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Show p. " f'1 , . . v" ' "..,- . 1 pf(: ?c Northland Romance If Robert W Sewel UV-V l ' 'ft IttOSTRATlOMS x , , 'i! v riiAV.-'jr "2f IjvwikV mvers f :': t '-', She SV.'HTCM 10 inf. Itua seemed i fit into my iiniw as a sivonl ihs it:!" ils sheath. My lips lay on hers, ami I kissed her with a passionate joy. "I love you, I love you," she murmured; mur-mured; "next June, my darling, next June." Then she jroiilly slipped away from me, and I was gazing blankly at the closed door. "Next June," I heard a voice echo; ami there, looking at me Willi a .smile, was I.oca.sto. Hate was lar from my heart, and when I saw (lie man himself was regarding re-garding me with no particular unfriendliness, un-friendliness, I was disposed to put aside for the moment all feelings of enmity. The generosity of the victor glowed within me. As ho advanced to me Ills mannei was almost urbane in its geniality. xw action before, ami I ached elaborately. I was glad, indeed, when, on tin evening of toe third, day, Kibwooe came to me and said : "I guess you'd better work up a: the shaft tomorrow. We want a man to wheel muck.'' They had a shaft sunk on the hillside. hill-side. They were down some forty feet and wore drifting; in, wheeling the pay-dirt down n series of planks placed on trestles to the dump. Afler the first day I became quite an expert ex-pert at the business. My spirits rose, -j I was on the way of becoming a miner. Turning the windlass over the shaft was a Utile, tough mud-rat, who excited ex-cited in me the liveliest sense of aversion, fat Donga n was his mime, but I will call him the "Worm." lie was the most degraded type of man I had yet met on my travels, n degenerate, dirty, drunken, diseased. One day Iloofman told me lie wanted want-ed me to go down the shaft and work in the drift. Accordingly, next morning morn-ing I and a huge Slav, by name Doo-ley Doo-ley Ilileyvich, were lowered down into in-to the darkness. The shaft was almost forty feet deep. For the first ten feet a ladder ran down it, then stopped suddenly as if the excavators had decided to abandon it. I often looked at this useless bit of ladder and wondered why it had been left unfinished. Every morning the Worm hoisted us down into the darkness," and at night drew us up. Once he said to me: "Say, wouldn't it be de tough luck if I was to take a fit when 1 was hoistin' youse up? Such a nice bit of a boy, too, an' I guess I'd lose rny job over de head of it." I said: "Cut that out, or you'll have me so scared I won't go down." He grinned unpleasantly and said nothing more. Yet somehow he was geting on my nerves terribly. One evening we were ready to be hoisted up. Dooley Rileyvich went first, and I watched hira blot out the bit of blue for a while. Then, slowly, slow-ly, down came the bucket for me. I got in. I was feeling uneasy all of a sudden, and devoutly wished I were anywhere else but in that hideous hide-ous hole. I felt myself leave the j """WTTTl ""so "you toTiTul "hie, TJTjar. 1 knew you would, somehow. In my heart I knew you would not fail me So I waited and waited. It was cruel we left so suddenly, not even time to say good-Ivy, but I could not help myself. my-self. They dragged me away. They began - to be afraid of you, and he ; bade them leave at once." "I see, I see." I looked into the pools of her eyes; I sheathed hot white hands in my brown ones, thrilling thrill-ing greatly at the contact of them. "Tell me about it, child. lias he bothered you?" "Oh, not so much. lie thinks' he has me safe enough, trapped, awaiting await-ing his pleasure. But he's taken' up with some woman of the town just now. By-and-by he'll turn his attention atten-tion to me." "Bat, Benin, surely nothing in this world would ever make you yield': Oh. it's horrible!" She leaned to me tenderly. She put my arms around her neck; she looked at me till I saw my face mirrored mir-rored in her eyes. "Believe me and trust me. I would rather throw myself from the bluff here than let him put a hand on me. And so long as I have your love, dear, I'm safe enough. Don't fear. Oh, it's been terrible not seeing you! I've craved for you ceaselessly. I've never been out since we came here. They Wouldn't let me. They kept in themselves. them-selves. He bade them. But now, for ' some reason, he has relaxed. Theyrrj going to open ft restaurant down town, and I'm to wait on table." "No, you're not !" I cried. "Berna. I can't bear to think of you in that garbage-heap of corruption down there. You must marry me now." "Now." she echoed, her eyes wide "You must forgive me," he said, not 'without dignity, "for overhearing you ; but by chance I was passing and dropped upon you before I realized real-ized it." He extended his hand frankly. "I trust my congratulations on your good luck will not be entirely obnoxious. ob-noxious. I know that my conduct in this affair cannot have impressed you in a very favorable light; but I am a badly beaten man. Can't you be generous gen-erous and let bygones be bygones? 