The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-11-28

Ralph were staying: but he was afraid of getting snubbed. While he wavered. Sonya said goodnight to Mrs. Hodkins and turned to him.
 i've been wanting to apologize to you, MT. Ralston." She was really sincere about it-so contrite. in fact, that she would not look him in the eyes but stared at button on his jacket.
 "Why, it was as much my fault as yours," he insisted, as they start ed up toward the factors house. T threw out big wild statement and you caught me up on 1t. But honest ly"-he was thinking of her javelin- sharp words-"I'd hate to ever get into a real quarrel with you"
 ''Am that baa?"
 "Oh. you're positively formidable! To change the subject. there's some thing I'd like to say. if you won't bite my head off,"
 "I promise. What is it?"
 Well. if you don't mind an un- solicited opinion, believe you and your brother ought to think twice before you start north into Klo- sohee territory. don't know any think about the Klosohees myself, but do know that some of these northern Dinnehs can't be judged by the bands closer in to civilization"
 But we've thought twice already. MT. Ralston, and we've decided it's worth the risk"
 She said it so conclusively that Curt dropped the subject. If he was to stop them, he would have to think up some way more effective than argument.
 At the door of the residence they chatted a few moments about the party; and then Sonya bade him good night. Curt turned away re- luctantly, looking back once for glimpse of her as she stood outlined in the shaft of light from the door. LIE told himself when the Karak- | l han hunt was over he was going to look her up. find out who she really was. and try for better ac. quaintance. He would be a poor de tective if he could not trace Ralph and her.
 The rain came on in earnest short ly after he reached camp. A high wind lashed the pines. woke up the lake and tugged at their tent: rain fell in gusty sheets; flash after blinding flash of lightning banged into the timber and rolled believing across the lake.
 Sitting on their sleeping pokes. he and Paul waited for the time when they could begin their work. Not long after the storm began. Curt felt a trickle of water on his hat brim. He reached for his torch and looked up. About two feet down from the ridgeline a neat hole the size of a pencil had appeared in the canvas. On the opposite wall and at the same height was another hole.
 Look Paul = how'd those get there? No stick would blow clear through both"
 A livid white flash lit up the tent as plain as day. An instant later kip-plang!-their nested set of alu- minum disaes. lying on box near the f1ap-front. suddenly exploded in a dozen directions. as though pos sessed of some diabolic magic.
 In the rolling thunder Curt heard the half-muffled bark of a rife.
 He sprang to his feet. Hell! Somebody's shooting at our tent! It's that 'breed!"
 They grabbed slickers and auto matics, and leaped outside. Throw. ing themselves down behind the fire wood, they waited for the next spurt of rife fire to stab the darkness.
 Watch back in the timber. Paul. I'll watch down toward the fort. He's in one of those directions. He's not out on the lake or around the post anywhere"
 A minute heightened to three, five. Curt had never known 1t to rain so hard as just then. or to tighten so One moment they were blinded by dazzling glare: in the next the dark dropped like a pail.
 They lay there for ten minutes. praying for just one glimpse of a rife flash. But the sniper did not shoot again.
 We might as well go back in," Curt suggested finally. q ought to've taken your advice and left him over on the island. We saved him from a soaking and then got 1t ourselves"
 Sometime we're going to have a showdown with that slinker. He's going to kill us or we're going to kill him."
 Itwas exactly Curtis own thought. fCopvrioht. isss. wiHiam B. Moweryj