Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1937-10-01
CHAPTER 10

do something"
The girl leaned YEARLY against the
counter.
"Not necessarily"
"Why not? What right had he to
come here and take money!"
at gets to be habit after awhile"
There was no sarcasm in the state
ment, only resignation.
"I can't see it. Look here, you've
made start for yourself up here in
the North. This fellow can't come out
of your past and wreck it, no mat
ter what the trouble"
"The trouble Isl" she supplied dull
ly, chat I'm tied to him."
Married."
"Worse. than that"
"That's none of my business, Jean
me-"
She rested her hands on the coun-
ter.
cit is, Jack. The subjects been
opened. You might as well have it all.
Lew and were kids together in The
Pas. You know where that it?"
eyes in Northern Manitoba.
Quite town now, with all those mines
opening up"
"My father ran trading store
there" It was as though she were
in witness chair. Neither Father
nor Mother liked Lew. worked in
the trading store, especially when
Father was up North. Well, this
time he had to go into the Arctic circle
to trade with the Eskimos. Before
he left, he told me that was to go
to the annual fur auction in Winnipeg
for him; know furs. So I went and
took $4,000 with me-"
"In currency?" Hammond had be-
gun to see ahead.
eyes. Father likes cash. Lew fol-
lowed me down there. Twas terribly
in love with him." She must have
caught the look in Hammond's eyes.
ooh, he's changed so much all in
a year. I guess getting hold of that
money did something to him."
Evidently. So after he met you
in Winnipeg"
"So-well-" she spread her hands.
II know" Hammond was trying
to make it easier for her. "You were
away where nobody would know-and
you loved him-and life seemed some
thing terribly precious that wouldn't
last"
Thanks" the girl answered.
"And, too, suppose he pulled the
old gag-what was the use of worry
ing your parents by getting married,
to say nothing of his poor old mother
who'd never survive the shock"
ain this case, it was his crippled
sister," Jeanne supplied without bit
terness. "Oh," she supplemented sud
denly, "I'm not trying to say was
led around. Did you ever spend the
best part of your life in a place like
The Pas? Not the town that it is now
but the one like it used to be-"
"How did Lew Slade get his hands
on that money!" Hammond asked
bluntly. He felt queerly feverish. The
girl went on:
"There wasn't anything at the Win
nipeg auction worth buying. Lew ar
gued we ought to go on to Edmonton
there would be an auction there in
about ten days. wrote home what
had happened, about the auction I
Lewis money was gone. I began to
cut into the cash I'd brought along;
then one afternoon Lew pretended to
count the money to be sure it was all
there. 1 wasn't looking. He shouted
that a hundred dollar bill had flown
out an open window.
"Of course yon neved found it."
She smiled family.
"I found the place later where he
had lost it gambling. Of course, 1
didn't know that then. I begin to
worry about making up our expenses
and that hundred dollars. Lew said
he had a friend in Vancouver who
wanted to sell out his stock of furs.
1 let him argue me into believing that
he knew enough about the fur bust
ness to go and buy out this stock and
make enough on it to cover all our
losses"
She was silent. Hammond waited a
moment.
"Well," he asked at last.
That's ALL" came tonelessly.
"He stole the money and deserted
you?" asked the man. His hands
were trembling. -s.5",' @.-',