The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-04-04
Continued from our last issue. }


Finally, having somewhat ap-
peased his desire for food. Dan
got up from the stool on which
he sat and moved around the
bench on which Miss Mallabee was
seated.
The cumbersome tote bag inter
fered with his seating himself on
the bench, and Jensen saw Miss
Mallabee arise with a good-natur-
ed laugh and begin to unbuckle
the straps that encircled the
Swede's massive shoulders.
Having released the bag from
his shoulders, Miss Mallabee was
for throwing 1t into corner, but
Dan carefully placed it beneath
his feet, after which the young
woman resumed her seat on the
bench, and they continued their
conversation in low tones.
Jensen's injured arm had been
paining him furiously for some
time but as he continued to lie
quiet. It began to feel easier.
Whether II was the effect of
Peter Saints generous supper or
the heat of the room, he did not
know. but after a few moments
he began to be drowsy and several
times caught himself almost
dropping off into sleep as he lay
there on the bench, musing about
his quest.
| Jensen suddeny opened his
eyes. The cramped position of
his limbs indicated that he must
have dropped off into complete
sleep. Peter Saint was nowhere
in sight; the freight showed
Babe stretched out on her side
in her corner, asleep. Dan and
Miss Mallabee were still seated
on the bench across the room.
Jensen attempted to rise to
sitting position; the exertion
made him faint and giddy. and
furious twinge of pain shot down
his arm. He looked at his hand;
the skin was all blotched with
purple, the hand swollen greatly.
1t came to him that this must be
blood poisoning. The thought
of what this meant to his mission
in the North made him even
more faint and sick.
AS Jensen looked toward Miss
whether to call out or to remain
quiet, he noted that Big Dan was
sitting oddly quiet, his feet still
resting upon the tote bag, but
with his head hanging strange
ly. Jensen thought ne knew
what it meant; Big Dan, his
heavy body made logy by the
tremendous supper had recently
partaken of must be asleep.
Mass Mallabee reached down
and lifted one of Big Dams feet
from the tote bag. Slowly,
gently. the huge foot was lower
ed until it rested upon the floor.
Then the other foot was softly
removed in the same manner,
and Jensen saw her begin to
! drag away the hote bag inch by
inch.
Soon she deemed 1t safe to
move more rapidly, and, grasp
ing the bag with both hands, she
dragged 1t toward the fire.
Crouching there, she drew a
cased hunting knife from her
BOSOM and began to rip away
the canvas covering.
Just what was in the bag Jen-
sen could not see, for Miss Nal
labee merely ran her arm in
where she had ripped open the
canvas and drew out a paper,
glanced at the contents, and then
thrust it into the BOSOM of her
waist. Then she drew from the
bag several irregular discs of flat
white material and held them to-
ward the freight to inspect
them. Even from the distance
where he lay, Jensen could see
that these circles she held in her
hand bore the impressions of
double eagles.
Miss Mallabee drew a gold
coin from her skirt pocket and
matched it gainst one of the
white discs.
In his eagerness to lose no
movement of the young woman,
Jensen attempted to turn his
body. The pain thus caused
must have made him cry out, for,
in his hectic, half-bewildered
condition, he heard his own voice
utter mumbling sound.
III AS the sound of his cry split
the silence of the cabin, Miss
Mallabee tossed the white discs
quickly into the fire. Dan, the
J Swede, lifted his head. With a
bruit-like below, he rushed to-
ward the kneeling woman and
twisted his great fingers about
her throat as he shouted:
You ban treacherous cat,
Kerry Mallabee. Damn you, you
try to make fool of Big DAM"
At sight of the woman being
so cruelty strangled, Jensen was
overcome with blind fury. Call
ing all his tagging energies into
play, he arose to his feet, only
to stagger headlong for a single
step and crumple impotently to
the floor.
Babe, in her corner, snapped
and snarled at the length of her
steel chain. Jensen had not suf-
ficient strength to arise, but he
La N