CHAPTER X-—Continued.
sf Du
“That won't do,” said
sudden flerceness. “She
back.”
“She won't. And If she did,
went down on her knees to him,
wouldn't look at her.”
“What do you mean?" asked Kitty
breathlessly.
Bowyer leaned forward again
whispered in her ear. Kitty was
pale as death. “How'll that do
you?' he asked triumphantly,
Kitty trembling. “I'll stick to
my word,” she said, "But*
lowest cur I've ever Known,
Bowyer, and 1 hope—I1 hope
body flays you—flays the skin off you
before you've run your n
“I'll take my chance
grinned Bowyer, as he rose,
Kitty back In her chalr,
hands over her face. Of a sudden the
abysmal depths of sin had opened be-
neath her.
after him and call him back.
could not stir. It was some time be-
bore she forced herself to rise. She
went to the window.
Bowyer was going to the bank, He
would return that way, and she could
Kitty with
may come
and
he
and
ns
for
rose,
course,
of that"
sank
changed her mind.
Suddenly
the curtains.
the other side of the road.
his head high, vet he walked
man who was broken.
Kitty watched him go by. Her heart
was full of pity for him, fer his quix-
otic dreams, his foolish faithfulness to
Joe. The picture that Bowyer had
limned of Molly faded from her mind
under the brighter glow that came
into it.
» * » Ld » . *
Like Wilton,
Wilton was passing on
He held
Bowyer had business
to transact with Phayre. "He went
to the bank; it was after hours, but
he knew Phayre would be there, await.
ing him
“Carruthers is
bank president.
“He is, eh?" asked Bowyer,
a keen glance at him.
get in?
“Day yesterday.
subpoenned on that case.”
“That's so,
“What did they
“Six months apiece.”
in town,”
before
get?”
friend?"
“Nothing.
phase of the affair at all. He'd ques
tioned them, and couldn't prove any-
thing.”
Bowyer fell into & brown study for
a few moments,
quired presently,
“Not yet.
Ralf-million in town.
to the last likely place by now. So
he'll be here tomorrow to renew the
oan.”
“You'll renew, of course”
Bowyer. “Excellent wheat lands!
Fine investment for your bank, the
Missatibi! By the way, you hit It
strong with that cartoon!”
They both laughed, first at the car-
toon, then at Bowyer's ralllery,
“No more trouble with Clark?” asked
Bowyer.
“Not at present. I guess that extra
two hundred squared him. He's a
dangerous customer to handle, though.
And absolutely indispensable for a Job
Hike we had to handle. A first-class
man at his trade, cool as a cucumber,
and looking like a gentleman. You'll
find It hard to beat that combination.
He could have had more than the two
hundred he held me up for”
“He's certainly worth it,” admitted
Bowyer. “What'll you do with him
next year?”
“Why, he seems to like the work
here,” answered Phayre, laughing. “T'll
keep him on, under my eye—at a re
duced salary.”
They both chuckled over that, but
Bowyer grew serious quickly, “Well,
I've fixed Kitty Bostock,” he sald.
“Lord, it's a cinch handling that type
of woman. Once they fancy some
particular man, they'll go through h—Il
to get him.”
“You've told her you'll buy her shares
at par,” he sald. “You haven't com
mitted yourself irrevocably to that?”
Bowyer threw his head back and
itted one of his short laughs, “Well,
1 may change my mind,” he said. “It
fsn't In writing.”
“Suppose she raises Cain?”
“She can't She's In too deep,
doesn’t know how deep.”
Phayre laughed again, but nervously,
#1 never cared much for this business,
Bowyer,” he said. “If Joe Bostock
hadn't died as he did T'd never have
got mixed up with it. But that gave
us our chance. It was a very lucky
aceldent. If we weren't committed be-
recovery, I'd pull out even now.”
pull out?’ echoed the other, “How
the devil can we pull out? The tricks
done.”
sald
She
COPYRIGHT BY STEWART KIDD COMPANY
“You've—"
“I've fixed it about that safe. We
had a devil of a job the first time we
tried. He's got a deafmute there who
seems to have eyes like a cat, and
sleeps with them open. Carruthers
caught Lee Chambers at the window
and smashed his nose. And, of course,
Chambers’ usefulness ati! the camp is
ended, However, I've fixed it now,
we want, and Carruthers with what he
want."
