The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-11-25

Sonya lowered her voice to whis- per.
 "The massacre room, MT. Ralston. Those last eight Cossacks barri- caded themselves here. These blows were from the copper axes of the Klosohees as they broke down the door,"
 Inside the room Curt played the flash about. A dozen rusty muskets of the fiintlock type lay scattered on the floor. He picked one up and clicked the heavy hammer. A spark leaped. Against an empty powder canister lay a broken sword with richly chased hilt.
 He rubbed away the corrosion till he made out the loping wolf insignia of the old Cossacks, surrounded by the imperial crest of the Romanoffs. Not caring for so gruesome sou venir, he put it down and turned his flash on the walls. Those dark dis colorations, splotchy and sinister-( looking-were they merely seepage from rain and snow, or blo0dstains of the murdered Cossacks?
 He took Sonya out of the ghastly place into the clean sweet night air, and they went on toward the post.
 Tt was plain justice that the Klosohees did wipe out those Cos { sacks" he remarked grimly. "The Czaristic regime allowed torture like this to go on for two thousand miles up and down the Pacific Coast. They knew all about 1t; they were just brutal to their own subjects, and they kept it up right down into modern times.
 Thank heaven, that regime got what was coming to it, too! The Leninists did good job when they wiped that depravity out, root, stock and branch. They deserve thanks"
 Sonya stopped suddenly, and her hand dropped from Curtis arm. Thanks" She whirled on him, her eyes flashing. ITO that crew of mur- derers?"
 Her words came in torrent, an- gry ringing words. You don't real ize what you're saying! You don't know anything about the red wave of bloodshed that swept all over Russia in IT and '1S
 You were here in peaceful Can ada. idling around pleasantly on some river or mountain range. You didn't see hundreds and thousands of innocent people killed, to atone for what guilty few had done. Thanks-to those killers? Don't you ever say thing like that to mel" CURT stepped back as though she Nh had struck him. Her anger was like blow, so sudden and violent and utterly unexpected. For mo- ment he hardly knew what to say. Then he became a little angry him self. What he had just said didn't call for any such tirade from her.
 "If you please" he said stiffly. T limited my statement to the Czar- istic outfit. And I wasn't idling around pleasantly during that time; I was pushing plane back and forth across the front in northern France. I don't condone this red wave of bloodshed' that you speak about. I said it was good thing that the Leninists swept the Ro- manoff regime off the map. I'm sorry if my opinion wounded you. but it's my opinion"
 You're welcome to it!"
 Lets not have any angry feel ings about it. please"
 "Pm not angry"
 Well, if you're not, I wouldnt want to be close by when yoi. are!'
 Sonya struggled to control herself. Lets drop it."
 "All right"
 In an awkward silence they walked on out the path. Curt won. dered, in bewildered way. what on earth his remark had touched of in her. to make her fly all to pieces like that. He had recovered from his own anger, but her fiery words were ringing in his ears yet.
 Near the tent she stopped, faced him. You needn't go on to the post with me: it's only few steps" She gave him her hand. I'm really grateful to you and your partner for coming over to that island. It was awfully nice of you, and 1 won't ever forget it"
 Curt tried to detain her. Somehow he had offended her violently. and he did want to part on friendly terms. But she disengaged her hand. turned, left him. and vanished up the trail in the dusk.
 He was still staring after her when Paul came out of the tent.
 T say, -ul." he remarked dryly. tits a good thing you and I went over to that island and stopped that"
 Why so?"
 Well. if we hadn't, I'm thinking there'd be a dead half-breed oyer there by now!" i fCopuri0ht I9ss William B. Moweryj ,
 Curt finds, Monday, that he has