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Show the big muskeg ; By I j VICTOR ROUSSEAU ! I b ' CHAPTER XVIII Continued. 10 "M;i!;o yoin-i-lf p;isy," lie x:tVl sullenly. sul-lenly. "I l.niln't any Imnd in it. 1 don't know whut happened, lint I K'"--s didn't K to llit- (mop ogfiiu:.! h'-r '!ll. His. liitslti'-k." In; le.-ri'd. "Mm.vIk; bIic'i! tiikfii u fiin'-y In l.ei: Cli:imleis. 1 mrx f.oiiiflliin of Unit sort in llr v i :: I , mid k.i I l.inlii't Minted to carry O'l! nor plan." "Our Hi, in !" l !"'d Ki'ty. " I he one lliaf . nr. cl on, I') keep licr n;iy In. in Will Carrutiicrs," sai l J : a yrj- ; 'ii innously. I!,- -x i -. ! : ! an nul !)iir.-;t, lull Kilty win. Ijcyi.ml Unit now. "Von Know Unit I xc mine ahout Will," she said in n rl.oKin voire. "I ilon't know what to do. No'iody hut you can I i t I J inc. V.'lml Khali I do?" I'.o'v.vcr iirclcndcd to rellei-t. don't quite M-c wl.al I can do. Mrs. I'.os-lurl;," I'.os-lurl;," lie iiiiswc-red. "I don't believe lie's nuilly " "Of coiir.se, lie Isn't gullly !" "I've alun.vs said lie Isn't. But lie'll Inive to take Ids verdict from the jury. What Is there we can do';" Kilty looked lit liltn In constenia-tloii. constenia-tloii. "The safe!" she fc'asped. "That's v. hat" "lint that lias nolliin;,' to do with Joe's death, Mrs. linstock." She K,raii (o her feet, cnnrroiilin liliu willi diainalie indignation. "Von Know that It lias evei'ythin !" she cried. "Vou're pki.vin,'; wilh tne nnd tort uiiiiK iiie. I io you suppose 1 don't l,n, iw wlnil they're saying nbnut him thai he forced Joe's name to those cheeks and murdered him to prevent discovery? Do you suppose I don't Know that, when I gave you the cniu-lunaiiou, cniu-lunaiiou, just to help Will, that you put those checks there? Let toe tell the truth on the witness slimdl" she pleaded, siandin before him with clasped hands, unit the tears raining down her cheeks. I "Tell the truth? You tiiust he mad!" lie shouted. "If the Jury knew Unit, they'd acquit Mm. It could he arranged. I'd say I nave the combination to I.ee Chani-1.01-9 " Again I'.owyer begun to be afraid of Kitty; but this time it was her stupidity stupid-ity he feared. And he saw that this was the occasion to let loose one of Ms lmbiiunted rages, lie seized her hands In his, one in each, and twisled them tinlil she screamed with the pain. "Let's understand each other, Kitty linstock!" lie hissed in a furious voice. "I'll take up your proposition and show you what it means. Lislen! First, you'll break your solemn covenant cove-nant with me. Dishonest, you think? The sort that's made between people every day. I've played fair with you. And you'll play fair with me, or you'll lose your fortune every penny of it. That's first. "Second, so surely as you go into the witness-box with such a story I'll say you lie. I'll say he was your lover. I'll .say that be killed Joe at your in-s:igiilion in-s:igiilion because you wanted to be rid of him. I'li say 'that you went to I'.ig Muskeg and lived there, almost next door to liiui. I'll bring forward a workman who saw you two together, kissing on the swamp one evening. I'll swear it's a concocted story made up by you to free your paramour. What sort uf ligure do yot: think you'll cut In the vi;tnv-s-box then, Kilty l'.os-tock l'.os-tock ':" Iiowver bad calculated rightly. Up on n woman like Kitty, petted and spoiled from birth, the astounding fact of physical violence comes as a si mining shock that breaks down the soul's resistance. It is only on repetition repeti-tion that the read ion comes. And Lowyor calculated rightly again. "Kilty linstock," he said gently, "I promise you that lie shall be freed. I have the means, the influence, the power. I know he didn't murder Joe. Keep your head, and nil shall be well. I swear it. Do you believe me?" She looked at him as if he had hypnotized her. "Yes, I believe you," she answered. "So surely as yon sneak one word, he'll bang. Keep quiet and he shall .e saved. Promise me you'll sav Ui-lag!" Ui-lag!" "Oil. I'll say notliir.g." wailed Kitty, wringing tier bauds. "I promise you. 1 see. Yes. I understand now." And she went out of (he house with her bead low. dubious, and yet with (be sure conviction that Bowyer could save Wilton. I'.owyer could save him. but nobody else could do so. She would trust him, because there was nobody else to Ires'. between the house an I the station, Kitty grew conscious o.' an old man walking beside her, Irving to speak to her Absorbed in iier thoughts, she ilfi! not know how long he had been tl e'o. Suddenly she realized that this in,- llin Hells. She shrank back aghast, looking at him with e.w wide w!;i fear. Jim nodded and smiled. "It's all right; don't le afeared of me. Mrs. linstock," he said. "You're mighty worried about Will, ain't you now. 1 guess we 'i are. Won't you go to Mr. Payne and tell him what you know?" Th.