Part 8 (2/2)

”Davies has gone off to the river,” he remarked ”It's curious!”

”Why do you think this curious?”

Ji that tact was needful He was not jealous about Davies Carrie and he were friends; he liked her much, but she had not inspired hiirl he had met at the Montreal restaurant For all that, he was puzzled

”Well,” he said, ”it looks as if he had come out of his way in order to see you”

”Did he tell you this?”

”No,” said Ji like it I suppose you knew hilance His face was thoughtful and he frowned She was quiet for a moment or two, and then smiled ”I do not know him well He was at the Woolsworth Store, but his was a better post than mine, and we didn't often meet In fact, I don't think I liked him much”

”Ah,” said Jim, whose satisfaction was plain ”Well, of course, it is not lad I didn't like him?”

”Of course,” said Jim ”The fellow's a poor type; not your type----”

He stopped with soo You are puzzled, Jim?”

”I am Why did the fellow hint he'd co about looking for a line for a wagon road, but he'd have struck the valley the road will go through sooner if he'd pushed on east I can't see what he did want”

”Perhaps he had so at our ca out of his way”

”Yes,” said Jim ”I believe you've hit it”

”Well, now you know I don't like Davies and you have found out why he's here, you ought to be satisfied”

”But I haven't found out why he's here; that's the trouble,” Jim rejoined, and was silent for a few moments ”However, perhaps you have putof a fool when I wanted to leave you behind You have helped us all the tio and chop some”

He went off and Carrie sat quietly by the fire There was faint amuseht began to fade and rousing herself she made so of fish she had vanished and the light that had burned in her tent was out

NextDavies left the camp and Jim sent three or four men to build a wall to protect the line, while he and soress was slow, because it was necessary toand Jim was occupied for a week before he was satisfied with the length he had built He thought it ought to stand, but felt disturbed when he calculated what the extra work had cost It was, however, a coround, and soon after supper one evening he went off in better spirits than usual to a little bark shelter he had built for himself

He was tired and soon went to sleep, but after so after working hard, because he did not feel sleepy, and lifting his head he looked about The end of the shelter was open and the pines outside rose like vague black spires, their tapered tops cutting against the sky Although there was no loom behind One could smell the resin and the warm soil, damped by heavy dew All was very quiet, but after a few an to listen

He had lived in the wilds, his senses were keen, and sometimes he received unconsciously ih the stillness was only broken by the turined it was not for nothing he had wakened

Then he raised himself on his elbow as he heard another sound It was very faint, but soh he could not tell what it was A fewdown hill and disturbing others as it went Then there was a sharp crash and a rattle that began to swell into a roar, and Ji the hill The bank he had built had broken and the stones behind it were plunging down

When he reached the line he struck his foot against a rock and stuht was dark, but it was unthinkable that he should stop He clenched his hands and ran, although he did not knohat he could do When trouble threatened he ot louder He heard great blocks strike the ledges down the slope and smash; trees broke and branches crashed, while behind the detached shocks there was a steady, dull roar of s up the brush The wall had obviously gone and its collapse had started a slide that ht not stop until all the stones above the line had run down If so, they ht plane off a wide belt of hillside and carry the soil and broken ti out another line

He gasped as he labored on, but the uproar had begun to die ahen he reached an opening in the thin forest At sunset, straggling trees had dotted the slope, but they had gone and, so far as he could see, nothing but a few stumps broke the smooth surface of the hill The wall had vanished with the line it wasstone rolled by, but Jim did not think about the risk He must try to find out if much of the surface was left and if there was rock beneath