Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-17
THE YUKON TRAIL
BY william Macleod Raine

ways found it very pleasant to drop
in for chat with her, and she saw
to it that he met the same friendly
welcome now that Il rival had an
ncXed his scalp to her slender waist.
For Mrs. Mallory did not concede
defeat. If the Irish girl could be
eliminated, she believed she would
yet win.
His hostess looked up at him with
mocking little smile.
'Rumor says that she has run
away. my lord. Is it true?"
Yes. Slipped away on the stage
this morning."
That's a good sign. She was
afraid to stay"
1t was a part of the fiction be-
tween them that Mrs. Mallory was
to give him the benefit of her advice
in his wooing of her rival. She
seemed to take it for granted that
he would at last marry Sheba after
wearing away the rigid Puritanism
of her resentment.
Macdonald had never liked her
so well as now. Her point of view
was so sane, so reasonable. It asked
for no impossible virtues in man.
There was something restful in her
genial. derisive understanding of
him. She had a silent divination of
his moods and ministered indolentIy
to them.
DO you think so? Ought 1 to
follow herr" he asked.
She showed a row of perfect
teeth in a low ripple of amuse-
ment The situation at least was
piquant, even though it was at her
expense.
mo. Give the girl time. Catch
her impulse on the rebound. She'll
be bored to death at Katma and
she will come back docile."
Her scarlet lips, the long un-
broken lines of the sinuous, opuIent
body the challenge of the smolder-
ing eyes. the warmth of her laughter.
all invited him to forget the
charms of other women. The faint
/ feminine perfume of her was waited
to his brain. He felt a besieging of
! the blood.
Stepping behind the chair in
which she sat, he tilted back the
head of lustrOus bronze, and very
deliberately kissed her on the lips
For moment she gave herself
to his embrace, then pushed him
back. rose. and walked across the
room to little table. With fingers
that trembled slightly she lit a
cigarette. Sheathed in her close fit
ting gown she made a strong carnal
appeal to him, but there was be-
tween them, too, a close bond OF
the spirit. He made no apologies
no explanation.
Presently she turned and looked
at him. Only the deeper color be-
meath ner eyes betrayed any excite
ment
Unless I'm a bad prophet you'll
get the answer you want when Sheba
comes back, Colby"
He thought her reply to his indis-
cretton superb. It admitted COM
plicity reproached. warned and at
the same time ignored. Never be-
fore had she called him by his given
name. He took it as a token of
forgiveness and renunciation.
Why was it not Genevieve Mall
lory that he wanted to marry? The
mine-owner carried with him back
to his office a sense of his futile
Irony of life. A score of men
would have liked to marry Mrs.
Mallory. She had all the sophisti
Gated graces of life and much of
the natural charm of an unusually
attractive personality. He had only
to speak the word to win her, and
mis- fancy had flown in pursuit of a
little Puritan with no knowledge of
the world.
In front of the Seattle & Kusiak
Emporium the Scotsman stopped. A
little man who had his back to him
was bargaining for a team of
huskies. The man turned, and Mac
donald recognized him.
Hello, Gid. Aren't you off your
usual beat a bit?" he asked.
The little miner looked him over
impudently. "Well-well! IF IL
amt the big mogul himself-and
wantin' to know if I've got permis-
sion to travel off the reservation"
(To he Continued