-i- had reachoi'. tne station. . The train for ','laylun w.u waiting. Jim foliowet Kitty i'.o the compartment i.u.1 tool, lie- st-al beside ber. "Tom Iiowver swore li.;d ftave him if if " "If " .iii-s':oni-d Jim. "If I kept silent. li it I'll s-.eik. I will. 1 n.-vcr trusted b::u. .dr. I'.owyer I'.ow-yer told me I couldn't hold the line, and f wanted to save the money to help Will. lie promised that when the sma.-h Mine he'd take the shares off my hands at par if I'd give him the c bin;iiion of Ihe safe, so that he could llnd out ahout the plans. I gave it to him. The ia fe was mine and 1 was Irving to help Will. And 1 t ! . 1 Tom liowjer the secret of the I wheal land-, so that he'd know he wasn't losing anything by buying my sha res." She let ber bead fall against Jim's shoulder, sobbing uaruiilmllahly. Jim laid bis rough hand on her hair. "There, child, 1 guess you feel better, bet-ter, now, don't vim !" fie said. "You didn't understand the wrong that you were doing. That's the way wrong's generally (lone. And now we'll go to Mr. Payne and fix things up for Will." CHAPTER XIX The Closing of the Trap. Payne was struggling with Ids perplexities per-plexities about a month before the date set for the trial when Jim liens and Kilty came to his odice. Kitty sobbed out her story, while Payne listened lis-tened In ul ter amazement "Why did you do Ibis, Mrs. linstock?" lins-tock?" he asked, when he had heard her to the end. "Because 1 love Will an, I wanted to help him," she answered. "You are willing to tell this story in the wilness-box just as you've told it to me?" "I will!" cried Kitty. "If It will save Will if it's needed to save him." As the day of Ihe trial drew nearer Payne knew Will's case was desperate. Public opinion was inllamed against him, and Howyer's skillful campaign had borne rich fruits. Without animus, but in t he resolve to clear his own reputation for laxity, Quinn had worked up the case until each link appeared complete. Ander- t -v v " - f !i 1 1 L 11-1. UiiV V,' Sh2 Let Her Head i-a;l Agamst Jim s Shoulder, Sobbing U::co?itrollab!y. sen. who followed the indi.-m '.vi; ncsses, testified reluctantly that in- hud over- i heard Wilton request the pseudo policemen po-licemen to delay their journey to Clayton, Clay-ton, as he did not wish Joe Bostock s death to be known, for business reasons, rea-sons, until some time later. There followed Papillon and Jean Passepartout, who stated that they had been told by the outlaw, Ilacketl, that Wilton had murdered Joe Bostock. Having already come to the same opinion, opin-ion, and being afraid of having the guilt laid to them, they had decided to run away. Suddenly there came a buzz of excitement ex-citement in the court room. All eyes were turned toward the crown attorney, attor-ney, at whose side stood Bowycr himself; him-self; and it was evidently the Intention Inten-tion of the prosecution to call liiui to the stand. Payne's eyes, attracted upward suddenly, sud-denly, saw Kitty in her widev's black, seated in the front row .. the gallery, ber eyes fixed in terror upon I be newcomer. new-comer. And, as if drawn by the force of her will, Howyer looked up, and Payne saw the flick-v of a smile -toss his red, vu'i.v'v: countenance. P.owyer, called, deposed that be had known Joe Bostock intimately for several sev-eral years. They had always been friendly, though often business rivals. "When did you first learn of his death?" asked the crown attorney. "Not for several days after." "But you met the accused at the Hudson's Bay company's store at P.ig Muskeg a few days after the event?" "Two days after." "What did be say to you about the vtngedy?" "lie told me Joe Bostoct wa3 no! with liim." "Aad he said nothing about bis death?" "No. I knew nothing about it for two or three days after that." "Was I. is demeanor that of a guilty man V" Payne leaped to bis f.