look on her face as she turned away. It was as if I had lashed her with a .whip. My God!" ' "And you've never see her since?" "No, never. That was enough, .wasn't it? I went back to the ward; ;then, in a little, I came on here. My body was living, but my heart was dead. It will never live again." "Oh, rot! You mustn't let the thing down you like that. It's going to kill 'you in the end. Buck up ! Be a man ! If you don't care to live for yourself, jlive for others. Anyway, it's likely all for the best. Maybe love had you .ioeoed. Maybe she wasn't really good. See now how she lives openly with Locasto." I rose and looked nt him, conscious that my face was nil twisted with the 'pain of the thought. "Look here," I said, "never did God put the breath of life info a better girl. There's been foul play. I know that girl better than anyone in the world, and if every living being were ; to tell me she wasn't good I would .. tell them they lied, they lied. I would burn at the stake upholding that girl." He looked at me thoughtfully. "I say, old man, do you ever hear from your old lady?" "Every mail." "Why not go back? That's your , proper play ; go back to your mother. She wants you. You're pretty well I heeled now. You'll be comfortable; you'll devote yourself to the old lady; you'll be happy again. I hate to see , you go. I'm really sorry to lose you ; but It's your only salvation, so go, go 1" Never had I thought of It before. Home ! how sweet the word seemed. Mother! yes, mother would comfort me as no one else could. She would understand. Mother and Garry 1 A 'sudden craving came over me to see ' them again. Home I that was the solution solu-tion of it all. Ah me! I would go home. "Yes," I said, "I can't go too soon ; I'll start tomorrow." So I rose and proceeded to gather together my few belongings. In the early morning I would start out. Jim came in and sat down quietly. !The old man had been very silent of late. Back in Dawson there was a ;man whom he hated with the hate that only death can end, but for the peace of his soul he strove to conquer con-quer it. "I've been a-thinkln' out a scheme," said Jim suddenly, "an' I'm a-goin' to put all of that twenty-five thousand of rnine back into the ground. I can't quit this minin' business." "What's you scheme, Jim?" "It's just this: I'm goin' to Install a hydraulic plant on my Ophir creek claim. I'm goin' to begin a new era in Klondike minin'." "What are you going to do?" "Well, I've written out for piping an' a monitor, an' next spring I hope I'll have the plant In workin' order. The stuff's on the way now. Hullo! Come in!" The visitors were Mervin and Hew-.son Hew-.son on their way to Dawson. These two men had been successful beyond their dreams. They were offensively prosperous; they reeked of success. As I went on with my packing I paid but little heed to their talk. What mattered It to me now, this babble of dumps and dust, of claims !and clean-ups? I was going to thrust it all behind me, blot it clean out of my memory, begin my life anew. Then all at once I pricked up my ears. They were talking of the town, of the men and women who were making mak-ing it famous (or rather infamous), when suddenly they spoke the name of Locasto. "He's gone off," Mervin was saying ; ,"gone off on a big stampede. He got pretty thick with some of the reel : River Indians, and found they knew of a ledge of high-grade, free-milling quartz somewhere out there in the Land Back of Beyond. So he's off with an Indian and one companion, that little Irish satellite of his, Pat Doogan. They'll be away all winter." "What's become of that girl of his?" asked Hewson, "the last one he's been living with? You remember she came in on the boat with us. Poor little kid! That was a good little girl before be-fore he got after her." Hewson growled like a wrathful bear, but Mervin smiled his cynical smile. , "Oh, you mean the Madonna," he said; "why she's gone on the dance halls." They continued to talk of other things, but I did not hear them any more. I was in a trance, and I only aroused when they rose to go. "Better sav eood-by to the kid here," said the Prodigal; "he's going to the old country tomorrow." ' WNt' Service CHAPTER X 1 was lylns in ped, nn(l a beavy weight was pressing on mo, so that, in ? mite of my struggles, I could not niove. 1 "11S hot- ins"ITcrably hot. The blood ran boiling through my veins. M.v 1L'tfh "11S bnlinS up,. My brain would not work. It was all cobwebs, murky and stale as a char-nel char-nel house. Then came (lie dreams. There was always Berna. Through a mass of grimacing, greed-contorted faces gradually there formed and lingered lin-gered her sweet and pensive one. I struggled to go to tier. She was waiting for me, breaking her heart at my delay. Then the fever, the ravings, the wild threshing of my pillow, all passed alvay, and I was left limp, weak, helpless, help-less, resigned to my fate. 