The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-17

| to wait and watch from this mountain
| top until MeIeese drives out her dogs.
| She has her own team and in ordinary
| seasons frequently goes out alone or
with one of the women at the post.
| Mon Dieu, she has had enough of
sledge riding of late, and l doubt If
| she will find pleasure in her dogs for
| long time
Il had planned to use you." said
Rowland, 'but I've lost faith in you.
| Honestly, Croisset believe you would
stick me in the back almost as quickly
as those murderers down there"
Not in the back, m'seur," smiled
| the Frenchman, unmoved 81 have
had opportunities to do that. Non,
since that fight back there 1 do not
believe that l want to kill you"
.'But would be fool to trust you.
Isn't that so?"
| "Not if 1 gave you my word. That
| is something we do not break up here
as you do down among the Wekusko
people, and farther south"
But you murder people for pastime
-eh, my dear Jean?'
Crossiet shrugged his shoulders with
out speaking.
"See here, Croisset," said Rowland
| with sudden earnestness, I'm almost
tempted to take a chance with you.
| Will you go down to the post tonight,
| in some way gain access to Meleese
and give her a message from me?"
And the message-what would it
| beT'
cit would bring Meleese up to this
cabin-tonight"
Are you sure, m'seur?'
81 am certain that it would Will
you go?'
mon, m'seur."
"The devil take your cried How
| land angrily. eff I was not certain
that / would need you later I'd gar
rote you where yau Sit
| He rose and went to the old stove.
It was still capable Of holding fire.
and as it had grown too dark outside
for the smoke to be observed from the
post he proceeded to prepare supper
] of hot coffee and meat. Jean watched
him in silence, and not until food and
drink were on the table did the engi-
| uSeT uluSeh uT0dh SlIoIC0.
"Of course I'm not going to feed
you" he said CURLY, $50 I'll have to
free your hands. But be careful
| He placed his revolver on the table
beside him after he had freed Crois-
set.
81 might assassinate you with
fork" chuckled the Frenchman softly,
F, his black eyes laughing over his cof
fee cup. II drink your health, m'seur,
and wish you happiness"
"You He!" snapped Rowland.
Jean lowered the cup without drink
| ing,
Its the, truth, m'seur,' he insisted.
| ''Since that beautiful fight back there
1 cannot help but wish you happiness.
1 drink also to the happiness of Me-
leese, also to the happiness of those
who tried to kill you on the trail and
at the coyote. But, mon Dieu, how is
it all to come? Those at the post are
happy because they believe that you
are dead. You will not be happy until
they are dead. And Meleese-how
will all this bring happiness to her?
tell you that am as deep in trouble
as you, M'seur Rowland
He drank, his eyes darkening gloom
fly. In that moment there flashed
into Howland's mind a memory of the
battle that Jean had fought for him
on the Great North trail.
"You nearly killed one of. them-that
night-at Prince Albert" he said slow
ly. 81 can't understand why you
fought for me then and won't help me
now. But you did. And you're afraid
to go down there
Until have regrown a beard" in
terrupted Jean with low, chuckling
| laugh. "You would not be the only
one to die If they saw me again like
this. But that is enough, m'seur. I
will say no more"
With another length Of babeesh
Rowland tied his companions legs.
"I'm going to investigate a little" he
explained.
A few minutes later, after he had
made his prisoner as comfortable as
possible in the cabin, Rowland went
again through the fringe of scrub bush
to the edge of the ridge. Below him
the plain was lost in the gloom Of the
night. He could see nothing of the
buildings at the post but two or three
lights cleaning family through the
darkness.
In these moments O desire that was
almost madness swept over him. Since
his fight with Jean the swift passing
of events had confined bis thoughts to
their one objective-the finding Of Me-
leese and her people. He had assured
himself that his every move was to be
a cool and calculating one; that moth
ing-not even his great love-should
urge him beyond that reason which
had made him master builder among
men. AS he stood with the snow fall
Ing heavily on him he knew that his
trail would be covered before another
day; that for an Indefinite period he
might safely wait and watch for Me-
leese on the mountain top. And yet
slowly he descended to the foot of the
ridge and headed into the plain, taking
the precaution to bury his feet deep in
the snow that he might have trail to
guide him back to the cabin. There
would be no harm done, and he might
| get glimpse of the light, of her light.
1t came on his vision with a sudden
! ness that set his heart leaning dog