The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-12-01

AlOyo 1IOOUCIlCnS, X0Cs
the hand he moved on, leaving
Hierce to stare after him until he
was swallowed up by the crowd in
the gambling-room.
A blow i'll the face would not have
amazed Pierce Phillips more, nor
would 1t have more greatly angered
him. So, he was ostracized! These
men who treated him with such an.
parent good-fellowship really de-
spised him; in their eyes he was a
renegade; they considered him I'm.
t1t to know their women. It was
incrediblel
This was the first deliberate SLIGHT
the young man had ever received.
His face burned, his pride withered
under 1t; he would have bitten out
his tongue rather than subject him
self to such a rebuff. Who was
Rock? How dared he? Rock knew
the girl, oh yesl But he refused to
mention her name-as il that name
would be sullied BY his, Piercc's,
use of it. That hurt most of all F.;
that was the bitterest pill. Society,"
Caste! On the Arctic Circlei l.
was to taught
But Phillips could not laugh. He
could more easily have cried, or
cursed, or raved; even to pretend to
laugh off such an affront was i'm
possible. 1t required no more than
this show of opposition to fan the
embers of his Pickering desire into
full fame, and, now that he was for
hidden to meet that flying goddess,
it seemed to him that he must do so
at whatever cost. He'd 60 to that
dance, he decided, in spite of Rock f;
he'd 60 unbidden; he'd force his
way in if needs be.
This sudden ardor died, however,
as quickly as it had been born, leav-
ing him cold with apprehension.
What would happen if he took the
bit in his teeth? Rock knew about
Laure-those detestable redcoats
knew pretty much everything that
went on beneath the surface of
Dawson iie-and if Pierce ran
counter to the fellows warning he
would probably speak out. Rock
was just that sort. His methods
were direct and forceful. What
then? Pierce cringed inwardly at
the contemplation. That snow-girl
was so clean, SO decent, SO radically
different from all that Laure stood
for, that he shrank from associating
them together even in his thoughts.
Well, he was paying the fiddler,
and the price was high. Even here
on the fringe of the frontier society
exacted penalty for the breach of its
conventions. Pierce's rebellion at
this discovery, his resentment at the
whole situation, prevented him from
properly taking the lesson to heart.
The issue was clouded, too, by a
wholly natural effort at self-justif-
cation. The more he tried this lat
ter, however, the angrier he became
and the more humiiiating seemed
his situation.
He was in no mood to calmly
withstand another shock, especially
when that shock was administered
by Joe McCsskey, of all persons:
nevertheless. it came close upon the
heels of Rocks insult.
Pierce had not seen either brother
since their departure for Hunker
Greek, therefore Joe's black visage
leering through the window of the
cashiers cage was an unwelcome
surprise.
Hello. Phillips! How are you
making it," the man inquired.
All right"
Despite this gruffness. Joe's grin
widened. There was nothing of
pleasure at the meeting, nor of
friendliness behind it, however. On
the contrary, it masked both malice
and triumph, as was plain when he
asked:
did you hear about our striker"
"What striker"
"Why, it's all over town. Frank
and hit pay in our first shaft
three feet of twenty-cent dirt"
Really" Pierce could not re-
strain a movement of surprise.
Joe nodded and chuckled, mean
while keeping his malignant gaze
focused upon the. younger mans
face. TITS big. We came to town
to- buy grub and a dog-team and to
hire a crew of hands. We've got
credit at the A. c.. Company up to
fifty thousand dollars"
There was a brief pause which
Pierce broke by inquiring, as casu-
ally as he could:
did Tom and Jerry have any
luck?"
"Sure thingl They've hit it, the
same as US. You tossed off home
stake, kid. Don't believe it, eh?
Well, here's the proof-coarse gold
from Hunker." With an ostentious
flourish the speaker flung down a
half-6lled poke, together with a%bar
check. Cash me in, and don't let
any of it stick to your fingers"
Pierce was impelled to hurl the
gold sack at Joe's head. but he re-
strained himself. His hands were.