Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-11-06

barbara III the marsh, tropical SUM-
light. And Charleur, his face work.
ing with mean joy. stood close by the
girls elbow drinking in every word that
consummated his hate.
A big old widad performed the rite.
a strong faced old man with a notable
beard. but inclined to be long winded
on the job. Twice the Han with his
evil eyes on the girls beauty cried:
Haste. holy one!' But the priest only
droned on, his rapt gaze fixed ~distantly
on the back Of the great square. Even
Charleur, though he enjoyed every mo-
ment of the girls torture, protested at
last:
"Oh sanity snail, make ending else
the girl will die of strain before her
husbands arms clasp her."
Even as he spoke the widad's face
relaxed from dreamy volubility to a
sharp hawks smile and he said: 81
have finished-oh snake of the slimes!"
"Finished!' Charleur was too
wrought up to grasp his words. But
you have not begun the marriage rite
yet"
That is because I have decided to
change the ceremony" grinned the
fierce lips. 1T is no longer a mar
riage-it is an execution
can execution" Charleur cried.
What do you mean?"
Turn about" said the widad. "You
will understand"
They turned. They looed, the Han
of Shenzi as we'll as Charleur, and
stark fear leaped to their faces. They
saw Verreker on a great horse riding
slowly through the square.
Verreker coming straight at them
and behind Verreker a half company of
armed askari, and round the square,
on the roofs even, more soldiers and
many machine guns. They looked once
upon this fearful sight, then Charleur
screamed in terror and the Han swore
thickly, while both swung vengefully
upon the widad.
He was no longer turban crested,
bearded or a priest, but an eagle faced
man with a pistol in each hand.
~"Zavarani!" choked the Han of
Shenzi and would have leaped from
the dias but for the menace of those
pistols.
Savaran!" screeched Charleur, and
sank to his knees in abject terror.
"Savaran!' Knocked the gypsy adven-
turer enjoying his gesture. "Savaran
here to take payment for treachery, as
is his habit, Charleur, and paying you
back with your own pretty trick. You
sought to trap me on British territory
where imprisonment would be longer
and more certain for me, SO l have
lured you by trickery cleverer than
yours to where the British can deal
with you"
The half-breed began to whine and
plead and offer untold wealth for just
five minutes-just two minutes chance
of getting away.
Not the flick of an eyelid, Char
leur, and not for any sum-" said Sava-
ran fiercely. 1.-THE day has come when
you have to pay in full-look round and
see who follows Major Verreker to the
dias!"
Charleur, shaking, turned, then he
covered back, collapsed in fear.
Sir Ryall Murlin!" he walled. "Sir
Ryall Murlin-I am a dead mani"
The stern faced governor of the
Malaria coast was pressing with a
strange anxiety towards the dias. But
his eyes were nOt on Charleur, they
we're on the girl. He thrust his way
to her side, stared and stared into
her face like a man Wrung with a
terrible hunger and a terrible fear.
Then his strong lips began to tremble.
You were right, Savaran," he cried
hoarsely. Her mother is in every line
Of her . :" His hands reached
shaking toward the girl. agnes! Ag-
nesl My little girl Do
you remember me at all-your father?"
She tainted in his arms and it was
fully an hour before she had recovered
enough for him to tell her all it meant.
She was indeed his daughter, that
was why Charleur hated her. From
the moment Sir Ryall had sentenced
the half-breed to the lash and the
quarries twenty years before the nan
had nursed vengeance in his heart.
He had escaped from the quarries by
brides, for he was evilly rich even
then, and, nursing his hate, he had
waited his chance to strike back. That
chance had come when Sir Ryall had
taken his wife and their three year
old baby on a tour of inspection in the
colony.
There had seemed no risk in it, the
colony wa peaceful, and when the men
of a distant village had come to his
camp to beg him to shoot some man
eating lions which were destroying
herds and killing women, he saw no
danger in leaving his wife and baby
alone, even in taking most of his es-
cort to act IS heaters.
The story of those maneaters was
false, Of course, a ruse to denude the
camp of guards, for on the night after
Sir Ryall had left a band of cut
threats burst upon the half deserted
camp and Sir Ryall's wife was killed in
defending her baby.
II thought you were dead, too, my
DEAR" Sir Ryall told the girl. I'VE had
neither word nor trace of you. I
thought the killing of both the things
1 loved most in this world was part
of Charleur's revenge . oh, he
left me in no doubt that it was his
work, though he was too vilely clever
to give me any definite proof or chance
of furnishing him-aS shall puniSh