OCR Text |
Show The Free Traders 1 1 M'CRATH'S TRAP h V ! A - .- A f i ! r r i ' i n . I'-.y - l i it 1 1 .1 ' 1 1 i (i Aloiii.i--'! e fr- 4.. ... a, m r-i.L i.i .Ti.'f.y ii;tr,f ij i, i a fl... (i i .MM-J i ' -1 1 r-r n.ui '1. r Jl.t it ai v. l.vr-i. 1 ' I -. .". r Jm-1 i'a'hAny. t .,f u.- ' J' i r.: 'l i j'!-ri, ' i . ii- il l.-j..r i ni.i- : At l-i' 1 ' Kitit l. J....1 i vii ! ' r.-i:' -1 wif.il liu. v I r. k T'. U ii-l a (.; 1 - l'l Ii. Ii. Ul.'l U jiii" A I II.-- ' ' 1 : Pi"'1' .i hi I, o;,vkn.-; "in. of !a Jl .i. rwua.lw.i A Jir-(,l Jir-(,l nl, l'l. ri Itli-l J. ifi.l.alil ''l, ' m n ( . i' I , " ii ill.'' I J : k k 1 1" 1 . A r -..- I ;'.M ill I t i - I 1 I ii ii.- r !- h. I r. 'Ii..- k:iI .-t.i iul f'r .S.n(.,n l.nk-. v. hi- tt Ii ul. Ar.il.-ri'n .i mI-j.--:-1 , . , II. (. . 'TLu k t-M li.;r u t.il iht t i,, i, Willi Wh'MU h') llil.ll tl'OII- tl; I. Ik I''- ti-f'Ji. I (,,;. n,u.-, of hliu uit'l tit tw in-Tl Hi n,t ) 1.'. l'l. i re it i Hi Shorty ri.i.i cm, AihI.-i S'jM and lb Kin f.Iii,vlnK. in ih hi l.-'i ih roa-i In bin w ii u h In in a ti'l behind lh two. A inl. 'i -.son, with hH In, i a-. U hurUd ilnwn th mioum-l,i mioum-l,i Hi hi 'l'l, Hi-Iih.- ht:-S. I('m;o Vtrfl n r-..i.:li Iou.iihvis, Aml.'l '.lull IlinU th Kill lian ill.iaiMiur-il, hut h.i Miin lii'lci .iiiM Ii uli'.t iimi prub-ithly prub-ithly In Ihti iw--r of l'i. rr.i and Miiiil y . On fijol hj ma It . s h W way to Sl.-t! on haLo. 'i'h-- r.- h n liti-U h In 11 .111 1. 1 n iuii of t Im: 1;i y licti.ru, mid llathwuy. with u nlrl. 1 1- II.-, a former n u-' l h-u ri of A h'l.'i'Miiii'H, w h'i had aliu-d Mm i-..nli(i.iii-.t innl utmost wr.-rk.-.i Ih.h III-. Kuthuay Hinkci Ks 1 I ! .1. nnd nlir a fUhl A iiili'i'son, with I i-lie M )i"-lp, r.irii p,-.s M, It ll t hu i; i r 1. A ml tr hi hi' b :uin p;t 11 lou h mliul In i.'l'ud-'l uml w 1m; Is HUf-ru HUf-ru niK with a (IimIih al'd km--. Allllrl'HI.II HI-I H the klH-l! il II 1 1 milk.- II. t- Kh l a.-t loinfortahh- tin 1.1. xs 1 Itlu. I ! f h;i.i a hro Urn rl h. 'l li t liwi plan to inakt; tln-ir way tu a Moravian in l.i.s h n, of whii'h l-'nthcr Mi-Craih Ikih char.-. Thrir iu'i ual n t a nre ripens Into hiv.i. Tilts Kill ii.-ii it-mi hern thai lu-r nanit: Is Joyce l'flly, Mhe in (l;uiKlitr of the man AnitrrNon ha. i ti.on hmiI to arrest. Torn t.itw.en lo-r love for rmr father unci hi-r regard lor Antlt-rson, the Kirl pracilcii lly drl ves h I in from her. In t hu forest A ml or son MumhlcH upon the entrance to a Kot'K" anti convinced he has hx'ttled l-'elly'a mine. In the tunnel tun-nel he la attacked by an unseen adversary, whom he takes to be IV lly. A knife thrust Is turned ii wide tiy the girl's hair In hln Mouse. LlHcaphiK', tie returns to the cabin, to tliul Joyce gone. He followM her trail to the mission of Father MctJrath. The priest repulses Mm, but Joyce feels her love return and welcomes him. Her memory hus been in a measure meas-ure restored. I-.ee vfsl ta the mine ana In, finding t here the Krave of a woman, marked "Helen "He-len e Polly," and the skeleton of a man el utch Iiik a revolver on vh Ic.h are the let t era "C. P.." without doubt Joyce's father. Anderson breaks the news of her father's death to Joyce. Father Motirath agrees to marry the couple. CHAPTER XII Continued . 10 Tlu sun rose lilli. It was beginning begin-ning to descend. It censed to Illuminate Illumi-nate t li e gorge. I.ee was neai'lng tbe second sapling. lie would work on till that was passed, and tben wbat? And now eacli step of eacb ascent was an incredible labor. His bands were lamps of bruised flesb. He was bardly conscious wbnt be was doing. SI ill, be must reacb tbe second sapling-He passed It. A sort of film descended de-scended over bis consciousness. In tbe declining day be saw himself siaggcring 'round tbe gorge, seeking for some other egress. Impossible ! I'or forty feet there were footholds innumerable in-numerable In tbe lower part of the clllTs; above them