The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-03-20


painting, disheveled, her eyes wide and
| filed with horror She scrubbed heI
| lips with the back Of her hand, as if
to erase his mark, while he reached
into the canoe and brought forth an
az, 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 flee
and sought for means of escape, but
| they were well out upon the bar that
stretched distance Of 800 feet to the
wooded bank On one side Of the mar
row spit was the scarcely moving,
half stagnant water of tiny bay or
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 shingle 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 be
overlook her.
$50! You lied to me! Well, Pm
through with this foolishness. 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 be glad Of the chance to marry
me-"
''Let me go!' she painted. 'I'll mar
~ 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 / 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 lot of money, or
will have, and once you're Mrs Run
MON nobody IL ever know about this
or think Of you as 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, man in 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
held unwaveringly' to the swiftest
channel, his body rising and falling in
the smooth. unending rhythm of a
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 hurriedly.
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-
manned that this man, whoever he
was, would pass by, for his speed was
great, the river 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 was
naked to the waist. By now he was
drawing opposite them with the speed
Of 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 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
NdmC SoWdIu uOW lOlLIIIS Uut q
narrow thing, half again the width Of
a mans body. The current carried 1t
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 canoe 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 CALI
"Sheer of, Doret! You can't land
herev'
She saw a gun in Runnion's hand,
and a terrible. sickening fear swept
over her, for he was slowly walking
down the spit, keeping abreast Of the
canoe as 1t drifted.
"Keep away or I'll fire." threatened
Runnion again, and she screamed:
Don't try it, Poleon! He'll kill your
At her words Runnion raised his
weapon and fired. She heard the
woods behind reyerberate with the