The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-12-23
CHAPTER XVIII Continued.)


Iinner-hour before he could mus'ea ~
the courage to cross the lawns % Des1
Trace. NO word had passed between
him and Ardea since the september AZ
ternoon when he had overtaken her :
the church door-counting az nothing
tho effort she had make TO speak 20
him ON the night Of vengeance.
She was sirring at the piano IN tne
otherwise deserted MUSHROOM Wneh
he entered: and she broke choro IN
the middle to give him both or ner
hands. and to say. with eyes sninlnS'
az IL the rescue were thing OF yes
terday:
It was fine!" ~,
Hold on" he said. bit unsteadiiy.
There must be no more mlsunder-
standings. What happened that nisn.
three weeks ago, had to happen; and
1--WE minutes before 1t happened was
wondering il l could aim sCaisnt
enough in the light from the slas-pot
to hi. him. And l fully meant 70 90
it."
IL was afraid" she faltered. l
knew. you know-Japheth had told me,
INN justice to you. That was why !
ran across the lawn and called to you.
Looking it all over. don't see that
there is much to choose between m7
and the men I've been hunting down.
They went after the things they need-
led. without much conjunction Tor otn-
er people; and so did /. On the night
Of the-on the night when you called
to me and l wouldn't answer, l was
going down to rub it in; to tell them
they were In the hole and that l had
put them there. l met man at the
gate who told me what Japheth told
you. It made a demon Of me, Ardea-
I took the mans gun and followed
Vincent around the yard. / meant to
kill him."
1.-The provocation was very great"
she said, evenly. why didn't you 10
1t, Tom?"
Nov you've cornered me: don't
know why didn't. had only to walk
away and let him alone when the time
came. The slag-spilling would have
settled him. But couldn't do It."
"Of course you couldn't" she agreed.
convincingly. God wouldn't let YOU"
He let's other men commit murder;
one q day, or such a matter"
mot one Of those who have named
His name, Tomas you have"
'Now that It's all over. the taste Of
It Is like sawdust in the mouth: I'll
admit that much. I'm free; free among
the dead. like the slain that lie In the
grave as David put 1t when he had
sounded all the depths. Is that being
sorry"
"No-I don't know" she confessed.
you think I ought to go back to
flrst principles: get down on my knees
and agonize over it? Sometimes l
wish l could be boy long enough to
do just that thing. Ardea. But can't.
The mill won't grind with the water
that has passed"
but the stream isn't dry" she as
serted, taking up his figure. What
will you do now? That Is the ques
ton: the only one that is ever worth
asking"
"They took to the woods. the waste
places, the deserts-those men Of old
who didn't understand. Some Of them
went blind and crazy and died there;
and some Of them had their eyes open
ed and came back to make the world a
little better for their having liven in
It I'm minded to try it"
"You are going away?"
Eyes; out to the beyond In Northern
Arizona. There Is a new iron field out
there to be prospected. and Mr. Clark
son wants me to go and report on It,
And that brings us back to business.
May I talk business-cold money bust
.ness-to you for minute or two?"
IF you like" she permitted. "Only
I think the other kind of talk is more
profitable"
"A curious thing has come to pass
quite q miraculous thing. in fact. CHA
wassee will pay the better part Of its
debts and-and redeem its stock; or
some of 1t, at least" He rose and
stood beside her. isn't 1t thousand
pities that Colonel Duxbury couldn't
have held on to his shares just little
longer?"
Eyes; he il an old man and broken
one, now" There was sob In her
voice, or he thought there was But 1t
was only the great heart Of compa3-
sion that missed no object Of pity.
True; but the next best thing IL 10
have the young woman who marries
into the family bring It back with her.
don't you think? Here Is check for
what Mr.. Farley's stock would havs
sold for before the troubles began. It's
made payable to you because-well. for.
obvious reasons: as / have said, he lost
out"
! .You are still the headlong. impulsive
boy, aren't your" she said. not alto
gether approvingly. You are paying