the bard granite surface bulged Inward. There was no handhold for nn ape. And be stag-gored stag-gored from one end of the gorge to the other, 'round nnd 'round and 'round an ape in a cage He dropped upon the ground utterly worn out, utterly hopeless. A little respite, and then he would arise, to s' niggle again, a short sleep llespite? He Imd slept, and that IwiK sense of bis had just awakened b:m in time lust In time to antici-I antici-I 'tc that shadow stealing down the t:.'"'C toward him. A misshapen, M'i"-s thing that leaped forward, snarl-' snarl-' and then leaped back as I.ee rurk at it. I.ee was alert on the Instant. In t ' tiling alone lay his chance of es-(.oo. es-(.oo. And. as it vanished into the s .; !s. I.ee went blundering after it i" In- darkness, finding it. losing it. 1 " saw it in every moon-shadow . " the rocks, lie heard i; jeering ': 1. Then stones began to tiy. " '.:-d his cheek, one struck him i ;''o c:-st. N,v the thing was in t ' of him. an. I when he rusln-d. it not there, and a shower of stones i t an unexpovied quarter cut his I and chin. 'It's tortured, maddened. I.ee was I -ted till the second dawn filtered i ,1 , g,,rge. There was no respite. .' ' :'n while. I.ee struggled against the I . of sleep. He would re' his 's (hsip.g for ,,n instant it was ' hifi again, a st. tie would hurtle 'st rito; ano her rus'i would follow, i again the thing was gone in the 1 I i.-wn daylight sunlight. Crouohed I i.it'd a ridge or reck above htm. I.oe s-'v the misshapen figure with the t :.:ss;ve s'.ioulders and the long, furred arms. And. yielding to the eleraema I rage that was in him. I.ee whipped out his Kii'oniatic and tired two bullets. They chipped fragments of stone from he-side he-side the face, which continued to wat 'h Iimi unmoved. That face. Illumined Il-lumined by the sunlight in the gorge, appeared so human, so intelligent, so much at variance with the misshapen j By Victor Rousseau (' oil r:I.'. I.y W 'm '.'riAiman , W.-VL' St-.!- body, that I.oo wa-i s!un-kM at the sight Of It. It v. as only a man hut such a 'man.' A gorilla, all but the human fa-,-. I.oe had already p;ill'd the trigger a third time, but there was no thin shot. Then he remembered that he had bad only to cartridges remaining. He was unarmed. lie sprang, and a stone struck him In the chest and hurled him backward. Like two baboons vhey bombarded each other with stones; hut at last. hi a fortunate shot sent tin- other slaitgering, I.ee managed to close with him. The face, bruised and battered from the encounter in the tunnel, looked Impassively Into his. I.ee struck, and quickly discovered that he had not strength enough left to administer a knockout blow; while1 at close quarters he was decidedly at a disadvantage. Tin the other band his opponent was equally unable to overcome him. for he could not stand up against Lee's lists at short range long enough to allow him time to get the gripping power of those shoulders into action. At last, bleeding and bruised, they broke off the light simultaneously, and lay sine by side, panting, upon tbe bottom bot-tom o the gorge. Lee tool; stock of the other. The man looked like an Indian, but there was a touch of the Caucasian in him. I.ee addressed him for the first time. "What Is It that you want? Why have you n I tacked me 7" The answer Lee had hardly expected ex-pected that there would be an answer an-swer was in a lone singularly soft, Incredibly In-credibly at variance with the appearance appear-ance of that gross body. "You find the way in. But you never find the way out. You fight me and I fight you. You sit down here so nnd I sit down here beside you so. When you tight I fight, and when you stop I stop, and so we wait until you sleep. And tben 'le grand inert' come." This devilish conception made Lee's blood run cold. For even now his eyelids eye-lids were drooping drooping, and tbe other watched with cunning eyes. He tried