THE CENTRE REPORTER,
Copyright by
STEWART KIDD COMPANY
“GOOD NIGHT, MOLLY"
BYNOPSIS.—Looking over Big
Muskeg, a seemingly impassable
swamp in the path of the Missa
tibi railroad, Joe Bostock, bullder
of the line, and Wilton Carruthers,
chief of engineers, are considering
the difficulties. A rifle shot In-
stantly kills Bestock and breaks
Carruthers’ arm. Carruthers tries
to carry the body to a post of the
Hudson's Bay company, where Mo.
Donald is the factor. McDonald's
daughter, Molly, sees Carruthers
struggling in the muskeg and drags
him from the swamp, with his bur-
den. Unaccountably, her father
objects to her saving Carruthers
Weakened by his wound and exer.
tions, Carruthers is disturbed by
the appearance of Tom Bowyer,
Bostock’s business rival and per-
sonal enemy. Bowyer insults Mol-
ly, and Carruthers strikes him.
Carruthers declares his love for
Molly. She promises to be his wife.
Carruthers has to reach the town
of Clayton to attend a mesting at
which Bostock's enemies plan to
wrest control of the Missatibl from
him. Molly goer with him. They
are delayed by a storm. Attacked
by his dogs, Carruthers’ Hfe Is
saved by Molly, who Is forced to
kill the animals. ‘The snow, the
snow!” They set out on foot for
Clayton, reaching it with Car.
ruthers in an almost dying condl-
tion. He is In time to foil Bostock's
enemies and keep control of the
line for Mrs. Bostock. He finds
enemies at work at Big Muskeg.
Bowyer persecutes Molly with at-
tentions., Lee Chambers asks Car-
ruthers for work, saying he has
broken with Bowyer. Carruthers
takes him on. Kitty Bostock, deep-
ly in love with Carruthers, comes
to live ‘at the Big Muskeg. Kitty
avows her love to Carruthers, who
tells her of Molly and gently re-
pulses her. Tom Bowyer secks
Molly's love, and is repulsed. Ha
inveigies the chagrined Kitty into
an alliance for the purpose of sep-
arating Carruthers and Molly.
CHAPTER Vliil—Continued.
we Dre
Kitty rose. “I don't know now that
I've done right.” she said. “I hope you
won't come to have any feeling against
me, dear. Only you didn’t seem to un-
derstand—well, things. And what I'm
saying hasn't anything to do with Mr.
Bowyer, if you feel that you don't care
for him.”
“Care for that beast!" said Molly.
» - . - . * »
Day by day the trestling grew, and
the embankment appeared about it un-
til the first part was hidden under the
permanent way. Thousands of feet of
, logs had gone into the building. Each
gay the engine pushed the laden bal-
last trucks farther out upon the creek-
ing, swaying structure,
charged through the frame of the
woodwork, and the engine v
ging the empty trucks behind it.
_had said that she would
Wilton doubted It,
return, but
obliterated their joint memory of that
afternoon.
her. She seemed a part of Joe, and he
found it hard to shake his mind free
of his preconceptions, For the present,
however, he recognized that her re-
rassment.
He sent her back to Clayton with An-
dersen, who had proved entirely trust-
worthy since the first night, and was
going in on business for him,
And he had very little time to think
of Kitty In the critical period that fol-
lowed. Wilton slept only a few hours
nightly. For five days he coljd not
even go to the portage. On the sixth
success appeared at hand. The sink-
holes had been filled in and there was
not the slightest subsidence of the
grade. Andersen returned that night
and Wilton went to bed in confidence.
Chambers was as confident as he,
On the following morning, as he left
his shack, the workmen came running
toward him, jabbering and gesticulat-
ing. The foreman, hurrying up behind
them, shouted and pointed In excite-
ment in the direction of the muskeg.
When Wiiton reached the shore he
found that his worst fears had been
exceeded,
Two-thirds of the trestle-work had
disappeared, including a great stretch
of the foundation, over which the loco-
motives and ballast trucks had passed
the day before. The subsidence was
seventy or eighty yards In length, The
top alone remained above the treacher-
ous Swamp, and the rails hung fes-
tooned in midair.
