The Detroit times., 1912-07-27
PHIuPSTEELE
gftaeROYALNORTHwtSTN NOUNTEDPOuCEl
y JAMES OLIVER CURwOOD
AulA0 Of IheDensr Inil. lhetooOrO Of ti~Ek SnwAdc
~ cspyrisA. 1911. TAs Bobb. Merrill Company

jealousy III Sne nhu Slllleu uPSh
him instead of upon Bucky Nome. II
her cheeks had flushed at his words,
would he have thought that she had
done wrong? AS II in answer TO his
own questions, he saw again the
white, tense face of the colonel. her
husband, and he laughed harshly.
Fer several hours Philip remained
in the shelter OF Hodges ofhce. WIN
early dawn he stole out into the Tor
est. and a little later made his AZ
pearance in camp, saying that he
had spent the night at lie Pas. MOI
until an hour later was IL dlseoverea
that Hodges had been killed, the
guard made prisoner, and thaS
Thorpe and his wife we're gone.
Philip at once took charge OF Affairs
and put strain on his professional
knowledge by declaring that Thorpe
mad undoubtedly fled into the nortn'
Early in the afternoon he started III
pursuit.
A dozen miles north of the We
kusko camp he swung at right angles
10 the west travelled 10 miles, then
cut a straight course south IL was
three days later before he snowed up
at lie Pas, and learned that no Ole
had seen or heard OF Thorpe and his
wife. Two days later he walked INTO
MacGregors office. The Inspector
fairly leaped from his chair to greet
him
"You got them, Steele!" he cried,
you got them after the mur-the
| killing OF Hodges"
Philip handed him crumpled bic
of paper.
Those were your latest instruc-
| tions. sir" he replied quietly Il fol-
! lowed them to the letter
MacGregor read and his face
turned AS white as the paper he neld,
Good God" he gasped.
He reeled rather than walked back
70 his desk, dropped into chair and
| buried his face in his arms. his shoe!-
ders shaking like those OF sob5iEg
| boy. II was a long time before he
looked up, and during these minutes
/ Philip, with his head bowed low -
the other, told him of ali that Lad
happened in the little room at We
kusko. But he did not say that i
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 | a big. strap
ping playmate OF 10, | have loved her.
| She is the only girl-the only wom
AM have ever loved. You under
stand? | am almost old enough to
be her father. She was never in
tended for 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 you"
He stopped, and a sob rose In MS
breast
| And at last you did Yield" said
Philip
The Inspector gazed at him for a
moment in silence. Then he said:
III was 10 years ago, on her seven
teenth birthday, that made her a
present of a little silver-bound AUTO
graph book, and on the first page OF
that book ! wrote the words whicl
saved her husband-and her. DO you
understand now. Philip? II was her
last card. and she played it we'll"
He smiled family, and then said.
rs If to no one but himself. Goo
bless her."
t, He looked down on the big, tawry
head that was bowed again upon the
desk and placed his hands on the
others shoulders.
God bless herr" echoed Philip.
You are not alone in your sor-
rows, Felix MacGregor," he said soft
ly You asked me If was beauty
proof Yes, | am. And 1t is because
OF something like this, because OF a
face and a soul that have filled n.y
heart. because of woman that is
not mine. and never can be mine, be-
cause Of love which ever burns. and
must never be known--it Is because
Of this that ! am beauty-proof. God
bless this little woman, MacGregor-
and you-and will never ask where
she has gone"
MacGregor's hand reached out aud
gripped his own in silence. In that
Eand-clasp there was sealed a pact
between them. and Philip returned to
his barracks room to write letter,
in care of his father, to the man and
woman whom he had helped to es-
cape into the south. He spent the
greater part of that day writing Il
was late in the afternoon that Moody
came in with the mail.
(Continued)
job Printing Done Flight, Times