Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1911-02-17

Arters ceased biting his nails and
rested a long, lean chin in the hollows
VI his hands.
Il could tell you something that
would surprise you" he said. gazing at
me across the table.
stared at him e%xpectantly.
WHAT" l monosyllabled.
Arters gloomed medltatively, but
showed no disposition to answer.
The girl on the cot flung u pltifully
thin arm over her head and moaned
and murmured in her sleep.
We'll, what?' l reiterated sharply.
The long trip that day across the mo-
notonous, never ending white plain
had done little toward improving my
temper.
Arters arose to his great height,
squared his broad shoulders and tip
'tOed around the table.
II am God!' he whispered in my ear.
I saw that I had to do with u mad
man.
This is a strange world" continued
Arters, n ruminHnt note in his voice.
Here we are COZ YOU and /. to this
forsaken country 1lest for a lost
woman explorer and all for a miser-
able pittance doled out to us by a Chi
cago newspaper" He brushed an i'm
patient hand across his eyes. my
memory isn't all that It should be-"
he confessed. II should have remem
bered who l was.-amAand then this
trip would have been Unnecessary"
Arters cast a furtive glance toward
the cot in the dim corner. us she an
angel" he murmured ENORMOUSLY. "or
Ruth Proctor, the girl we came search.
ing for? | can't seem to remember
somehow"
Both" ] answered. and my com
panion vas satisfied.
II seemed years since the Meteor
had assigned us. staff reporters at the
time. to the hazardous task of finding
Ruth Proctor. the intrepid girl ex-
plorer. who had set out two years be-
fore to End the north pole and was
now supposed to be somewhere In the
vicinity Of the ninetieth degree.
The Meteor is not one to stint its
embassies. We. the words of Arters
20 the contrary, fairly reveled in mon.
ey. and the essentials Of the trip were
all forthcoming and were OF the best.
Our boat. the Lost Hope. WINS a marvel
OF technical construction. made for
this very purpose. and for our enter
prislng journal.
Miss Proctor, the young society wo-
man who had forsworn New York
and the callow amusements of her set
20 do something really worth while.
had been conspicuous in the limelight
on the eve OF her departure and for
twelve months thereafter. Now II she
was referred TO at all In the papers
formerly enthusing over her nerve and
daring she vas given no more than a
passing paragraph. Her fame babe
fair 20 be niched with that Of her H.
lustrious predecessor, Andre. the fame
of-failure.
But the Meteor kept an impatient
eye nOrthward. and when the relief
expedition came home without her Ar
tiers and ! were given the word to 60
in search OF the girl.
A'ANp was thN beAJdmhh D. AlAtfh
OF much mad scrambling ON the part
Of ambitious dailies that lusted for his
efneient services. He was a writer
keen Of brain and pen and one OF the
highest salaried fact getters in the
world Of smudge and cheap paper.
No college degree journalist was Ar
tiers. but a reporter.
Smith. the managing editor. had said
60 me. you are TO accompany Ar
ters'-not on account OF my stellar
position on the stan, understand. but
because ! had been one Of the adven-
oorers 10 that first rush to the Yukon
ant knew my north.