The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-01-03
ICsnllnucd Irum rarn a


grown straight aud tail. but his form
Was sturdy too. There WAS 1.-THE
strength about him that suggested
the larger telines, tho hard trails o.
the forest had left not a spare ounce
u flesh ON his powerful frame. His
mold. except or vague and lndls.
unct refinement in hts iong. fingered
and strong hands. was simply that OF
a WcOdsinan muscular, un.
Wiring His speech was not greatly
different from that OF others. tho
woodspcoplc. spending many of the
hong winter days In reading. are
usually careless In speech but rarely
ungranmaticAL Hts clothes wero
homely and worn. lie wore a blue
macklnaw over flannel shirt dark
trousers and rubber boots. garments
that were suited 10 his lie.
But lt was true that mon looked
twice into ban Bronaon'a face. Hts
features we're rugged. now his mouth
and jowls were dark with beard. yet
written all over HIS sunhurned face
we a kindness aud gontlcne~s that
could not be denied There Was
strength and good humor In plenty.
= depth OF intensity that was some
what startling. and Il was hard TO
reconcile these qualities with an un.
questioned wtstfulnerS and boyish.
ness in his eyes. They were dark
wscs. the eyes % a man OF action
who could also drram. kindly.
thoughtful eyes which even the deep
shadows % the forest had not blinded
20 beauty.
A. he waited for hts meal he
crossed the dark rad TO the little
frontier postofficc. there 70 be given
his two months accumulation OF let.
terA lie looked them over with ssr.
nificant anxiety. There were the
usual fsrders from fur buyers. few
advertisements aud circulars, and a
small batch Of business mail The
smile died from his eyes aa he read
one Of these communication after
another. The context was usually
the same-that his proposition dld
not look good. and no investment
would be made IN a plan aS vague
as his The correspondence under,
stood that he had been grubataked
before without result. They ~.
manned. however. his respectfully
and BUS great hand erumpied each
In turn
Only ore letter remained. written
In an unknown hand FROM n far.ofg
city. and {; dropped. for the moment.
unnoticed into his lap. Ills eyes
we're oroodtng and lifelcss as he
sfsr~d cut the hotel window into the
darkened street There was no Use
% appealing again 20 the business
folk Of the provincial towns: the
tone OF their letters WAS all too dc.
cisive- The great plans he had made
wDouA come 20 nothing after all His
proposition simply did not hold water
Ne had been s~eking -xruhStakc"
some enc 10 finance another expo
dittcn into the virgin Clearwater for
half OF such gains as he should make.
In a few weeks more the winter
would close down. the horses. essen.
fiai to such a trip as thLs. had to be
driven down to tbs gats of the Out
sade--three hundred miles Co the
hank OF a great river. lie had time
for one more dash for the rainbow's
end. and no one would stake him for
u. He had some food supplies. but
the horse rent was an unsoived prob
lem He could see no ray Of hope
ss he picked up. haif.hsartediy. the
last letter of the pile.
But at once hts interest returned
n had been mailed In a fardistant
city in the United States. and the
fine. clear handwriting was obvious
ly feminine. lie didn't have TO rub
the paper between his thumb and
forefingpr 20 mark it's rich. heavy
quality and its beauty-the station
cry OF an aristocraf- The message
was singularly terse:
MY Dear Mr.. Bronson:
Il arm informed. by the head OF
your provincial game commission.
that you can be employed as guide
for hunting parties wishing to hunt
Nns~thc Clearwater. north of Bradley
burg. do not wish to hunt game.
but do wish TO penetrate that coun-
try in search OF my fiance. Nr Har-
old Lounsbury. Of whom doubtless
you have heard, and who isappearcd
in the Clearwater district six years
ago. wiil be accompanied by Mr.
Lounsbury's uncle. Kenly Louns-
bury. and 7 wish you 10 secure the
outfit and a man To cook at once.
You will be paid the usual outfitter's
rates for thirty days. We will arrive
IN Bradleyburg September twentieth
By stage.
Yours sincerely.
VIRGINIA FREMONT
Bin finished the note. pocketed Il
carefully. and a boyish light was In
his eyes as he shook fragrant iobac.
co into his pipe. THE way out" he
told himself. "She won't care n ]
do my prospecting the same time"
His thought. swung back TO a scene
81 many septembers before. OF a
camp he had made beside distant
stream and OF a vayfarer who had
eaten OF his bread and journeyed on
never to pass that way again.
There had been one curious circum-
stance connected with the meeting.
Otherwise n might not have fingered
80 clearly in Bits memory. II had
upt3emsd to him. AT the time. that he
had encountered the stranger on
some previous occasion. There was
a haunting familiarity in his face. n
neeting memory that he could not
trace or Identify. Yet nothing In the
strangers past life had offered an
explanation He was a newcomer.
he said--on his first trip north. Biil.
On the other hand, had never gone
south. II had been hut a trick Of tho
Imagination. after all. And Bill did
not doubt that he was the man for
whom the II sought.
The little lines seemed 70 draw and
deepen about the mans eyes. six
years--but six years - too long. for
Clearwater" he rnurmurcd. Men
either come out by then. or II gets
EN-. I'm afraid she'l never find her
lover"