The Washington herald., 1912-07-14

frightened nor did he regret what h
had done. He turned out the light
!, sat down, coolly filled his pipe, an,
!, began turning the affair over, detail b,
detail, in his mind. He had, at least
followed Inspector MacGregor's in
junction-he had followed his con
science Hodges had got what he de
served, and he had saved man and ;
woman
But in spite of his first argument, h,
knew that MacGregor had not foreseer
tragedy of this sort, and that, in tn,
eyes OF the law, he was guilty of active
ly assisting in the flight of two peopl,
who could not possibly escape the pen
atty of justice-if caught Bur they
would not be caught. He assured him.
self of that, smiling grimly in the dark
ness. No one at Wekusko could ex.
plain what had happened He wa:
positive that the guard had not recog-
nized him, and that he would think one
of Thorpe's frineds had effected the res
cue. And MacGregor-
Philip chuckled as he thought of the
condemning evidence in his possession
the strange orders which would mean
dismissal for the inspector, and perhaps
greater punishment, if he divulged
I them He would be safe in telling Mac
Gregor something of what had occurred
in the little cabin. And then. as he sat
in this grim atmosphere of death, a
thought came to him of Msieur ia
nette's skull, of Bucky Nome, and oi
the beautiful young wife at Lac Balm.
If Mrs. Becker could know of this, too
if Bucky Nome. buried somewhere
| deep in the northern wilderness, could
only see Hodges as he lay there, dead
on the cabin hoorl To the one it would
be still greater punishment, to the 9TH
er warning. And yet, even as he
thought of the colonels wife and of
her Irritation with Nome, a vision of
her face came to him again, filled with
the marvellous sweetness, the purity,
and the love which had enthralled him
beside the camp fire. In these mo-
ments it was almost impossible for him
TO convince himself that she had for
gotten her dignity as a wife even for
an hour. Could he have been mistaken?
Had he looked at her with eyes heat
ed by his own love, fired by jealousyl
If she had smiled upon him instead of
upon Bucky Nome. if her cheeks had
flushed at his words, would he have
thought that she had done wrong? As
if in answer to his own question, he saw
again the white, tense face Of the COL
onel. her husband, and he laughed
harshly.
For several hours Philip remained in
the shelter OF Hodges Office. With
early dawn he stole out into the forest,
and a little later made his appearance
in camp, saying that he had spent the
night at lie Pas. Not until an hour
later was il discovered that Hodges
had been killed, the guard made prIS-
oner, and that Thorpe and his wife were
gone. Philip at once took charge OF al
fairs and put a strain on his protes-
sional knowledge by declaring that
Thorpe had undoubtedly fed into the
North. Early in the afternoon he
started in pursuit.
A dozen miles north of the Wekusko
camp he swung at right angles TO the
west. Travelled fifteen miles, then cut
straight course south. 1t was three
DAYS later before he showed up at lie
Pas, and learned that no one had seen
or heard OF Thorpe and his wife. Two
days later he walked into MacGregor's
office The inspector fairly leaped from
his chair TO greet him.
You got them, Steele" he cried.
You got them after the mur-the kill
ing OF Hodges:"
Philip handed him a crumpled bit
of paper.
sir" he replied quietly. Il followed
them to the letter
MacGregor read, and his face turned |
as white as the paper he held. Good |
Cod he gasped.
He reeled rather than walked back to |
his desk. dropped into chair and bur-
led his face in his arms, his shoulders |
shaking like those of sobbing boy. |
1t was long time before he looked up,
and during these minutes Philip, with
his head bowed low to the other, told |
him OF all that had happened in the lit
tie room at Wekusko. But he did not
say that it was he who had surprised
the guard and released Thorpe and his
wife.
At last MacGregor raised his head.
Philip" he said. taking the young
mans hand in both his own, since
she was little girl and l big, strap
ping playmate of nineteen, have loved
her. She is the only girl-thc only
have ever loved You un-
ierstand? l am almost old enough to
,e her father. She was never intended
;or me. But things like this happen
sometimes, and when she came to plead
With me the other day almost yielded.
That is why | chose you, warned
rou-"
He stopped. and a sob rose in his
,reast.
And at last you did yield" said
Philip.
The inspector gazed at him for mo-
nent in silence. Then he said: 1T was
en- years ago, on her seventeenth birth
lay, that l made her present of lit (
le silver-bound autograph book, and on
he first page of that book | wrote the
words which saved her husband-and
Ter. Do you understand now, Philip ,
t was her last card, and she played it
veil"
He smiled family, and then said, as :
10 no one but himself, God bless
erw I
He looked down on the big, tawny /
cad that was bowed again upon the I
esk, and placed his hands on the 9TH 9
rs shoulders.
God bless her" echoed Philip.
you are not alone in your sorrows, f
elk MacGregor," he said softly. you S
sked me if | was beauty-proof. Yes,
am. And it is because of something v
ke this, because of a woman that is not
line, and never can be mine, because h
love which ever burns and must Il
ever be known-it * because of this h