to find strength to leap, rend him with teeth and nails If his bruised fists and weakened arms failed him. But the other, reading what passed In his mind, crouched, ready for him. Lee shot an arrow at a venture. "Le-boeuf "Le-boeuf !" lie said softly". The other started. "Kh, you have learn my name? That makes no difference." dif-ference." "Why do you wish to kill me, Le-boeuf? Le-boeuf? Is it that you think I have come here to seize the mine?" "Listen, tben. I swore to my master before he died that no one shall take the gold away. Therefore, since you have found tbe way into the tunnel, you shall never leave it." "Suppose I am a friend?" '"So, no friend. You have come for the gold. Y'ou came to seize my master, mas-ter, who is dead, to take his gold away. There he lies dead and he has come to me in dreams and told me he must not be buried till Ma'm'zelle Joyce has got the gold. AI, you shall never have Ids gold." "Listen, Leboeuf! Miss Joyce and I love each other" "Xo, no, you are lying, and, besides, it would make no difference. Did I not hear her in the house, telling you, 'fio! Go!' No, you shall never take iier gold." Lee desisted from sheer weariness. He strove desperately in his mind, trying to find some way by which lie could convince this madman but Ills eyelids closed, and suddenly, with a snarl, Leboeuf was upon him, his fingers fin-gers twining around his throat. Lee shook himself free. He sprang at him, t li e last of his waning strength put forth. They clinched, they fought, Lee's fists beat against the bruised face, drawing fresh blood. Leboeuf released him, hut springing to a distance, dis-tance, began hurling stones at him, cursing him. Then lie sat down and waited. I.ee must stay awake till nigh.: fall. He would find some way out of the gorge. He would cut footsteps in the granite with a stone wild and impossible impos-sible thoughts ran through bis mind. He strode to and fro beside the river bank. Some little -distance away Leboeuf sat watching him. Lee's hatred for that bruised, impassive face was elemental. ele-mental. He thing a stone. The aim was true; it cut Leboeuf s lip open. Blood began to drip, but Leboeuf never stirred. I.ee sat down. He must conserve his strength he started up. He had slept for a moment, ami Leboeuf was creeping toward him. The sun blazed over the edge of the gorge. l.ehoe'if squatted down nearer Lee. watching him as a vulture might watch a dying animal. A moment later Leboeuf was almost at his side, yer lie was not conscious of his having moved, or of having close, 1 his eyes. He go- up wearily, wear-ily, picked up a stone, nnd flung it into Leboeuf s face, gashing his cheek. Leboeuf never moved. Lee looked about him for a larger stone. He was lying upon his back, and Leboeuf Le-boeuf was kneeling on him gripping bis throat. He tried to struggle. The wiry fingers ripped the tatten of Ills shirt away. Nert moment a cry broke from l.e-boeuTs l.e-boeuTs Hps. He wa.3 fingering the colls of Joyce's hair. He knew them, perhaps by the faint odor of her that dung to them. He fell upon Ids knees. ".Monsieur, It Is hers! forgive 1 Forgive ! I am an old fool ! So umong my people the maidens give their hair as tokens of love! Ah, Monsieur. .Monsieur see. I u'.U show you the entrance, and you siiall take the gold for her. So my master spoke in a dream but I did not know you 1" And, darting from Lee's side, he scrambled straight up the face of the cliff between the saplings. He dragged away a stone, fitting so closely into the tunnel's mouth that Lee had never guessed It had been placed there. And, with a mournful cry, Leboeuf disappeared within the tunnel. Lee staggered to tbe cliff beneath It, tried to ascend, dropped back, and in a moment was fast usleep upon the bottom of the gorge. CHAPTER XIII And on the Day After Tomorrow Lee slept the clock around, for. when he awoke, refreshed and restored, except ex-cept for his bruised