The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-04-04


ing heref You're the last man I'd
have expected to see."
I'm in the service Of the govern
ment, and I've been sent In on bust
ness"
"well, I'm going to say something
original. dear people," Mrs. Paget re-
piled. Its a small world. isn't it7'
While he was dressing for dinner
later in the day, Elliot recalled early
memories of the Pagets. He had
known Diane ever since they had been
youngsters together at school. he
remembered her as a restless, wiry
little thing. keen as knife-blade. Al
ways popular socially, she had sur
prised everybody by refusing the catch
of the town to marry young mining
engineer without penny. Gordon was
in college at the time, but during the
next long vacation he had fraternized
good deal with the Peter Pagets. The
young married people had been very
much in love with each other, but not
too preoccupied to take the college boy
into their happiness as comrade.
Then the Arctic goldfields had claimed
Paget and his bride. That had been
more than ten years ago. and until
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 woman floated family
to him.
"Seen Diane's Irish beauty yet,
Ned?"
YES" 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 a woman
among ten thousand"
I'D choose the girl II 1t were me-"
said the man.
But 1t isn't you. Well 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'Neill had come up the river on the
same boat7 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 Oh the part
OF Diane Paget.
Elliot was not the only dinner guest
ut the Paget home that evening. He
found Colby Macdonald sitting In the
living room with Sheba. She came
quickly forward to meet the newly Ar
rived guest.
"Mr. 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 a stone
wall.
The dinner went OF very well. Diane
and Peter had 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 princi-
pally by Macdonald. The two talked
business for 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 boasting. II he
happened to be the hero of any of his
stories the fact was of no Importance
to him. 1t was merely a detail of the
picture he was sketching.
Gordon interrupted with a question
story he was telling Of a fight he had
seen between two bull moose.
''Did you say that was while you
were on the wny 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 springr
Macdonald looked at him with a
wary steadiness. Ssme doubt had
found lodgment in his mind. Before
he could voice 1t, If. indeed. he had
any such intention. Elliot broke IN
swiftly
Don't answer that question. I
asked 1t without proper thought, I am
special agent of the general land
Office sent up to investigate the Mac.