Middletown transcript., 1918-06-15


ing it on the table, studied it while.
After that he dragged in his kayaks
from outside, and busted himself pack
ing them with supplies for journey
tea and coffee and flour and such
things done up in small canvas sacks.
And when these preparations were
complete he got sheet Of paper and a
pencil, and fell to copying something
from the map. He was still at that.
sketching and marking, when Hazel
went to bed. ..t
By all the signs and tokens, Roaring
Bill Wagstaff slept none that night.
Hazel herself tossed wakefnlly, and
during her wakeful moments she could
hear him stir In the outer room. And a
full hour before daylight he called her
to breakfast.
.
'sThis time last spring." Bill said to
her, II was piking away north Of those
mountains, bound for the head Of the
Mas to prospect for gold"
They were camped In a notch on the
tiptop of long divide, thousand feet
above the general level. A wide valley
rolled below, and from the height they
overlooked two great, sinuous lakes
and a multitude of smaller ones.
I've been wondering" Hazel said.
This country somehow seems diner
ent. You're not going back to Cariboo
Meadows. are you7"
Bill bestowed look of surprise on
her.
II should say not !" he drawled. mot
that it would make any difference to
me. But I'm very sure you don't want
to turn up there in my company"
THAT'S true" she observed. But
all the clothes and all the money
have in the world are there"
Don't let money worry you" he SAID
briefly. II have got plenty to see you
through. And you can easily buy
clothes"
They were now ten days on the road.
Steadily they climbed, reaching up
through gloomy canyons where foam
ing cataracts spilled themselves over
sheer walls Of granite, where the dim
and narrow pack trail was crossed and
recrossed with the footprints Of bear
and deer and the snowy-coated noun
tain goat.
Roaring Bill lighted his evening fire
at last at the apex of the pass. He had
Travelled long after shutdown. seeking
camp ground where his horses could
Craze. The fire lit up huge frs. and
high above the fir tops the sky was
studded with stars, brilliant in the thin
atmosphere. They ate. and. being
weary, lay down to sleep. At sunrise
Hazel sat up and looked about her In
silent wondering appreciation. All the
world spread east and west below.
She adjusted the binoculars and
peered westward from the great height
where the camp sat. Distantly, and
far below, the green Of the forest broke
down to hazy line of steel-blue that
ran in turn to huge fog bank, snow
white In the rising sun.
There's a lake." she said.
"No. Salt water-a long arm Of the
Pacific" he replied. '"That's where
you and part company-to your very
great relief, dare say. But look off
In the other direction. Lord, you can
see two hundred miles! If 1t weren't
for the Babine range sticking up you
could look clear to where my cabin
stands. What an outlook!
II told you. I think, about prospect
ing on the head of the Mas last spring.
fell in with another fellow up there,
and we worked together, and early In
the season made nice little cleanup
on gravel bar. have another place
spotted, by the way, that would work
out fortune If fellow wanted to
spend couple of thousand putting in
some machinery. However, when the
June rise drove us off our bar. pulled
clear out of the country. Just took
notion to see the bright lights again.
And didn't stop short of New York.
Do you know, lasted there just one
week by the calendar. It seems funny,
when you think of it, that man with
three thousand dollars to spend should
But did. And at the end of week I
flew. had all that money burning my
pockets-and, all told, I didn't spend
five hundred. Fancy a man jumping
over four thousand miles to have a
good time, and then running away
from it. 1t was very foolish Of me,
think now. Well. the longer we live
the more we learn. Day after tomor-
row you'll be in Bella Coda. The can
merry steamships carry passengers on
a fairly regular schedule to Vancou-
yer. How does that suit you?"
"Very WE'LL" she answered shortly.
"And you haven't the least twinge Of
regret at leaving all thisY
II don't happen to have your peculiar
point of view," she returned. 1.-THE
circumstances connected with my COM
ing into this country and with my stay
ing here are such as to make me anx-
ious to get away"
Same old story" Bill muttered un-
der his breath.
"What is it," she asked sharply.
"Oh, nothing" he said carelessly,
and went on with his breakfast prepa-
rations.
The evening Of the third day from
there Bill Travelled till dusk. When |
camp was made and the fire started, |
he called Hazel to one side, up on lit |
tie rocky knoll, and pointed out a half |
dozen pin points Of yellow glimmering |
distartly in the dark.
That's Bella Coola," he told her.
"And unless they've made q radical
change in their sailing schedules there
should be a boat clear tomorrow at |
Nom"