The whole embankment would have
to be reconstructed. As the mere me-
chanical process of dumping might
serve merely to add to the weight su-
perimposed upon the treacherous bot-
tom, Wilton determined to lay down a
corduroy over the sink-holes--a mat.
tress of tree-trunks. The depositing of
the ballast on this would serve to com.
press the muskeg and loose rock, mak.
ing a firm foundation, and the trunks,
as they became water-logged, would
harden, Increasing the strength of the
whole structure as time went by,
But for a few hours he almost aban-
doned hope, At the best, it meant hold.
tng up the construction of the line, for
the permanent way was now only a
few miles behind, and he dared not
start operations on the east shore until
he knew whether the muskeg could be
y
He spent the morning in his office,
writing a report for the directors. The
news would reach Clayton as soon as
it could be telephoned, but at least he
would have another chance. It was
too late now to think of changing the
route without throwing the company
into liquidation. And Kitty held eon-
trol.
The thought of that strengthened his
resolve. He could not bring himself
to go to Molly with the despondency
gpon him, but busied himself that af-
ternoon examining the wreck.
For about a month he had had a
strange protege. One evening Jules
Halfhead, the deaf-mute, appeared at
the door of hrs shack, and quickly as-
sumed the care of it. He was nearly
always to be found there In Wiiton's
absence, Sometimes, however, he
would betake himself back to the port.
age, and he was free of the camp,
where he ran errands and messages for
the engineers, and was the butt of mild
practical jokes,
Wilton came to the conclusion, how-
ever, that the Muskegon's mind was as
acute as any man's, and that his appar-
ent simplicity was nothing but the out-
ward aspect of his infirmity.
When Jules had cooked V'liton's sup-
per that evening he came into the office
in a state of excitement. The man had
loved the work. He was often to be
seen on the trestle, clinging for dear
life to a plank as the trucks rumbled
past within an inch of his head. When
he saw the wreck of the embankment
that morning, the foreman said that he
had burst Into tears, Now he was evi-
dently trying to describe something to
Wilton in pantomime ; but Wilton could
not follow his meaning.
Suddenly he seized a pencil from the
desk and, stooping, began to draw a
pleture of the trestle upon the wall
with remarkable skill
Wilton's interest was at once
aroused. “Yes” he sald, nodding to
Jules, “What about it?”
It was his habit to talk, although the
deaf-mute could not hear his volce,
Jules had an Instinctive faculty of un-
derstanding. He looked at Wilton and
nodded back.
He next drew four uprights—the
long, heavy trunks of considerable
girth that were driven into the ground
to support the trestiing. Then he made
a smudgy line across each. Then he
drew a hatchet. He looked up at Wil
ton In pathetic eagerness, and nodded
again,
sen reappeared with the tool. “The fore-
man wrenched out the staples and Wil-
ton burst open the door. As he had
expected, the shack was completely
empty of all Chambers’ belongings.
The two men looked at each other.
Slow understanding came into Ander-
sen's face,
“He was a bad yun,” sald the Swede.
“1 guessed you knew your business,
Mr. Carruthers, when you took on Tom
Bowyer's vight-hand man, It wasn't
for me to say nothing.”
“Keep your mouth shut still, Ander
sen,” sald Wilton, slapping him on the
shoulder. “We'll just start working
again. And keep your eyes open. Some
time we'll get him, and I'll telephone
Inspector Quain to pick him up if ever
he sees him In Clayton.”
CHAPTER IX
The Face at the Window,
to see Molly In his despondency, but
now the discovery of Chambers’
treachery came with an Invigorating
against Bowyer.
and a lighted lamp behind her,
was not talking to him, however, but
staring out of the window, and yet she
did not see Wilton as he came to the
door.
At his knock she came downstalrs
more slowly than usual. When
opened the door to him he saw that
she was trembling.
cold beneath his kiss,
“Come In, Will—I have something to
say to you,” she said.
He put his arm about her, and they
went Into the store together,
while,
ing Into her face and seeing tears In
her eyes. “What Is it, dear?”
“I'm afraid that w&ve both made a
vmistake, WIL” she answered,
shouted Wilton,
watched his
with the trestling?”
Jules, who had
when he was spoken to,
Wilton wondered if that was what
he did mean.
the ballast would
broken them.
weight of
doubtedly, have
port,
over the muskeg,
structure te
causing the
y subside,
suddenly turned and, with
Chambers the
wall.
