Imperial Valley press., 1936-11-22
DUTY"

THROUGH the drifts of glistening snow, pale
blue in the moonlight, lone figure plodded,
his snowshoes biting into the ice-crusted snow
with a cracking sound like the crushing of
glass. bitter wind struck him in the face, beat
ing him backward. Doggedly he pressed on over
the unblazed trail, grim determination of pur-
pose carrying him forward.
For three days and nights Timothy Reilly had
been fighting his way southwark. He knew
other day would bring him to his goal and his
amazing strength carried him on without SO
much as pause for sleep He had stopped to
rest briefly and to eat only three times since
leaving the shelter of the secluded cabin in the
Saskatchewan wilds from whence sacred duty
brought him.
A crime had been committed-a man had been
murdered!
The criminal must be brought to justice and
the man assigned to bring him in" would have
no rest or peace Of mind until the murderer was
either under lock and key or-dead. That is the
code Of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police,
and that is what brought Tim Reilly across the
frigid wastes. The thought of that duty burned
in him like a consuming fire, thawing somewhat
the ghostly spectre of icy death that lowered
over him and the white wastes cloyng at all life.
It was the hour of black darkness just before
dawn when Reilly felt a sudden weakness grip
him. He was not young man any more. Ten
wears ago this would have been child's play for
him. But ne OlOn I 0uT6 stop now lHeTe WdS HO
sheltered spot for fire, and he knew only too
well that if he paused, even for few moments,
he would fall asleep-a sleep from which he
would never awaken. No, he must keep going! He
summoned all his will power and plodded on
over the snow.
AS dawn began to break, the wind rose sharply.
Snow began to fall Reilly studied landmarks and
decided that if he could keep up his present pace
he would reach his destination between four and
five that afternoon. Every minute counted, he
knew but with an alarming weakness settling
over him he decided it would be best to stop
briefly for morsal of food and some hot coffee.
With that under his belt he should be able to
get through without any difficulty, although the
rising wind and falling snow began to worry
him. II was nine o'clock before he reached
sheltered spot He cut dead branches from a tree
and soon had fire burning. He piled on more
branches, took small coffee pot from his pack,
filed It with fresh snow and placed it on the
glowing Goals.
"A fHILE be waited for the coffee to brew, he
Wv turned over in his mind the possibility Of
surprising the man he sought. He must get in
and talk with him before an arrest was made.
Some of his men were bound to be about, and
Reiliys only chance would be to wait until dark
ness then under cover of night, he could slip up
unpoticed, making his entrance through the
door Reilly was familiar with every inch of that
building He should be-he had visited 1t often
enough!
When he had drunk the black hot coffee and
consumed a tin of 'bully" beef he felt a re-
newed strength. He hadn't made a mistake in
stopping, he told himself as he strapped the pack
back ON his shoulders and, with the toe of his
shoe, Kicked snow over the bit Of fire that re-
NAMED The wind howled through the barren
branches of the trees piling snow against every
obstruction This would slow him down, Reilly
knew, but, as close as he could judge, he had
less than 25 miles to go and should easily make
sy nishtfan. Bent foyard almost double hsh'-
pAaE TWO