'Won't you?" I had not yet come down to earth. I was still soaring in the rarefied iheights of love, and inclined to a general amnesty towards my enemies. As he stood there, quiet and compelling, com-pelling, there was an assumption ot frankness and honesty about this man that it was hard to withstand. For the nonce 1 was persuaded of his sincerity, and weakly I surrendered my hand. His grip made me wince. "Yes, again I congratulate you. I know and admire her. They don't ;niake them any better. She's pure gold. You mustn't mind me taking an Interest in your sweetheart. I'm old enough to be her father, you know. ;and she touches me strangely. Now. don't distrust me. I want to be a friend to you both. I want to help you to be happy. Jack Locasto's not such a bad lot, as you'll find when you know him. Is there anything I can do for you? What are you going to do in this country?" - "1 don't quite know' yet," I said "I hope to stake a good claim when the chance comes. Meantime I'm going go-ing to get work on the creeks." "Well, I'll tell you what: I've got laymen working on my Eldorado claim ; I'll give you a note to them if you like." W..I STvK'e CHAPTER VII -tot me introduce you," said the , ,,1 "to uiy friend the Tote.' " PrS'to meet you," said the Tote lieCrfully, extending a damp hand I t been having a dish-washing bee." n fished his dish-washing and joined s, pulling on an old Tuxedo J"aVhew ! Glad that job's over. And having immolated myself on the B"tar of cleanliness, I will solace my W with a little music," " Be took down a banjo from the wall ,ml striking a few chords, began to tind His songs seemed to be original, even improvisations, and he sang them nitb a certain quaintness and point ttlit made them very piquant. There came a knock at the door, and a voting man entered. He had n broad smiling face and a bulgy forehead. fore-head. The Pote introduced him to me. "The Yukon Yorick." "Hello," chuckled the newcomer, "how's the bunch? Don't let me stampede stam-pede you. How d'ye do, Horace ! Glad io meet you." (He called everybody Horace.) "Just come away from a meeting of my creditors." He seemed brimming over with Jovial acceptance of life in all its phases. - ' " ' Several men dropped in to swell the boliemian circle. Some had brought bottles. The little cabin was crowded, the air hazy with smoke, the conversation animated. The Pote had the floor. "A friend of mine had a beautiful pond of water lilies. They painted the water exultantly and were a triumphant tri-umphant challenge to the soul. Folks came from far and near to see them. Then, one winter, my friend thought he would clean out his pond, so he had all the nasty, slimy mud scraped away till you could see the silver gravel glimmering on the bottom. But the lilies, with all their haunting loveliness, love-liness, never came back." What are you driving at, you old dreamer?" "Oh. just this: in the nasty mud and slime of Dawson I saw a lily girl. She lives in a cabin by the Slide along with a Jewish couple. I only caught a glimpse of her twice. They are unspeakable, un-speakable, but she is fair and sweet and pure. I would stake my life on Iter goodness. She looks like a young Madonna " lie was interrupted by a shout of cynitiil laughter and shut up abashed, but I had my clew. I waited until the last noisy roisterer had gone. "In the cabin by the Slide?" I asked. He started, looked at me searching-l.v: searching-l.v: "You know her?" "She means a good deal to me." 4 yl MM pi Im with surprise. "Yes, right away, dear. There's nothing to prevent us. Berna, I love you, I want you, I need you. I can't bear it, dearest; have pity on me; marry me now. I want you now. 1 can't wait." She looked at me gravely. Her voice was very