Wilton looked at it and drew In his
breath. Then he nodded, Jules nod-
ded in return, smiled, and left the
room. Wilton reflected deeply,
If Chambers was a spy of Bowyer's,
why had he shown him the bedrock at
all? On the other hand, assuming that
Wilton must eventually discover It
himself, Bowyer might have sent
Chambers to make a virtue of a neces-
sity and to secure a position at the
camp, where he could be of service to
him.
In any case, Wilton could afford to
take no further chances with him, It
would serve no purpose to accuse him
of having tampered with the trestling.
He would give him a post somewhere
where he could do no harm, and thus
get rid of him.
Fighting down the burning rage In
his heart, he went down the road to-
ward the shack which the engineer oc.
cupled. This was a reconstructed
shed. There was only one room in it,
but Chambers had asked to have this
rather than share the quarters of the
other engineers.
The men were back in the bunk
houses, but the door of the shed was
padiocked. Thinking that Chambers
might be in the camp, he made his
way toward the other quarters. But
presently he heard some one calling
him amd, turning, saw Andersen run-
ning after him,
“Were you looking for Mr. Cham-
bers, sir?’ asked the foreman,
“Yes. Where is he?”
“Why, he went back to Clayton this
noon, Mr. Carruthers! He sald he was
going in for you.”
Wilton's suspicions sudden]
ap. “The key!” he shou
at the padlock.
“1 guess he took it with him,” sald
Andersen,
“Have the staples pulled out at
once
Wilton waited, fuming, until Ander
\
on
flamed
, pulling
“Good-Night, Molly,” He Said.
vincing her, in the usual lover's way.
ed you,” he sald penitently. “But you
know that until the work's finished I
can't ask ypu something. And I've
been rushing it through, feeling that
then I should have the right to”
“It's not the work, WIL" she said,
slowly. *“f want yod to release me.”
The laughter died on his lips. He
put his hands upon her shoulders and
turned her toward him. She rafsed her
face; her lips were quivering, and the
tears had fallen, leaving ber eyes hard
and bright,
“You mean that, Molly?" asked Wil-
ton gravely.
“Every word, WIL"
“Why /
“I have ceased to care for you"
She was keeping control of herself
with a strong effort, and she shook
more violently. She had nerved her-
self to offer an explanation, but now,
face to face with him, she could not
tell him that she had been moved by
pity for him, and seif-deceived. It was
impossible for her to le to Wilton.
“Molly"—ghe saw that his face was
set hard as on that night of the riot—
“I don't play with love. I love you and
trust you. If you mean that, tell me
again, and that will be enough for
me.”
“l—meant it! Oh, ean't you under
stand that I have changed?” she cried
desperately. “I can never care for
you, Wilton I"
He released her and turned away.
“Good-night, Molly,” he said.
Yet he went slowly out of the door,
and, because the shock had come with
stunning force, he was amazed that
ghe did not eall him back. He could
not make himself understocd that all
his dreams and hopes of five minutes
*
before were broken, Not until he had
reached the portage. Then he stopped
and looked back, The door of the store
was closed. The lght still burned in
the factor's room and he saw Molly
cross toward him and fling herseif on
her knees beside him.
He clenched his fists: but somehow
the violence that reileved his feelings
usually seemed to have no place here,
He couldn't understand. He went
home slowly across the portage,
The factor looked up when Molly en-
tered, and was astonished to see the
tears upon her face. When she kneeled
down he put his hand clumsily upon
her halr.
“What has happened, lass?”
asked. “Was It Will Carruthers
quarreled with?”
“He will never
sald Molly.
A dull fire burned in the factor's
eyed. He seemed to be struggling be-
tween two impulses:
fort his daughter; the other, his grati-
| fication,
“Ah weel, lass, ye'll find another,” he
sald,
jut he abased his head before her
indignant glance.
he
ye
come here again”
w » * . . ® *
When Wiltoh reached his shack he
| took off his cont and flung himself
down on his bed. He would not specu-
{ late on Molly's motives. He would not
| think eof her at all. He would neither
condemn her nor pity himself
He forced his mind back to his task.
| The trestle—he would lay down =a
{ the summer, if need be, for Joe's sake,
| Poor Joe! The presence of the dead
{ man the camp just as
| of old. was the guiding spirit of
i this He had Joe more
truly than it seemed possible to love
{ any woman,
seemed to fill
Joe
work. loved
He had
something
| of the office and went to bed.
dozed off to sleep when
| tently.
