The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-11-02
SYNOPSIS

ert. Cameron" solitary ,1 p prospector,
forms . partnership with an unknown
ran ssn ThS% asr h: later as arn. soI T. so1. Wa.
wronged, but later married. back in Iiii-
nois. Cameron's explanations Appeass
Taking refuge from . sandstorm in Z
cave Cameron discovers gold, but too
late; both men are dying. Cameron leaves
Of gold. and personal Documents. ~
As thought and feeling multiplied,
Cameron was overwhelmed. Beyond
belief, indeed, was 1t that out Of the
millions Of men In the world two who
had never seen each other could have
been driven into the desert by memory
OF the Same woman. 1t brought the
past so close. It showed Cameron
how inevitably all his spiritual life
was governed by what had happened
long ago. That which made life sig.
nifcant to him was q wandering in
silent places where no eye could see
him with his secret. Some fateful
chance had thrown him with the IA
ther Of tho girl he had wrecked. II
was incomprehensible II was terrible
Il was the one thing Of all possible
happenings in the world Of chance
that both father and lover would have
found uncomfortable.
Something within him cried out to
him to reveal his identity. Warren
would kill him; but It was not fear OF
death that put Cameron on the rack.
He had faced death too often to be
afraid. 1t was the thought of adding
torture to this long-suffering man. All
at once Cameron swore that he would
not augment Warren's trouble, or let
him stain his hands with blood. He
would tell the truth of Nell's sad story
and his own, and make what amends
he could.
Then Cameron's thought shifted
from father to daughter. She wa,
somewhere beyond the dim horizon
line. In those past lonely hours by
the campfire his fancy had tortured
him with pictures of Nell. But hii
remorseful and cruel fancy had lied
to him. Nell had struggled upward
out of menacing depths. She had re
constructed a broken life. And now
she was fighting for the name and
happiness Of her child. Little Nell
Cameron experienced q shudderine
ripple in all his beins-the physical
rack Of an emotion born Of a new and
strange consciousness. He felt that
II had been given him to help Warren
with his burden.
He returned to camp trying to
evolve plan. All night he lay
awake thinking.
In the morning, when Warren
brought the burr's to camp and began
preparations for the usual packing
Cameron broke silence.
''Pardner, your story last night made
me think. want to tell you some
thing about myself. In my younger
days-it seems long now. yet it's not
30 many years-I was wild. wronRcd
the sweetest and loveliest girl I ever
knew. went away not dreaming that
any disgrace might come to her. Along
about that time, fell into terrible
moods-I chnnged-I learned 1 really
loved her. Than came a letter ]
should have gotten months before. II
told Of her trouble-importuned me to
hurry to save her. Half frantic with
shame and fear. got a marriage Ger.
tificate and rushed back to her town.
She was gone-had been gone for
weeks, and her disgrace was known
Friends warned me to keen out OF
reach Of her father. l trailed her
found her. I married her. But toe
latei She would not live with
me. She left mel followed her west,
but never found her."
Warren leaned forward little and
looked into Cameron's eyes, as II
searching there for the repentance
that might make him less deserving Of
q mans scorn.
Cameron met the gaze unfilnchingiy,
and again began to speak:
"You know, Of course. how men ont
here sometimes lose old names. old
identities. II won't surprise you much
to learn my name isn't really Cam.
eron. as once told you"
Warren stiffened upright. 1t seemed
that there might have been q blank,
Q suspension. between his grave In.
terest and some strange mood to come.
Cameron felt his heart bulge and
contract In his breast; all his body
grew cold; and II took tremendous
effort for him to make his lips form
words.
"warren. I'm the man you're hunt.
ing. I'm Burton. was Nell's lover 7"
The old man rose end lowered over
Cameron. and then plunged down
upon him, and clutched his throat
with terrible. stifffng hands. The
harsh contact. the pain awakened
Cameron to his peril before II was
too late. Desperate lighting saved
him from being hurled to the ground
and stamped and crushed Warren
seemed 4 maddened giant There was
a reeling, swaying. wrestling struggle