Part 14 (2/2)
”It looks that way, and I intend to find out You said yesterday you hadn't told anybody--”
”I didn't think about the woman,” said the trader, a trifle disconcerted, whereupon Runnion gave vent to an ironical sneer
”But here's your girl and this man ahead of us I suppose there's others on the way, too”
”Nonsense!” Burrell cut in ”Don't quarrel about this Miss Gale got wind of your secret, and beat you at your own garound left for all of you, and no harm done
nobody knows of this strike from us, I can assure you”
”I call it da out of his straps ”De nex' ta, Necia”
”Me, too,” said Lee ”An' now I'oin' to tear into some of them beans I sh Stark and Runnion looked black and had little to say It was an uncomfortable meal--every one was ill at ease; Gale, in particular, was quiet, and ate less than any of theht Stark's face frequently, and once the blood left his cheeks and his eyes blazed as he observed the ga at her with the sa a horse
”You are a irl for a 'blood,'” remarked Stark, at last
”Thank you,” she replied, siue dislike of the man crystallized into hate on the instant There was a tone back of his words that seen of it, so the meal was finished in silence, after which the five belated prospectors went out to make their locations, for the fear of interruption was upon the to their agreement, the trader staked first, followed by Poleon and Stark, thus throwing Runnion's claim more than a mile distant from Lee's discovery Froirl's other locations, one on each branch, at which Stark sneeringly rerohite woman
Runnion's displeasure was even s, addressing himself to Poleon and Stark while the trader was out of earshot
”This affair don't sht, and I still think it's a frame-up”
”Bah!” exclaiirl on ahead of us to blanket all the good ground That's what he did!”
”Dat's fool talk,” declared the Frenchman
”I' back and wanted to go slow froht? Looks now as if he did it just to give her tiet in first He admitted that he knew the Black Bear trail, and if he lied about keeping his mouth shut to the squaw, he'd lie about other--”
”Wait wan minnit,” interrupted Poleon, his voice as soft as a woman's
”I tol' you dat _I_ know all 'bout dis Black Bear Creek, too--you 'member, eh? Wal, mebbe you t'ink I'm traitor, too Wat? W'y don' you spik out?”
The three of them were alone, and only the sound of Gale's axe caht in the Canadian's face Runnion hastily disclaied his denial
”I don' know you feller' at all,” continued Poleon, ”but Ole Man Gale, he's uess you don' better talk no et sore,” said Stark ”I simply say it looks bad” But the other had turned his back and alking on
There are men quite devoid of the ability to read the human face, and Runnion was of this species Moreover, malice was so bitter in his mouth that he must have it out, so when they paused to blaze the next stake he addressed hih for Poleon to hear
”That Lieutenant is ht he was”
”How so?” inquired the older ht and then face the father; but the old uess he knohat it ht of that myself,” he said