The daily Alaskan., 1922-04-06
BOOK THREE The Payment.
CHAPTER |.

Of the IwUuUa pINde, looked rather Ike an emergency hospital for The first few dnys after Dan fight with WhlS, rcrfont. lis old SuIudS Of laughter and raIk were almost entirely lacking Two injured meu and a girl recovering from nervous collapse do not tend toward cheer.
 But rhe natural SturtjnesS of all three quickly came 10 their aid. Of course Lrnuox had been severely in- iurrd by thr falling log. and many weeks would pass before he would be able ru walk again. lie could SiJ up for shur- periods. however; had the partial use of one arm: and could pro- pei hjmsrlf-alrcr the first few weeks -uI >uan'S pace through the rooms in muIa wheel chair that Bins inge- nufty had cunrriyod. The great livid scratches that Dan bore on his body quickly hc-au 70 heal: and before a week WIS done he began to venture forth on the hills again. SnOwhird had remained in bed for three days then she had hopped out one bright afternoon. swearing never Co co back into it acu'u. Evidently thc crisp fall aIr of rhe mountains had been a nerve tonic fer them an.
 or course there had been medical attention. A doctor and a nurse had motorcd up thr day after the accident; the physician had set the bones and departed. and the nurse remained for a week Co spr the grIzzled mountain enr well OF the way 0f convaleSccnce. But ft was an anxious walt, and Len noN's Cnr was kept constantly In readi- ness t0 speed her away in case the Snows should start. Al last she had left him In SnOwh'rd's hands. and Rill had driven her back 10 thc settlements In his fathers car. The die was now cas, as 10 whether or not Dan and the remainder of the family should winter In thc mouTrain. The snow clouds drrnpucd every day. the frost was ever heavier in the dawDs. and fhr road woald surely remain open only a few days more.
 Once more he three seemingly had the Divide aU to themselves. Bert CranSton had evidently deserted his cabin and was working a traD-Iine on the Umr0ua side. The rangers left the little station. all danger Of fire past. and went down to their offices in rhe federal building Of one Of the little cities below. Because he was worse than useless in the deep snows thni were sure to come, one Of the ranch hands that had driven up with RfIl rode away 10 the valleys the last of the live Stnck-rSC horse that Dan had ridden to Suuwblrd's defense.
 Nothing had been heard of Landy Hildreth. who used 10 live on the trail to the marsh. and both LennOx and his daughter wondered why. There were also certain officials who had begun 10 be curious. AS yet Dan had told DO one of the grim find he had nude on his return from hunting. And he would have found it an ex- tremely difficult fnct to explain.
 T. all went back 10 those Inner springs of motive that few men can see clearly enough within themselves to recognize. Even the first day, when he lay burning from his wounds, he worked out his own explanation In re- gard to the murder mystery. He hadn't the slightest doubt but that Cranston had Killed Hildreth 10 pre- vent his testimony from reaching the courts below. Of course, any other member of the arson ring Of hillmen might have been the murderer; yet Dan was inclined to believe that Gran stcn, the leader Of the gang, usually preferred Co do such dangerous work as this himself. 1T it were true, some where on that tree clad ridge clues would be left. Moreover. ft was wholly possible that the written testimony Hndreth must have gathered had nev- er been found or destroyed. pan didn't want the aid of the courts to find these clues. He wanted 10 work out the case himself. It resolved it. self into a simple matter Of vengeance: Dan had hIs debt to pay. and he want ed to bring CranstOn to ruin by his own hand alone.
 While It was true that he took ra- ther more than the casual interest that most citizens feel in the deStruc- tion of the forest by wanton fire and had an actual sense of duty to do all that he could to stop the activities of the arson ring, his motives, Strippe8 and bare. were really not utIlitarIan. ue had u0 particular interest ln Ell