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RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF
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THE YUKON TRAIL
SllBBallailSalSlllSJJalSalSallalfiSlllSBallSllSallsW
? Alaskan Love Story
By WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE
Copyright, William Macleod Ralne
0J, THE WAY TO KAMATLAH, ELLIOT WANDERS FROM THE
TRAIL AND FEARS HE CANNOT ESCAPE DEATH
Synopsis. As n representative of tlio government Gordon Elliot Is
on his way to Alaska to InveBtlgato coal claims. On tho boat ho meetH
and becomes Interested In a fellow passenger whom ho learns Is Shcbn,
O'Neill, also "going In." Colby Macdonald, active head of tho land
grabbing nyndlcato under Investigation, comes aboard. Macdonald la
attacked by mine laborers whom ho had discharged, and tho active
Intervention of Elliot probably saves his life, Elliot and Macdonald
becomo In a measure friendly, though tho Intter does not know that
Elliot Is on a mission which threatens to spoil plans of Macdonald to
acquire millions of dollars through the unlawful exploitation of Im
mensely valuablo coal fields. Elliot also "gets a lino" on tho position
occupied by Wally Selfrldgo, Macdonald's right-hand man, who Is re
turning from a visit to "the States," where he had gone In rn effort to
convince tho authorities that thero was nothing wrong In Mucdonald's
methods. Elliot secures an Introduction to Miss O'Neill and while the
boat Is taking on freight tho pair set out to climb a locally famous
mountain. They venturo too high and reach a position from which it
Is Impossible for Miss O'Neill to go forward or turn back. Elliot
leaves Shcbn and nt Imminent peril of his life goes for assistance. Ho
meets Macdonald, who had becomo alarmed for their safety, and they
return and rescue Shebn. Landing at Kuslak, Elliot finds that old
friends of his, Mr. and Mrs. Paget, nro tho peoplo whom Shebn has
come to visit. Mrs. Paget Is Sheba's cousin. At dinner Elliot reveals
to Macdonald tho object of his coming to Alaska. Tho two men, natur
ally antagonistic, now also become rivals for tho hand of Shcbn. Mac
donald, foreseeing failure of his financial plans If Elliot learns tho
facts, send Selfrldgo to Kamntlah to arrango matters so that Elliot
will bo deceived as to tho true situation.
CHAPTER VI Continued.
The latter lady, Paris-shod and
tjkved, shook hands smilingly with the
Scotch-Canadian. "Of courso we're
Intruders In business hours, though
you'll tell us wo'ro not," she suggested.
Tve Just been reading tho Transcon
tinental Magazine. A writer there says
that you are a highway robber and a
gambler. I know you're a robber be
cause all the magazines say so. But
are you only a big gambler)"
Ha met bcr raillery without the least
embarrassment
"Sure I gamW. Every time I take
fc chance I'm gambling. So does every
body else. We've got to take chances
tolive."-
"How true, and X never thought of
it," beamed Mrs, Selfrldge. "What a
philosopher you are, Mr. Macdonald."
The Scotsman went on without pay
ing any attention 'to her effervescence.
(Tve gambled ever since I was a kid.
bat X could cross Death valley and
out alive. That time I won. I
It would rain down in Arizona
ore my cattle died. I lost An-
jotfttsr time X took a contract to run a
itannel. In my bid I bet I wouldn't run
pats rock. My bank went broke that
trip. When I Joined the Klondike
)raah I was backing my luck to stand
p.. Same thing when I located the
Kamattah field. The coal might be a
poor quality. Maybe I couldn't Inter
est big capital In the proposition. Per
haps the government wbuld turn me
down when I come to prove up. I waa
betting my last dollar against big
odds. When I quit gambling it will
ba because Pro quit living."
'And I suppose Tm a gambler; toot"
Maiiory demanded with a little
MDt of her handsome head.
"Of all the women I know you are
Iks best gambler. It's born In you."
