f ,. '1-t'l.'-. f "-' '"rifiw "i -4,ua j- " ' t " '""" t-""-.yr-"fr"'"yg,' -'-'n )! 11V v ... .,....:, .,, .a, .,.,, m,mi -it JK-fWMH JM...aSlE2 .yTVHMa.. RED CLOUD," NEBRASKA, CHIEF TRAIL Ah Alaskan Love Story By William Macleod Raine Copyright, William Maclcod Ralne. THE YUKON I.' ii t k a i 15 ( p" r .. it l f CHAPTER XVIII. 10 A New Way of Leaving a House. Tho sorgo of disgust with which Bhcba had broken her engagement to 'marry Macdonald ebbed away aa tho weeks passed. It was lmposslblo for , her to wait upon him In his Illness and hold any repugnance toward this big, elemental mnn. The thing ho had dono might bo wrong, but tho very open aess and frankness of his relntlon to Ifetectso redeemed It from shame. Do was neither a profligate nor a squnwa nan. This was Dlnno's point of view, and In time It became to a certain extent that of Sheba. One takes on the color of one's environment, and the girl from Droghcda know In her heart that Mo tectBO and Colmnc were no longer tho real barriers that stood between her and tho AlaBkan. She had been dis illusioned, saw him more clearly; and though eho still recognized tho Quality of bigness that set him apart, Jier spirit did not now do such complete homage to It More and more her thoughts contrasted htm with another man. Macdonald did not need to be told that he had lost ground, but with the dogged determination that had carried him to success he refused to accept the verdict She was a woman, there fore to be won. Tho habit of victory was so strong In him that ho could see no alternative. Tho motor-car picnic to tho Willow Greek camp was a case In point. Sheba did not want to go, but she went. The picnic was a success. Macdonnld was an outdoor man rather than a parlor one. He took charge of tho luncheon, .lit the fire, and cooked the coffee with out the least waste of effort In his shirt sleeves, the neck open at the throat, he looked the embodiment of 'masculine vigor. Diane could not help mentioning It to her cousin. "Isn't he a splendid human animal V JSheba nodded. "He's wonderful." "If I were a little Irish colleen and he had done me the honor to care for me, I'd have fallen fathoms deep In love with him." The Irish colleen's eyes grew reflec tive. "Not If you had seen Peter first, Di. There's nothing reasonable about a girl, I do believe. She loves or else she Just doesn't" ' Diane fired a question at her point blank. "Have you met your Peter? Is that why you hang back?" The color flamed Into Sheba's face. "Of course not You do say the most outrageous things, Dl." They had driven to Willow Creek over the river road. They returned by way of the hills. Macdonald drew up In front of a cabin to fill the radi ator. , He stood listening beBlde tho car, tho water bucket In his hand. Some thing unusual was going on Insldo the house. There came tho sound of a thud, of a groan, and then the crash of breaking glass. The whole window frame seemed to leap from the Bide of the house. The head and shoulders of a man projected through the broken glass. The man swept himself free of the debris-and started to run. Instantly he pulled up In his stride, as amarod fridge, coming In over tho Ice, reached tho way homo she was strangely silent. Thednys grew Bhort. Tho last river boat beforo tho freeze-up had long Blnco gone. A month earlier tho samo Btcamer hnd tnken down In a mnll flack tho preliminary report of Elliot to his. department chief. Ono of tho passen gers on that trip had been Selfrldge. sent out to counteract tho Influcnco of tho ovldcnco ngalnst tho claimants submitted by tho field agent An In formation had been filed against Gor don for highway robbery and attempted murder. Wnlly was to see that tho damning facts ngalnst - him wero brought to tho attention of officials In high places where tho chnrges would do most good. Tho details of tho story wero to bo held In rcscrvo for publicity In caso tho muckrake magazines should try to mako capital of tho report of Elliot Kuslak found much tlmo for gosRlp during the long nights. It knew that Macdonald had gono on tho bond of Elliot In splto of tho scornful protest of the younger man. Tho case against tho field agent was pending. Pursuit of the miners who had robbed tho big mine-owner had long ago been dropped. Somowhcro In tho North the outlaws lay hidden, swallowed up by the great white waste