and blistered hands, the sun was In the same part of the sky as when he had gone to sleep. For a few moments the memory of that grotesque struggle seemed like something that he had read in a hook. Then, bit by hit, It begun to become a part of memory's records. But It was not until, looking up, he. saw the entrance to the tunnel plainly visible In the cliff overhead, that he realized the whole episode had not been a disordered dream, bom of his frantic, futile struggles. And even then Lee could not convince con-vince himself until he had gone back to Felly's skeleton and ascertained that It was really there, and looked at the Initials on tbe butt of the revolver, re-volver, and stood beside the little grave. Then, very painfully, for his hands were skinned and raw, Lee clambered up the cliff and made his way through All 1 mlvM ft 9 And There In the Entrance Joyce Was Standing, Watching Them and Him, Approaching. the tunnel. He did not think he would ever want to visit Belly's gold mine again. He had suspected all the while that the mine was a myth, and even now be was not convinced that there was gold in it. But joy was in his heart, Joy overflowing, over-flowing, for all his troubles were at an end. He was going to Joyce, to make her his wife, to take her away. And his heart thumped at the anticipation antic-ipation of that incredible dream, and be trod the trail toward tbe log house like a boy. lie broke his long fast with a moderate meal and started for the mission. As he went up the ascent a mob of half-breed and Indian In-dian children came pouring out of the sehoolhouse. And ihere in the entrance en-trance Joyce was standing, watching them and him, approaching. She looked up at him gravely as be drew near, and she knew at once from the look on his face enough to make the breaking of the news less of a shock to her. But the tears rolled down her cheeks es be told her of her father's death. "Joyce, darling. I can't help feeling that it's the best thing In the end." sai.l Lee. "At least his sufferings are at nn end." "I think so. too. Lee," she answered calmly. "And now I know that somehow some-how I have always known my father was no longer alive. The bond between be-tween us whs very close, though I was away from him so many years." Lee toid her about the discovery of the mine and his encounter with Leboeuf, Le-boeuf, slurring over the story of the Indian's attack on him. Then Joyce caught sight of his hands, and was all sympathy and dismay, and took him into a hut and bathed them and bandaged ban-daged them. Father McGrnth had gone to visit an old Indian in the neighborhood, and the two talked long time, and then ute a simple meal together In the pres ence of the children, who stared at I.ee over their em up dishes out ot their large, black eyes. "it Is strange, tiie mine belr.g so near the house." Joyce said. "You know Mother and I were never quite convinced con-vinced that there was a mine. We were never quite sure that my father hadn't a delusion on that subject, and that Leboeuf. who was devoted to him, wasn't humoring him. "(lid Leboeuf must have been living there for a long time. He bad some grudge against Kuthway, you know. He would have killed him once, If my father hadn't Intervened." She reverted to her father's death, and I.ee was reluctantly compelled to give her the particulars. "He may have suffered a stroke and have fallen over the cliff," he said. "At any rate, his death was instantaneous. instan-taneous. Y'ou may be sure he did not suffer." It was when be spoke of his discovery dis-covery of her mother's grave that Joyce showed signs of breaking down. "She was 111 such a long time," she said. "She was paralyzed, and there was nothing that could be done for her. When she died my father and Leboeuf carried her body away into the forest by night. They would never tell me where she had been hurled, and I remember I used to prowl about the house, always