The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-10-11

UP around our camp named Me-
|leese?" asked Howland casually.
Never heard of her," said
Gregson.
COR a man named Croisset?"
'Never heard Of him."
"The deuce, but you're inter-
esting," laughed the young en-
gineer, shifting at the odors of
cooking supper. "I'm as hungry
as a bear!"
From outside came the sharp
cracking of sledge-driver's whip
and Gregson went to one of the
windows looking out upon the
clearing. In another instant he
sprang toward the door, crying
out to Rowland.
by the god of love, there she
is, old man! Quick, if you want
to get glimpe of her!"
He flung the door open and
Rowland hurried to his side.
There came another crack of the
whip, loud shout. and a sledge
drawn by six dogs sped past them
into the gathering gloom of the
early night.
From Howland's lips, too, there
fell a sudden cry; for one of the
two faces that were turned to-
ward him for an instant was that
of Croisset, and the other-white
and staring as he had seen it that
first night in Prince Albert-was
the face of the beautiful girl who
had h:red him into the ambush
on the Great North Trail!
CHAPTER v.
Howland's Midnight Visitor.
For a moment after the swift
passing of the sledge it was on
Howland's lips to shout Croisset' S
name; as he thrust Gregson aside
and leaped out into the night he
was impelled with a desire to give
chase, to overtake in some way
the two people who. within the
space of forty-eight hours, had
become so mysteriously associated
with his own life. and who were
now escaping him again.
1t was Gregson who recalled
him to his senses.
81 thought you didn't care fol
theaters-and girls, Howland," he
exclaimed banteringly, repeating
Howland's words of a few min
utes before. "a pretty face af-
fects you a little differently up
here, Ell? Well, after you've been
in this fag-end of the universe for
a month or so you'll learn"
Rowland interrupted him
sharply.
Never until today. But there's
hope, old man. Surely we can
find some one In the place who
knows them. Wouldn't it be jolly
good fun If Jack Rowland, Es-
quire, who has never been inter-
ested in theaters and girls, should
come up into tehse God-forsaken
regions an ddevelop a case of love
at first sight? By the Great North
Trail, l tel you 1t may not he as
embarrassing for you as it has
been for Thorne and me! If
had only seen her sooner"
Shut up!" growIed Rowland,
betraying irritability for the first
time. Lets go in to supper"
Good. And 1 move that we
investigate these people while we
are smoking our after-supper
cigars. 1t will pass our time
away, at least"
your taste is good, Gregson,
said Rowland, recovering his
good humor as they seated them
selves at one of the rough board
tables in the dining room. In
wardly he was convinced it would
be best to keep to himself the IN
cidents of the past two days and
nights. ut was a beautiful face"
And the eyes!" added Greg
son, his own cleaning with en-
thusiasm. "She looked at me
squarely this afternoon when she
and that dark fellow passed, and
l swear they're the most beauti-
full eyes ever saw. And her
hair
DO you think that she knew
you?" asked Rowland quietly.
Gregson launched his shoulders.
How the deuce could she know
me?"
"Then why did she look at you
so 'squarely?' Trying to firt, do
you suppose?"
Surprise shot into Gregson s
face.
by thunder, no, she wasn't
fiirting!" he exclaimed. I'D stake
my life on that. A man never
got claerer, more sinless look
than she gave me. and yet Why,
deuce take it, she stared at me!
l didn't see her again after that,
but the dark fellow was in here
half of the afternoon. and now
that l come to think of it he did
show some interest in me. Why
do you ask?"
Just curiosity" replied How
land. 81 don't like fiirts."
Neither do l." said Gregson
musingly. Their supper came on
and they conversed but little un-
til its end. Rowland had watch
ed his companion closely and was
satisfied that he knew nothing of
Croisset or the girl. The fact
puzzled him more than ever. How
GregsOn and Thorne. two of the.