'was on the sunny slope of convalescence. con-valescence. As I turned and twisted on my narrow cot it seemed as if the time would never pass. All I wanted was to get better fast, and to get out 'again. Then, I thought, I would marry ! Berna and go "Outside." I was sick of the country, of everything. I was lying thinking over these things, when I became aware that the I man in the cot to the right was try-i try-i tag to attract my attention. lie had been brought in that very morning, said to have been kicked by a horse. He was in great pain, but quite conscious, con-scious, and he was making stealthy notions to me. . . ; "Say, mate," he said, "I piped you oft soon's I set me lamps on you. Don't youse know me?" I looked at the bandaged face won-deringly. won-deringly. Then, with a great start, 1 saw it was the Worm. " 'Tain't no horse done me up," he said In a hoarse whisper; "'twas a ;tnan. You know de man, de worst i devil in all Alaska, Black Jack. Bad luck to him ! He knocked me down and give me de leather. But I'm goin' to get even some day. I'm just laying for him." The man's eyes glittered vengefully between the white bandages. I '"Twas all on account of de little girl he done it. You know de girl I mean. Black Jack's dead stuck on lier, an' de furder she stands him off de more set he is to get her. Youse don't know dat man." ' "Tell me what's the matter, for Heaven's sake." "Well, when youse didn't come, de little girl she got worried. I used to be doin' chores round de restaurant, an' she asks me to take a note up to you. So I said I would. But I got on a drunk dat day, an' for a week after I didn't, draw a sober breath. jWhen I gets around again I told her I'd seen you an' given you de note an' you was comin' in right away." j "Heaven forgive you for that," "lep, dat's what I say now. But It's all too late. Well, a week went on an' you never showed up, an' .meantime Locasto was pesterin' her ruel. She got mighty peaked like, Pale as a ghost, an' I could see she cried most all her nights. Den she Elves me anudder note. I said she , could lay on me dis time. I was de hurry-up kid' an' I starts off. But Black Jack must have cottoned on, r he meets me back of de town an' tases me wid takin' a message. Den ie sets on me like a wild beast an' joes me up good and proper. But I'll fix him yet." "Where are the notes?" I cried. "In de pocket of me coat. Tell de Bse to fetch in me clothes, an' I'll Pve dem to youse." The nurse brought the clothes, there were the notes, folded very smal, and written in pencil. There Ws a strange faintness at my heart, and my fingers trembled as I opened Hem. Fear, fear was clutching me, I Pressing me in an agonizing grip. ue was the first. 'Xv Darling Boy: Why didn't you omc-? I was all ready for you. lias anything happened to you, dear? For Avon's sake write or send a mes-" mes-" 'Ec I can't bear the suspense. "Your loving "Berna." Blankly, duny, aimost mechanically, i a the second. ln eme, my dear, at once. I'm serious danger. He's grown des-ate. des-ate. Swears if he can't get me by , r.nie;lns he'll have me by foul. I'm nier?lb,y afraid. Why have you failed To 01l my darling, have pity on r Poor little girl. Come quickly bC re is too late." Jj as unsigned. I avens ! I must go to her at once. ! nJ's WeU enough. I was all right Co' u Wlly wou,d they not let me tu to nor? t j. How strong, so strong ltV tllere were tne Worm's clothes, lost a.fter midnight. The nurse had flui ilshed her rounds All was '''y-i roseand slipped Into the frayed and greasy garments. There were the hospital slippers. I must wear Ihem. Never mind a hat. I was out in the street. I shuflled along, and people stared nt me, but no one delayed me. I was at the restaurant restau-rant now. She wasn't there. Ah ! the cabin on the hill. I was weaker than I had thought. Many times I stumbled, cutting myself my-self on the sharp boulders. The way seemed endless, yet stumbling, staggering stag-gering on, thorn was the cabin at last. On my hands and knees, I crawled to the door and hammered with clenched fists. There was silence within, then an agitated movement. I knocked again. Was the door ever going to be opened? At last it swung inward, with a suddenness that precipitated pre-cipitated me inside the room. The madam was standing over me where I had fallen. At sight of me she screamed. Surprise, fear, rage, struggled for mastery on her face. "It's him," she cried, "him." "Berna," I gasped hoarsely. "Where is she? I want Berna. What are you doing to her, you devils? Give her to me. She's mine, my promised bride. Let me go to her, I say." All at once I realized that the air was heavy with a strange odor, the odor of chloroform. Frenzied with fear, I rushed forward. Then the Amazon roused herself. With a cry of rage she struck me. Savagely both of them came for me. I struggled, I fought; but, weak as I was, they carried me before them and threw me from the door. I heard the lock shoot; 1 was outside; I was impotent im-potent Yet behind those log walls. . . . oh, it was horrible! Could such things bo in God's world? And I could do nothing. I was strong once more. I ran round to the back of the cabin. She was in there, I knew. I rushed at the window and threw myself against it. Crash ! I burst through both sheets ; of glass. I was cruelly cut, bleeding in a dozen places, yet 1 was half into . the room. There, in the dirty, drab light, I saw a face, the fiendish, rage-distorted rage-distorted face of Locasto. He turned at the crash. With a curse he came at me. Then, as I hung half in, half out of the window, he clutched me by the throat. Dsing , all his strength, he raised me further Into the room, then he hurled me ruthlessly ruth-lessly out onto the rocks outside. I rose, reeling, covered with blood, .blind, sick, speechless. Weakly I i staggered to the window. My strength ;'was leaving me. I felt the world go iblank. I swayed; I clutched at the 'walls; I fell. , I had lost! "No, no, I'm all right. Really I am. 