hoping to discover her grave. I suppose that was a part of my fnther's madness. In a way. He wanted her to he near him where lie was working." It was after dinner that I.ee opened the subject nearest to bis heart. "I.iear, you know wdiat I want to ask." he said. "Will you let me take you south wdlh me before the snows? And will you let Father McGrath marry us before we start?" "Oh, Lee when?" she asked. "Today, dearest." "Oh. not today, Lee :"' "Tomorrow, then? And we'll spend our honeymoon In the log house, just for a (lay or two of happiness together before taking up the trail. I know it wdll always be your home, Joyce, and that we shall often come back here, now that the unhapplness of the past Is over." "Walt, Lee !" Joyce was wrinkling her forehead In that manner that always distressed him so much. "I want to ask you something.: Have you really told me everything from the time when I had my fall from the horse until I awakened In the forest with you? Or have you hidden something from me out of consideration for me?" "Why do you ask that, dear?" "Because I I feel that you have, Lee. I don't know why. It's Just an Instinct I have. And If there Is something some-thing more, I should like to be told, because because I have a feeling that it may help me to recover that part of my life that is still a blank to me." Lee felt In a quandary. It wns impossible im-possible to wish to keep anything from Joyce; and yet he felt that she ought never to know the incidents of that day and night at Siston lake. "If you don't want to tell me, dear " Joyce went on. Lee had to tell her then, and did, minimizing the affair in all but Its essentials. lie said nothing about his fight with the Free Traders, but told her how she had been kidnaped by the two men and taken to Batbway's camp, and how, in the absence of the band, he had rescued her. "And yon say I was unconscious all that time?" asked Joyce. "I wish I could understand it, and I wish I could remember. It seems so strange that part of my memory should come back to me, and not all of It. Who were those men and what did they want of me? Were they Pathway's men? And what did he want?" "I think the explanation is simple, dear," Lee answered. "Katbway wants the secret of your father's mine. In some way he must have learned that you were coming back to the range. He sent his men to intercept you. They probably told you that Itathway had your father in his power, and that is why yon proposed to accompany them, and why you didn't want me." "Not want you, Lee? I wanted you from the first minute I saw you. I'll tell you a secret, shall I? Well I I fell in love with you that evening In the hotel, and I've been in love with you ever since. There ! "But why was I riding In the range?" she resumed. "What was it on my mind so terrible that there seems a fort of blackness there? I felt that you could save me." She shook her bend. "Xo. there's more to it than that, my dear. And I don't know perhaps I shall never know." Lee slipped his arm about her. "Joyce, dear, don't try to think. It doesn't matter. Xothing is going to matter any more. You are no longer the unknown girl, traveling alone through a wilderness, whose disappearance disap-pearance would arouse no suspicions. Once you are my wife. Kuthway cannot can-not harm you. And then you have Fnther McGrath behind you, and the church that he represents, and tbe missionary mis-sionary societies behind that. Bath-way's Bath-way's not fool enough to buck a powerful power-ful organization by ;my crime his cue is to lie low and sell all the liquor he can before we put blin out of business. busi-ness. Tell me you'll marry me soon." "But the mine, Lee? Anil poor Leboeuf?" Le-boeuf?" "We'll look into thore matters during dur-ing our little honeymoon. Tell me that it siiall be tomorrow." Joyce hesitated; and while she hesi-. hesi-. rated they heard the tinkle of bells, and Father McGrath appeared