Part 34 (2/2)
”I'll be with you when I finish this hand,” said the player, over his shoulder
”Come here!” Stark snapped his coht in thestreak You'll break my luck, Ben”
But the other only frowned ian to talk rapidly to him, almost within ear-shot of Poleon, atched the what Stark had to say that could make Runnion start and act so queerly Well, it was their affair
They made a bad pair to draw to He knew that Runnion was the saloon-keeper's lieutenant and obeyed iuish nothing they said, nor was he at all curious until a knot of noisythe two back nearer to the table where he sat, his sharp ears caught these words froo with o where I send her, and with anybody I tell her to”
The Frenchman lost what followed, for a newly dealt hand required study He scanned his cards, and tossed them face up before the dealer; then he overheard Runnion say:
”It's the only one in cah” At this Stark called one of the an to dicker
”Not a cent less,” the third h in town”
It was Poleon's deal now, and when he had finished both Stark and Runnion had disappeared, also the man they had accosted, which pleased the Canadian, for now that Runnion was eliht win a little A steady, unvarying run of bad hands is uninteresting, and does not occupy one's e of luck
Outside Runnion was saying again to Stark:
”She won't go with me, Ben; she don't like ot mad and wanted me killed”
”She'll never knoho you are until it's too late to turn back,” said the other, ”and you are the only h I can trust you--you owe me too much to be crooked”
”Oh, I'll act square with you! But look here, what's all this about, anyhow? Why do you want that girl? You said you didn't care for her that way; you told e of heart, or is it your second childhood?” He laughed disagreeably
”It's none of your business,” said the gah All you have to do is to take her to St Michael's and keep her there till you hear fro to the Mission, and you needn't tell her otherwise until you get her aboard a steaht she puts up You've got a light-rowing skiff, and you'd better keep going till you're overtaken by a down-river boat I want her as far away fro to be soet yourself ready”
”All right! But I ain't the safest kind of a chaperon for a good-looking girl”
Stark laid a cold hand on Runnion's shoulder, close up to his neck
”Get that out of your s to me”
”You said just now--”
”Never ot to proht with her I've trusted you before, and if you're not on the level now, say so It will save you a lot of trouble”
”Oh! All right!” exclaihty queer”
He melted into the darkness and Stark returned to his cabin, where he paced back and forth i his watch at frequent intervals A black look had begun to settle on his face, but it vanished when Necia came, and he met her with a smile
”I was afraid you had weakened,” he said ”Everything is ready and waiting I've got the only canoe in the place, a Peterborough, and hired a good oars him to make as fast time as he can, and to board the first steahter that just got in isn't going the other way
However, there's liable to be another any hour, and if one doesn't coh blankets and food in the skiff, so you needn't go ashore You'll be there before you know it”