The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-02-17
AX AYAYAY Az AK AK
VI m der
frozen
Stars
X By X
George Marsh
Copyright by Penn Pub. Co.
(wNU servicel
George Marsh
,XyXXGNL&
Copyright by Penn Pub. Co.
(wNU Service)
CHAPTER X-Continued

mia MAI" cried the excited Sarah.
opening the door for the half-frozen
Jim. You are back; all wellT'
Jim patted the broad back of the
solicitous Ojibwa. "Cold and hungry,
Sarah!" he laughed.
"Ah, you not get hurt by dose wild
'Jibwa? Good! !" sputtered the bustling
Sarah, brushing the melting snow
from Jim's coat
mo, we've won, Sarah! We've
beaten Paradise"
Mai n'go! You find de shaman,
Jingwak?" cried the startled cook, her
small eyes, black as buttons, swapping
with excitement.
Eyes, Esau's medicine was too strong
for him."
While Sarah busted herself with
hot supper for her returned master.
Jim stepped across to the trade
house. He closed the slab door
against the drive of wind and light
snow to find Omar and Esau smoking
beside the sheet-iron stove.
"Somet'ing dere for you" announced
the nalf-breed with a nod of his black
head toward the trade counter.
On the hand-hewn spruce planks lay
a white envelope.
AurOre! She had written before
she went south and sent it by an In
dian! Jim's tanned face was radiant
with the joy of the surprise. Her
writing! He had never seen it! Au-
ho1 Inf+
Conscious of the scrutiny of two
pairs of black eyes at the stove, Jim
thrust the letter, unread, into his
pocket and left the room with num-
bled: I'm starved-goin' to eatr'
LOath to read the letter before the
curious eyes of his men, Jim crossed
to his quarters and entered the living
room. "She hasn't forgotten; she's
written me! And I've won. Aurore!
I've come back, black-eyed sOrceress
of mine, they can't take you away
from me, now!" he said aloud, his
voice thick with emotion, as he
opened the letter.
Dear Jim:" it ran,
you've been gone three weeks and
I've been so lonely, oh, so lonely for
the big-gray-eyed boy who made love
so beautifully that day, years ago, on
the island"
Then a look, dazed, uncomprehend-
ing, drove the joy from his eyes as he
read:
But If you had cared for me as /
loved you, you couldn't have gone
away. You couldn't have held what
you called your duty above love.
Every day l have gone alone, some
where, to fight this thing out, and al
ways find the same answer. l know
now that yours is not the mad love
I've dreamed ola love which counts
no cost, knows no law. No, Jim, we
made mistake-you and /. But it
was beautiful-that day of ours on the
island; I'll never forget it.
"Good-by, Jiml
"AURORE."
The unseeing eyes of Stuart lifted
TO stare out at the fast darkening
lake. His nerveless fingers opened
and the letter fell to the floor.
1t had come like a knife-thrust in
the dark. WIN MS neart QUICK with
love for her she had struck him.
So it had been make-believe, that
day on the island? Her eyes, her
lips-had lied. For the pleasure of
an August day her vanity had de-
manded the soul of a man, to destroy.
Had he STAYED, it would have been
no different, she would have played
the game, and then, as now, cast him
aside. After all, there was no heart
in her. Red blood, charm, reckless
courage, yes; but heart, there was
none.
His lips curled bitterly at the men,
DRY of her radiant face-her kisses.
Again her arms circled his neck in
parting. The scent of her dark hair
was in his nostrils.
But to wound him this way! Leave
this farewell for man who had toiled
and fought through the weeks with
only the thought of her-the love of
her, to buoy him!
Her first letter-and her lasti