Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-02-26
CHAPTER VII

| Tie spectacle Of death marching
back over Its trail brought no terror
| to Jeems. He had watched for II. had
| half expected It. and In a way 1t was
| like the answer to an unvoiced prayer
/ which had followed his awakening
when he had found Toinette In his
arms To fight for her now, to rush
| forth from the house with battle
| cry on his lips. and to he cnt to pieces
! In her defense WAS not Il prospect
stead. inspired In him fearless ex-
altatinn II WAS T0inette who saved
him from whatever folly Was brewing
itself in his brain as he stood with Il
long hunting arrow fitted to his bow.
| With GREATNESS cry. she drew him
away from the broken door, and there,
safe for moment from the savages
who were entering the clearing, she
flung her arms about his shoulders.
For In these tragic seconds look had
Come into .Ieems' face like that which
had frightened her In the tower room
Of the mill, look hard and vengefnl
with the desire to KILL
"Jeems, dear, we must hide" she
pleaded I'VE must hide =
The futilitv Of trying to conceal
themselves when their footprints were
clearly left upon the frosty ground did
not occur to him at once. 1t was her
voice and the name 1t claimed for him
that broke down the resolution which
soon would have betrayed them
Il know Of place" she was say.
Ing. I'VE must hurry to 1t =
She ran ahead OF him and he fol-
lowed her into another room where 4
stair was falling into ruin. The red
killers had paused at the edge OF the
open. They stood motionless, like
stone men, listening and watchful, the
upper parts OF their bodies still I'M
clothed until colder days and glIsten-
ing with grease and paint. Tolnette
did not allow Jeems to pause, and the
steps made complaint as they trod
upon them. Jeems looked down from
the top and saw the marks OF their
feet in the dust below Their fate
was certain X the Mohawks came this
FAR. but with only the narrow stair
Tor their enemies to ascend he was
determined, In this event, that each
OF his twenty arrows should find
home.
Toinette preceded him into the room
above. She went directly to a panel
like board which held a wooden per
and In moment they were peering
Into the musty gloom OF huge black
hole under the roof. which the Lus-
sans had used as a garnet.
Madame Lussan brought me to this
room after your fight with Paul." she
whispered. Il flung my spoiled clothes
far back In therel"
Even with the savages SO near,
pathos and memory were In the trem-
Bile OF her voice
Jeems faced the narrow aperture
In the wall which Lussan had left as
window and gun hole for defense.
He went to the window, and Toinette
came close to his side. No eyes could
see them AZ they looked through the
rectangular slit Swallowed under the
caves. The Mohawks had not moved,
and from the steadiness OF their atr1-
tude Jeems knew they had come upon
the open Unexpectedly. Net a hand /
among the silent savages had moved
to Ratchet, bow, or gun.
This fact drew a hopeful whisper
from Jeems.
"They see the place is deserted, and |
unless they find some sign OF us, they
won't come nearer" he said. Look, /
Toinettel There Is white man
among them with a prisoners collar !
around his neck -
His words were cut short by sud
den movement among the watchers, AS
II command had stirred them to life
aFain nThe man In the lead. with i
three eagle feathers Ia his tuft. stalked
alone Into the clearing, tall and sim
lister figure burdened only with his
weapons and a warriors diminutive
pack--a giant who WAS red
and black and ochnsh yellow In his
war paint, and At whose belt hung
|. bundle OF scalps In which the run