'Please leave me alone. You want me to laugh? Ha! Ha! There! Is that all right now?" "No, it Isn't all right. It's very far from all right, my boy." It was in the big cabin on Gold hill, and the Prodigal was addressiag me. He went on : "Now, look here, kid. I'm giving you a straight line of talk. Ever since the start I've taken a strong notion no-tion to you. We've been in tight places together; we've been stacked up against hard times together: and 'now I'll be gol-darned If I'm going to stand by and see you go downhill, while the devil oils the bearings." "Oh, I'm all right," I protested. "Yes, you're all right," he echoed grimly. "In an impersonation of an' 'all-right' man It's the hook for yours. 'I've seen 'all-right' men like you hitting hit-ting the hurry trail for the boneyard before now. You've lost your grip, my boy. You don't care whether school keeps or not. In fact, if it wasn't for your folks, you'd as lief take a short cut across the Great Divide." "It's all very well for you to preach," I said ; "you forget I've been a pretty sick man." "That's no nursemaid's dream. You almost cashed in. Typhoid's a serious proposition at the best; but when you take a crazy streak on top of it, make :a midnight getaway from the sick-Ward sick-Ward and land up on the Slide looking look-ing ns If you'd been run through a thrashing machine, well, you're sure letting death get a short option on you. And you gave up. You didn't :want to light. You shirked, but your youth and constitution fought for you. They were a great team, and they pulled you through. And you weren't one bit grateful seemed to think they had no business to butt In." "My hurts are more than physical." "Yes, I know; there was that girl. As I camped there by your bedside listening to your ravings, and getting a strangle-hold on you when you took it into your head to get funny, you blabbed out the whole yarn. Oh, sonny, son-ny, why didn't you tell your uncle? Why didn't you put me wise? I could have given you the right steer. But you kept mum ns a mummy. Wouldn't WwMmt WMm lsractlon '" of- men V'lio for many a weary month had been breathing the free, unbranded air of the Wild. The 'sight of a woman was thrillingly sweet ; 'the sound of a song was ravishing. 'Looking at many of those toil-grooved faces one could see that there was no 'harm In their hearts. They were honest, uncouth, simple; they were just like children, the children of the Wild. A little girl was singing, a little, .winsome girl with a sweet childish ivoice and an innocent face. ITow terribly ter-ribly out of place she looked In that palace of sin. She sang a simple, old-world old-world song full of homely pathos and gentle feeling. As she sang she looked down on those furrowed faces, and I saw that many eyes were dimmed with tears. As the Inst echo died away the audience audi-ence rose ns one man, and shower of nuggets pelted on the stage. Here was something that touched their hearts, Jtirred In them strange memories mem-ories of tenderness, brought before them half-forgotten scenes of fireside happiness. The curtain fell. Men were clearing the floor for the dance, so I went downstairs, pressed my way to the door, and stood there staring and swaying, but whether with wine or weakness I knew not. In the vociferous vocifer-ous and flninlriix ar.t street I could hear the. raucous voices of the spielers, the jigging tunes of the orchestras, the click of ivory balls, the popping of corks, the honrse, animal laughter of men the shrill. Inane giggles of women. And as I stood there wretchedly a timid little band touched my arm. (To B Continued) 'f- V nm II. I pip Jin ij m I Tingled From Head to Foot With a Strange, Pleasing Warmth. view of the gambling room, a glimpse of green tallies, of spinning balls, of cool men, with shades over their eyes, impassively dealing. There were huge wheels of fortune, keno tables, crap outfits, faro layouts, and, above nil, the dainty, fascinating roulette. Everything Every-thing was In full swing. In front of me was n double swing-door painted in white and gold, and, pushing through this, for the first time I found myself in a Dawson dance hall. I sat down on a seat at the very back of the audience. Before me were row after row of heads, mostly rough, ragged nnd unwashed. Their faces were eager, rapt as tlio.se of children. .They were enjoying, with the deep sat- |