“1 suppose there's no doubt those
half-breeds did kill Joe Bostock,” sug-
gested Phayre, darting a keen look at
the other.
“I guess not,” answered Bowyer,
“Anyway, it's no business of ours how
it happened. Quain put everybody
the mill, including me. That
'a ut his wits’ end. If a new
clue comes to hand he'll jump at it,
Quuin's the man I came In to see
You've bad a talk with
way,
you about.
him?”
“1 saw him yesterday.”
“How did he take 117
“Fine!” sald Phayre,
“$1ook, balt, and sinker, 1
could see the flash of HHlumination
come Into his eye as the seed began
rubbing his
“You didn't suggest—9"
“No: I'm net quite such a fool as
lowyer. 1 spoke te him about
Joe Bostock’s investments, and the
missing half-million that he had drawn
out a day or two before his murder,
ferences. Don't worry! He'll draw
thew
“Capital!” sald Bowyer. “You're a
Phayre, and lu a few
CHAPTER x1,
The Conflagrati on,
going back 10 work for yon,
‘hayre,”
ft the office. And
any further
the line for Kitty,
work's
control
should see the
keg.
He found the camp
same condition as when
Andersen reported that
still getting llquor, and
mind had
“I'm
he had
hope
the day
passed into Bowsy hands
ross Blg Mus
sake, that
1 er's
grade ac
in
he had left it.
the men were
were slacking.
no room for
propositions at the same time,
the subject. He went
to bed. But he was aroused
Andersen a little after midnight.
“There's a big blaze a couple of
* sald the foreman.
“Sprung up like lightning. And a
gale's sweeping up the swamp.
men won't turn out to backfire,
say it's Saturday night—and most of
whose
rival
Wilton put on his clothes quickly,
placed Jules in charge of the
and hurried to the bunkhouses. The
workmen obeyed his summons with
slow sullenness, They were stupid
with drink. Some jeered ; some refused
to turn out at all
Jut some of the engineers and fore-
men were already hurrying to the
The Fire Was Speeding at a Terrific
Rate Toward the Camp.
scene. Wilton collected these and
started with them In the direction ef
the conflagration,
This was soon seen to be serious.
Under the high wind the firo was
speeding down at a terrific rate toward
the camp, filling the alr with dense
clouds of smoke. The eamp, having
cleared ways on three sides, had not
been fire-guarded. These should have
been wide enough to protect it under
that was being pushed had left no time
for anything else.
nckfiring was impossible, for the
wind eame up the cleared road from
the muskeg with hurricane force. Wil
ton posted his men along the near side
of the way, to beat out the patches of
flume that would spring up from the
burning brands carried over it by the
wind.
The conflagration came roaring
down on them before many minutes
had passed. It seemed to gather force
as it advanced. The smoke was sti.
fliing.., They could one another
only dimly in the swirling fog.
The line of fire shot through
crackling ferns and undergrowth
them, and reached the
cleared way Then the workers
themselves surrounded with a
of flame. The trees and grass
them. And along
the muskeg edge the conflagration had
thrust out gripping tentacles of flame
that edged round and in toward the
engine-sheds,
Shouting to those nearest him to fol-
low, Wilton ran down toward the
swamp. But when the grade came
inth sight he saw something that
caught his ery and killed It on his lips,
Of a sudden his veins seemed to run
ice for blood. The fire hand caught the
trestling and was running along the
timbers, eating its way toward the
east bank.