of snow. Tho general opinion was that Mac was playing politics about tho trial of his rival. He would not let tho case come to a Jury until the time when a conviction would have most effect In tho States, the gossips predicted. They did not know that he was waiting for tho return of Wally Selfrldge. The whispers touched closely tho personal affairs of Macdonald. Tho report of his engagement to Sheba O'Neill had been denied, but It was noticed that ho was n constant guest at the homo of tho Pagcts. Young Elliot called there too. Almost any day one or other of the two men could be seen with Sheba on the street Thoso who want ed to take a sporting chance on the Issue knew that odds wero offered sub rosa at tho Pay Streak saloon of throe to forget tho charms of other women. Tho faint fcmlnino pcrfumo of her was wnftcd to his brain. Ho felt a besieg ing of the blood. Stepping behind tho chnlr In which sho sat, ho tilted back tho head of lus trous bronze, and very deliberately kissed her on tho lips. For a moment sho gavo herself to his embrace, then pushed him back, rose, and walked across tho room to n llttlo table. With fingers that trembled slightly sho lit a cigarette. Sheathed In her close-fitting gown, sho mado n strong cnrnnl appeal to htm, but thcro was between them, too, a closo bond of tho spirit Ho mado no apologies, no explanation. Presently she turned and looked at him. Only tho deeper color beneath her eyes betrayed any cxcltemont "Unless I'm a bad prophet you'll got the answer you want when Shta comes back, Colby." He thought her reply to his Indis cretion superb. It admitted com plicity, reproached, warned and at tho samo time ignored. Never beforo had sho called him by his given name. Ho took It as n token of forgiveness and renunciation. Why was It not Genevieve Mallory that be wanted to marry? Tho mine owner carried with him back to his offlco a sense of tho futile Irony of life A score of men would havo liked to marry Mrs. Mallory. Sho had all tho sophisticated graces of llfo and much of tho natural charm of an un usually attractive personality, no had only to speak the word to win her, and his fancy had flown in pursuit of n lit tle Puritan with no knowledge of tho world. - In front of the Seattle ft Kuslak Em porium the Scotsman stopped. A llt tlo man who bad his back to him was bargaining for a team of huskies. Tho man turned, and Macdonald recognized htm. "Hello, GId. Aren't you off your usual beat a bit)" he asked. The little miner looked him over Im pudently. "Wellwell t If it ain't the big mogul himself and wantln' to "Meaning that Mr. Gideon Holt la tho owner?" "You've done guessed It" admitted tho miner complacently. Ho had a right to bo proud of tho team. It was. a famous ono even In tho North. It' had run second for two years In tho Alnska sweepstakes to Macdonald's great Siberian wolf hounds. Tho leader, Butch, waB tho hero of a dozen races and a hundred snvngo fights. !'What in Halifax do you want with tho tenm?" asked Elliot, surprised. "The whole outfit must havo cost a small fortune." "Somo dust," admitted Gideon proud ly. Ho winked mysteriously at Gor don. "I got a uso for this team, If anyono wns to ask you." "Haven't taken the government mall contract, havo you?" "Not so you could notice It I'll tell you what I want with this team, as the old sayln' Is." -Holt lowered his voice nnd narrowed slyly his little beadlike eyes.. "I'm going to put a crimp In Colby Macdonnld. That's what I aim to do with it" ' "How?" The miner beckoned Elliot closed and whispered In his ear. body. lu splto of his terror, of his flaccid will, ho had to keep tho faith, lie was guardian of tho bank funds. At nil costs ho must protect them. nis forearm catno up with a Jerk. Two shots rang out almost together. Tho cnshler sagged back ngalnst tho wall nnd slowly slid to tho floor. The guests of Mrs. Sclfrldgo danced well Into tho sninll hours. Tho Cali fornia champagne stimulated a gnycty that was balm to her soul. Sho want- st stn n fftn iv vua uu iiiuvt m .,. -. t i . Sheba rebelled lmpotently at the " illSEJ "m881Qn ro xraTei ,,h m,. mtn&.nnm. La . I off the reservation." T reckon you travel where yon. want situation. The mine-owner would not take "No" for on answer. He wooed her with a steady, domlnnnt persist ence that shook even her strong will. There was something resistless