The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-12-19
6 The Barrier
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INN Rex Beach M
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one position for several hours, and ner
limbs were stiff. He caught her and
swung her ashore. Then, instead Of
putting her feet to the ground, he
pressed her to himself roughly and
kissed her. She gave a stifed cry and
fought him off, but he laughed and
held her the closer.
mo, no, mol" she gasped. writing
like a wild thing, but he crushed his
lips to hers again and then let her go,
whereupon she drew away from him
painting, d~isheveled, her eyes wide and
filed with horror. She scrubbed her
lips with the back of her hand, as If
to erase his mark, while he reached
into the canoe and brought forth an
ak. a bundle OF food and a coffeepot.
Then, still chuckling, he gathered a
few sticks Of driftwood and built a
fire. She had a blind instinct to Zee
and sought for a mean Of escape, but
they were well out upon the bar that
stretched a distance Of 300 feet to the
wooded bank. On one side of the mar
row spit was the scarcely moving,
/ Au1l btu&uduL WdtCA Vi q lilly Ddy Ok
eddy; on the other the swift, gliding
current Juggling at the beached canoe,
while the outer end of the graveled
ridge dwindled down to nothing and
disappeared into the river. An instant
later, when he turned to the clearer
water Of the eddy to fill the coffeepot,
she seized her chance and sped up the
bar toward the bank. The single un-
der foot and her noisy skirts betrayed
her, and with an oath he followed. 1t
was an unequal race, and he handled
her with rough strong hands when he
overlook her.
$50! You lied to me! Well, I'm
through with this foorshness. If
you'll go back on your word like this
you'll 'bawl me out before the priest,
SO I'll forget my promise, too, and
you'll he glad of the chance to marry
me-"
"Let me go!' she painted. "Ill mar
ry you. Yes. yes, I'll do it, only don't
touch me nowr'
He led her back to the fire, which
had begun to crackle. She was SO
weak now that she sank upon the
stones ~shivering.
"That's right. Sit down and behave
while I make something hot to drink.
You're all in" After a time he con.
tinued as he busted himself about his
task: "Say, you ought to be glad to
get me. I've got a lot of money, or i
will have, and once you're Mrs. Run
MON nobody IL ever know about this
or think of you as a squaw."
He was still talking when the girl
sprang to her feet and sent a shrill
cry out over the river, but instantly
he was up and upon her, his hand
over her mouth, while she tore at 1t,
screaming the name of Poleon Doret.
He silenced her to a smothered, sob
bling humble and turned to see, far
out On the bosom Of the great soiled
river, a man In a bark canoe. The
craft had just swung past the bend
above and was still a long way off, SO
far away, in fact, that Necia's signal
had not reached it, for Its occupant
held unwaveringly to the swiftest
channel, his body rising and falling In
the smooth. unendinG rhythm of
master boatman under great haste,- his
arms upfung now and then as the
paddle glinted and flashed across to
the opposite side.
Runnion glanced about hurriedfy,
then cursed as he saw no place of
concealment. The Peterborough stood
out upon the bar conspicuously, as did
he and the girl. But the chance re-
NAMED that this man, whoever he
was, would pass by, for his speed vas
great, the river a mile in width and the
bend sharp. Necia had cried Poleon's
name, but her companion saw no re-
semblance to the Frenchman in this
strange looking voyager. In fact, he
could not quite make out what was
peculiar about the man-perhaps his
eyes were not as sharp as hers-and
then he saw that the boatman vas
naked to the waist. By now he was
drawing opposite them with the speed
Of a hound.
The girl, gagged and held by her
captor's hands, struggled and moaned
despairingly, and, crouching back of
the boat, they might have escaped dis
covery in the gray morning light had
1t not been for the telltale fire-a tiny,
cracking blaze no larger than a mans
hat. 1t betrayed them. The dancing
craft upon which their eyes were
fixed whipped about, almost leaping
from the water at one stroke, then
came toward them, now nothing but a
narrow thing, half again the width Of
a mans body. The current carried It
down abreast Of them, then past, and
Runnion rose, releasing the girl, who
cried out with all her might to the
boatman. He made no sound In reply,
but drove his shoreward with
quicker strokes. 1t was evident he
would effect his landing near the lower
end Of the spit, for now he was with
In hearing distance and driving closer
every instant.
Necia heard the gambler call:
"Sheer Of, Doret! You can't land
here!'