MmMallory did not often Indulge In
the luxury of a blush, but she changed
now. This big, blunt man some-
Teefty-mlle Swamp Eea a Monster
That Swallows Men Alive."
times had an uncanny divination. "Did
she asked herself, "know what
stake she was gambling for at Ku-
atakr
Ton are too wise," she laughed with
A touch of-embarrassment very bocom
,tng. "But I suppose you aro right I
Uke excitement"
"We all do, Thewonlymanwho
doesn't gamble Is the convict In stripes,
and the only reason he doesn't Is that
jbls chips are all gone. It's truo that
mea on me xronuer piay ior Digger
stakes. They back their bets with all
they have got and put their lives on
top for good measure. But kids In the
sradle all over the United States are
going to llvo easier because of the
gamblers at the dropplng-off place."
Sho moved with slow grace toward
the door, then over her shoulder
flashed a sudden Invitation at him.
"Mrs. Selfrldgo and I are doing a little
betting today, Big Chief Gambler.
Wo'ro backing our luck that you two
men will cat lunch with us at tho Blue
Bird Inn. Do we win?"
Macdonald reached for bis hat
promptly. "You win."
CHAPTER VII.
The End of the Passage.
Wally Selfrldgo waa a reliable busi
ness subordinate, even though he had
slipped up In the matter of the ap
pointment of Elliot But when It came
to facing the physical hardships of the
North he was a malingerer. The Ka
matlah trip had to be taken because
his chief had ordered It but the Uttle
man shirked the Journey In his heart
Just as ho knew his soft muscles would
shrink from the aches of the trail.
The part of the Journey to be made
by water was not so bad. Left to his
own Judgment he would have gone to
St Michael's by boat and chartered a
small steamer for the long trip along
tho coast through Bering sea. But this
would tako time, and Macdonald did
not mean to let him waste a day. Ho
was to leavo the river boat at tho big
bend and puck across country to Ka
matlah. It would be a rough, heavy
trail. The mosquitoes would be a con
tinual torment The cooking would
be poor. And at the1 end of the long
trek thero awaited him monotonous
months In a wretched coal camp far
from all tho comforts of civilization.
No wonder he grumbled.
But though he grumbled at home and
at tho club and on the street nbout his
coming exile, Selfrldgo mado no com
plaints to Macdonald. That man of
stoel had no sympathy with the yearn
ings for tho ficshpot8. He was used
to driving himself through discom
fort to his end, and he expected as
much of his deputies. Wherefore
Wally took tho boat at the tlmo sched
uled and waved a dismal farewell to
wife and friends assembled upon the
wharf.
TCIItnt CnM irnnil.hv tn thn Pnnoto
and Miss O'Ne.ll ten days later. D,an48P' JSSASl
wns very frank with him,
"I hear you'vo been sleuthing around,
Gordon, for. facts about Colby Macdon
ald. I don't know what you havo heard
about him, but I hope you've got tho
sense to see how big a man ho Is and
how much this country hero owes
him."
Gordon nodded agreement "Yes,
ho's a big man."
"And he's good," added Sheba eager
ly. "Ho never talks of It, but ono
finds out splendid things he has done."
Tho young mnn smiled, but not at all
superciliously. Ho liked tho stanch
faith of tho girl In her friend, even
though his Investigations had not led
him to accept goodness us the out
standing quality of tho Scotsman.
"I don't know what wo would do
without him," Dlano went on. "Give
him ten years and a frco hand and
Alaska will bo fit for whlto people to
llvo In. Theso attacks on him by news
papers and magazines cro an outrage."
"It's plain that you aro a partisan,"
charged Gordon gayly.
"I'm against locking up Alaska and
throwing away tho key, if that Is what
you mean by a partisan. Wo need this
country opened up tho fuiuts settled,
tho mines worked, tho coal fields de
veloped, railroads built"
"Tho Kuslak chamber of commerce
ought to send you out as a lecturer to
chango public opinion, Diane. You aro
one enthusiastic little booster for free
dom of opportunity," laughed tho
yovng man.