But what made him catch his breath
and clench his fists was this: the fire
was moving eastward and yet it could
not have started on the west for
here the trestling was completely hid.
den under the foundation,
the could not pass,
see
the
he-
of
edge
bank,
lames The
keg, had been started
design
It was
Muskeg wou
Bow
and
’
the end of everything.
all, when yer assumed control,
ins. belching up a black,
that clogged the figh lungs and
settled in fine particles of black dust
all over them, Drums of ofl and guso
line exploded with
tillery. up streamers of
sky-high. Rivulets of fire
end streamed
spreading
The
gration
about
was abl
in the
been stayed,
was left except
stic
ters’
the salvoes of
shooting flame
through the
the destruction,
encircling arms of the
had thrust their fingers all
3 through the forest, which
aze In direction.
space itself fire
though hardi
the kitch
he sheds
gone up in
now glowed flercely with an in
heat, but without
fighters had
1 that was nothing
ng more
then
avery
open the
NN
and engine
houses had a few
and
tense
The
econld do, and
flame,
they
They
except to
done all
could do nothi now,
blaz
men an
throw
ing oil, Wilton found a
d told them to take spades and
up mao 8 nlong the courses of
torrents, in order to divert them,
Hunkles, mad with drink, gath
g
f the
these
The
the 100T8 ©
and Jeered at
to save them;
HIRO
fou
too i
ght an
sconsolate to
ured the rer
down thelr st
geo
Everyone knew this wus
the end
Out of the smoke the
of McGee, the head
neer. His hair was erisped like a ne
was as biack, and the
jocomotive engl
tears
cheeks.
“It's all
ing but scrap-lron and
have a bargain sale!” He recognized
and seized him by the arm
“Who set that blaze?’ he screamed,
“Man, there was gasoline, gallons of
it, soaking the sheds before ever the
fire come there. They were soaked
with it. Who did it? Show me the
half beside
gone!” he shouted, “Noth
junk.
himself,
“It doesn't matter now ™
ton.
McGee raved, cursing and sobbing,
and suddenly rushed away into the
smoke and was lost to view,
Wilton was making his way toward
his shack before it occurred to him
that he would not find i. Yet there
was the safe, He would stay guard
over that. Ta his immense surprise,
however, he discovered that the shark
had escaped the conflagration, though
nothing remained of Kitty's but a few
blackened beams. A backfire had
been set successfully, The grass was
burned all about the place, and some
of the timbers were scorched, but that
was all, The shack was an oasis In
the devastation of cinders Jules
had stuck to his post,
Wilton knew there had been treach-
ery. He knew that Bowyer's appear.
ance at the portage had not been
chance. Bowyer had not driven miles
from Cold Junction by coincidence.
Wilton had no doubt that the fire was
of his making.
And even that did not matter.
At the door of his shack he stopped,
He had a strange instinct of danger—-
the instinet of the beast returning to
its den, which tells it that something
has been there during its absence,
He unlocked the office door and went
in. For a moment he thought his sus.
picions groundless. Then he saw that
the door of the safe was open. He
ran to it, and found the papers inside
and apparently intact, Just as they had
been.
Jules must have seared the thieves
away before they could accomplish
thelr design. But how had they got
the combination?
Wilton shouted for Jules, and then,
remembering that the deaf-mute conld
not hear him, went out of the room
toward the little wooden outbuilding
sald Wik
abode. But the Muskegon was not
there,
immer: »
He went back through the kitchen,
In the midas of the room he saw
something dimly outlined on the floor,
He struck a mateh and found Jules in
a pool of blood. One side of his head
had been almost battered to pleces
with a hatchet that Ilny on the floor
nearby.
And yet Jules was not dead, for, as
Wilton bent over him, he opened his
eyes and smiled very faintly into his
master's face. And the fingers of one
outstretched hand quivered and point-
ed toward the office,
Wilton raised Jules gently in bis
arms and carried him within, and laid
him on the floor. The Indian was al-
most at his Inst gasp, and he seemed
struggling to express something before
he died.
The fluttering fingers pointed up-
ward, All that was left of life within
the broken body seemed to be concen-
trated In them. Wilton watched them.
The fingers squirmed and twisted.
It seemed to Wilton that there was
something In the room that Jules
wanted, They were pointing now
toward the safe. Wilton raised the
dying man In his arms and supported
the shoulders against his knees,
that Jules might
Jules pointed straight at the safe,
looked up, and nodded, Wilton nodded.