In the way he took her for granted. Gordon Elliot hnd not mentioned lovo to her, though there were times when her heart fluttered for fear he would. She did not want any more complica tions. Sho wanted to bo let alone. So when nn Invitation camo from her llttlo friends tho Hustcds, signed by nil three of tho children, asking her to come and visit them at tho camp bark of Katma, tho Irish girl jumped at the chanco to escape for a tlmo from tho decision being forced upon her. " Sheba pledged her cousin to secrecy until nfter she had gone, so that Miss O'Neill was able to slip away oft tho stage unnoticed either by Macdonnld or Elliot The only other passenger was nn elderly woman going up to the Katma camp to take a place as cook. Later on tho snme day Wally Set- to see those In he car as they were to see him. "Gordon I" cried Diane. Out of the house poured a rush of men. They too pulled up abruptly at sight of Macdonald and his guests. A sardonic mirth gleamed In the eyes of the Scotsman. "Do you al ways come out of a houso through tho wall, Mr. Elliot?" he asked, "Only when I'm In a hurry." Gor don pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at some gltuM-cutd oi his face. "Don't let us detain y0U,' Bald the Alaskan satirically. "We'll excuse you, since you must go." Tin not In such a hurry now. In fact If you're going to Kuslak, I think III ask you for a lift," returned the field agent coolly. "And your friends-ln-a-hurry do they want a lift too?" Kuslak with Important news for Ills chldf. Ho brought with him nn order from Wlnton, commissioner of the gen eral land office, suspending Elliot pend ing nn Investigation of tho charges against him. Oddly enough, It was to Genevieve Mallory that Macdonald went for con solation when ho learned that Sheba hod left town. Ho had always found It very pleasant to drop In for a chat with her, and she saw to It that he met the samo friendly welcome now that a rival had annexed his scalp to her slender waist For Mrs. Mallory did not concede defeat If tho Irish girl 'could bo eliminated, she believed she would yet win. His hostess looked up at him with a mocklnsr llttlo smile. "Humor says that she has run away. to, GId same as I do." "Afntrtinav T aTinnlfln'f rvnnAam you'd And out qulto soon enough what I'm doing here. You never can tell," tho old man retorted with a manner that concealed volumes. Those who were present remembered the words and In the light of what took place later thought them significant "Anyhow, It Is qulto n social event for Kuslak," Macdonald suggested with a smile of Irony. Without more words Holt turned back to his bargaining. Tho big Scots man went on his way, remembered that he wanted to see the cashier of the bank which ho controlled, and promptly forgot that old GId existed. The old man concluded his purchase nnd drove np to the hotel behind ono of the best dog teams In Alaska. Gideon aBked a question of tho por ter. "Second floor. That's his room up there," the man answered, pointing to a window. "Oh, you, seven eighteen ninety nine," tho little miner shouted up. Elliott appeared at the window. "Well, I'll bo hanged l What are you doing here, Old-Timer?" "Onct I know a man lived to bo a grandpa minding his own business," Big Bill Macy came swaying for ward, both hands to his bleeding head. "He's a spy, curse him. And he tried to kill me." "Did he?" commented Macdonald evenly. "What were you doing to him?" "He can't sneak- around our claim Hnder a false name," growled one of the miners. "We'll beat bis bead off." Tve bad notions like that myself sometimes," assented the big Scots man. "But I think we had all better leave Mr. Elliot to the law. He has Uncle Sam back of him in bis spying, and none of hi are big enough to buck the government" Crisply Macdonald poke to Gordon, turning upon him cold, hostile eyes. "Get in if you're going to." Elliot met him eye to eye. Tve changed ray mind. I'm going to walk." "That's up to you." Gordon shook hands with Diane and Sheba, west Into the house for his coat, and walked to the stable. He brought eat bis horse and turned It loose, the he took the road himself for Kuslak. 