"Oh, welll" Diane Joined in his
laughter. It was one of her good
points that she could laugh at herself.
"I dare say I do sound like real es-
tntu pamphlet, but It's all tmo any
how." Gordon left Kusluk as reluctantly as
Wally Selfrldgo had done, though his.
reasons for not wanting to go were
qulto different. They centered nbout
n dusky-eyed young woman whom he
had seen for tho first tlmo n fortnight
before. Ho would have denied oven to
himself that ho was in love, but when
ever ho was1 aiono his thoughts re
verted to Shcba O'Neill.
At tho big bend Gordon left tho river
boat for his cross-country trek. Near
tho roadhouBo was an Indinn village
where he had expected to get a guide
for the Journey to Kamatlah. But the
fishing season hod begun, and tho men
had all gone down river to take part
in It.
Tho old Frenchman who kept tho
trading-post and roadhouse advised
Gordon not to attempt tho tramp alone.
"Tho trail it ces what you call dan
gerous. Fccfty-Mllo Swamp ces a mon
ster that Bwallows men alive, mon
sieur. You wait ono week two week
t'reo week, and some ono will turn
up to take you through," ho urged.
"But I can't wait. And I have an of
ficial map of tho trail. Why can't I
follow' it without a guldo?" Elliott
wanted to know Impntlcntly.
Tho post-trnder shrugged. "Maybeso,
monsieur maybo not Feef ty-Milo-Mt
ees one devil of a trail. No checha
koes aro safo In thero" without a guide.
I, Baptlste, know."
"Selfrldgo nnd his party went
through a week ago. I can follow the
tracks thoy left"
"But If It rains, monsieur, the tracks
will vaneesh, n'est co pas? Loso tho
way; and the little singing folk will
swarm In clouds nbout monsieur while
ho stumbles through the swnmp."
Elliot hesitated for tho better part
of n day, then came to an Impulsive
decision. He had n reliable map, niiil
anyhow ho had only to follow tho
tracks left by the Selfrldge party. Ho
turned his back upon the big river and
plunged Into the wilderness.
There camo a night when he looked
up into the stars of the deep, still sky
and knew that he waa hundreds of
miles from any 'other human being.
Never in all his life had he been so
much alone. Ho was not afraid, but
there was something awesome in a
world so empty of his kind.
The tracks of the Selfrldge party
grew fainter after a night of rain. More
rain fell, ard they were obliterated al
together. Gordon fished. He killed fresh game
for his needs. Often he came on the
tracks of moose and caribou. Some
times, startled, they leaped Into view
qulto closo enough for a shot, but he
used his rifle only to meet his wants.
Tho way led through valley and
morass, across hills and mountains. It
wandered In a sort of haphazard fash
Ion through a sun-bathed universe
washed clean of sordldness and mean
ness. It was the seventh night out that
Elliot suspected he was off the trail.
Rain sluiced down in torrents and next
day continued to pour from a dun sky.
His own tracks were blotted out and
ho searched for tho trail in vain. Be
fore he knew It ho was entangled In
Flfty-Mlbi. His map showed him tho
morass Btretched for fifty miles to tho
south, but he know that It had been
charted hurriedly by a surveying party
which hnd mado no extensive explora
tions. A good deal of this country was
terra Incognita. It ran vaguely Into a
No Man's Land unknown to the pros
pector. The going was heavy. Gordon had
to pick his way through tho mossy
orldle. Sometimes he was ankle-deep
in wntcr of a greenish slime. Again
he had to drag the animal from tho
bog to a hummock of grass which gavo
a spongy footing. This would end In
another quagmire of peat through
which they must plow with the mud
sucking at their feet It was hard,
wearing toll. Thero was nothing to do
but keep moving. Tho young 'man
staggered forward till dusk. Utterly
exhausted, he camped for the night on
a hillock of moss that rose Hko an
Island In the swnmp.