Jules seemed to lose Interest then, but
BO
nee,
Armas.
ers still twisted, and now the
toward
his position, and
the lamp, to Hlumins
of the roon
fingers wai
ted the wall.l
of
other haif
1 hie
work,
shade
ndered the
oar
over
and = pped upon the
Chambers that
Halfhen
n's face
j1iew 4 smi
and nodded
Then Jul
CHAPTER
es died
Xi
Kidnaped!
Since Bow 5 last vis
maki
these she
to place
fo on
dare
factor,
She
were made
them be
«fro
knew that they could jong
remain at the portage. There
increasing iofirmity ; there
Jowyer's enmity—his hold
father, which wai bringing
his grave.
not
was his
Tom
her
into
was
aver
him
Yet she feared one of the factor's
wild outbursts of rage if she renewed
her suggestion that they should go to
Winnipeg. On the other hand, gradu-
began to helleve that MeDon-
ald was forming plans of his own. If
that were so, In due time, and in his
own he would talk to her about
them.
Meanwhile she watched her father
anxiously. He still dragged his leg
ag he walked, and the fear that was
always upon him now had made him
an old man within the past year. The
girl's love for him, which her humilia
tion at Bowyer's hands had never en-
firely killed, burned up again after she
had broken with Wilton.
But she wondered constantly what
was the power that Bowyer had over
her father. Had McDonald given her
any encouragement she wonld have
spoken to him, snd begged for an un-
derstanding that might remove the
cloud which hung over them both. Bat
the factor was more morose than ever,
especially when the winter trading
ended and time hung heavily upon
their hands.
The talk came at last. McDonald
was In his chair upstairs, Molly read-
ing to him. But the factor did not
goem to hear her: he was looking out
of the window and brooding as of old.
Suddenly he turned to her.
“I'm thinking of leaving here before
winter, lass,” he sald.
“Leaving here, father? For good?’
“For aye,” he exploded. “1 thocht
I'a die bere and be laid beside your
mother. And I've held on! God, how
I've held on! But I'm dene with that
hope. Would ye leave the portage,
Molly?” he asked wistfully,
“You, father! 1 wish we could. 1
wish we could go somewhere together
where we'd never have cause to ro-
member it.”
“Aye, nevar to remember it!" he
“To Winnipeg?" she suggested time
idly.
way,
TO BE CONTINUED.)
Portunately a young man can't
even Imagine that his best girl will
look lke her mother a few years
honee,
One of the first notes from the Paris
opening says: “No
shown, except that sleeves are more
Well, that is just as we would have
it, asserts a fashion writer in the New
York Times.
We have grown accustomed to pet-
ting and pampering our sleeves
though they were the favorite twins
f. %
pr — )
i
Bleeve of Lace Cut
White Moire. Below: White Puffed
ed Organdle, Black Velvet Wrist.
band.
of the family. We know now that nun-
lens we pay special attention to that
far as style
have realized
is concerned.
A trifis of experimentation will show
that the dealgn of one’s sleeves can be
into the line of the gown In
such a way that the sleeves become
and remain the actual center of at-
d styla And now that we
sanction of Paris for going
with our sleeve achievements,
sbould manage to do
lovely things daring the
We
soni in experiment
now, mfter
COMIINDE senson.
ation, as It were, and
months of
upon a
artistic accomplishment.
our education,
nched
The style declaration
trimming can be accepted
we
that there I
no and be-
consider the
For all the dec
spread
ration
Over a far hroad
been
the sleeve
now
We find
suggestion of trim-
of it. The
ie sleeve 1s nothing
greedy is it of
it has come to hold that it
in preventing decoration In
We find embroidered
brocaded sleeves, lattice
sleeves, puffed sleeves,
In fact, there
surprises. that are sprung upon us at
every turn of fashlon's way.
Now there
8 ere
but an actual
often ti
ming, INAss
trimming. and so
sleeves,
worked
sleeves, i= no end to the
settled at once.
long. They will still be full,
have been.
tions that
so happened. For coats and capes
the wraps look as spacious and com-
fortable ns can be.
will be so,
many exceptions that
seem utterly superfluous,
Some of the Newer Sleeves,
A study of some
costumes, for, as has been sald, they
ple one indeed.