{ slight sound in the office,
the message to his
But it came again,
ears sent
doubtfully.
catch of one of the windows,
| He had the sense of a
neath it, and, all alert,
| polselessly to his feet and stood listen.
Now there
ing in the darkness,
The
very softly open,
doubt windo
It was the
between the safe 1 his
In
see that It was o
His own
inch by Inch
He saw an
Loratioh pe
nTOURH
window
bedroom
door Wilton ¢
the windov
and
was thrust cau
4 in reenT os yl
Loe
Satisfied, apparentiy,
| was asleep In the next room,
began to climb over
walted till he
then, leaping
with all his
feit the bone of the nose smash ‘under
his hand,
With a muffled Lee hers
flung up his hands, slipped backward
| and fell. As Wilton ran to the window
the ex-engineer leaped up and raced
i toward the trees. The thought of
treachery came into Wilton's mind and
turned his sardonic humor into
the sill
was balanced thet
forward, he drove his fist
38S ASA
force Into his f
il ACE,
cry Char
| and pulled out the loaded revolver
! which he kept there.
was gone,
* . » * » * -
Three months later an engine pushed
two ballast trucks from the weststo
the east shore of Big Muskeg. The
swamp was spanned. The corduroy
had been laid upon the sink-holes, and
had borne the ballasting. The trestiing
ran from bank to bank and carried the
metals firmly, but the foundation was
only as yet laid half-way, and the final
proof had yet to be made,
However, Wilton had no doubts of
the result. He had tried out the dan-
ger-spots, The trestle would contain
the ballast, His work had been accom-
plished.
After the subsidence he had paid a
flying visit to Clayton. He had not
seen Kitty, and Kitty had not returned
to the camp, but he had had a stormy
meeting with the directors and, as he
had foreseen, had been given his
chance to try once more. There was,
indeed, nothing else to be done. Bow.
yer had made the most of the disaster;
but it was to Bowyer's interest that
Wilton should try again and fail. That
would put the Missatibl promptly into
liguidation,
sania
co
——
“it looks to me,” he rumi.
nated, “as if them two snakes'l!
get the linel”
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
More Nature Faking.
Nature eannot jump from winter to
summer without a spring, or from
summer to winter without a fall.
From the Tiger,
LIKE SHORT COAT
Abbreviated Jacket Has Taken
Paris by Storm.
Garment Cut on Straight Lines, of
Finger-Tip Length; Straight and
Wide Sleeves.
There i8 a veritable craze in Paris
trate coat to be worn either over a
matching or contrasting skirt or over
any sort of dress and for almost every
secasion, In facet, the short jacket has
taken Paris by storm.
These which
suit Jackets, are cut
straight and are
conts, are similar to
on
of
Hines
GOWN FOR AFTERNOON WEAk
selt, It
replacing to a considerable extent the
full-length coat and the cape.
in thelr making.
and satins in quilted and
fects w
dous vogue at
represented,
There is bulla, a
which, as its name Implies,
the present time are
blistered fabric
Certain
specific
bulla mosseaux and baragladine,
Intter is a wonderfully interesting
printed, embroidered and blistered silk
crepe. In addition to coats
fabrics there are models
cloth and heavy silk crepes which are
definite patterns have
gan designs.
Practically all these jackets, whether
of gllk or cloth, are black and feature
fur trimming of some sort.
chinchilia. This is
lightweight pelt
Fur trimming is present even where a
model carries embroidery.
In the novelty class is a jacket of
India cashmere trimmed with monkey
fur about the neck and sleeves and
around the bottom.
A CAPE FOR GENERAL WEAR
a
Dainty Touch,
Dainty rosebud applique adds a
set.
For Informal! afternoon functions
this black moon-glo satin crepe makes
la strong appeal. It has been made
| distinctive by the chinchilla collar and
tong sleeve panels.