Elliot traveled next day by the com
pass. Ho had food for threo days
more, but ho knew that no living man
had tho strength to travel for so long
In such a morass. It was near mid
day when ho lost his horse. Tho ani
mal had bogged down several limes
and Gordon had wasted much tlmo and
spent a good denl of needed energy In
dragging It to firmer footing. This tlmo
tho pony refused to answer tho whip.
Its master unloaded pnek nnd saddle.
Ho tried coaxing; he tried tho whip.
"Come, Old-Timer. One plunge, and
you'll roako It yet" he urged.
The pack-horsa turned upon him
dumb eyes of reproach, struggled to
free its limbs from tho mud. nnd sank
down helplessly. It hnd traveled Its
last yard on tho long Alaska trails.
After tho sound of tho shot hnd died
awny, Gordon struggled with tho pack
to the nearest hummock, no cut holes
in a gunny-sack to fit his shoulders
and pneked info it his blnnkets, a
saucepan, tho beans, tho coffee, and
tho diminished handful of flour. Into
It went, too, the three slices of bacon
that were left
He hoisted the pack to his back and
slipped his nrmq through tho Mlts ho
had made. Painfully ho labored for
ward over tho quivering pent. Some
times ho stumbled nnd went down Into
tho oozing mud, minded to stny thero
and bo done with tho struggle. But
the urge of life drove him to his feet
ngnln. It cnrrled him for weary miles
after ho despaired of over covering
unother hundred ynrds.
With old, hnlf-forgotten signals from
tho footbnll flpld ho spurred his will.
Perhaps his mind wns nlrcndy begin
ning to wnnder, though through It all
ho held steadily to the direction that
aiono could save hlhi.
When at last ho went down to stay It
was In an exhaustion so complete that
not even his indomitable will could
lash him to his feet aguln. For on
hpur ho- lay In a stupor, never stirring
even to fight the swarm of mosquitoes
that buzzed about htm.
Toward evening ho sat up and undid
tho puck from his buck. Tho matches,
In a tin box wrapped carefully with
oilskin, wero still perfectly .dry. Soon
he hud a flro going nnd coffeo boiling
In the frylng-pnn. From tho tin cup hu
carried strung on his belt ho drank
tho coffee. It went through him like
strong liquor. Ho warmed some beans
and fried himself a sllco of bacon,
sopping up tho grease with a cold bis
cuit left over from tho dny before.
.Agnln ho slept for a few hours. Ho
hnd wound his wntch mechnnlcally and
It showed him four o'clock when he
took up tho trail once more. In Seattle
and San Francisco peoplo wero still
usleep and dnrkness wns henvy over
w-.
"Come, Old Timer. One Plunge sytd
You'll Make It Yet"
the land. Here it had been day for a
long time, ever since the summer sun,
hidden for a while behind the low, dis
tant hills, had come blazing forth again
in a saddle between two peaks.
Gordon had reduced his pack by dis
carding a blanket tho frying-pan, and
all the clothing he was not wearing.
His rifle lay behind him In the swamp.
He had cut to a minimum of safety
what he was carrying, according to his
Judgment But before long his last
blanket was flung aside. He could not
afford to carry on extra pound, for he
knew he was running a race, the stakes
of which wero life and death.
Afternoon found him still staggering
forward. The swamps wero now be
hind him. He had won through at last
by the narrowest margin possible. Tho
ground was rising sharply toward the
mountains. Across the range some
where lay Kamatlah. But be was all
In. With his food almost gone, a wa
ter supply uncertain, reserve strength
exhausted, tho chances of getting over
the divide to safety were practically
none.
Ho had come, so far as he could see,
to tho end of the passage.
CHAPTER VIII.
Gld Holt Goes Prospecting.
As soon ns Selfrldge reached Kamat
lah he began arranging tho stage
agalnBt the arrival of tho government
agent H1b preparations wero elab
orate and thorough A young engineer
named Howland had been In charge of
tho development work, but Wally re
arranged bis forces so as to let each
dummy entryman handle the claim en
tered In his name. One or two men
about whom he was doubtful he dis
charged and hurried out of tho camp.
