Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-23
course OF action

former attempt to win away his wife,
how much OF what he knew he had |
told Enid Maitland, Armstrong could |
not surmise. Putting himself into
Newbold's place and imagining that
the engineer had possessed entire in
formation, he decided that he must
have told everything to Enid Matt
land as soon as he had found out the
1uasi relation between her and Arm
strong. And Armstrong did not believe
he woman he loved could be in any
oody's presence a month without tell
ng something about him. Still, II was
possible that Newbold knew nothing,
and that he told nothing therefore
The situation was paralyzing to q
nan OF Armstrong; decided, determin-
I'd temperament. He could not decide
1pon the line Of conduct he should
pursue. His course in. this, the most
critical emergency he had ever faced,
must be determined by circumstances
If which he felt with savage resent
nent he was in some measure the
sport. He would have to leave to
chance what ought to be subject to his
will. OF only one thing he was sure
/ ne would stop at nothing, murder, ~
ng; nothing, to win the woman, and
% settle his score with that man
There was really only one thing he
>ould do, and that was to press on
up the canon. He had no idea how
FAR 1t might be or how long journey
ne would have to make before he
reached that shelf on the high hill
j, where stood that hut In which she
1welt. AS the crow flies, 1t could not
De a great distance, but the canon
Sigzagged through the mountains with
as many curves and angles as a light
ming fash. He plodded on, therefore,
with furious haste, recklessly speed
ing over places where a misstep in
the snow or slip on the icy rocks
would have meant death or disaster to
him.
He had gone about an hour, and had
perhaps made four miles from the
camp when the storm burst upon him.
It was now broad day, but the sky was
allied with clouds and the air with
driving snow. The wind whistled down
J he canon with terrific force. 1t was with
, difficulty that he made any Roadway at
all against IT. It was local storm;
, 4 he could have looked through the
snow he would have discovered calm
ness on the top of the peaks. It was
J one OF those sudden squalls of wind
, and snow which rage with terrific
force while they last, but whose rage
was limited, and whose violent dura-
} ton would be short
: A less determined man than he
3 would have bowed to the inevitable
and sought some shelter behind a
rock until the fury of the tempest
! was spent, but there was no storm
that blew that could stop this man
D so long as he had strength to drive
+ against it. So he bent his head to the
! fierce blast and struggled on. There
q was something titanic and magnificent
e about this iron determination and per
T sistence Of Armstrong. The two most
powerful passions which move human
/ lty were at his service; love led him
e and hate drove him. And the two
were so intermingled that It was diff
L ncult to say which predominated, nov
e one and now the other. The resultant
e Of the two forces, however, was an
r onward move that would not be de
9 nied.
> His fur coat was soon covered witt
snow and ice. the sharp needles Of the
storm cut his face wherever IT was ex
= posed. The wind forced its way
: through his garments and chilled him
to the bone. He had eaten nothing
since the night before, and his vital
ity was not at its food, but he pressed
on. and there was something CRANE
in his indomitable progress. Excel
, sior,
Back in the hut Kirkby and MAITLAND
: sat around the fire waiting most impa
Identity for the wind to blow itself GU
. and for that snow to stop falling
: through which Armstrong struggle
: forward. AS he followed the winding
Of the canon. not daring to ascend {
the summit on either wall and see
short cuts across the range, he wa
sensible that he was constantly rising
= There were many indications to hi
experienced mind; the decrease In tn
height Of the surrounding pines, th
s increasing rarity of the icy air. In
= growing dificulty in breathing unde
: the sustained exertion he was making
!. the quick throbbing OF his accelerate
y heart. all told him he was approachin
!. bis journeys end
= He judged that he must now b
drawing near the source of the streau
and that he would presently com
upon the shelter. He had no means {
ascertaining the time. He would ne
: have dared to unbutton his coat (
glance at his watch, and II Is dificu
to measure the flying minutes in sue
scenes as those through which he pas
: ed, but he thought he must have gor
: at least seven miles in perhaps tire
= hourr, which he fancied had elapses
= his progress in the last two hayin
been frightfully SLOW Every foot
advance he had had to fight for.
= Suddenly q quick turn in the canc,
= passage through q narrow entranc
" between lofty ellis. and he found hin
y self In pocket or a circular amph
y theater which be could see was close
= on the farther side. The bottom of til
4 enclosure or valley was covered Wit
A pines, now dropping under tremendos
~ - l.