Cleveland County herald., 1918-04-25
the way home she was strangely silent.

The days grew short. The last river boat before the freeze-up had long since gone. A month earlier the same steamer had taken down in mail sack the preliminary report of Elliot to his department chief. One of the passen- gers on that trip had been Selfridge, sent out to counteract the influence of the evidence against the claimants submitted by the field agent. An in- formation had been filed against Cor don for highway robbery and attempted murder. Wally was to see that the damning facts against him were brought to the attention of officials in high places where the charges would do most good. The details of the story were to be held in reserve for publicity in case the muckrake magazines should try to make capital of the report of Elliot
 Kusiak found much time for gossip during the long nights. It knew that Macdonald had gone on the bond of Elliot in spite of the scornful protest of the younger man. The case against the field agent was pending. Pursuit of the miners who had robbed the big mine-owner had long ago been dropped 1 Somewhere in the North the outlaws lay hidden, swallowed up by the great white waste of snow.
 The general opinion was that Mac was playing politics about the trial of his rival. He would not let the case come to a jury until the time when a conviction would have most effect In the States, the gossips predicted. They did not know that he was waiting for the return of Wally Selfridge. The whispers touched closely the personal affairs of Macdonald. The report of his engagement to Sheba O'Neill had been denied. but it was noticed that he was constant guest at the home of the Pagets. Young Elliot called there too. Almost any day one or other of the two men could be seen with Sheba on the street Those who want ed to take a sporting chance on the issue knew that odds were offered sub rosa at the Pay Streak saloon of three to one on Mac.
 Sheba rebelled impotently at the situation. The mine-owner would not take "No" for an answer. He wooed her with a steady, dominant persist ence that shook even her strong will. There was something resistless in the way he took her for granted. Gordon Elliot had not mentioned love to her, though there were times when her heart f1uttered for fear he would. She did not want any more comp1ica- ttons. She wanted to be let alone. So when an invitation came from her 1 little friends the Husteds, signed by all three of the children, asking her to come and visit them at the camp back of Katma, the Irish girl jumped at the chance to escape for time from the | decision being forced upon her.
 Sheba pledged her cousin to secrecy until after she had gone, so that Miss O'Neill was able to slip away on the stage unnoticed either by Macdonald or Elliot. The only other passenger was an elderly woman going up to the Katma camp to take a place as | cook.
 Later on the same day Wal1y Sel- fridge, coming in over the ice, reached Kusiak with important news for his chief. He brought with him an order from Winton, commissioner of the gen. eral land office, suspending Elliot pend- ing an investigation of the charges against him.
 Oddly enough, 1t was to Genevieve Mallory that Macdonald went for con- solation when he learned that Sheba had left town. He had always found | it very pleasant to drop in for a chat with her, and she saw to it that he met the same friendly welcome now that a rival had annexed 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 a 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 good sign. She was afraid to stay"
 | It was part of the fiction between 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 resent ment.
 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. SShe had silent divination of his moods and ministered indolently to them.
 Do you think so? Ought to fol- low herr" he asked.
 She showed row of perfect teeth in low ripple of amusement. The sit uation at least was pfquant, even though it was at her expense.
 "No. Give the girl time. Catch her impulse on the rebound. She'll be | bored to death at Katma and she will