The company boarding house became
a restaurant, abovo which was sus
pended a newly pnlnted Blgn with the
legend, "San Francisco Grill, J. Glynn,
Proprietor." Tho store also passed
temporarily Into the hands of its mana
ger. Miners moved from the barracks
that had been built by Macdonald Into
hastily constructed cabins on the In
dividual claims. Wally had always
fancied himself as n stage manager for
amateur theatricals. Now ho Justified
his faith by transforming Kamatlah
outwardly from a company camp to a
mushroom ono settled by wandering
prospectors.
Gideon Holt nlono vns outsldo of all
theso activities nnd wntched them with
suspicion. Ho wns nn old-timer, sly
but fenrless, who hnted Colby Macdon
ald with a bitter Jealousy that could
not bo plncnted nnd ho took no pains
3 hldo the fnct. Ho hnd happened to
bo In tho vicinity prospecting when
Mncdonnld hud rushed his entries.
Pnrtly out of mere perversity nnd pnrt
ly by renson of natlvo shrewdness, old
Holt had slipped In and located ono of
,tho best claims In tho heart of tho
group. Nor had ho been moved by per
suasion, threats, or tentntlvo offers to
buy a relinquishment He was obsti
nate. He knew a good thing when ho
had It, and ho meant to sit tight
The ndhcrcnts of tho company might
charge that Holt was cracked in tho
upper story, but nono of them denied
ho wns slmrp4 ns a street nrnb. Ho
guessed that nil this preparation was
not for nothing. Knmatlah was being
dressed up to Impress somebody who
would shortly nrrive. Tho first thought
of nolt wns that a group of big cnpl
tnllsts might bo coming to look over
their Investment. But he rejected this
surmise. Thero would bo no need to
try nny deception upon them.
- Mnl! from Senttio reached camp onco
a month. Holt snt downbeforo his
fitovo to rend ono of tho newspapers he
had brought from tho office. It was
tho P.-I. On tho fifth pngo wns a
little story thnt gave lilm his clue.
ELMOT TO INVESTIGATE
MACDONALD COAL, CLAIMS
The reopening1 of tho controversy as
to tno Macdonald claims, which had
been clear-listed for patent by Harold
D. Wlnton, the Commissioner of tho
General Land Office, takes on another
phase with tho appointment of Gordon
Elliot ns special Held agent to examine
the validity of tho holding. Tho new
flold agent won a reputation by his
work In unearthing tho Oklahoma
"Gold Brick" land frauds.
Elliot leaves Seattle In the Queen
City Thursday for tho North, where
he will make a thorough Investigation
tit thft wtlAl .IhinlUn mill, n ffl.w .
clearing up the matter definitely. If
his report Is favorable to the claimants
tho patents will be granted without
further dolay.
This was too good to keep. Holt
pulled on his boots nnd went out to
twit such of tho enemy as he might
meet It chanced thnt tho first of them
wns Selfrldge. whom he had not seen
since his arrivals though ho know tho
little man was in camp
"How goes It, Holt? Fine and
dandy, eh?" Inquired Wally with the
professional geniality ho affected.
The old miner shook his head dole
fully. "I done bust my lnlg, Mr. Sel
fish," he groaned. It wns one of his
pleasant ways to affect a difficulty of
hearing nnd a dullness of understand
ing, so that ho could legitimately call
people by distorted versions of their
names. "Tho old man don't amount to
much nowadays."
"Nothing to that, Gid. You're young
er than you over were, Judging by your
looks."
"Then my looks He to beat tho devil,
Mr. Selfish."
"My name Is Selfrldge," explained
Wally, a trlflo irritated.
Holt put a cupped hand to his ear
anxiously. "Shellfish, did you say?
Tha' 's right How come I to forget?
The old man's going pretty fast, Mr.
Shellfish. No more memory than a
Jackrabblt Say, Mr. Shellfish, what's
the Idee of all this -hero back-to-the-people
movement as the old sayln Is?"
"I don't know what you mean. And
my name is Selfrldge, I tell yon,"
snapped tho owner of that name.