soft, very tender. "I think it better we should wait, dear. This is a blind, sudden desire on your part. I mustn't take advantage ad-vantage of it. You pity me, fear for me, and you have known so few other girls. I'm not worth it, indeed I'm not. I'm only a poor ignorant girl. If there were others near, you would never think of me." ' "Berna," I said, "if you were among . a thousand, and they were the most adorable in all the world, I would pass over them all and turn with joy and gratitude to you." "Ah, no," she said sadly, "you were wise once. I saw it afterwards. Bet- I thanked him. "Oh, that's all right," he said. "I'm sorry I played such a mean part in the past, and I'll do anything In my 'power to straighten things out. Believe Be-lieve me, I mean it. Your English .friend gave me the worst drubbing of my life, but three days after I went round and shook hands with him. ,Fine fellow hat. We're good friends now. I always own up when I'm beaten, beat-en, and I never bear ill-will. If I can help you in any way, and hasten your (marriage to that little girl there, well you can just bank on Jack Locasto : that's all." I must say the man could be most conciliating when he chose. As he talked to me, my fears were dissipated, dissipat-ed, my suspicions lulled. And when we parted we shook hands cordially. "Don't forget," he said ; "if you want help bank on me. I mean It now, I mean it." ter wait one year." She went on very quietly, full of gentle patience. "You know, I've been thinking a great deal since then. In the long, long days and longer nights, wdien I waited here in misery, hoping always al-ways you would come to me, I had time to reflect, to weigh your words. This is June. Next June, if you have, not made up your mind you were foolish, blind, hasty, I will give myself my-self "to you with all the hue in the world." "Perhaps you will change." She smiled a peculiar little smile. "Never, never fear that. I will be waiting for you, longing for you. loving lov-ing you more and more every day. Let us wait, boy, just a year." I saw the pathetic wisdom of her words. "I know you fear something will happen to me. No! 1 think I will be quite safe. I can withstand him. And if it should come to the worst I can call on you. You mustn't go too far away. I will die rather than let I him lay a hand on me. Till next June, dear, not a day longer. We will both be the better for the wait." I bowed my head. "Very well," I said huskily; "and what will I do in the meantime?" "Do! Do what you would have done otherwise. Work! It will he heller "iff i There I Was Hanging Desperately on the Lowest Rung of the Ladder. ground and rise steadily. 1 was now ten feet front the top. The Ducket was rocking a little, so I put out in. hand and grasped I lie lowest rung ot the ladder to steady myself. Then, lit that instant, it seemed tin weight of the bucket pressing up against my feet was suddenly re moved, and my arm was nigh jerked out of its socket. There I was hang Iti-i desperately on the lowest rung oi the ladder, while, with a crash thai made my heart .sick, the bucket dashed to the bottom. A last. 1 real ized, the Worm had had UU I':! Ouickly I gripped with holh hands With n great effort I raised myseif rung by rung on the ladder. Dizzily I hung all a-shudder, half-sobbing. A minute seemed like a year. Ah! there was the face of Doolej looking down on me. lie saw me clinging there. He was anxiousK shouting to me to come up. Master-in Master-in a an overpowering nausea I raised myself. At last 1 felt his strong arm around me, and I was on firm ground once more. The Worm was lying stiff and rigid. Without a word the stalwart stal-wart Slav took him on his brawny shoulder. The creek was down-hill but fifty yards. Ere we reached It the Worm had begun to show signs of reviving consciousness. "Leave me alone," be says to Rileyvich; Riley-vich; "you Slavonian swine, lemine go." Not so the Slav. Holding the wriggling, writhing little man in his powerful arms he plunged him heels over he;;d in the muddy current of the creek. "I glass 1 cure dose fits anyway," he said grindy. Struggfing, spluttering, blaspheming, blasphem-ing, the liitle man freed himself at last and staggered ashore. He cursed Rileyvich most comprehem-i e!y. (To Be Continued) 'Twas early in the bright and cool of the. morning when we started for Eldorjdo, Jim and I. I had a letter from