The Ely miner., 1940-03-07
CHAPTER XII-Continued

AOIIl DGuGdLa lowered DTOWS. -
Bruce Landor, of course" he said,
with a sharp infection bitten with
hopelessness.
Autumn avoided his eyes, her gaze
upon the window where, the curtains
drawn back, the redolent, piny air
Of the mountains drifted gently in
ward.
'I knew It." he said disconso-
lately. 1--WE known it for weeks.
That's why you're going away.
You're running away from him."
Autumn got up and stood by the
window, looking out across the hills
where evening was already settling
down. She had been standing there
a long time, neither of them speak
ing, when Florian got impatiently
out Of his chair.
Let's eatl" he said suddenly.
You're probably starved"
She looked at him and smiled dim
ly. II could do with little some
thing" she agreed. What is
there? I'll get it ready"
You'll do nothing of the Sort" he
retorted. You'll sit down and have
another drink while fry the bacon
and eggs"
Fifteen minutes later, they were
seated amicably across from each
other at the little table before the
fireplace, feasting on bacon and
eggs, bread and butter and MARINA
1ade, and the really excellent coffee
Florian had made. Florian, remark
ing with a derisive smile that they
might as well have il as romantic as
possible, had made a fire in the fire.
place and had moved the prosaic
lamp to a secluded alcove.
Their talk was desultory and was
concerned chiefly with the PARIS,
since Autumn was reluctant to speak
OF her impending journey. Linda,
he told her, had found herself new
passion, the object of which was
bemedaled war veteran who had
come 10 the Okanagan and bought
himself a fruit ranch.
Just a matter Of changing from
sheep to fruit for Lin" he remarked.
'It's great to have an easy con-
science"
And so they talked in quiet anaia-
bility, while the freight fickered
pleasantly on the ruddy pine beams
Of the ceiling and coquetted with
the shadows that lurked about the
furnishings.
Ever since Autumn had left that
morning, an inexplicable sadness
had lain upon Jarvis Dean, a heavi-
ness Of heart that was more than
mere regret at her going. She would
be back again tomorrow, ne told
himself, and they would still have a
few brief days together before she
left the Castle for good. It would
be for good this time, and when he
Joined her IN England in the fall,
that would be his own farewell to
this land In which he had known
the heights and depths of all pas
sions. Searching his heart for the
cause of his melancholy, he came
with acute anguish upon the truth.
Jarvis Dean had reached an end
an end Of everything that had really
mattered in life. An abyss Of noth-
ingness yawned before him.
Without these stark hills and un-
guessable valleys that had witnessed
with silent compassion the drama
of his life, he would be as player
upon a stage without an audience.
Frequently during the day, his
eyes had roved hungrily over the
noble prospect that had been his
for more than quarter of a CEN
tury. By toll of mind and body and
soul he had made it his own, and
his being, IN turn, had been deliv-
cred over In its entirety to the mag
nitude of this earth.
All that he had known of Joy and
sorrow, hatred and love, the saga
Of his failure and triumph, was writ
ten across the bright tablet of this
land, mscrutable to all but himself;
when he left it his epitaph would be
craven there.
The sun marked noon, and the
less explicit hours of the west. To-
ward the latter end of the day Jar
Wis went on foot to the temporary
camp where his young Irish herder.
Clancy Shane, was tending the few
hundred sheep he had brought down
from the range to be sold. II had
been a matter of great pride to the
boy that he had brought the band
down single-handed and Jarvis had
expressed his dry pleasure by rails
ing the lads salary.
In a wooded hollow before he
reached the rise from which the
flock could be seen, Jarvis halted
abruptly to listen. An unwonted
clamor of excited barking was COM
ing from the direction of the flock.
mingled with the mad bleat of sheep.
In alarm, Jarvis scrambled I'D
through the woods to the crest.
where furious spectacle met his
eyes
The low, red sun shone obliqueIy
across turbulent Gvid sea of gray
bodies, sea which, while Jarvis
stared at it aghast, seemed to be-
come a vortex spinning closer and
closer to the brink of deep arroyo.
a sandy cleft In the ground that had
been washed deeper by freshets of
the last spring. The dog, in fren-
y, was striving to head the crazed
flock away from the danger. Sud-
denly the Irish lad leaped into the
maslstTom and began beating his
way toward the churning center.
Jarvis shouted hoarse warning and
began to run.
Before he reached <f,e ,rroro
however, the outer fringe of the
band had run of tangent-wise and
were plunging headlong into the gap