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W^&IUT>
sheltered hollow and hrooded over the pitch-pine embers late into the night while common-sense reasoned with him. The girl, it argued, might be dead. She might not live in the Canadian Northwest at all ; she might he married — but at that David swore a groat oath, kicked his embers together and dragged his blanket over his head.
He had decided to strike for the Stikine River country, because that was the address written on the photograph, a slender clue, but the only (me he had. Accordingly, for three days he traveled eastward, "Baree" galloping at his side, seeing sometimes the footprints of wild animals in the snow, catching swift brown glimpses of disappearing deer, frightening coveys of birds from the undergrowth, hut meeting no one of his own kind. His provisions began to get low. but he was so totally inexperienced in the ways of this wild, new country that he did not know enough to be frightened by that. A rifle shot provided a rabbit for "Baree" and David ate the last strip of his bacon, the final handful of his meal without a qualm.
"We'll be coming to a settlement today sure, old fellow." he told the dog. cheerily, as they started out again. But the day pa-sed and not a feather of smoke stirred in the still air of the distance. By the next noon David did not walk quite so springily.
"Perhaps — this is
what I came to the
rthland for." he
"Hush," whispered Marge O'Doone and he felt her trembling against him, "they've followed us! I thought all night I heard them and when it grew light I saw, so Tara and I brought you in here"
muttered, with wry
lips. "1 suppose I
needed an eternal
big licking for my
sins." He took the
photograph out of
his pocket and
gazed down at it.
"Where are you, dear?" he asked
the face that looked out at him.
"Have I made a mistake ? Aren't
you up here at all? Girl, on my
soul. I dont believe I'm ever
going to see you. Father Roland
is five days back, and there's no
one anywhere near. I expect it's
going to be good-by after all."
He flung back his head with a
gallant gesture. "It was a chance
I took it — you're worth taking chances
and if I've lost out I'm not going to
whine ..."
I le became aware that "Baree" was tugging at his coat and saw on the smooth, white surface before them the great, sprawling signature of a bear's paws. The trail was fresh. Xol so much as a grain of snow had fallen into the indentations at his feet. The dog shuddered piteously,
For reply the girl gave a scream and rushed to the great brute, throwing her arms protcctingly about him, and David saw incredulously that she held a bottle in one hand with which she had been feeding him
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