Among three Interesting types of
sleeves one is made of strips of beau-
tifully brocaded ribbon, The design is
Egyptian, and the colors are all those
gorgeous dull ones that designate that
period. The color of the gown Is a dull
blue and the material 1s one of those
ionable just mow. Then the ribbon
with Its dark yellow, green, red
golden tomes is applied In long bands
on the sleeves ending at the elbow,
and the sleeve is faced with a dull red
silk to match that coloring in the
woven ribbon.
There are any number of ways of
asing ribbons in these newer and more
elaborate sleeves, They fairly blossom
forth in this particular, for all the in.
tensely colored ribbons and all those
with metal threads and brillant de-
gigns can, In some way, be worked ine
to the design of a gown so that this
sort of trimming will look lke some
intricately executed placement of em
broldery.
One designer has used many rows of
that narrow-patterned grosgrain ribbon
W form & band on the end of a full
and transparent sleeve. Another one
has made a cap over the top of the
used for this a two-inch woven ribbon
Ktill an-
other sleeve of ribbon—this for a more
dressy sort of frock—has strips of
picot-edged ribbon In a narrow width,
away into
the, Ingenu-
long way In the using of
ribbon for the beautifying of sleeves,
And it is possible for anyone to design
a dress that will ma of some
valued bit of ribbon to the glorification
of the whole gown, These old-f
foned ideas are coming into general
usage again, especially relation
to sleeves, for with the evident neces
sity for making the sleeve a ple-
turesque quantity, all sorts of modes
and manners must be employed in or-
der to lift the modern sleeve out of
the class of the usual.
Ruffies of Soft Chiffon.
Another sleeve is made of a series
of ruffles of soft chiffon. It is a youth-
ful sleeve and one that, doubtless, will
find great favor among the younger
girls still wanting to look their fluf-
flest selves, t any rate, it ia a sieeve
that any mother will
her daughter's party frock. It carries
with It so much of charm and grace,
And it 18 evident that, with a sleeve of
not a great deal
in the way of other trimming is need-
There might-be 8 few
but a more attrac
id be to keep the frock
nd full,
bertha, and the
of brightly eol ribbon
Then let the ruffies on the sleeves in
gredunted count for
by They
be much more effective that way
and will have a chance,
Ke use
nshe
with
love to design for
character,
ruffies to
with
gir-
ored roses,
widths
themselves,
witho
Hay the really
establish for
it inter.
fovely lines which
the whale costume.
An Interesting sleeve
they
finish is sug-
The dress
draped affairs
lines the fabric made
gracefully to follow those of the figure
iteelf. Then a shaped plece of sliver
arranged for a
the
trimming to
By this
ugly
those
of
over arm Is
hung a strip of the same
little trick, line
away
that sometimes
pitogether and the arm is
ine In unin
of this idea to be
gowhs, and while
seen
the
with sparkl!
one that has fo ur
are
ons which ca
on the
ng is
there other oolor
n be worke«
wecessfully in this way.
Among the Handsomer Gowns,
White and
organdie cream batl
bes
tO
come very popula mon the hand.
somer gowns for
This may
a style of th
winter. But
the smart lunching places
one Is very apt to see a black crepe or
(7
be an Indication, too, that
ig sort will carry over into
on the street and In all
these days
Showing Winsome Group of Sleeves
That Are Prominent in Some of the
Newer Frocks, These Sleeves Range
From the Chiffon Ruffies to the Flat
Strips of Brocade Material,
a black satin dress quite handsomely
this Tngerie
trimming that the season's thin and
And, invariably, along with the long,
low collars and the flouncy frills about
the throats, there go wide cuffs or
sleeve ends to carry out the complete
iden,
There is the frilled and plaited or
gandle cuff arranged in three stiff
tiers and held snugly around the wrist
with a black velvet ribbon band and
cut steel buckle. This is a sparkling
cuff trimming, 1# you please, but it is
only illustrative of the lengths to
which the designers are going in their
effort to supply a touch of daintiness
to some of the newer black frocks.
Then there is a circular cuff, flaring
back and away from the hand, being
confined by only the simplest and nar
rowest sort of a band, closely held
about the wrist,