The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-06-06

does, though Joe had sworR it should |
not, and Kitty thought the world Of !
Wilton
Wilton could never understand his |
secret feeling about Kitty. She was
devoted to Joe. Perhaps that was
what lay beneath his latent antago-
nism toward her. He was jealous Of
her. He was jealous Of a weman's
love for Joe.
II guess not" said Joe Bostock
again, pressing his hand hard down
on Wilton's shoulder.
And, In that instant, Wilton heard
the crack Of q rife, and felt O violent
blow ON the upper part Of the left arm,
which knocked him to the ground AZ
he fell, Joe Bostock pitched forward
upon him.
Twice Joe's lips quivered, % II he
was trying to speak. Then the lower
jaw dropped and the eyes rolled up
ward A grayish pallor crept over the
face.
Wilton saw that Joe's macxinaw had
a tiny tear in 1t, over the breast 4
t1ckle Of blood seeped through the
cloth. He wrenched the garment open
with his right hand, pulled up the
sweater, and tore the shirt apart The
heart, fiuttering like a wounded bird.
stopped under his hand. Joe sighed
once, but he never stirred again. The
bullet had passed clean through Joe
Bostock's heart from the back. And,
as he tried to raise Joe's body, Wilton
realized that the same bullet had
broken his left arm, which hung limp
from the shoulder.
He sprang to his feet, mad
wrath giving back to him his ebbing
strength. He glared about him. but
it was impossible to ascertain from
where the shot had come. He could
not even locate the direction within
a hundred degrees, for Joe had been In
the act of turning. Nobody was In
sight, and the woods were silent
His believing call Of fury that went
echoing through the trees elected no
answer. He tore strips from his hand
kerchief, holding 1t between his teeth,
and, with his left hand on his knee,
hotted them about q stick and i'm
provised tourniQuet. The blood was
squirting down his sleeve in jets, the
pain was intense, and 1t was impOs-
sible to take of the mackinaw and
hope to replace his arms In it; but
he twisted with all his force until the
diminishing flow showed that he had
compressed the artery. Thrusting the
longer end Of the stick beneath his
armpit, he passed the other through
the buttonhole Of the garment, and,
STOPPING, managed to get Joe's body
upon his shoulder and to hold 1t with
his right arm
His impulse was to carry Joe's body
back to the camp, but he knew that it
would be impossible to make the dis
lance. Yet to leave 1t would mean
the certainty Of mutilation by bears
or timber-wolves unless he could
build a cairn Of stones. And Of mat
he was equally incapable He set
Joe's body down, and, in the first full
realization Of his loss and his predica-
ment, he shouted curses to the sky.
That murder had been intended he
did not believe; no doubt the shot had
mark, perhaps a hare, and BY one OF
the half-breeds He suspected that
the transit-bearer. following them up,
had fired the shot, and, seeing the IA
tality, had fed.
But the thought that this might be
ho nyIv
one. Joe was dead, and his body must
be cared for, Just as If he were alive
taken back to the camp and thence
out Of the woods. There was no pos
sibility Of leaving Joe's body there
Yet 1t seemed to him that he could
not hope to reach the camp. And
now another idea came to him.
1t was seven miles back to the camp,
but only FIVE to the portage over the
frozen swamp. Upon the other side
Of the portage was q trail that came
out Of the prairie southwark and
wound into the unknown north.
Along this Indians brought their win
ter catches to the rading-store Of
Mcdonald, the factor Of the Hudson's
Bay company.
Travelling was hard along the shore
Of the great Muskeg, but It would
mean two miles less, and 1t was Just
possible to make the store. Melon
aid was a queer, taciturn, sometimes
venomous old man, and had svinced a
strong dislike Of Wilton on the occa
sion Of their last meeting. Yet Nc.
Donald would shelter him and receive
Joe's body. And then there was Molly
his daughter.
Wilton, having made his choice, act
ed on It at once. With . great effor.
he raised Joe's stiffening form upon
his shoulder; and doggedly he began
his awful journey, his right arm grasp
ing the dead man, his helpless lef,
hugg1ng the tourniquet-stick agains,
his side.