"'Course I ain't got no more sense
than the law allows. I'm a buzzard
hald, but me I kinder got to mltlln it
over and In respect to these here local
Improvements, as you might say, Pm
doggoned if X sabe the whyfor."
"Just some business changes."
Holt showed his tobacco-stained
teeth In a grin splenetic. "Obr That's
all. X didn't know but what you
might be expecting a visitor..'
Selfrldge flashed a sharp sidelong
glance at him. "What do you mean a
visitor?"
"I Just got a notion mebbo you might
be looking for one, Mr. Pelfrlch. Like
88 not you ain't fixing up for this Gor
don Elliot a-tall."
Wally had no come-back, unless It
was one to retort In Ironic admiration.
"You're a wonder, Holt. Pity you don't
start a detective bureau."
The old man went away cackling.
If Selfrldgo had held any doubts be
fore, he discarded them now. Holt
would wreck the whole enterprise,
wero he given a chance. It would never
do to let Elliot meet and talk with him.
He knew too much, and ho was eager
to tell ail be knew.
Macdonald's lieutenant got busy at
once with plans to nbduct Holt. "We'll
send the old man off on a prospecting
trip with some of tho boys," explained
Selfrldge to Howland. "That way we'll
kill two birds. He's back on his as
sessment work. The time limit will be
up beforo he returns and we'll start n
contest for tho claim."
nowland made no comment. Ho wns
nn engineer and not a politician. In
his position It was Impossible for him
not to know that a good deal about
tho legal status of the Macdonald
claims was Irregular. But ho was
a firm believer In a wide-open Alaska,
In tho uso of tho territory by thoso
who had settled It
"Better arrango It with Big Bill,
then, but don't tell mo anything about
It I don't want to know tho details,"
he told selfrldge.
Big Bill Macy accepted the Job with
a grin. Ho bad never liked old Holt,
anyhow. Besides, they wero not going
to do him any harm.
Holt was baking a match of sour
dough bread that evening when thero
came a knock at the cabln'door. At
sight of Big BUI and his two compan
ions tho prospector closed the oven
nnd straightened with alert suspicion.
He waft not on visiting terms with any
of these men. Why had they cometo
see him?
"Wo'ro going prospecting up Wild
Gooso creek, and wo want you to go
along, Gld," explained Macy. "You're
nn old sour-dough miner, and we-nll
agree wo'd like to havo you throw in
with as. What say?"
Tho old miner's unswer was direct
but not fluttering. "What do I want to
go on a wild-goose mush with a bunch
of bums for?" ho shrilled.
Bill Macy scratched his hook'noso
nnd looked reproachfully at his host.
At least Holt thought ho was looking
at him. One could not be sure, for
Bill's eyes did not exactly track.
"What's tho uso of snapping at mo
llko n turtle? Durdcn says Wild Gooso
looks fine. There's gold up there
heaps of It."
"Let It stay thero, then. I ain't
going. That's flat." Holt turned to
adjust tho damper of his stove.
"Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't say
thnt," drawled Bill Insolently.
Tho man nt tho stovo caught the
clmpgo In tono nnd turned quickly. Ho
was too late. Macy had thrown him
self forward nnd tho weight of his
body flung Holt ngnlnst tho wall. Be
foro tho miner could recover, tho other
two m6n wero upon him. They boro
him to tho floor nnd in spite of his
struggles tied him hand nnd foot
Big Bill rose and looked down deri
sively nt his prisoner. "Better chnngo
your mind nnd go with us, Holt We'll
spend n quiet month up at tho head
quarters of Wild Gooso. Say you'll
come along."
"What nro -you going to do with
me?" demanded Holt.
"I reckon you need n church to fall
on you beforo you can tako a hint
Didn't I mention Wild Goose crock
threo or fgur times?" Jeered his captor.
Holt made no further protest Ho
was furious, but at present quite help
less. However It wnnf nirnlnat iho
grain, he might as well give In until re-
tintlft m1.I - m
ucniuu wuuiu uu somo gooa.