in his horse sleigh, coming up the hill. They went to the door. The jolly priest waved his hand and pulled in. "Well, Meestalr Anderson, and so ye're back again!" he cried heartily, gripping Lee's hand with a fist of iron. "Tis harrd going wT the horse through the snow, and I reckon I'll have to tak' to the dogs mighty soon. This Is winter for sure at last!" He scrutinized the pair keenly. "Ye havna made another of your queek changes?" he inquired, with nn absurd affectation of archness ttiat set them both laughing. "Xo; I've fulfilled the conditions that were imposed on me," I.ee answered, an-swered, ami with that narrated his adventures in tbe mine. "Am! Miss l'elly has promised to marry me tomorrow," he ended mendaciously. men-daciously. "X not tomorrow, Lee," said Joyce. And Father McGrath. who bad been listening to Lee's story with ninny ejaculations, looked so severe that Lee had n sudden terror that he would refuse re-fuse to perform tbe ceremony. "The day afler, then, Joyce?" Lee pleaded. Joyce interposed no veto this time, but was blushing like a rose and looking look-ing adorably confused. "Weel " began the father. "Weel, I'm not in favor of such queeckness. Have you two young folks conseedered tbe consequences of matreemony, the awful and inevitable consequences? Have ye tbocht o' the horror o' sitting doon opposite each ither nt the breakfast break-fast table mornln' after mornln' for the rest o' your lives togither? Have ye tliocbt o' the stunning responsibilities responsibili-ties of the married state?" Leo was beginning to grow alarmed, but of a sudden he discerned a twinkle In Hie worthy father's eyes. And suddenly sud-denly Fnther McGrath smote Lee violently vio-lently upon the back. "I'll do it, mini 1" he shouted. "I'll do it. "Lis t lie one practical joke that is permeesible to a meenister. I believe be-lieve in matreemony. 'Tis the grrand-est grrand-est o' the deespensatlons of Our Lord on alrth ! Mony's the time I've hummed and hawed and pretended na to be willin' when a young pair's come to me to marry them, bethinking lie's got the wurrld's desire by the forelock, nnd she proud and happy wl' her mon, but by na means quite all that his fond imageenatlon pictures her. "And I've laughed In my sleeve and thocht, 'Ha, ha, ye scullions, 'tis the trap ye're asking me to spring on ye, and I'm going to shut It fast.' And so I've married them. And it'll no be so valry long, marrk ye, before they're coming to me wl' their grievances. " 'Oo, Father, my wife does this and wllna do that, and she wilna obey nor honor me, as she's sworn to do, nnd I'm no sure she loves me.' And it's 'Oo, Father, my men's got a temper like the de'll hlsself, and the jealousy o' the grrand Turk.' "Then I speak to them verra soft. 'My dear mon, and my dear wumman,' I say, 'ye're balth caught fast, and what's done canna be undone. "Tis wbnt mafreemony's for, to help a mon and a wumman to deesclpline their natures. 'Tis a grrand deespensation, Is matreemony. And, If ye'll baith remember' re-member' I go on, speakin' wi' what ye might call a touch of unction' hesitated before admitting ye to Its privlleeges, for weel I saw that ye were twa ill-assorted natures ' 'Xaeth-lng 'Xaeth-lng o' the sorrt !' they burst out indignantly. indig-nantly. And wi' that they go off, arrra in nrrm together." "I hope you haven't Miss Pelly and myself in mind, Father," said Lee, laughing. "I'm willing to step into your trap tomorrow, and I'm more willing to step into it this minute." Father McGrath looked at them quizzically. "Weel, we'll just say the day after tomorrow, Anderson," he said. "For ye ken, Anderson, n wumman wum-man wants n leetle time to picture herself her-self a bride In her mind's eye before she becomes one." "And so they are married and live happily ever afterward." Not at all. With their marriage their troubles begin again. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |