Evening star., 1925-11-15

| Wandeli when he came to help her
get the animal over the sill. Il made
Waluk give her up"
Wanden dropped On his knees be-
side the dog. she's a beauty" he
pronounced appreciatively.
! Il thought maybe we'd make up a
! team
| There's a white dog out at Hell
mey's place that / think will match.
| Tomorrow I'll run out and see If
| can make a deal"
1t did not occur to her to ask when
he had been at Helmey's disreputable
roadhouse. And after Helmey's husky
was obtained. 1t did not occur to her
to question why the team grew slowly.
| dog by dog. one at a time. after trips
that took him away without her. in
| stead of in a lot which would have
co'ordinated their training.
| RI late in February the team had
grown to fifteen. and when Wan
| dell suggested two more. she ac-
| puiesced. 1t was morning when he
left with the fifteen dogs to find the
| others, and by evening he had not
returned. Anna stood at her window
| looking out. The Winter had not long
| to live now. Already the sun, spin
! ming over the crystal horizon, threw
effort. In March would come a smell
| into the air, as of the earth emerging
from the snow. 1t would be Spring
and she would marry Wandell. She
was sure now. In the morning when
| he came she would tell him that she
was sure.
Next morning when the phone rang
she flew to tell Wandeli this incon-
teStable testimony of the passing OF
RJIt II
ing. 1t was Svensrud. sheriff and
director Of the bank: Svensrud who.
out of all Nome, would admit no
change in Anna. She had always
been the best-looking woman in Nome,
| next TO IIelga, his wife. he insisted
Now his phone message was character
| istiCally blunt.
Phelps coEpany's bust he said,
"and he's copped what was loose and
beat it with our stenogra pher at the
bank, Evvie Holt They left yester-
day by dog team
Anna heard no more. Deliberately
she hung up the phone, strangling
Svensrud's voice with a click De.
| liberately she crossed the room and sat
down. The red glow in the stove
darkened. the phone ranG-ranG again.
The door opened and drift of snow
blew in. 1t was Svensrud.
Either your phones gone blooev
| or you're deaf" he began. I've been
| calling all morning. Phelps has flew
| the coop, and I'm hit bad. l loaned
the money at the bank to buy in with
Walstad. Walstad was a fool. of
course. TO hike out and leave a new
| man to run his show all Winter. But
that don't help now. The company's
done. Where the moneys gone,
heaven knows. But it's GONE"
my recommendation. l didn't even
sign the note"
Now, look here. Anna. don't go
shoulderinG the load. l was taken in.
He looked all right and when I cabled
Frisco they said his family was good
and his credit was still o. k
You're honest-and now you're ex-
pected to pay for his dishonesty"
I'm not squealing-not for myself
| But-wel, you see, Helga and me.
we've saved for years. ,Helga's had a
| woman's notion about a little orange
| ranch down in Pasadena County some
| day We've got about enough to buy
| that-or to meet the loss on Phelps to
the bank. And if I know Helga, she'll
empty the old poke
HE sat down suddenly on the
| couch. I've been up all night
over his books he said in expla nation
of his weakness. And l hate to tell
Helga that her little ranch
| I've got some money" Anna said
| in a dull hard voice. I've worked
and saved. | wanted to see Rome. and
Athens and Paris. Then-then /
| changed my mind for a while. Now
I've changed it again. I'll take up
| that note. Helga sha'n't lose"
Not on your eternal tin-typew
Svensrud roared. "Helga's got me.
l earned enough to buy a ranch once
| / can do it again. But you're a wom-
an alone. That's why I didn't get you
| on that note before. 1t looked good
but l wasn't taking chances with
| lone woman's money. And by cracky,
you're not going to lose 1t now"
| Il know where he's gone said
| Anna.
That's no good Svensrud sat
down again and pulled his face
| through his hands. He won't have
| any of the money left. Evvie's a
| daisy at sailing down.
| They've got the white puppy for
leader Anna went on. But if your
dog team-of course it would eliminate
you from the sweepstakes"
sweepstakes! But what's the
good of lighting out after spent money?
Evvie'll never give up a cent, and he
won't have any to give up-not in
| her company"
Are you going to let Vandell