The evening world., 1915-03-16

the most beautiful thing he had ever
laid eyes on. Her promise had not
prevented him from making Ridge
way swear he would give up ali claim
to Lastluck, and would never dare
to so there: Atherton. meant to have
the gold there as an extra and not as
any payment from Ridgeway. And
Atherton himself was coming out In
December; II was no matter how
Ridgeway knew. but he did know.
That, and nothing else. had been
the reason of his fevered haste, his
incessant driving of Hazard; II he
struck gold before i.therton got there
he would be practically out OF his
power; he could face the man with
good gold to back him. But without
IL as December drcw near Ridgeway's
nerve broke. till. as Olsen said. he was
always looking behind him. and made
him blurt out the whole ugly story to
his daughter. He could never face
Atherton and his sneering threats OF
exposure; he must get away some-
where and hide. before Atherton
found him here with his broken
promise and his delusion OF a mine,
and demanded the blackmail he could
never pay out Of the gold that was
not in the country.
He had left Hazard to face tho win
ter without any thoughts ut all; left
Sophy--and standing alone In the bit
ing afternoon the girls check turned
scarlet with the shame OF ito hold
Atherton at Lastluck, where there was
no gold. TIL Ridgeway got safely away.
left her to manage Athcrton. Just as
IL she had made good business or
1t before.
There was no need to manage him
now, she had the gold to pay him or
instead, and yet there was sick ter
ror in the girls heart. She had found
out long ago that she could not al
ways believe her father: he had said
the maps were his. but Atherton had
implied something else. something
that made him look magnanimous
enough when he gave them back to
the girl he said he loved. II might be
true that they had been his In the
first place. and then. whose was the
mine?
Sophy was too ignorant to know.
She did know. though. that Atherton
had always bent her to his Will. and
something In her shrank from the
very thought OF tho man, now that she
knew Paul Hazard. She spoke the
truth to herself deliberately; she had
been q young fool when she had tried
to manage Atherton; she had been
happier alone In the wilderness with
Hazard than she had ever been In her
life. She felt suddenly that 1t would
kill her to have Hazard know Ather-
ton had ever kissed her. ever had the
right to lay finger on her. And he
would know If what RidSeway said
were true. and Athcrton meant to
come to Lastluck.
~ don't believe he will" she
thought painfully. and all the same
was not so sure. IL ne did como her
father might be safe and she GER
tainly need marry no one to save him,
but she had n shrcwd idea her life
would be In ruins all the same. Even
II she could trust herself to repulse
Atherton 1t would not make him hold
his tongue about her. and she was not
sure she could 30 trust herself. The
man had always had an uncanny
power over her. could sway her with
a look when she was with him.
But whatever happened 1t was no
good to stand here and borrow trou-
BILE about II. She would not think any
more till she was forced to. The girl
Strengthened herself suddenly as II she
threw n burden from her and looked
down on the staked claim below her.
From the hollow came tho muffled
sound that meant Olsen and his gang
We're timbering underground, and
from close by the crack of axes where
Kelly's lot were rough hewing props.
Hazard was here. there. and every
where, with no time even to look up
at the girl who stood above him: and
she turned away with an unreason-
ing pang.
The last thing sho wanted him to
do was to neglect work for her, yet
she was deadly. deadly lonely to-day.
A worse shiver than usual warned