Part 19 (1/2)

She see in marked contrast to that of Poleon and the trader, both of whoht no change The latter had tacitly acknowledged his treachery towards Stark on the previous night, but beyond that he would not go, offering noto stand in the eyes of his friend as an intendedwhich Poleon let the oodFrench reason for Gale's outburst, and was content to trust hi his mind to discover the cause of it

Now, a secret e for it--and this one had lived with Gale for fifteen years, until it had hed him down until the desire to be rid of it alrained and powerful, and so it was that he resisted the teh the effort left him tired and inert The only one to whoht not help, the sound of his own voice at least always afforded him some relief

As to Poleon, no one had ever seen hi and romance had he known a heavy heart until now, for if at tiirl, it was at the hurts of others He had loved a bit and gambled otten He had lived the free, clean life of a oes doith defiance in his throat, but this veno that Runnion had planted in hi until every fibre was penetrated with a bitter poison Most of his troubles could be grappled with bare hands, but here was one against which force would not avail, hence he was unhappy

The party reached Fla day, sufficiently ahead of Stark and his men for Lee to make known his find to his friends, and by sunset the place was depopulated, while a line ofslowly up the valleys

Gale found Alluna in charge of the store, but no opportunity of talking alone with her occurred until late in the evening, after Necia had put the two little ones to bed and had followed them wearily Then he told his squaw She took the news better than he expected, and showed no emotion such as other wounshot Instead, she inquired:

”Why did you try it there before all those others?”

”Well, when I heard hi, the wish to kill him was more than I could stand, and it came on me all at once, so that I was mad, I suppose I never did the like before” He half shuddered at the memory

”I am sorry,” she said

”Yes! So am I”

”Sorry that you failed, for you will never have as good a chance again

What was the matter with your ai from the hip”

”The man is charmed,” declared Gale ”He's bullet-proof”

”There are people,” she agreed, ”that a gunshot will not injure There was aainst steel”

”Your old h!” the ht man's friend, but a knife is the weapon of traitors I couldn't drive it home”

”Does this man suspect?”

”No”

”Then it is child's play We will lay a trap”

”No, by God!” Gale interrupted her hotly ”I tried that kind of work, and it won't do I'm no murderer”

”Those are only words,” said the woman, quietly ”To kill your eneht in the rooreat iron cylinder ular bed of sand held inside of four tiths of cord-wood, and which, being open, lit the space in front, throwing the sides and corners of the place into blacker mystery

When hehi so in her hands, which she placed in his It was a knife in a scabbard, old and worn

”There is no ain in the diht Gale slid the case froht flicker on it He balanced it and tested the feel of its handle against his pale of it with his thumb-nail, and found it honed like a razor

”A child could kill with it,” said Alluna ”Both edges of the blade are so thin that a finger's weight will bury it One should hold the wrist firh the coat, that is all--after that the flesh takes it easily, like butter”