The Irish standard., 1911-09-30
Copyright. 1912, b The Century Co.

q practised mountaineer would have
made.
Furthermore they had no reason
either Of them-for anticipating an at
tack upon the pilot house while Philip
was gone. They had been living here,
now for weeks, in unbroken security.
80, though the girl obeyed Philips in
junction literally and scrupulously,
she did It without the slightest sense
OF personal danger, and indeed she
would hardly have had room for such
an emotion even If there had been
much more reasonable ground for it.
She was sitting beside the oil stove,
IN ono of the farther corners Of the
room. The chimney hole was in the
corresponding corner. The revolver
lay on the table In the middle of the
room, q few PAGES behind her. The
pilot house door was directly in line
with 1t, and almost exactly behind her
back. The door was hinged to swing
inward.
When It burst open she attributed
the fact to no other agency than the
wind. She laid down the red-bound
book upon the bench beside her and
rose. rather deliberately, before she
turned round.
As she did so Roscoe sprang for.
ward to the table and seized the re-
volver. Her failure to turn imme-
d1ately had given him the second he
needed to take in the strategic posi-
bilities Of the room.
his ride was a clumsy weapon in
close quarters. So, as he sprang for
ward, he dropped 1t and made for the
revolver Instead. It only needed a
glanoe at the girl to convince him
that she was unarmed. Quite deliber.
ately he broke open the breech of the
revolver and satisfied himself that it
was loaded. Then he looked up again,
blinking at the girl.
It was no wonder that Carlson and
Rose had mistaken her for the ghost
Of the man their leader murdered. She
looked like her father as a woman
may resemble . man, and her white.
mess, her fineness, her delicacy all in
creased rather than diminished the
credibility Of the idea that she was in
fact his spirit.
The hand which held the revolver
dropped nervously at his side. He
swallowed hard, and wrung his cruel
lips with his other great hand. 1t was
then that the girl looked up into his
face. It was then she uttered her
first cry.
For she saw that he did not mean
to kill her.
Suddenly Jeanne's eyes detached
themselves from his face. A look of
sudden alarm came into them, and
she raised her hand to her throat, as
though she were choking. She was
looking past Roscoe, and straight
down the snow tunnel.
"Philip!" she cried, take care; he's
here"
The snow tunnel was empty, and
Tor aught she knew, her lovers body
might be lying mangled in the mon
ster's cave. She had thought Of that
before she tried the trick. But, even If
that were SO, that cry of hers might
lead the monster to steal one uneasy
glance at the door behind him; and
even that would give her time enough.
If he had not killed Philip, but sim
ply eluded him, he would turn in
stantly.
That was what he did. He sprang
round with suddenness which be.
spoke perfectly genuine, common
sense alarm. And then he found him
self in darkness.
He understood at once that he had
been tricked. Without wasting the time
to turn back and look at Jeanne, he
sprang toward the pilot house door.
He thought she meant to attempt to
rush by him. gain the snow-tunnel and
throw herself over the crest of the
den loathing he had seen in her eyes
when they met his face.
In the open doorway he wheeled
round. triumphantly. She had not
got ahead Of him that time. He laugh
ed aloud into the darkness, and then
spoke to her. with a vile, jocular ia
miliarity.
But he got no answer, in words or
otherwise. There was no outcry, no
stided sobbing. Nothing at all but
Sigh and whine of the wind.
He moved forward, cropping in the
dark, but stopped when he felt the
pressure Of the table across his thighs.
He could do nothing without a light.
He would re-light the candle, first Of
all, and then he would find her.
He took bit of flint, a nail and q
rope Of tow from his pocket He
struck spark. but it failed to kindle
the tow.
1t was at that instant that Philip
alighted.
Philip sprang clear Of his planes,
left them as they were there at the
tunnel mouth, and walked steadily up
toward the pilot house door.
Roscoe, on hearing his voice the
hrst time. had dropped the arti-
Giles which spsunabered his hands and