1 A oevple of miles out the car passed him trudging townward. As they flashed down' the road he waved a cheerful and nonchalant greeting. Sheba bad been full of gayety and life, but her mood was changed. All my lord. Is it true?" "Yes. Slipped away on tho stage this morning." "That's a good sign. She was afraid to stay." It was a part of tho fiction between them that Mrs, Mallory was to give him the benefit of her advlco In his wooing of her rival. Sho seemed to take It for granted that he would at last marry Sheba after wearing away the rigid Puritanism of her resent ment. Macdonald had never liked her so well as now. Her point of view was so sane, so reasonable. It asked for no Impossible virtues In a mnn. There was something 'restful In her genial, derisive understanding of him. She had a silent divination of his moods sad ministered Indolently to them. "Do you think so? Ought I to fol low her?" he asked. She showed a row of perfect teeth In alow ripple of amusement. The sit uation at least was piquant, even though It was at her expense. "No. Give the girl time. Catch her Impulse on the rebound. She'll be bored to death at Katma and she will come back docile." Her scarlet lips, the long, unbroken lines of the sinuous, opulent body, the challenge of rjJhe.,smolderlng eyes, the wtmi Lt thJr-e-4 I j -Rf mvsKlw HI ftftSSlr vIpW r' ImVP small BBgamwwm AAAJmimsjfj v - arPSgflP J sV swSaRtB N mull mT Wvt For a Moment She Gave Herself to His Embrace. grinned the little man. "Come down and I'll tell you all about It, boy." In half a minute Gordon was beside him. After the first greetings the young man nodded toward the dog team. "How did you pcrsuado Tim Ryan to lend you bis huskies?" "Why don't you take a paper and keep up with the news, son? These CHAPTER XIX. In the Dead of Night While Kuslak slept that night the wind shifted. It came roaring across the range and drove before It great scudding clouds heavily laden with sleety snow. From dark till dawn the roar of the wind filled tho night Be fore morning heavy drifts had wiped out the roads and sheeted tho town In virgin white unbroken by trails or fur rows. With the coming of daylight the tempest abated. Kuslak got into Its working clothes and dug itself out from the heavy blanket of white that had tucked it in. By noon tho busi ness of the town was under way again. That which would have demoralized the activities of a Southern city made little difference to these Arctic Circle dwellers. .Roads were cleared, paths shoveled, stores opened. Children in parkas and fur coats trooped to school and studied through the short after noon by the aid of electric light Dusk fell early and with it came a scatter of moro snow. Mrs. Selfrldge gave a dinner-dance at the 'club that night and her guests 'came In furs of great variety and much value. The hostess outdid herself to make the af fair the most elaborate of the season. Nobody in Kuslak of any social im portance wns omitted from the list of invited except Gordon Elliot. Even tho grumpy old cashier of Macdonald's bank an old bachelor who lived by himself in rooms behind thoso In which tho banking was done wns persuaded to break his custom and appear In a rusty old dress suit of the vintage of '05. The grizzled cashier his name wns Robert Milton left the clubhouse early for his rooms. It was snowing, but tho wind, had died down. Contrary to his custom, he had taken two or threo glasses of wlno. His brain was excited so that he knew ho could not sleep. Ho decided, to read "Don Qutxoto" by tho stove for an hour or two. Arrived nt the bank, ho let himself Into his rooms and locked tho door. He stooped to open the draft of tho stove when a sound stopped him- halfway. Tho cashier stood rigid, still crouched, waiting for n repetition of tho noise. It came onco more tho low, dull rasp ing of a file. Shivers ran down the spine of Mil ton and up the back of his head to the roots of his hair. Somebody was In the bank at two o'clock In the morning with tools for burglary. He was a scholarly old fellow, brought up In Now England and cast out to the uttermost frontier by tho malign trag edy of poverty. Adventure offered no appeal to, him. But though his knees trembled be neath blm and the sickness of fear was gripping his hoart, Robert Mil ton had in him the dynamic spark that makes a man. He tiptoed to his desk and with shaking fingers gripped the revolver that lay in a drawer. The cashier braced himself for the plunge, then Blowly trod across the room to the Inner, locked door. The palsied fingers of his