The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-11-26


pressed loathing for all the grease
the men. Mud! slime! rancid fat!
spoiled meat! spoiled meat! Alan
Garth, ] know that / have to 60 in
dressed, like squaw. But this-this
filth"
He surged the canoe around shore
ward with powerful sweep of his
paddle.
''Not necessary, Miss Ramill. A
securing with hardwood ashes and
sand will do the work of soap. We
can go in sweet"
They landed where an ice jam of
some spring breakup had gouged
through the muskeg mud at the end
of the ridge and left clear beach
of glacial sand and gravel. Up over
the ten-foot cut bank, Garth started
a fire with one of his two remaining
matches.
Even Huxby joined in gathering
other piles of fallen birch branches
for more fires. While they were burn
ing. Garth beached the canoe and
tilted it so that the sun would dry
the soggy inside. Huxby stirred the
fires, and Mr.. Ramill broiled the
last of the partly spoiled bear-cub
meat, while Lilith tried out cupful
of the ransid fat for a final mess of
mosquito dope. Garth brought the
girl pitch for the mix from the near
by thicket. of young spruces.
No cleaning could be done until
the fires burned out. When Mr. Ram
ill took off the spits of cooked meat,
all squatted down as usual to share
the meal. Garth smiled his thanks
as he took the slab of hot meat hand
ed to him by the millionaire. The
smile hardened.
A sudden change had fallen upon
his three companions. He could cas-
lily guess the cause. They realized
that this was the last meal they
were to share as fellow voyageurs
with him.
The moment they stepped from
the canoe onto the wharf at the
emergency refueling post, their fore
ed companionship with him in the
lost valley and on all the long trip
out would be at an end. Instead of
trio dependent upon their opponent
for food and guidance-for life itself
they would be trio not only in
dependent of, but hostile to him and
his interests.
That was at least true of the two
menAnd even Lilith betrayed in her
look and manner vivid conscious
ness of the impending change of re-
lationship. AS for Hubby, the cold
gloating in his stare showed how he
was anticipating the robbery and
ruin of the man who had so far out
played him.
Mr.. Ramill had reacted in his own
way. His temporary friendliness had
Disappeared He was again the bland,
adroit investor in mines who so gen
erously presented worthy prospec-
tors with thousand, and in return
took over claims worth many thou
sands. Huxby of course had been
hopeless case. But Garth had fanci-
ed there were possibilities in the
older pirate.
Lilith Ramill, however, was the
real disappointment. Though she
had done nothing, so far as Garth
could tell, to disprove her declared
hatred of him, she had seemed more
and more to show spirit of fair
play It had led him into thinking
she possessed true spirit of sports
manship.
Yet now the girl avoided looking
at him. Occasionally she gazed rath-
er hard at her fiance and murmured
about the hotel at Edmonton. But
for the most part she sat in moody
silence. The grease that dulled the
brilliant blue diamond of her en-
gagement ring seemed to annoy her.
She rubbed at it with bit of dry
moss, between bites at her meat.
By the time Garth finished his
own half-spoied meat, he managed
also to swallow his bitterness. After
all, what else could he have expect
ed? The girl was the daughter of
Burton Ramill-the selfish spoiled
daughter of an INSCRIPTIONS bust
ness sharper.
He broke in upon her rubbing of
the begrimed diamond: MAY I ask
you for the salt and tea bags, Miss
Ramill? They're as good as empty, I
see. But l can refill them for my re-
turn to the valley"
She stared at him, wide-eyed.
Valley! You-you're going back
there?"
ITO be sure. Why not? You can't
suppose I'll abandon all that million
in my platinum placer"
Huxby's face had gone blank. His
agate eyes stared with all their cold
rancor Rut Mr.. Ramill chuck1ed ."Of |
course, my dear-the placer He will
be going back to his placer next
spring"
The girl did not turn her astonish-
ed gaze away from Garth. dad does
not understand. do. You mean now!
You planned it from the first. All
that caribou meat and the"
Good guess" he broke in. "It has
taken a bit longer than I expected
to get you out. But in my light
birch bark, fancy can make the
head of canoe water before the
froozoIIn A ftoY. that frOcf and SnOw