The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1925-03-05

once set his heart leaping. How he
hated her!
Jim Jim, dear. If ! could dare
TO believe what you're SAYING
"Oh, / guess you can believe me,
Stella" Railway answered easily.
eTll have to keep her here a week or
so. lust to show McGrath I'm not run
ming away. You see, there's Ander-
sons accident. He fell down the cliff
killed at once, of course; and If
was to go away now, they'd think
there'd been foul play or something"
"You-you swear it was an accident,
.Jim?"
"Sure it wasl SO you see, Stella,
I'VE got to keep her here a little while.
Then we'll get away from here for
ever, you and me. and the gold"
ooh, Jim. you've made me happier
than I've beer since-since you seemed
to cease to care. You do care for me a
little. Jim?'' she asked, nesting
against him.
"As much as ever" answered Rath-
way. And, as she twined her arms
about his neck, he bent and kissed
her. 1t was the kiss of Judas. But
Estelle, happy again to feel her love
returned, only lifted her lips to his in
a touch that made him vince at his
own treachery.
"Then I'll go and stay with that
poor girl tonight, Jim, DEAR" she said,
land tell her that there's nothing to
be afraid Of"
Railway, taken by surprise, man.
aged to keep his countenance, but
when Estelle had departed for the hut,
he broke into almost maniacal curses.
On her! She had tricked him with
her very innocencel
And once again he found himself in
the old ~predicament: he could take the
gold and leave the girl, or he could
wait till the opportunity arose to lake
Joyce, certain that meanwhile his men
would demand their shares. Eight OF
theml
He fell into a crashing fury. He
had risked so much, and this fool OF
a woman had baked him at the end!
Hour after hour that night Estelle
sat beside Joyce in the hut among the
reeds, soothing her, mothering her,
~coaxing her to eat, and trying to re-
store her tottering mind to sanity.
Hour after hour, Joyce, at her side,
sat staring out into the darkness, and
did not utter a word.
And hour after hour Railway sat
drinking in his hut on the promontory,
and seeking that intoxication that per-
sisted in eluding him, without which
he could not shake off the uncertain
ties that oppressed him.
He must get Estelle out of the way.
The thought of Joyce was %unbearable
Joyce, whom he had caught a second
time, only to find himself enmeshed in
a web of unforeseen things, fimsy, and
yet like iron bars between them.
If he attacked Estelle she would
shrink from nothing. She carried a
pistol, too. He dared not stain his
hands with another murder. He was
afraid of her trust in him, which had
disarmed him; and, to be fair with
him, he shrank from such a finale to
his association with her.
The face of Lee, upturned and white
and CHASTITY in the current, stared at
him from the walls, as Pelly's used
to do. He shook his fist at it. II
drove him out, to pace the promon-
tory; then he would return and hurl
himself into his chair savagely, and
drink again. And again he would
fling himself from the hut and all the
while the conflict ragged in his soul.
He could hear his men muttering
about the fire. They were drunk, no
doubt, but they had never acted that
way in drunkenness before. Something
was brewing. He must act that night.
wild cat, Estelle.
And the face Of Joyce rose up be-
fore his eyes again. He went back,
drained his glass, put out his light.
He waited a minute till the liquor be-
gan to race through his veins, plan
ming what he should do
"Jim !"
He started. His hands 1eaped to his
pistol as two shadows glided in through
the doorway. Shorty and Pierre adj
openly toward him.
"Stop there!" he growled. "WellT
What d'you want?"
They shifted uneasily in front of
him. "Well, there's ben some grum-
blin' about that gold, JIM" Shorty
v%ouchsafed. "The boys kinder seem
to think you amt plannin' to play fair
with 'em. They've put Kramer on
guard to watch the motor-boat in case
you might be amin to git away with
her.
whats that?" snarled Railway.
He sprang to his feet. From the
door of the hut he could discern a
shadowy figure nea the parapet. For
an instant he was about to rush at it
in his rage. But then his cunning