left hand could scarce turn the key; It seemed to him that the night was alive with the noise he mado In turning the lock and opening the door. The hinges grated, and tho floor squeaked beneath the fall of bis foot as he stood at the threshold. ' Two men were In front of the wire grating which protected the big safe tbat filled the alcove to the right One held a file and the other a candle. Their blank, masked faces were turned toward Milton, and each of them cov ered him with a weapon. "W-what are you doing here?" quavered the' cashier. "Drop that gun," came the low, sharp command from one of them. AJWyxX; MrasmmmV. Y$QQ&X$ il(Mmmmn liO-m- ilSlpml mi am "Drop That Gun," Came the Sharp Command". Low, Some old ancestral iustlncf in' the bank cashier rose out of his panic to Aaatrnv him. T7 wanted to He down quietly In a faint But his mind as- J was .open and that the door over tne wesjcusi: . ww, iruui iu &, . ,. , ed her dinner-dance to be smart, to have the atmosphere she had found In the New York cabarets. If everybody talked at once, she felt they were hav ing a good time, If nobody listened to anybody else, it proved that the af fair was a screaming success. Mrs. -Wally was satisfied as she bade he.r guests good-by and saw them pass into the heavy snow that was again falling. They all assured her that there had not been so hilarious a party In Kuslak. One old-timer, a trifle lit up by rea son of too much hospitality, phrased his enjoyment a little awkwardly. "It's been great, Mrs. Selfrldge. Nothing like It since the days of the open dance hall." Mrs. Mallory hastily suppressed an Internal smllo and stepped Into tho breach. "How do you do it?" she asked her hostess enviously. "My dear, if you say it was a suc cess " ",What else could one say?" Gcnevlove Mallory always preferred to tell tho truth when it would do just as well.- Now It did better, since It contributed to her own Ironic senso of amusement. Macdonald had once told her that Mrs. Selfrldge mado him think of tho saying, "Monkey sees, monkey docs." Tho effervescent little woman had never had an original Idea In her life.4 Most of those who had been at the danco slept late. They wer,o oblivious of tho fact that tho storm had quick ened again Into a howling gale. Nor did they know the two bits of news that were passing up and. down tho main street and being telephoned from house to house. One of the Items was that the stago for Katma had failed to reach the roadhouse at Smith's Cross ing. The second bit of nows was local. For tho first time since Robert Milton had been cashier the bank had failed to open on the dot ' Macdonald was no sluggard. It was his habit not to let the pleasure of the night before Interfere with the busi ness of the morning after. But In tho darkness ho overslept and let the town waken beforo him. He was roused by tho sound of knocking on his door. "Who Is It?" he asked. "It's me Jones Gopher Jones. Say, Mac, the bank ain't open and we can't rouso Milton, Thought I'd come to you, seeing as you're president of the shebang." In three minutes Macdonald Joined the marshal, and walked down with him to the bank. He unlocked the front door and turned to the little crowd that had gathered. 4 ''Better wait here, boys. Gopher and I will go In. I expect everything Is all right, but we'll let you know about that as soon as we find out" The bank president opened the door, let the officer enter, and followed him self. . The sun had not yet risen and the blinds wero down. Macdonald struck a match and held it up. "Bank's been robbed," he announced quietly. "Looks like' agreed Jones. His voice was uneven with excitement. The Scotch-Canadian lit another match. In tho flare of it he saw that the steel grill cutting off the alcove been Tho marshal clutched at tho arm of tho banker. "Did you sec Hint?" he whispered. , Ills finger pointed through tho durk ness to tho other end of the room. In tho fnlnt gray light of coming day Macdonnld could sco a huddled mass on tho floor. "There has been murder done. I'll get n light. Don't movo from here, Jones. I want to look nt things before we-disturb them. There's no danger. The robbers hnvc been gone for hours." By tho light of another mntch tho mine-owner crossed the room Into the sitting room of the cashier. Presently ho returned with a lamp nnd let Its light fall upon the flguro