The Benson signal., 1918-11-02

table at Jim Briggs that night If I
hadn't known how it would be. went
there out Of sheer curiosity to take
look at you-maybe out Of a spirit Of
defiance, too, because I knew that I
was certainly not welcome even If they
were willing to take my money for
meal. And came away all up in the
air. There was something about you
the tone Of your voice, the way your
proud little head is set on your shout
ders, your makeup in general-that
sent me away with large-sized crouch
at myself. at Cariboo Meadows. and at
you for coming in my way"
"Why?" she asked In wonder.
Because you'd have believed what
they told you, and Cariboo Meadows
can't tell anything about me that isn't
bad" he said quietly. my record
there makes me entirely unfit to asso-
ciate with-that would have been your
conclusion. And I wanted to be with
you, to talk to you, to take you by
storm and make you like me as felt
could care for you. You can't have
grown up. little person, without realiz-
ing that you do attract men very
strongly. All women do, but some far
more than Others"
Perhaps" she admitted coldly.
men have annoyed me with their I'M
welcome attentions. But none Of them
ever dared 60 the length Of carrying
me away against my will. You can't
explain or excuse that"
'rm not attempting excuses" Bill
made answer. "There are two things
I never do-apologize or bully. I dare
say that's one reason the Meadows
gives me such black eye. If they
weren't good deal afraid of me, and
always laying for chance to do me
up, they wouldn't let me stay in the
town overnight. So you can see what
handicap was under when it came
to making your acquaintance and
counting you in the orthodox manner"
"You'ye made a great mistake" she
said bitterly, "if you think you've re-
moved the handicap. I've suffered q
past six months. I'm beginning to be-
Neve that all men are brutes at heart"
Roaring Bill sat up and clasped his
hands over his knees and stared fxedly
into the fire.
"No," he said slowly, "all men are
not brutes-any more than all women
are angels. I'll convince you Of that"
'Take me home, then," she cried for.
lornly. "That's the only way you can
convince me or make amends"
"No," Bill murmured, "that isn't the
way. Wait till you know me better.
Besides, couldn't take you out now II
I wanted to without exposing you to
greater hardships than you'll have to
endure here. Do you realize that It's
fall, and we're In the high latitudes1
This snow may not go off at all. Even
If it does 1t will storm again before q
week. You couldn't wallow through
snow to your waist in forty-below-zero
weather"
"People will pass here, and I'll get
word out" Hazel asserted desperately.
"What good would that do you1
You've got too much conventional re.
gard for what you term your reputa.
ton to send word to Cariboo Meadows
that you're living back here with Roar.
ing Bill Wagstaff, and won't some one
please come and rescue you" He
paused to let that sink in, then con-
tinued: "Besides, you won't see
white face before spring; then only by
accident. Mo one in the North, out
side of few Indians, has ever seen
this cabin or knows where it stands"
She sat dumb, raging inwardly. For
the minute she could have killed Roar
ing Bill. She who had been so sure in
her independence carried, whether OF
no, into the heart Of the wilderness al
the whim Of man who stood q self.
confessed rowdy, in i'll repute amona
his own kind. There was slumber
ing devil in Miss Hazel Weir, and II
took little to wake her temper. She
looked at Bill Wagstaff, and her breast
heaved. He. was responsible, and he
could sit coolly talking about it. The
resentment that had smoldered against
Andrew Bush and Jack Barrow concen.
trated on Roaring Bill as the arch of.
fender Of them all. And lest she yield
to savage impulse to scream at him.
she got up and ran into the bedroom,
slammed the door shut behind her. and
threw herself across the bed to muffie
the sound Of her crying in pillow.
After time she lifted her head.
Outside, the wind whistled gustily
around the cabin corners. In the
hushed intervals she heard steady
pad, pad, sounding sometimes close by
her door, again family at the far end
OF the room. A beam of light shone
through the generous latchstring hole
In the door. Stealing softly over, she
peeped through this hole. From end
to end Of the big room and back again
Roaring Bill paced slowly, looking
straight ahead Of him with a fixed,
absent stare, his teeth closed on his
neither lip. Hazel blinked wondering
~. Many an hour in the last three
months she had walked the floor like
that, biting her lip in mental agony.
And then, while she was looking, Bill
abruptly extlnguished the candles. In
the red CLEAN from the hearth she saw
him go into the kitchen, closing the
u