Evening star., 1933-12-18
CHAPTER XXXII.
CURT DECIDES.

@AUL wondered If Curt woulC
throw Zip this Karakhan case al
together. What a stew Sonys
had made of It'll Except for her
they would already have closed
in on the man. Not only had the,
wasted precious days, but their bes
hope had gone glimmernig. the hope Of
shadowing LIE Noir, for without doubt
he suspected them now and would never
let them follow him to his chief.
Occasionally he glanced down toward
the Iskitimwah mouth, but saw nothing
of his partner. A little before noon he
lake, he landed and walked back into
the pines.
Curt was sitting against boulder
tracing meaningless patterns on the
wolf-foot with stick. He was plunged
into deep thought, motionless. dead
pipe in his teeth. His face was gray
and haggard, his eyes had hard light
In them: and when he looked up AND
smiled, it was a bitterly cynical smile
But in spite of those ravages and OF
the MANY times when Paul had seen the
steely self-control that lay deep-down in
Curt, he was surprised that his partner
could have taken SO terrible a blow and
then, within the space of a few hours
could have shaken it off and got him
self in hand. He no longer seemed con-
fused and bewildered, as last night al
the sentry rocks.
Curt pointed with the stick "See
that pair of black lilies there, nodding
their heads together? The smaller one
is Sonya Volkov, and the other is her
Cossack. I'm going to pull Karakhan' S
head of in minute. III do it as an
agent of the law, and not out of any
Jealousy over her. Lord, no!-I couldn't
be jealous OF anything that he owns. I'll
take the blossom over and give it to her
and then, after We nail him. I'll tell
her what I meant by it."
Mail him?' You're still going ahead
with this hunt?'
Why not? We started it, we'll go
through with it. And from now on
therell be no more pussyfooting or gen.
erosity to strangers I want to get
through with this mess and get back
down north to our Three Rivers coun-
try. I've been thinking of the Ma
hanni Mountains. Prospecting in the
Nahannis Will be a good way for a
fellow to forget"
He got up, put on his jacket, and
plucked the taller of the two black lilies.
Over the other one he hesitated a mo-
ment. A shudder went through him as
he took hold of it. But then with a
savage gesture he jerked it up by the
roots and flung it way, and brushed his
hands
How're you going to find him?" Paul
querled. lie Noir is suspicious of us.
He won't ever let us shadow him now"
we won't try to shadow LIE Noir.
We've got an easier way of finding Kar-
akhan. Sonya Volkov has been hard
luck for us so far. but we're going to
turn her into good luck Well use her.
It's only fair; she used us"
Use her."
Well, she's going to him, isn't she?
WHAT'S to prevent you and me from
following her? She'll be a dozen times
easier to shadow than that bush
slinker. Well use her as our bait. She's
a pretty bait. When she goes to ioin
him, we'll go along; and when she
gets taere, we'll be there, tool"
After a day and night of hard trav-
ellng. LIE Noir stood in Karakhan's cabin
once again. Dis is your he said, and
with no other explanation he handed
over SonyaS letter.
"Mine?" Karakhan echoed, struck all
IN heap. ITS for me. you say?" His
face turned ashy. Who knows I'm
here? Who in hell pumped that out of
you?"
LIE Noir trembled Read heem," he
urged. You understand, den"
His eyes went to the table behind Ka-
rakhan where lay his chiefs heavy au-
tomato. He backed up a step, and his
fingers closed over an iron-tipped ski
staff leaning against the wall. If this
girl was no friend of his chiefs but
an enemy who was playing some in
f1nitely clever game. Karakhan might
shoot him in his tracks
Karakhan ripped the envelope and
held the letter to the window where the
gray dawn-light was filtering through
In bewilderment he scanned the first
farrr ENnnc than NH a.. lnn