lying slumped against the wall. A revolver lay close to tho Inert fingers. The hend hung forward grotesquely upon the breast. Tho dead man wns Milton. His em ployer Raw nothing ridiculous In tho twisted neck and sprawling limbs. Tho cashier had died to save tho money entrusted to his care. Macdonald handed the lamp to the marshal and picked up tho revolver. Every chnmbcr was loaded. "They beat him to It. They were probably here when ho renched home. My guess Is he heard them right nwny, got his gun, nnd enmo In. He's still wearing his dress suit That gives us tho time, for he left the club about' midnight Soon as they saw him they dropped him. I wouldn't have hnd this happen for nil the money In the safe." "How much was there In It?" "I don't know exnctly. Tho books will show. I'll fiend Wally down t6 look them over." "Shot right spang through the heart looks Jlke," commented Jones, follow ing with his eye the course of tho wound. "Wish I'd been here Instead of him," Macdonnld said grimly. His eyes soft ened ns he continued to look down at ' tho employee who had paid with his life for his faithfulness. "It wasn't an even break. Poor old fellow I You weren't built for a Job like this, Robert Milton, but you played your hand out to a finish. That's all any man can do." He turned abruptly nwny and began examining the safe. Tho silver still stood Backed In one large compart ment The bnnk notes had escaped the hurried search of the robbers, but the gold waB practically all gone. " One sack had ncen torn by tho explosion nnd single pieces of gold could bo found nil over tho safe. Macdonald glanced over the papers rapidly. The officer picked up one of dozens scnttered over the floor. It was a raortgago note made out to tho bank by a miner. Ho collected the others. Evidently the bandits had torn off tho rubber, glanced over one or two to see If they had any cash value, and tossed" the package Into tho air as a disgusted gambler does u pack of cards. The bank president stepped to tho door and threw It open. He explained tho situation In three sentences. T can't let you In now, boys, until tho coroner has been here," he went on to tell the crowd. 'But there Is ono wny you can nil help. Keep your eyes open. If you hnvb seen any suspicious characters around, let mo know. Or If nnyono hasleft town In a hurry or been seen doing anything during tho night that you did not understand at ' the time." A man named Fred Tague pushed to tho front. He kept a feed corral near the edge of town. "I can tell you'ono man who mushed out beforo five o'clock ' this morning and that's GId Holt" The eyes of Macdonald, cold nnd hard bb jade, fastened to the man, "How do you know?" "That dog team he bought from T,lm Ryan Well, he's been keeping It in my corral. When I got thcro this morning It wns gone. Tho snow hadn't wiped out the tracks of tho runners yet, so he couldn't have-left more than, fifteen minutes before." "You don't know that Holt took Jhe team himself?" "Come to that, I don't. But he had a key to the barn where the sled was. Holt hnB been putting up at the hotel. I reckon It Is easy to find out if he's still there." Macdonald's keen brain followed the facts as the nose of a bloodhound does a trail. Holt, an open enemy of his, had reached town only two days be fore. He had bought one of the best and swiftest dog teams In the North and had let slip before witnesses the remark that Macdonald would soon find out what he wanted with the out fit The bank had been robbed after midnight To file open the grill and to blow up the safe must have taken sev eral hours. Before morning the dogs of Holt had taken the trail, If their owner were with them, It was a safe bet that the pled carried forty thou sand dollars In Alaska gold dust (TO BB CONTINUED.) IKUBj; , WWWH,JMTUM The Reason Why. "lit this railroad case, I want to ask that man a direct question." "Don't, ask him anything direct Don't you know he's a director?" Machinery and equipment for a tasr nery capable of handling 100 hldef dally, is needed in China. 1 i trr 9 v. hof her laughter, all invited him huskies don't 'belong to Tim." sorted Its mastery ov mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmsBMSiawMMWMtsimniiMMiiiBii n i n i t v - '. tLtmKmat V v f .to Al-ferC ..& v J A ,&' !.' .it.. ir y AiJ.v :r t T, ,, Mrfr ii&SMyg iftfrfe.kV ri n J&S