ORGANDIE FOR EVENING WEAR
Fabric, Considered Too
Fluffy for Daytime, Crowded Out
by Dark Silk.
| Summery
| Summer isn't over and organdie has
| always had a place in the heart of the
{ American girl who is often at her best
{in this sheer, summery fabric. Of late
years it has been considered too fluffy
for daytime wear and has been crowd-
{ed out by dark cllk gowns, which
| women prefer to wear in spite of the
| heat. Now, however, it is offered as
| one of the materials for the
summer evening gown and one is en-
latest
with it in this line.
The organdie gown of today is not
| ruffled, tucked or lacetrimmed, but is
used with one color over another and
trimmed with self-toned flowers and
pleoting. Rose over lavender gives a
two-toned effect that is lovely. Yellow
over orange is also very attractive,
One of the prettiest combinations Is
shown In a of pale green made
over a foundation of old blue. The
these two colors gives a
bronze effect. Twisted about the low
is a of folds of
deep lavender, dark green and bronze
organdies.
frock
usage of
walst sash composed
These organdie
hest when
fitting bodice
gowns
made simply with
that is
1 skirt
arnll
BCALIODS
are at their
the snug-
and
may be
The and
fcoting. Stockings
yf the under-
sleeveless
with quite which
picoted in
armbu finish
iid match the color
neck
sles
shot
slip
Feathered Gown,
An exquisite m of an evening
gown made entirely of feathers is worn
| by popular actress, The color
| chosen is heliotrope, which sets off to
{ advantage the lady's coloring. Ostrich
| feathers are admirably suited to the
popular bouffant skirt, overlapping in
guch a way as to form innumerable
| points new line is a
| Geep oval filled in with small feather
fiowers which also decorate the girdle.
This feather gown is the last word
in originality and charm.
vers
decollete
Summer Dresses—Satiste Is
Always Winsome.
Plaiting is a trimming form much
favored for the summer dress, If the
skirt is not knife or accordeon plaited,
i¥ is likely to ‘ntroduce plaits In the
form of inset or flying panels,
One lovely white crepe de chine
frock uses flat bands of plaits to out.
te its batean neck and deep armholes
and drops slender plaited panels from
its lowered waistline,
Batiste, delicately embroidered and
lace-trimmed, is always attractive for
summer. It ig best when simply made,
so that it relies on its exquikite work
for its effect.
Under this heading come frocks of
peru batiste made over black satin or
sharmeuse slips. One smart one shows
the fichu treatment which crosses
above the plain, short-sieeved, black
satin bodice, while the batiste over
skirt parts at the center back to reveal
its black satin foundation,
STRAPS OF PEARL AND METAL
Dainty Shoulder Pieces Are Used on
Some of the Summer Lingerie
instead of Ribbons.
Tiny shoulder straps of pearl and
metal are used on some of the summer
lingerie Instead of ribbons that so
easily wrinkle and soil. Some time ago
there came into existence the thin sil
ver or gold cord, replacing the ribbon
shoulder strap. The idea of the silver
or gold cord or chaln was that It
would be lovisiple. Not so with the
pearl and metal straps. The more
{| these are seen the better, from the
Parisienne’s standpoint. And in truth
| these trimmings form an extremely
dainty adjunct to the summer cos.
tume.
HINT ON IRONING WITH GAS
Single Burner Can Be Made to Heat
Several Flatirons; Much Can
Be Saved.
Get a strip of metal large enough to
hold four or five flatirons and heat the
irons on this. A single gas burner will
heat the metal from end to end, and
thus do the work of three or four. The
same strip of metal can be used for
making griddiecakes,
Turn over the irons a metal pan so
ag to save the top heat, and turn the
gas down low. With care four or five
flats can be kept hot at a cost of about
10 cents for an ordinary itroning. Do
not put flatirons directly over a gas
flame, as the watery vapor from the
flame will rust and consequently
roughen them.
Dressmaking Hints,
There are a number of lovely ways
to finish the serviceable and smart
eretonne gowns, Organdie, in the pre
dominating color, may make an inch-
wide binding at sleeves, pocket and
batean neck. Through this, ribbon in
a harmonizing tone is run and tied in
perky bows. Either ribbon or a siender
string belt is used and tied at the
left front. Another good-looking
finish which is seen on a number of
imported cretonne frocks is button.
boling done In colored wools, And still
another binds the edges with linen.
.