Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-05


fold.
stop it, Gale! Let me attend to this.
I'll make him telll''
ooh, will your" Knocked the girls faith
err
Where is she?"
None of your damned business" Again
he was seized with a paroxysm that left
him shivering and his lips colorless. The
blankets were soaked and soggy with
blood, and his feet rested in a red pool
ben Stark" said the tortured lover
you're a sick man, and you'll be gone
I'm half an hour at this rate. Won't you do
one decent thing before you dep
Bah! I'm all right"
'Ill get you a doctor IL you'll tell us
where she is. If you don't-I'll-let you
die. For Gods sake, man, speak up!'
The wounded man strove to rise, but
could not, then considered for a moment
before he said:
II sent her away
"Where?'
"Up-river, on that freighter that left
last night She'll go out by Skagway,
and I'll join her later. where 1 can have
her to myself. She's forty miles up-river
VOW. and getting farther every minute
oh, you can't catch herr
The three men stared at one another
blankly.
'why did she go?" said Gale, DULY.
Because 1 told her who she was, and
who you are; because she thinks you kill
ed her mother; because she was glad to
get away"
Now that he was grown too weak to
infict violent pain, the man lied malevo-
lenly. gloating over what he saw In the
traders face.
Never mind, old man, I'll bring her
back" said Burrell, and laid comforting
hand on Gales shoulder, for the fact that
she was safe, the fact of knowing some
thing relieved him immensely; but Stark's
next words plunged him into even black
er horror than the trader felt.
''You won't want her if you catch her.
Runnion will see to that"
'Runnion!"
Eyes, l sent him with her."
The lover cried out in anguish, and hid
his face in his hands.
Hes wanted her for long time, so l
told him to go ahead"
None of them noticed Poleon Doret,
who, upon this unnatural confession, alone
seemed to retain sufficient control to
doubt and to reason. He was thinking
hard, Strengthening out certain facts, and
trying to square this horrible statement
with things he had seen and heard to-
night. All of a sudden he uttered great
cry, and bolted out into the darkness UNI
needed by Gale and Burrell, who stood
dazed and distraught with fear greater
than that which was growing in Stark at
sight of his wounds
The gambler looked down at his in
juries, opened and closed the fingers OF
his hand as If to see whether he still
maintained control of them, then cried
out at the two helpless men:
''Well, are you going OF let me bleed to
death?"
''Why-no, no! Well get Doctor
But Gale touched him on the shoulder
and said:
Hes too weak to get out. Lock him
in, and let him die in the dark"
Stark cursed affrightedly, for 1T Is
terrible thing to bleed to death in the
dark, and in spite of himself the lieuten-
ant wavered.
ST can't do that. promised"
HE told that lie to my girl. He gave
her to that hound" said the trader, but
Burrell showed him through the door.
mo! I can't do that" And then to
the wounded man he said, 'In get doc
tor, but God have mercy on your soul.
He could not trust himselffto talk further
with this creature, nor be near him any
longer, for though he had slight knowl-
edge of surgery, he would sooner have
touched a loathsome serpent than the nesh
of this monstrous man.
He pushed Gale ahead of him, and the
old man went like driven beast, Tor MS
violence had wasted itself, and he was
like a person under the spell Of strong
drug. At the doctors door Burrell
stopped.
'T never thought to ask you," he said,
YEARLY; but you must be hurt? He
must have wounded your"
IT reckon he did, don't know" Then
the mans listless voice throbbed out ach-
ingly, as he cried in despair: "She be-
lieved him, boy! She believed his lies!
That's what hurts" Something like
sub caught in his throat, and he stagger-
ed away under the weight of his great
bereavement.
Continued in Next Issue