The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-02-28

today Gordon had not seen them since.
While Elliot was brushing his dinner
coat before the open window of the
room assigned to him at the hotel,
somebody came out to the porch below.
The voice of a woman f1oated family
to him.
"Seen DANES Irish beauty yet.
Ned?"
yes" a man answered.
The woman laughed softly. Mrs.
Mallory came up on the same boat
with her" The infection suggested
that the words were meant not to tell
fact, but some less obvious infer
ence.
"She's wonderfully pretty. and of
course Diane will make the most OF
her. But Mrs. Mallory is q woman
among ten thousand"
I'D choose the girl If it were me-"
said the man.
'But it isn't you. Wen see what
We'll see"
They were moving up the street and
Gordon heard no more. What he had
heard was not clear to him. Why
should any Importance attach to the
fact that Mrs. Mallory and Sheba
O'Neil had come up the river on the
same boat? Yet he was vaguely dis
turbed by the insinuation that in some
way Diane was entering her cousin as
rival of the older woman. He re-
sented the idea that the fine, young
personality of the Irish girl was being
cheapened by management on the part
of Diane Paget
Elliot was not the only dinner guest
at the Paget home that evening. He
found Colby Macdonald sitting in the
living room with Sheba. She came
quickly forward to meeU the newly ar
rived guest.
MIR. Macdonald has been telling me
about my father. He knew him on
Frenchman creek where they both
worked Claims" explained the girl.
The big mining man made no COM
ment and added nothing to what she
said. There were times when his face
was about as expressive as q stone
wall.
The dinner went off very well. Diane
and Peter had a great many questions
to ask Gordon about old friends. By
the time these had been answered Mac
donald was chatting easily with Sheba.
She listened with glowing eyes to the
strange tales this man of magnificent
horizons had to. tell. Never before had
she come into contact with anyone like
him.
Paget was superintendent of the
Lucky Strike, a mine owned prfnci-
pally by Macdonald. The two talked
business for a few minutes over their
cigars, but Diane interrupted gayly to
bring them back into the circle
AdrOitly she started Macdonald on the
account of a rescue of two men lost
in blizzard the year before. He had
the gift of dramatizing his story, Of
selecting only effective details. There
was no suggestion of Boosting If he
happened to be the hero of any of his
stories the fact was of no Importance
to him. 1t was merely q detail of the
picture he was sketching.
Gordon interrupted with a question
a story he was telling of a fight he had
seen between two bull moose.
did you say that was while you
were on the way over to inspect the
Kamatlah coal fields for the first
timer"
The eyes of the young man were
quick with interest.
yes"
-Four years ago last spring."
Macdonald looked at him with
wary steadiness. Some doubt had
found lOdgment in his mind. Before
he could voice it. if, indeed, he had
any such intention, Elliot broke In
swiftly
Don't answer that question. 1
asked it without proper thought am
special agent of the general land
Office sent up to investigate the Mac
| donald coal claims and kindred in
terests."
Slowly the rigor of the big Scots
mans steely eyes relaxed to a smile
that was genial and disarming. If this
news hit him hard he gave no sign
of it. And that it was an unexpected
blow thereScould be no doubt.
'Glad you've come, Mr.. Elliot. We
ask nothing but fair play. The men
who own the Macdonald group of
claims have nothing to conceal. I'll
answer that question. I meant to say
two years ago last spring.
His voice was easy and his gaze IN
wavering as he made the correction.
/ SCN III tie EOOIl except SneDa
knew he was deliberately lying to
cover the slip. For the admission that
he had inspected the Kamatlah field
just before his dummies had filed upon
it would at least tend to aggravate sus-
piciOn that the entries were not bona
fide.
1t was rather an awkward moment
Sheba unconsciously relieved the stu
alton.
"But what about the big moose, Mr.
Macdonald? What did it do them"
The Alaskan, went back to his story.
He was talking for Sheba alone, for
the young girl, with eager, fascinated
eyes which flashed with sympathy as
they devoured selected glimpses of his
wild, turbulent career. She saw him
with other eyes than Elliot's. The gov
eminent official admired him tremen-
dously. Macdonald was an empire
builder. He blazed trails for others
to follow in safety. But Gordon could
guess how cailously his path was