The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-12-19

holding her head and shoulders in the
crook of his left arm, he wet his right
hand and bathed her face, crouching
over her, half nude, dripping with the
sweat of his great labors, a tender,
p%alpitating figure of bronzed muscle
and sinew, with all his fury and hate
replaced by apprehension and pity.
The short moments that he worked
with her were ages to him, but she re-
vived beneath his m~inistrations, and
her first frightened look of conscious.
ness vas changed to a melting smile.
"W-what happened. rolcan" she
said. II was afraid"
He stood up to his full height, shak-
ing and weak as the water that drip.
ped from him, the vc~y bones in him
dissolved. For the FIRST time he ut
tered words, "T'ank God, ba gosh!"
and ran his hand up over his wet face.
where is hep She started to her
knees affrightedly; then, seeing the
twisted, sprawling figure beyond, be-
gan to shudder. "He-he's dead?'
81 don't know" said Poleon careless
". you feel it purity good now, eh,
w'at?"
"Yes-I-he struck me!s The remem-
brance of what had occurred surged
owe her, and she buried her face in
her hands. "Oh, Poleon, Poleon! He
was a dreadful man."
"He dom trouble you no more"
"He tried-he- Ughi I-I'm glad
you did It'll" She broke down, trem-
bling at her escape, until her selfish
ness smote her, and she was up and
beside him on the instant. Are you
hurt? Oh, l never thought of that!
You must be wounded"
The Frenchman felt himself over and
looked down at his limbs for the first
time. "No; l guess not" he said, at
which Necia noticed his meager attire,
and simultaneously he became con-
scious of it. He fell away a pace, cast
ing his eyes over the river for his
canoe, which was now a speck in the
distance.
"Ba gosh! I'm hi. of a ting for
lookin' at" he said. "I'm paddle hard;
dat's wy. Sacre, how 1 sweat" He
hitched %nervously at the band of his
overalls, while Necia answered:
"That's all right, Poleon." Then,
without warning, her face froze with
mingled repulsion and wonder. "Look,
look!' she whispered, pointing past
him.
Runnion was moving slowly, crawl
Ing painfully into a sitting posture, up
lifting a terribly mutilated face, dazed
and half conscious, cropping for posses
sion of his wits. He saw them and
grimaced frightfully, covering and
cringing.
Poleon felt the girls hand upon his
arm and heard her crying in a hard,
sharp voice:
"He needs killing! Put him awayW
He stared down at his gentle Necia
and saw the loathing in her face and
the look of strange ferocity as she
met his eyes boldly.
"You don't know what he-what he
did," she said through her shut teeth.
"He''- But the man waited to hear
no more.
Runnion saw him coming and scram-
bled frantically to all tours, then got
On his feet and staggered down the
bar. AS Poleon overlook him he cried
out piteously, a shrill scream of terror,
and, falling to his knees, groveled and
debased himself like a foul cripple at
fear Of the lash. His agony dispelled
the savage faint of Alluna's aboriginal
training in Necia, and the pure white
blood of her ancestors cried out:
"Poleon, Poleon-not that!" She hur-
lied after him to where he paused above
the wretch waiting for her. "You
mustn't!!' she said. "That would be
murder, and-and-it's all over now"
The Frenchman looked at her won
deringly, not comprehending this sud
den %leniency.
"Let him alone. You've nearly kill
ed him. That's enough" Whereat
Runnion, broken in body and spirit,
began to beg for his life.
"W'at's dat you say JUS now?" Do
ret asked the girl. "Was dat de truth
for sure wat you speak?"
Yes, but you've done your work.
Don't touch him again."
He hesitated, and Runnion, quick to
observe it, added his entreaty to hers.
"Tm beaten, Doret. You broke me
to pieces. l need help-I-I'm hurt"
"W'at you spec I do wit imp the
Canadian asked, and she answered:
II suppose we'll have to take him
where he can get assistance"
: dat skiff ain carry all tree of u.s."
"I1l stay here" groaned the fright
ened man. "Ill wait for a steamer to
pick me up, but for Gods sake don't
touch me again!"
Poleon looked him owe carefully and
made up his mind that the man was
more injured in spirit than in body,
for outside Of his battered muscles he
showed no fatal symptoms. Although
the voyageur was slower to anger than
a child, n grudge never died in him,
and his simple, self taught creed knew
no forgiveness for such men as Run
MON, cherished no mercy for preying
men or beasts. He glanced toward the
wooded shores a stones throw above,