Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-10-01

ting 10 hurt Fyfe's lumber business by
by undeihand means. Her baby dies
by an accident.
Stella determines to leave Fyfe and
support herself by singing. Fyfe
agrees and Stella secures a position
in Seattle theater.
Stella secs Monahan suDping with
I a woman IN Seattle. Her last illu
sion vanishes She debates whether
she should not return to Fyfe, but de
cidosN against it.
Poor kid,r he breafhe,I. It's been
tough on her. Wen, l guess it's been
tough on everybody. He turned out to
be some bad actor, this Monohan party.
/ never did like the beggar. He was a
little too high handed in his smooth
kid glove way. But didn't suppose
he'd try to burn M million dollars
worth of timber to satisfy a grudge
Well, he put his foot in it proper at
last. Hc'll get good long jolt in the
J pen il the boys don't beat the consta
/ hles to him and take him to pieces.
He did start the fire. thcn?" Stella
lluttnrcd.
Il guess So" Benton replied. AT
any rate. he kept it going. Did it by
his lonesome too. Jack suspected that
We were watching for him as well as
fighting fire. He'd come down from the
head Of the lake in that speed boat Of
his, and this time daylight caught Kim
before he could got back to where he
had her cachel after starting a string
OF little fires in the edge OF my north
limit. He had it In for me. too you
know; l battcd him over the head with
pike pole here at the wharf one day
this spring. so lie plunked me as soon
as | hollercd at him. l wish he'd done
1t earlier III the game. We might have
saved a lot of good timber AS 1t was,
we couldn't do much Every time the
wind changed it would break OLt In a
new p!ace-too often to be accidental.
Hang him.
How is 1t going to end, the nre2"
Stella forced herself to ask. "Will you
ana Jack be able to save any timber?"
III II should rain hard and If in the
meantime the boys keep 1t from jump
ing the fire trails we've cut I'll get by
with most Of mine" he said But
Jacks done for. He won't have any.
thing but his donkeys and gear and
part of cedar limit on the Tyec which
isn't paid for. He had practically
everything tied up in that big block of
timber around the point. Monohan
made him spend money like water to
hold his own. Jacks broke"
Stella's head dropped. Benton reach
ed out an AK calloused hand, all grimy
and Drowned from the stress Of fire
fighting, and covered her soft fingers
that rested on his bed
"It's n pity everything's gone to pot
like that, Stell," he said softly. 1--WE
grown a lot wiser in human ways the
last two years. You taught me lot,
and Jack a lot, and Linda the rest. II
seems a blamed shame you and Jack
came to n fork IN the road. Oh. he
never chirped. I've Just guessed it the
last few weeks. / owe him lot that
he'll never let me pay back In anything
but good will. / hate to see him get
the worst Of It from every direction.
He grins and doesn't say anything. But
l know It hurts There can't be any
thing much wrong between you two.
Why don't you forget your petty lar
ceny troubles aud start all over agaln?"
Il can't" she whispered. 1T wouldn't
work. There's too many scars, too
much that's hard to forget
well, you know about that better
than l do" Benton said thoughtfully
1T al depends on how you feel"
The poignant truth Of that struck
miseraby home to her. It was not q
matter of reason or logic, Of her making
any sacrifice for her consclence's sake
It depended solely upon the existence
Of an emotion she could not definitely
invoke. She was torn by 50 many emo
lions, not one Of which she could DO
sure was the vital, the necessary one
Her heart did not cry out for Jack
Tyfe except In plying tenderness, as
she used to feel for Jack junior when