-et. "I object to that qiu'siioii!" be shouted. But Lowyer was already answering: "He looked like a man mad with fear." As be .-poke lie glanced upward. Tie-re came a scream from the gallery, and Kit!y fell buck, fainting in her chair. The court adjourned until the morrow. mor-row. Payne went to bis client almost Immediately. "What do you make of it all?" asked Wilton gravely. "It looks bad," answered Payne. "I was a fool to hide Joe's death. Inquire for Kitty when you go back and try to let tne know how she is, won't you? And tell her not to worry. Tell her I'm going to pull out triumphantly, triumph-antly, for the sake of the line," said Willoii. Payne left him with Hie resolve to put Kitty upon the stand. He did not tell Wilton this. He would have avoided this had It been possible. But It was the only chance remaining. The jury might believe her. Suddenly there leaped into- Payne's mind the overwhelming conviction, that Howyer was at the back of the murder. mur-der. Nothing else could explain bis vimlietiveness. He learned that Kitty-was Kitty-was recovering, and, before returning to inform Wilton, be had the impulse to go to Jim Belts' quarters. He wanted want-ed to see the only man who still believed be-lieved in Wilton's innocence. At Belts' home lie was told that the old man had left Clayton two weeks before, and had not yet returned. Payne made bis way slow ly back to the jail. He bad to uphold bis faith alone his faith in an acquittal. It was Ihe hardest job he had ever had in his life. . CHAPTER XX The Guilty Manl The Inquest on the bodies of Hack-ett Hack-ett and Lee Chambers bad established the fact, ascertained by a search-party on the day after the fire, that there were no human remains under the charred timbers of the camp. Notwithstanding Notwith-standing Ibis, when the attempts made to trace McDonald and his daughter failed, it was generally believed that they had been lured there by' the outlaws, out-laws, and had either died in the ll-ames or had been murdered and their bodies disposed of. Jim Betts had nothing more substantial substan-tial tl'.an anyone else oh which to base his search. He was resolved to free W ilton, ami, having failed with Kitty, he determined to discover the other nan who, be felt sure, bad been ns, ...-! up- in Wilton's life if she Hill lived. M: Betts built up the theory that Wilton had arrived at the camp too bite to save the girl from Howyer, and that, half-crazed, she hud lied with her faiher into t'.i! wilderness. lb? wont to Ihe fishing camp and spent a day prowling among the. ruins, but he ' learned nothing there. Then he went to the store. It was still empty, for n new trading post was being established estab-lished nonhWLird. and the company had not replaced the factor, perhaps would not do so. Belts broke in. Everything was as it had been on the night of the lire. Bin Betts quickie quick-ie discovered that someone bad been there since. I'or in the dust that covered cov-ered the floor of Molly's bedroom were l';e faint impri-.u of feet. A woman's foot ! Thai was a'l the clue He Its -g1. but li satisfied hiin. lie cast aboul him. northward an 1 easiwanl. going into every Indian encampment and talking with ,the ii.'.v.bitur.ts. But it was a week before ne got bis second clue. ' Molly and ner father left Wilton beside be-side the road and crept stealthily into' the undergrowth. When they were a sufficient distance from the camp the' made a wide detour, crossed the roaj. and took thetrail hack toward '.fie portage, encountering nobody on. the way. There the factor got S."t)n, and made up a f.uck of food sutiicient for two weeks' journey. They put on their snowsboes and started east-w east-w ard. Molly had noticed that the factor's paralysis had completely left him. She said nothing to him about it, however, fearing to bring il to his attention. They traveled for eight days. On the eighth McDonald showed signs of weakness; he had overtaxed his strength. They were following an Indian tra.