The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-12-26

you not to, once"
 He allowed her to free herself. When she looked up and saw the bitter disappointment or ais face. she kissed his cheek, brief formal caress which meant no more than her assurance that she forgave his mpulsiveness.
 "Sonya, look here" he demanded, ''is there somebody else?"
 She turned his question aside. "Curt, wish you didn't idealize me so much. You have. ever since we met. You know so terribly little, about the actual me. Our codes are so different. Something that l con- slider right in my deepest heart might seem to you an unthinkable wrong"
 Are you meaning this trip Of yours?"
 She debated a moment. "Yes."
 You're making a mountain out of some molehill. The idea of you do- ing an 'unthinkable wrong is ridic- ulous."
 We won't argue it. Curt. You just wouldn't approve, you'd violently disapprove. of my trip"
 But you told Ralph, and he evi- dently doesn't oppose"
 "Ralph's too gentle to oppose any. body. This has to be matter of my own choice and conscience. After. ward after it's all over, I'll write you or let you know somehow I'll answer every question you've ever asked me"
 You say you'll write me-won' see you afterward? Can't come to see you?"
 She laughed, bitterly. You may if you still want to. But you won't want to-
 Before he could stop her she turned away from him and disap- peared in the darkness toward her tent.
 CURT stared after her. torn by N' the desire to follow and find out what she meant. He thought il ominous that she had not answered his question. "ls it somebody e!se? She seemed to be at war with her. self, doing something which violated a part of her instincts, yet driven to it by a passion she could not resist
 In a tortured mood he started ur the island to join his partner. That ugly suggestion of Arnold Baldwin s was jigging through his brain again and for once he could not fight it away.
 Paul came a little way to meet him. Any luck in Vancoaver?' he asked in guarded voice.
 Nothing that 1 hoped for"
 "You still don't know what she's doing in this country?"
 "D'you mean you found out some thing?"
 Paul changed the subject abrupt. ly. Our Indian friend has de camped."
 "Tenn-Og? When?"
 Last night. 1 knew he was go ing. but didn't try to ssop him. We don't need a prisoner to guard; our party is clumsy enough now"
 50 he pitched off. Well. you did the wise thing; if he wouldn't stay voluntarily he'd only have been 8 bother. Did he steal one of our canoes?"
 "No, he swan it. A little matter like a bullet through his shoulder bothered him not at all."
 "Hmmph If he ever gets the chance, l suppose he'll show his gratitude to us by sticking us full of arrows. What else happened around here?"
 Paul tidgeted and looked out across the dark water. His reluc- tance and the somber pain on his fac. struck a chill into Curt.
 What's worrying you, Paul? It's something about Sonya, isn't it?"
 q hate to be the one who brings odious news"
 Why Paul. what is it?"
 Paul sidled into his story with slow unwilling steps.
 "Sonya was partly the cause oi Tenn-Og's going away. On the day after you left she made friends with him, and I knew she had some reason for doing that. Last night when he left, she sent a message by him. I overheard. They were here by these sentry rocks. put my self respect into my pocket, and crept up close enough to listen"
 'She sent a message by him?"
 ITO that breed"
 "LeNoir?" Curt gasped. "To that fellow! Why Paul. you've-you've made some mistake there!"
 q heard what heard" Paul in sisted. "She had trouble making Tenn-Og understand and she re peated her instructions so many times that caught every bit of her message. She's meeting LeNoir to- night. Over on the willow island. That's why she's staying awake down there."
 fCopyrighf. f9S3. TVilliam B. Moicery)
 Tomorrow, Curt sustains the
 hardest blow of his career. .Coff;eb Kont in