The Detroit times., 1912-07-22
cHAPT v.
lContlnuedi.

% tell himself that ne was TOOL,
Ind that he was deliberately throw
ng away what munificent fortune
lad placed In his hands. Mac
aregor's announcement that he was
IN line for. promotion In the near
,uture aid not stir him as II would
have done a few weeks before. In
lis little barracks room he laughed
Ironically as he recalled Mac
4regor's words, Were going 10
make a corporal or sergeant OF
Isou-" He-Philip Steele-million-
hire, club man, son of a western
king OF finance--a corporal or a SER
'reant! For the first time the
thought amused him. and then IT
naddened him. He had played the
bart of an idiot. and all because
there had been born within him a
love OF adventure and the big, free
life Of the open. No wonder some
f his old club friends regarded him
BIS a scapegrace and a ne'er-do-well
He had thrown away position. pow
er, friends and home as carelessly
hs he might have tossed away the
end OF cigar. And all-for this!
He looked about his cramped quar-
kers, half sneer on his lips He
had tied himself to this! To his ears
.lhere came family the thunder of
.galloping hoofs. Sergeant Moody
was training HIS rockies Ia ride. The
tmeer left his lips. and was replaced
10y a quick, alert smile as he heard a
rattle OF revolver shots and the
cheering OF voices. After all. il was
ilot 30 bad. 1t was service that
made men. and he thought of the
English remittance-man, whose
,ather was a lord OF something-or-
other, and who was learning TO ride
md shoot out there with red-headed,
.aucous-voiced Moody There be-
gan to stir in him again the old de-
4 tide for action, and he was glad
J when word was sent TO him that In
] pector MacGregor wished 10 see him
4 n his office.
I The big inspector was pacing back
j md forth when Philip came in.
"Sit down. Steele. sit down." he
aid. Take II easy, mainland have
/ cigar"
II MacGregor had suddenly gone
nto At Philip could not have been
more surprised than at these words,
rs he stood with his cap in his hand
before the desk of the fiery-mus-
.ached inspector. who was passing
his box OF choice Havanas. There
ire tightly drawn lines of dlstinc-
ion In the Royal Mounted. AS
Philip had once heard the commits
,ioner say, Every man In the SER
vice Is O king-but there are diff
'erent degrees OF kings" and for a
barracks man to be asked to sit in
the inspectors Office and smoke was
sense tional breach of the usual
code. But as he had distinctly heard
the invitation to sit, and to smoke,
Philip proceeded to do both. and
waited In silence for the next mine
TO explode under his feet And there
was q certain ease In his manner OF
doing these things which would
have assured most men that he was
not unaccustomed TO sitting in the
presence Of greatness
The inspector seemed TO notice
this. For a moment he stood square
ly In front Of Steele. his hands
showed deep into his pockets. a twin
kle In the cold, almost colorless eyes
which rockies dreaded even more
taches Then he laughed, a rum
bling, chuckling, companionable
laugh. such as finds It's vent In the
fellowship Of equals. but which Is
seldom INDUCED in by a superior
before an inferior In the r. n. w.
M. Police.
Mighty good cigars, eh, Steele?"
he asked, turning slowly toward the
window. 1.-THE commissioner sent
'em up to me from Regina Nothing
like a good cigar on a dreary day
like this. Whew. listen 10 the wind
straight from Medicine Hat"
For a few moments he looked out
upon the cherries drab roofs of the
barracks, with their wisps OF pale
smoke swirling upward into the
leaden sky; counted the dozen
gnarled and scrubby trees, as had
become a habit with him; rested his
eyes upon the black and shriveled
remnants Of summer fiower-beds
thrusting their frost-shrunken stalks
through the snow, and then, almost
as IL he were speaking to himself,
he said, Steele, are you beauty
proof"
was ~ bdubCi III hAo VIM
II was low, so low that II had I'm II
the ring OF something more than
mere desire for answer, and when
the inspector turned, Philip observed
a thing that he had never seen be-
fore-a flush in MacGregor's face.
His pale eyes cleaned. His voice
was filled with an intense earnest
ness as he repeated the question. II
want to know, Steele. Are you
beauty-proof?"
In spite OF himself Philip felt the
fire rising In his own face. In that
moment the inspector could have hit
on no words that would have thrilled
him more deeply than those which
he had spoken. Beauty-proof! Did
MacGregor know? Was II possible
He took step forward. words
came to his lips, but he caught him
self before he had given voice to
them.
Beauty proof!
He laughed, softly, as the Inspector
had laughed few moments before
But there was a strange tenseness In
his face-something which MacGreg-
or saw, but could not understand.
'Beauty-proof?" He repeated the
words, looking keenly at the other
Yes, think | am, sir"
you think you are?"
81 am quite sure that | am, Inspect