Evening star., 1933-12-18
IL FORBIDDEN VALLEY
|A BY tJ;lGam B,aon ('ovSv

page and glanced at the signature to
see who his correspondent was.
"Sonya Volkovl"
'Den you know her? She no lie to
me?"
The question went past the Russian
! first page and Was reading the letter
| with an intentness that shut out every
thing except the words before him.
| Even yet lie Noir could not tell wheth-
er his chief would burst out at him in
furry or would fill his pocket with
money, as the girl had said he would
He watched anxiously.
But then. little by little, he saw how
his chief was taking it. karakhan's
anger and establishment passed swiftly
and changed to disbelief, as though he
simply could not credit his good for
tune; and then came a leapmg exulta-
ton which his habitual cold mask
could not quite hide.
Where is she, LIE Noir?" The pages
quivered in his unsteady hands. why
the devil didn't you bring her along with
you, man?'
lie Noir drew a breath Of immense re-
lief and his jumpy nerves smoothed
themselves out. The girl had spoken
the TRUTH
She down der at dat camp wit de
uders," he explained. Thinking this a
good chance to impress Karakhan with
his caution, he added: How I know
weder she talkit straight or not? /
don't know she aw-right ontil you say.
Me, l don tell nobody were you hide,
and / don breeng no strangers here"
But you should-no. suppose you
did do right, since you didn't know the
-uh, circumstances. Sit down. I'll get
some coffee for us"
AS LIE Noir eaSed onto the wall bench
his glance strayed out the window to
the landwash where half a dozen lean
noney-colored huSkieS were nosing along
the water edge for dead fish. A pistol
shot east of the hangar IA birchbark
canoes lay side by side on the sand like
paSklng seals; and in the timber just
Dehlnd them smoke was rising from
three big campfres. The party was the
Black Grizzly and his men, on their
way south
They had come hundred miles with
out stopping even for food and another
hundred lay ahead of them
The sight of them comforted lie Noir
lot after his two dismal failures to
wipe out Ralstons party. He certainly
could use 80 more men on the Job. One
sWoop and smash, and the business
WOulQ De done.
The Russian came out of the boarded
of kitchen with a pot of coffee. He
poured two tins and laced them with
brandy. LIE Noir drained his cup at a
gulp. Slowly slipping his, Karakhan
listened while LIE NoiT told him of the
happenings down river.
About the two suspicious strangers
who were drawing closer and closer to
his hiding, the Russian asked no uues-
tons just then. He was unable to focus
his thought on that pair-the sentences
OF Sonya Volkovs letter were galloping
too madly through his mind, and his
emotions were too much in a turmoil
over her. She was near him, within a
hundred miles! In five or six days
more she would me there with him
LIE Noir suggested carefully, "She tell
me dat you be veree 'blige' for me
breeng you dis letter and you pay me
sometng, mebbe." He thought it good
policy to mention the money matter
while his chief was still in the first
hash OF elation and more likely to be
generous. Wen I go on dat weelow
islam take beeg chance on walk into
trap; and den 1 make his long treep
faser'n hell"
Karakhan took out a billfold, selected
yellow note and passed it over. LIE
Noir blinked his eyes as he saw the de-
nomination-two o's trailing a S. His
chief had always paid him very hand
somely but half thousand dollars, for
one trip-the girls letter must have
hit Karakhan hard
"There1l be others like that" his
chief assured, when you bring her here
to me. Several. others. You'd better
get some sleep now. Siam-Klale's outfit
got in just a little while ago and they
won't be ready to start on till nearly
noon"
Karakhan, tomorrow, makes some
significant preparations.