Ten minutes Inter tho party was
moving silently along the trail that
led to the hills. The pack horso went
first, In charge of Gebrcn Holwnv. fh
prisoner wnlked next, his hnnds tied
Denma mm. Big Bill followed, and
thO man hO had ttlllpfl Hnd lirnnnht- nn
tho rear.
Macy had released tho hands of his
prisoner so that ho tnluht hnv a
chanco to fight tho mosquitoes, but ho
Kepi a wnry eyo upon him nnd never
let him movo morn thnn n fAw fnnf
from him. The trail grew steeper as It
neurea tno Head of the canyon till at
last it climbed tho left wnll nnd
emerged from tho gulch to an uneven
mesa.
The leader of the nartv looknd nt
his watch. "Pnsr mirinicht- wAn
camp here, George, nnd seo If we can't
get rid of tho 'skeeters."
They built smudco Area of snwn
wood and on tho leo 'sldo of theso an
other ono Of dry Sticks. Duel mndA
coffeo upon this and cooked bncon.
While George chopped wood for tho
urus ana. Dougns or small firs for bed
ding, Big Bill sat with a rlflo across
his knees Just back of tho prisoner.
"GId's a shifty old cuss, and I nln't
taking any chances," ho explained
nloud to Dud.
Holt was beginning to take the out
rage philosophically. Ho slept peace
fully while they took turns watching
him. Just now there would be no
chance to escape, but in a few days
they would become careless. The
habit of feeling that they had him se
curely would grow upon them. Then,
reasoned Holt, his opportunity would
come; One of the guards would take
a chance. It was not reasonable to
suppose that In the next week or two
he would not catch them napping once
for a short ten seconds.
There was, of course, Just the pos
sibility that they intended to murder
him, but Holt could not associate Self
rldgo with anything bo lawless. The
mnn was too soft of fiber to carry
through such a program, nnd as yei
thero wns need of nothing so drastic.
No, this kidnaping expedition would
not run to murder. He would bo set
free In a few weeks, and if ho told tho
truo story of whero he had been his
foes would spread th6 report that ho
was Insane In his hatred of Macdonald
and Imagined all sorts of persecutions.
They followed Wild Gooso creek all
next dny, getting always closer to its
headwaters near tho divide. On the
third day they crossed to the other
side of tho ridge and descended Into
a Uttle mountain park.
Tho country wns so much a primeval
wilderness that a big bull moose
stalked almost upon their camp before
discovering tho presence of a strange
biped. Big Bill snatched up a rlflo and
took a shot which sent the Intruder
scampering.
From somewhere In tho distance
camo a faint sound.
"What was that?" asked George.
"Sounded like a shot Mebbe it was
nn echo," returned Dud.
"Camo too late for an echo" Bier mii-
said.
Again faintly from somo far corner
of tho basin tho Bound drifted. If vena
llko the pop of a scarcely beard flro-
cracKer.
Tho men looked at ono another nnd
at their prisoner.
"Think wo better break mmn nnii
drift?" asked Dud.
"No. Wo'ro In a little draw hero-.
as good a hiding place as we'd bo like
ly to find. Drlvo tho hnrspn Inrn thn
brush. Georce. We'IL sir. tlihK
Dud had been busy stamping out
the campflre while Holwny was driv
ing tho horses Into tho brush.
"Mebbe you had better get the camp
things behind them big rocks," Macy
conceded.
Even as he spoke there came the
crack of a revolver almost at the en- t
trance to thejdraw. '
Ono of the men swore softly. The
gimlet eyes of tho old miner fastened
on tho spot where In another moment
his hoped-for rescuers would appear.
Holt recognizes Elliot and
the two overpqwer the kidnap
ers and reach Kamatlah. El
Hot learns truth about coal 'land
deals.
(TO BB CONTINUED.)
None More So.
"Is tho woman I saw yon talking
to a fitting assoclato for you?"
"She couldn't be more fitting. She's
my dressmaker."
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