Part 43 (2/2)
Runnion's er than a house, while Poleon's people can't raise a color I call it tough luck--yes, worse'n tough: it's hard-biled and pickled To theiven, and to theot, as the poet says Look at Necia! She'll be richer than a creaone,” said the trader, wearily, turning his haggard face from the prospector
”Gone! Where?”
”Up-river with Runnion They got her away froht”
”Sufferin' snakes!” ejaculated Lee ”So that's why!” Then he added, siit her, John”
The trader looked at hifor some kind of a craft to coot to do with it?” said the one-eyedher back?”
”He'll marry her! God, won't there never be a boat!”
For the hundredth ti he went to the door of the post and strained his eyes down-streaoin' to be oin' to be ood enough; she could 'a' done a heap better There's a lot of reg'lar men around here, and she could 'a' had her pick Of course, always bein' broke like a dog ht, but I've got soht 'eoods, and you'd see a big iood man,” said Gale ”Better than you or me, and he's all torn up over this I never saw a oabout for so her, and if I hadn't fairly held hi in the belief that Necia could have bettered her hand by stayin' out awhile longer,” declared Lee, stubbornly; ”but if she wants a soldier, e'll get one for her, only I'd rather have got her soood and pronounced in the ate”
While they were talking Burrell caht had affected the youth even more than it had Gale, or at least he showed the marks more plainly, for his face was drawn, his eyes were sunken as if froer, and his whole body see upon him loose, unke of avoirdupois, and when taken away had caused a shrinkage He had interrogated Stark again after getting the doctor, but the hter was out of reach, where he would take care to keep her, and torturing the lover anew by linking Runnion's na man fled from the sound of the monster's voice back to his own quarters He strove to keep the ie of Runnion out of his mind, for his reason could not endure it At such tie to a God-fearingblindly, beseechingly, for the girl's safe-keeping At intervals an unholy impulse almost drove hiun, to do it coldly as a matter of justice, for was he not the one who had put Necia into the hands of that ruffian? Greeting Lee er,” and sank wearily into a seat Al to the trader, as he had said it a score of times already: ”Runnion comes to me, Gale! You understand he's mine, don't you?”
The old it?” asked Lee
”You can't co,” the trader said ”We may have to follow the hound clean to the States Think of your gy prospector ”I reckon I'oin' to be in at the finish”
Back and forth paced the Lieutenant restlessly, pausing every now and then to peer down the river Suddenly he uttered a cry, and with a bound Gale was beside him, Lee at his shoulder
”Look! Over the point! Down yonder! I saw se that masked the bend of the river until their eyes ached, and the dark-green grew black and wavered indistinctly
”You're tired, my boy,” said Gale
”Wait!”
They obeyed, and finally over the tree-tops saw a faint streaoing for ht he was back with his scanty bundle of baggage, behaving like one daft, talking and laughing and running here and there Lee watched hilass of whiskey, which he made Burrell drink To Gale he whispered, a o mad at this rate”
They waited, it seemed interminably, until at last a white hull slowly rounded the point, then shaped a course across the current towards the other bank, where the water was less swift As it caht, Gale swore aloud in despair:
”It's the Mission boat!”