Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-05-13
CHAPTER Xxx
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1AAt oA@ ANaA 0DHcg ACuU1 UUUAAe AAlAUt'
painfully across the clearing at Wall
ing River. At the tail Of the sled fol
lowed two men, whose haggard eye
and frost-cracked faces bore the scar
OF the barrage OF the January biz
yards.
1--WE have worried much. Michel anC
/" said the factor, as Steele and DaviC
thawed out before the trade-hous,
stove. ''You struck terrible weather
Did your ratiOns hold OutT'
'Yes. by cutting them in two" re
oiled Steele with a grimace.
"We1l give you your ali as soon az
Il can be cooked. And your mission
1t was successful7' hazarded the curl
GUS ST. Onge. ignorant OF the purpose
of tina six-hundred-mile mldwlnter
Journey.
at was and Steele handed the fac
tor the oil-skin envelope. "Read thatI"
st. Onge read the release In open
mouthed amazement
Man, man How did you get ltf"
he gasped.
Steele described his meeting at Al
bany with Lascelles.
Unchecked tears slowly gathered in
the eyes OF the overjoyed old man.
my boy" be said brokenly. 1T would
be the proudesf day of my life. You
still care for her, don't your" he de-
manded anxiously.
"You know care for her," Steele
gently answered, "but / went to Al
bany for her-not for myself. You
must promise me that she hears moth
ing of this until / have left. She
would think she had to pay-feel hon.
or bound. l know her, monsieur. You
must not tell her"
.Buf= II she eafes7A fee, In her
heart, that she does" protested st.
Onge.
~She must be free AGENT insist
ed Steele. Il go south as soon as the
dogs are rested. shall talk to- her
first.
I'm sorry, but as you wish It, /
shall not tell her"
That night, after what, TO the hun
CRY Steele, was a sumptuous meal.
consisting largely Of caribou, st. Onge
lett his guest and daughter alone.
During the meal the girl had fur
lively noted the frostbltten fingers Of
the American, the drawn cheeks, black |
ened and cracked By the wind Oh the |
Albany trail, the strained look IA the |
gray eyes. Steele had warmed to the 1
sincerity of her welcome, the evident
pleasure in her greeting Exhausted
as he was the days before his depar-
ture were too few to waste one eve
ming by seeking rest, so he watched
her with hungry eyes as they talked.
wondering whether her heart had
changed. But she gave no sign, and
he was too proud to ask.
On the evening before he left with
David for Nepigon, be again sat alone
with the woman for whose welfare he
had given the best that was In him
for whom he had tolled and planned.
faced the sting OF the norther and the
pinch OF the soaring cold; the woman
he loved too deeply to make himself
he recipient Of her gratitude.
you have never told me, monsieur
shy you took that terrible journey TO :
Albany" she said, after a silence IN
which her black broWs were drawn to- 4
ether In evident abstraction. {
The mans eyes softened as they .
fingered on the clean lines OF her pro
lie, the masses Of her dusky hair. for
he had asked the question with avert {
d face as II fearing his answer
Il went TO Albany" he said. ito
est my Judgment of human nature" b
sand you found G
4 found--tkat was a mind reader q
e answered with a smile. A
SIS 1t a very great secretf" she
sked with wistful look In the dark =
yes that searched his Il
mo, you viii hear-tomorrow." ps
But tomorrow-you go?"
'Yea.r fc
-And am not to know until you do
ave gomez So that Is ifT' W
-You win understand fomorrow. W
J put her on with. wi
For long interval she sat gazing
the rug at her feet. then leaned to or
ard him. her face tense with feeling.
What must you think OF me7s she Is
'sYou have planned and 80
1rked for ws. my father and me- tn
zen given givenf And we we wi
We sat with folded hands while ron tn
IIed-and won. On. want you to de
ow how fkne you have been through
ali--want you 10 sense my grafiruds
before you go be
She had risen and was pacing the thl
o. restraint gone cei
J have been selash-lnh0wgtable~ lns
J stumbled On. her eyes avoiding has fsss
q went yvu 10 know that mere Tor
moghias mpehfng which I win not Tol
tie prove mS gFRfltmde fnk WHAT Ffw
! have a8me." She fuTnea fron hsmz 0nl
be Aassw By enc convuAaave meve Gras