Part 10 (2/2)

Now, on this dark h Donald's mind But what chafed him most was his forced inaction For twenty-five days more, he must sit in that pestilential prison while all about hiirl he loved was perhaps dying in the merciless hands of her father's enemies

And, then, there was te, barely understood, that Rainy had mumbled

”Break your pipe, and ask for the one in the hallway,” he had said

This enigmatic remark should be explained For years, the factor at Fort Severn had kept in his hallway an enors were souvenir pipes from every white man that had ever visited the post Most prized of all was one that had belonged to the great governor of the Coe Sial state, with red banners floating from his canoes, and a matchless crew of Iroquois paddlers whose traditional feats are unbroken even to this day

There were pipes of all the governors and all the factors of the post from its earliest foundation Many of the otten, yet their names and pipes still re a splendid briar that Donald had contributed, and it was to this that Peter Rainy had referred, since there was a rule that a ht borrow his pipe if he needed it, but must be sure to have it returned to its proper place

Why should he break his pipe, and ask for the one in the hallway?

That in his pocket eet and rich and mellow, the one in the hall an unsue blistered for et it, even should he want it? That was a question he could not solve

After a while, the prisoner, worn out with his long tramp, lay down on his cot, and fell into a heavy sleep, fro hie utterly disconcerting

”Captain McTavish,” said the man, ”there will be so”

”Who?”

”Miss Laura Fitzpatrick”

Donald gasped

”What have I done to deserve this punishment?” he asked hi to see me?”

”I don't knoas the answer; ”she merely told eon Lake, but thite women had been left--Mrs Gates, the missionary's wife, and Laura Fitzpatrick The latter, a maiden upward of thirty-five, had decided to relory asamply protected by the fehite men left at the post

The captive had reasons for not desiring this visit, outside of the possible i his happy weeks in Jean's company, circumstances often shaped themselves so that there were three persons on their little canoe trips and picnics--and the third was Miss Fitzpatrick Her ingenuity in these matters had been positively rerinned up its sleeve, knowing old Fitzpatrick's declaration that Jean should not marry until Laura had been taken off his hands

For the first tienus_ man Consequently, Donald noaited her arrival with some trepidation

About eleven o'clock she came, unaccompanied except by the old Indian who looked after McTavish's wants She was sed her mild blue eyes She had overcome nature's delinquency in the matter of luxurious hair by the application of a ”transformation,” done into numerous elastic curls

Because of the difficulty of communication with the outside world, this was now several shades lighter than her own, a fact which gave her great pain, but was really quite unavoidable

Leaving the door open, she sat down in the one chair, while Donald leaned on his elbow in the deepeasped breathlessly, ”I suppose you think I'm awful, don't you, Captain?”

Her curls bobbed, and a faint color showed in her cheeks

”Quite the contrary, Miss Fitzpatrick,” he replied, gravely ”I feel that only the highest motives of--well--er--pity, have actuated you to look in upon a man forced to take a month's rest It was really kind of you, but have you--er--that is, thought of yourself, and what people hed, ”of course that will have to be faced, won't it? But I guess I'h to be past scandal Really, you have no idea how old I' to be, Captain McTavish”

”A woman is only as old as her iallantly ”And your i could hardly place you above--let's see--twenty at the outside”