Locasto to Ribwood and Hoof-man, Hoof-man, the laymen, and I showed it to Jim. He frowned. "You don't mean to say you've palled up with that devil," he said. "Oh, he's not so bad," I expostulated. expostu-lated. "He came to urf like a man and offered me his hand in friendship. I've no reason to doubt his sincerity." sincer-ity." "Sincerity be danged. He's about as sincere as a tame rattlesnake. Put his letter in the creek." But no! I refused to listen to the old man. "Well, go your own gait," he said ; "but don'r say that I didn't warn you." Following the trail, we struck up Bonanza, a small muddy stream in a narrow valley. About noon we descended de-scended into the creek bed and came to the Forks. It was a little town a Dawson in miaia! !:ve, with all i;. sordid aspects infinitely accentuated. There in the din and daze and dirt we tarried awhile; then, after eating heartily, we struck up Eldorado. At the Forks I Inquired regarding Ribwood and Iloofman: "Coin' to work for them, are you? Well, they've got a blamed hard name. If you get a job elsewhere, don't turn it down." Ribwood was a tall, gaunt Cornish-man, Cornish-man, with a narrow, jutting face ami a gloomy air; iioofnian. a burly, beet-colored beet-colored Australian with a bulging stomach. "Yes, we'll put you to work." said Iloofman, reading the letter. "l-er your coat oh' and shovel in." So right away, 1 found myself in the dump-pile, jamming a shovel into the pay-dirt ami swinging it into a 'sluice-box live fed higher Ihanmy head. Keeping at this k'".ir nft-r hour was no fun. For thr;e !::;. J made the dirt t'y : but toward quitting time. I must '. its flight w.-.s a very micertam . !:.. Again" 1 sui.eicd all the torture boiet'ngintd the overhead !::: g-"-somehow worked vJ-f ' " "Oh, I understand. Yes, that long, queer cabin highest up the hill" "Tltitnks, old chap." "All right, good luck." Vcn softly I approached the cabin, tor a fear of encountering her guardians guar-dians was in my heart. Carefully I rewiuioilered, and soon, to my infinite H I saw ll-.e Jewish couple come "I'tli ami make their way townward. T1"' Shi was alone. How inniUy beat my heart! It was Slimming kjnd 0j njnt, and the Kicked woefully bleak and sol-H;11'J'. sol-H;11'J'. light came through the win-l,,v''s. win-l,,v''s. tie sound through the inoss-tliinkea inoss-tliinkea walks. I drew taoar. '::;;('kcd at the door. No answer. '' r'"'-a," I cried in a faltering Wii-pcr. 'one the reply; "Who is thete?" 'I-'vc. love, dear; love is wailing." at my words, the door was j "lv:;''!. and the was before me. j !'' si'-":l gazing at me, and a little ' "'' .-' hand went up to her heart ,w si "1 Us heating. '!"' lay dear, 1 knew you were " i.'otiiething Uiid me you would J!""" ;u ':-t. And I've waited how v;;iied: I've dreamed, but it's '"' a uivai.i now, is it, dear; it's you?" i; it's me. I've tried so hard to "l -Vo;l- li. my ,L,al.( my dear!" 1 s,'i;:f'l the sweet, soft hand and ")'T,i1 it with kisses. I loved her so, 1 Jl'H'd UM- su, I "i'1-'11 IHII low I've sought you, be-' be-' l'1'; '-I'loitik Cod, I've found you, I1'; Tli'mu Cod! Thank Cod! ; : H's you, really, really you at a li'c C1'l(1 a!li!1' 11,111 there was l( 'ke surface ripple of a sob il( l,,;!t clear voice. She fetched a j' "And I thought I'd lost inn " V"'''' :lit " ""J"''''1. I'" come j-'n'it'sslv long the moment seemed, j K'HHlrously irradiate. Then, at SlriwS" t;"1,L'' lliUl t!"'own 11 cuix'i ai'ouml 11 cr slioulders, and ' (-'i her hair into charming waves nf 'Pl'les. littC'un,e' 'et us go up the trail a distance. They won't be back v!!eilrly "U hour" tin? i m -We ll!ul S(?ated ourselves on - "j'snlc, she turned to me. for you to go away. It will make it easier for me. Here we will both torture tor-ture each other. I. too, will work and live quietly, and long f r you. You will come ami see me sometimes?" "Yes," I answered. My voice choked with emotion. "Now we must go home," she said: "I'm afraid they will be back." P'ue rose, and I followed her down the narrow trail. We reached the cabin, and on the threshold she paused. The olhcis had not yet returned. She lu-hl o.r both hands lo me, and her eyes were glittering with tears. "Be brave, my dearest; it's all for my sake if you love me." . "I love you, my darling; anything for your sake. I'll go tomorrow." "We're betrothed now, aren't we, den i est ?" '.Ye're bet rot bed. myiovoe" |