-k rluit led to a little Moravian mission, twelve miles farther on. When they reached it nt night fail, McDonald was in a raging fever and half-delirious. The brother in chrisge webonipd them; he rut Hie factor to bed and I nursed him assiduously through a j sharp attack of pleurisy. McDonald, j in his delirium raved incessantly. An the gliosis of the past tor'nred him. I Night after night he rnved, while Moily tended him in his anguish Y.w at last the delirium left him. and con science, screaming Into the sick mans I soul, could no more pass ti.e seal upon I his Up? I He was in a fever to be gone. lie j wanted his ride; be cleaned and oiled it. He asked for bis snowsboes. and j b.-gan examining the strings. As Moily gave them to nitu she suddenly perceived per-ceived that one of the strings was broken. And there flashed into her mind the memory of ber discovery beside be-side the portage on that day when she i saved Wilton. ! She would not let. Hie dark thought in her heart come into consciousness. : But she kneeled at the factor's side, her arms around him. "What is trou- biing you 7" she pleaded. "Tell mi'-" 1 McDonald was shaking like an j aspen. "It's naothing. lass!" he bah- j bled. "If I've repaid, it's for wrong , that was done me and mine." 'What have you done? Whom have you repaid? You must tell me." He clutched at her. "I warned him what would be if he came between me and mine. And when he sent Will Carrulhers to steal you from me for he was at the back of that I shot hini." "Whom?" Molly's gray eyes searched into his soul. "Joe Bostock !" After a long time Molly took the factor's fac-tor's hands in hers. "We'll go on," she said in a bard voice. "Thank God, no innocent man has been suspected, I'll slay with you. I'll never speak of this again. But if ever the guilt is unjustly un-justly placed on anyone, you will go back to Clayton and confess the truth, or I'll denounce you." "Aye, I'll go hack, Molly," he cried. "No man shall hang for me. I swear it if ye ll stay by me till then, Molly." She left Ifim, and, with a singular clarity or mind, as if there were nothing noth-ing more to fear or hope, and no room for further feeling, she went to the door and looked out across the snowbound snow-bound wilderness. She saw a ligure tramping through Ihe snow toward the mission. And thus Jim Betts found her. CHAPTER XXI A Dramatio Moment. The second day of Wilton's trial was occupied by the handwriting experts gentlemen brought to Clayton at fat fees, who unanimously testified that the signature on the transfer was genuine, gen-uine, and those on the checks forgeries. forger-ies. On the third day the defense opened, and Payne called Kitty, resolutely reso-lutely ignoring alike Wilton's signals, and the crown lawyer's satisfaction, and Howyer's vulpine smile. "The defendant was a friend of your husband'.'" he asked. "My husband's greatest friend," sh answered. "He brought bis body back to Clayton Clay-ton under great dillicul' is, although his arm was broken?" "Ye.,." "What was bis attitude toward you and the Missatibi company?" "lie wanted me to help him fight to hold it for me, on Joe's account." "And he asked you to come to Elg Muskeg lo live?" "He tried to stop me. It was my suggestion, because I wanted to follow the work." Payne shot a fleeting glance at the jury. They were watching Kitty wilh unchanged faces; but there was no disbelief on them. "At the portage you met Mr. Eowyer one evening. I believe?" "Yes." "Tell us the conversation thaf en sued." 'T caught him trying to embrace Misi McDonald. He told me that he loved her. and would win her from Will Car-ruihers. Car-ruihers. lie taunted tne with being in love wilh Will. I Wits. I am !" She drew herself up proudly and Hung out the words with indescribable energy. The whole court was electrified electri-fied by her words and manner. It staggered stag-gered Payne. It was one of the worst .hings she could have said. He did hot dare glance at the jury. "What was the nature of the bargain that Mr. Howyer offered?" continued the lawyer. "He said he would win Miss McDonald McDon-ald anil get ber out of my way if I would help him gain control of the Missatibi. Anil be asked me to give him the combination . of the safe, so that lie could examine some papers there. He said it was my safe, and I conlri lied the line, so that I would be doing no wrong." "What answer did you make?" '1 fve him the combination," answered an-swered Kitty in a low voice. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |