The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1905-03-07
By JOHN r. MUSICk,
Author of mysterious Mr.. Howard" The
Dark Stranger" "Chsrile AliendaIes
Doubls," Bic
Copyright, 1897, by ROBERT BONNER soEs.
AL rights reserved
CHATTER Xlll.-(Continued. !

DO you mean Paul-Paul Mller?'
That's the chap whose name | was
firth with
What of him-what of him." ask
ed Clarence, eagerly.
well, we don't know; old Glum
thought as how may be you better
come down and interview them mum
mics an see what ye can git out O.
EN-"
you say they are at Ralston' S
shanty?"
yes"
"Why didn't they come here?"
well, ye see, they're little off
their feed. Their peddles are bent
an their feet don't track-all from
goin' over d rocks and snow until
d skins worn off.
Ethel seized her own and her hus-
bands cap, saying:
LET us hasten to Glum's shanty."
"As you say, my dear Come, we
will go at once and learn all we can"
They closed up their house, and,
accompanied by Dick and Gid, hasten
ed away toward the shanty of old
Glum Ralston.
They reached the lower part of the
camp, which had grown to quite a
village of shanties. Great fires were
blazing in pits. These were fires built
to thaw the ground SO the miners
could dig it up and wash it.
A small knot of people were gath
cred in front of Glum Ralston's
shanty, talking in strange whispers,
nodding and gesticulating in a man
ner which indicated that some matter
of great moment was under discus
sion.
Clarence and Ethel passed through
the throng and entered the shanty.
Here a sight met their gaze calculated
to awaken their profoundest SYM
pathy. Four darkskinned young men
whose once robust frames had been
worn away to skeletons were reclin-
ing on piles of skins, filing their
empty stomachs with food placed be-
fore them.
where are you from?" Clarence
asked.
From the island of Metlakahtla,"
one answered,
Have you come direct from there?"
mo"
where have you been?"
eve were lost in the woods for a
long time and almost persisted from
cold and hunger We wanted to wait
until spring. but he did not. He had
been detained for so many months
that he would wait no longer. He
said months and years were rolling
over his head since he had seen her
or written to her"
"Of whom are you speaking?"
"He called himself Crack-lash."
"Paul-Paul! 1t Is PAUL" cried
Ethel, clapping her hands in delight
Hush, dear; let us be sure" whis
pered Clarence, then turned to further
interrogate the stranger.
this Crack-lash?"
Like you, only darker; that's ALL"
well, how did he reach your
island?"
Come on an ice boat?"
"Ice boat?"
"Yes-great mountain of Ice. He
was on ice."
He surely means an iceberg" said
Clarence, fixing his eyes on Glum
Ralston. The old man nodded his
head and said
There amt no doubt of 1t. He
means an iceberg.
"If he does, then this man he calls
Crack-lash Is none other than Crack
lash Paul"
You're correct, mate" Glum Rails
ton answered, with a nod of his head.
The Indian then took another sip
or Two of the soup and told how on
the way they had captured one of the
men who had robbed him. They had
a mountain range and were
their way toward the Yukon,
when they were all four drawn off on
a moose trail
On their return they were unable
to find neither the prisoner Crack-ash
nor the mysterious captain, who had
years before been on their island, but
had been abducted by two of his own
sailors, one of whom they had cap
tured, and Crack-lash recognized him
as one OF the robbers. 1t was a long
story, and took long time to tell it.
s fate was unknown, but the
CT ces were he was a prisoner or
de In the forest.
Do you believe this story, Glum?"
Clarence asked.
Every word O. 1t Is the gospel