The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-07-01

Ing magpiss as they went about the
work OF spring house building. TO
study the colors Of the hills. the
mcrxings OF the tintings and deeper
hues as the scale ran from brown to
green and blue. and finally to the
stark red granite and snow whites o.
Mount Tniuchen.
Ba 'tiste and bis constant compan.
Ton. Coleman. were making the round
Of tho traps and had been gone for
hours. Barry was alone-aiono with
tho beauties Of spring In the hiils.
with the soft call OF the meadow lark
In the biz Of grecncry which fringcd
the stiil pufiing stream In the little
valley. the song Of the breeze thru
the pines. the sunshine. the warmth
and his problems.
or these. there were plenty. In
tho first place. how had Thayer
known that he w. on the way from
the East7 lie lad spoken 10 only
two persons. Jenkins, HIS bookkeep.
err. and one other. To these two per.
sons he merely had given the lnforma.
ton that he was going West on a
bit o. a vacation. lie had delibernt.-
~ chosen TO come In his car. NO that
thero might be every indication.
should there be such a thing as q
spy In his rather diminutive office.
that he merely intended n tQunt thru
. few States. certainly not Journey
half across the country. But Just the
same. the news had leaked: Thayer
had been Informed. and his arrival
had been no surprise
That there had been need for his
coming. Barry felt sure. At The
least. there Was mismanasemcnt al
the mill. contract after contract los,
just when II should have been gained
told him this. II nothing more. But
and he drew a shcet Of yellow pa.
per from his pocket and stared hard
at it--there was something else.
something which had aroEnsed hts
curiosity to an extent Of suspicion.
something which might mean an
open book OF information TO him n
the right moment and gain access TO
the telegraph files without the inter.
ference Of the agent.
Then suddenly he ceased his study
Of the message and returned II 10 his
pocket. Two persons We're approach.
ing the cabin from the opposite Hill,
Ia girl whom he was glad TO sec.
and n man who walked. or rather
rolled. In the background: Mcdainc
fsobinette and sort OF rear guard
who twenty or thirty feet behind her.
followed her every step. trotied when
she ran down the steep aide OF an
embankmen;. then slowed as she
came TO a walk again. A bow-lcgged
creature he was. with ili.fittlng cloth.
ing and a broad ''two-gallon" hat
which evidently had been bequcathcd
TO him by some COW -puncher. long
hair which struggled over his shoul
ders. and beaded vest which shonc
out beneath the scraggly outer coat
like candle on a dark night. In.
stinctively Barry knew him to be the
grunting individual who had waited
outside the door the night before 49,
Lost Wing. Medaine's Sioux servant
evidently n self.constituted body
guard who Travelled more as a shad.
ow than al a human being. Ger.
tainly the girl In the foreground gave
no indication that she was aware OF
his presence; nor did she seem TO
care.
Closer she came, and Barry watch
ed her. taking a strange sort Of de.
light in tho skipping grace with
which she negotiated the stepping
stones OF the swollen little stream
which interviewed between her and
the cabin OF Ba'tiste Renaud. then
clambered over the struggling pile
Of massed logs and dead timber
which strcwed the small stretch OF
fiat before tho rise began. leading
to where he rested. More like some
graceful. agile boy was she than n
girl. Her clothing was OF that type
which has all too soon taken the
place Of the buckskln In the Vest
a riding habit. with stout little shoes
and leather pustces; her hair was
drawn tight upon her head and en-.
cascd In the shielding confines OF n
cap. worn low over her forehead. the
visor pulled aside by a jutting twig
and now standing slanting out at a
rakish angle; her arms full Of some
thing pink and soft and pretty. Bar
~ wondered what Il could be.--then
frightened with sudden hope.
wonder II she's bringing them 10
me?"
Tho answer came moment later
as she faced him, painting slightly
from the exertion OF the climb. tho
natural fuHh of exerclan hnlQhfanod