Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17

clenched before him. There wasn't
nobody in this here thing but me! I'm
goin' away, where they won't find me;
I'll get out Of them snowfields by a
pass I know, and I'll be gone where
nobodyll ever strike my trail. You
keep still about it-understand that?
You amt in this. and I amt goin' to
let you get dragged in. neither. Whom
to be wastin' a life over? Huh?
Whom somebody that amt got no
more sense'n to reach for his knife
when he's gittin' licked! You,"-he
strove to sneer-"thinkin' about fool
like mel" He glanced over his Shout
der. SHOWN harder. Got to be get
tin on before the big slide fills up"
Then. curtly: "Slong, Mary. Forget
I've been here!"
THE sound of her voice mingled with
the crashing of the door as he
jerked it shut behind him. and his big
form, bent against the blast Of white,
swung again for the ridge. Halfway to
mis- shoulder, raised booted foot to the
next jutting boulder, as If to go on
ward, then whirled with sudden re-
solve. You go back" he shouted to
the dim form of the woman. family
visible through the drifting white as it
swept downward into the valley. Hear
me-you go back there!"
1t was the quality Of his tone rather
than the words: she turned, as II in
answer to an unalterable decree. Jed
Lawrence, from his position upon the
gradually recede. At last, family audible
above the shrilling OF the wind, there
sounded the banging Of heavy door as
Mary Preston forced it tight against the
Shrieking storm.
Jed Lawrence pressed forward, up
over the edge of the ridge and onward,
toward the white desert Of the Con-
tinental Divide. Once he halted hold
ing his hands before him. as if studying
them for the carmine stains of guilt.
KILLED morn'n Brad, that knife o.
mine" he mumbled drearily Doggedly
he pushed on. Afternoon had come
laden divide was cabin that must be
reached, where there were snow-shoes
and provisions and rifle.
He'd always told me I never had
chance" he nuttered. How should I
know different?"
Suddenly his brain cleared, revealing
things that he had never realized
before-hiS blind devotion to a man
who had come into his life five years
before, and who, by the constant as
ISOLATION OF winter in the hills. en-
deared himself to this big. slow-think-
ing man. Jed, because he had fol-
straight course, had thought of only
straight course for others He had
had feeling of inferiority before
Thornton Luce, who had travelled who
could speak Familiarity of strange places,
who read and talked of books as though
they were his intimate friends, who
could meet others without embarrass-
ment.
Now Jed had learned that there had
been lies and stealth-deception, where
he had given, unfaltering faith. He
halted, and brushed again, dizzily, at his
eyes Then slowly he shook his head.
There was nothing to do about 1t
now-except to go away, to lose himself
where no one would ever know.
Folks forget after WHILE" he NUT
tered. "There'll be somebody else show
up--a lot better'n I'll ever be. And
that's an end to it,
~ x *
TWO hours later q gasping man
brushed away the snow at the edge
OF a jutting rock and pulled himself
over its edge and sank for a moment
W ACols IoClOW Al1Iii, flSlUlC IOT Ill IN
slant in lifting of the storm, the
tumbled serrations of the mountain
country displayed themselves. Jed
Lawrence looked out over the scene
before making the final ascent to his
cabin, there to outfit himself for the
Journey that would lead him to safety.
One last glance strayed at random, for
time. then suddenly conferred
Moving" he said, and raised his
hands above his squirting eyes. Long
moments passed, while, far In the lower
hills, the black, slowly progressing dot
passed from ridge into a draw, lost
itself behind the jutting rocks, then re-
appeared dot that twisted about the
projecting peaks and jetties of stone,
even as he had twisted or that dipped
into the lower stretches, following q
trail not yet erased
Jed Lawrence suddenly rose with an
exclamation of fear. Moving" he
exclaimed again. ION my trail!"
His big form bent against the newly
rising wind. A hundred yards, and he