The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-12-14
Chapter Is
MIDNIGHT SEARCH

|~NELN E-THlRTY, Paul., SAID
L Curt. WED better start:
our job'll take us an hour or more.
This rain Is our good luck-every.
bodyll be indoors"
They stepped outside. The rain
still beat down. but the thunder.
heads with their livid flashes had
passed on east, so that there was NO
danger Of the lightning betrayins
, them. The cabins and Indian tepees
were all dark.
They went out the path to the Bay
establishment. The store, twenty
steps from Higginbotham's resi-
dence, was entirely dark. but to
Curtis disappointment there was q
light in the house. From q window
on the north side 3 yellow shaft
streamed out into the rainy black.
ness.
Leaving Paul at the fur press, he
circled around to the north side
and crept up behind cord Of wood
He dared not rise and look over the
rick: the light would glisten on his
wet slicker and give him away. Feel
ing about with his fingers, he located
. loose stick, pulled it out and made
an aperture large enough to peer
through.
The room was Sonya Nichols.
With . chair drawn close to the
window, Sonya was looking out into
the night, an elbow on the window
sill. The candle on the dresser
turned her hair to a mass Of thin
spun gold and lighted up the soft
roundness OF her arms and shout
ders. She seemed too moody fo1
sleep.
Less than ten feet away from her
Curt felt guilty for intruding on her
privacy: but the expression on her
face arrested him and he continued
to watch. Evidently she thought
herself alone with the night, and SC
made no effort to hide her feelings,
as she normally did. She seemed
bitterly unhappy and worried. but
the thing that struck him most for.
chilly was her hard-set purposive
ness.
Seldom fooled IN such matters, be
knew that something wrong. badly
wrong, lay behind her tragic reverie
At the moment, pressed BY his own
work and the need Of hurry. hs could
not pause there long: but the Incl
dent left it, impression on him.
Around With Paul again, he whis.
pered:
"It's all right; W won't BE- bother
cd. I'll 60 into the trading store my
self. You stay here and keep guard
II anyone shows up. give that cluck
OF the hawk-owl In time for mo q
get out The doors are locked, bu,
I loosened the inside catch on this
front window when I was here THU
evening. Give me . boost up, part
ner."
Paul stopped. Curt stood On hi
shoulder, raised the window noise
lessly. wedged through. and drop
ped down inside the store.
He was not sure hin work would
get results. but tho odds favored It
The clue he was after almost had Il
bs in that trading post for there
was no station between Russian
Lake and the Yukon. and none near
Or than Fort Nelson on tho Lizard.
THROUGH tho pitch dark he 1sll
1 along the counter to the rear and
found the desk where Higginbotham
kept his books. He had secuted ont
the store thoroughly that evening
and knew the exact ledger that b
wanted. His fingers closed upon Il
he drew It out and took It over b.
hind the counter. Making himself Z
little barricade Of boxes 20 that hi
Hash glow could not be noticed out
side. he began examining the book
The record started With June arsl
Of the previous summer, and ran. lol
exactly one year. Every TRANSACTION
Of the store. whether cash. trade o.
debt. had been entered BY thu
methodical factor. Several Of thu
months were scanty. others heavy
By interpreting the little human
stories behind the entries, Curt
could reconstruct almost every hap
pening at Russian Lake In the last
twelve months. No became familiar
with names. people. their occupa
tions. the events IN their lives.
Mary Talking-Water buys ter
yards OF hannelette -charge. Petel
LameWind trades thirty lake trout
for canvas to recover his canoe
'Teeste LeNoir buys 4 carton Of
Savage 1903 cartridges ~ charge
Sam Canoe-Tied-to.Shors trades /,