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the flare of the match was tingling at fever heat for. vepgeance for the of the human fiends who pted to blow bln to atoms, 'the sme time there Was no him toward the girl. He at was an unwilling iho plot. apd. that she was 'all in ber power 10 save him. At pe time be began tu realize that 'ed in. vas it sleese 'would Bot come? ng. himsel? to belleve of his imprisonngnt in cogote--of this second attempt on . 'And yet if she did-- the heard a step, a light run p, and with a recognizing cry ng out into the starlight fo et the slin. panting, white taged » that ran to him from between thick walls of forest trees. J *Nfeleese!" hie exclaimed sofu. He held' out his arms and' the girl yan straight into them, thpisting ber "ha against his breas§ throwing J 'back her head so that sie looked up nto his face with greaty staring, hor 'yor filled eyes. \ "Now--now," she sobbed, "now will you. go?" Her hands left his breast and crept | "20 his shoulders. Slowly they slipped over them, and as Howland pressed Her closer, his lips silent. she gave an pgoniged cry and dropped her head against his shotifer her whola body torn in a convuisjon-of grief and ter- t that startled him. ¥You will go?' she sobbed again "You will go--you will "He ran his fingers through her soft % crushing his face close to hers. ; 1 am not going, dear," he re- gin a low, firm voice, "not after happened tonight." 5 She drew away from him as quickly as if be bad struck her, freeing ber self even from the touch of his hands. "1 heard~what happened an hour ago." she sild, ber voice choking her. "I "pverheard them talking" She struggled hard to control herself. "You must eave tHfé camp tonight." Jd the gloom she saw Howland's teeth gleaming. There was po fear "1in is smile. He ladghed gently down eyes as be took ber face be- gen his hands again. "1; want to take back the promise that I gave yon last night. Meleese want to give yoy a chauce to wam ny whom yon may wish to warn. I hall not return into the south. From | bout begins the hunt for the cow- | pdly devils who have tried to murder me... Before dawn every man ou the YWeknsko will be in the search, and if we find them there shall be no juercy. 11} vou help me, or"'-- truck bis bands from her face, ng back before be had finished. ie Baw a sudden change of expression. er ps grew tense and firm, From the death . whiteness of her face there D slowly away the look of soft pleading, the quivering lines of fear. was a strangeness In her volce she spoke--something of the hard ination which Howland had put own, and yet the tone of it lack- 'gentleness and love. Pill yon please tell me the time?" question' was almost sta rtling. and beld the dial of bis watch to » light of the stars. t 15.2 quarter past midnight" I's faintest shadow of a smile pass- 'over the girl's lips. * fe you certain that your watch is # she asked. Biles bewilderment Howland er, it wi mean a great deal to to me if it is not a quarter midnight," continued Meleese, a glow "in 'her eyes. Suddenly " him and put both of yond the path thet heanched out to Lis cabin. Two bundeéd yards berond this a tree had fallen on:the edge of the trail, and, seat Meleese motioned for. beside her. Howl the thick bushes ¢ Fageling feebly In the grip of powerfdl arms. which bed fastened th ves about bim like wire cable, and' the ofy that rose to his lips was tifottled by a hand over his mouth. For an mstant he canght a glimpse of the girl's white face as sbe stood in the trail; then strong bands pulled him back. 'while others bound his. wrists and still others beld bis legs. Every- think hdl passed In a few seconds. Helplessly bound and ghgged, he lay on his back In the snow, listening to the low voices that came faintly to him from beyond the bushes. He could understand nothing that they said, and yet he was sure that he recognized amoug them the voice of Meleese. The volces became fainter. heard retreating footsteps, and at | they dled away entirely. nN In these moments that be lay on his back In the freezing snow a million de- mons were born In his blood. The girl bad betrayed him again. This time he could find vo excuse-no pardon for ber. Sbe bad accepted bis love, bad allowed him to kiss ber, to hold ber in He last | | Woweye®s © HE HEARD HER BREATHE 'GUODBY, GOODBY.Y kis arms, while beneath that hypocrisy she had plotted his downfalt-a second time. Deliberately she had:given the signal for attack, and now==" | He beard again the quiek, running step that he bad recognized ou the trail. - The bushes behind Bim parted, and in the white starlight Meleese fell on her knees at his side, ber glorious face. bending over bim in grief that he had never seen im it "before, her eyes shining on bim with #& great love. Without speaking she lifted bis bead in the holiow of her arm and crushed her own down against it, kissing him and softly sobbing his name. "Goodby," he heard ber breathe. "Goodby, goodby"-- | He struggled to cry out she low- ered his bead back on the snow, to free his hands, to hold Bef with' nim, but be saw her face only once more | bending over him, felt thie 'warm pres- sure of her lips to his forebead, and then again he could hear ber footsteps 1 hurrying a way through thie forest. |" Phat Meleese loved him, that sbe had | taken his head lu ber arms and bad kissed bim, twas the one consuming thought in Howland's brain for many minutes after she had jeff him bound and gagged on the SUOW, That she had made no effort to free him Aid not at frst strike Bim as significa He still | felt thie sweet, warm toueh of ber lips, | the pressure of ver arms, the smother- {ing softness -of ber hoff. It was pot { again beard: approaching | "acopsy," " and shoulders and covering him with beaty furs. "We should bave been back sooner. but it was impossible. | Hoo-la. Woonga!" he called softly to his lead dog. "Get up there, you wolf. hound!™ 3 As the sledge started, with Croisset running close to the leader, Howland heard the low snapping of a whip be- hind him and another voice urging on other dogs. With an effort that almost | dislocated his veck he twisted himself. | sc he could look back fo him. A hon. dred yards away he discerned a second team following in his trallffbe saw a: shadowy figure running at the head of the dogs, but what there was on the | sledge, or what it meant, he could not | see or surmise. Mile after mile the two | sledges contihued without a stop. | Croisset did not turn his head: no word | fell from his lips, except an occasional signal to the dogs. 'The trail had PE be in at the 'kl "Mariane is my: ¥ 'ma belle Mariane, ma ter of an lndian ce nddaughter of & ch lon, m'seur! than that? And tn'senr, with hair' ik a raven's wing with. on it, and" 2 "You fove her a great "Next to the Virgin: a little better." Crolsset bad severed fl the engineer's legs, 'and his glowing eyes How! and put both hands on "And in just that leese," he sald softly. you he my friend? 1. nis turned now straight Into the north, and : a, soon Hotwlaud could make out no | 'sign 'of it, but 'knew. only. that 'they were hro1 when Crolsset gave a 'su r shout to the rearmost sledge and balt- ed his own. The dogs fell in a panting group on the SNOW, and while they were resting the half breed relieved his | prisoner of the soft buckskin that had been used as a gag. "It will be perfectly safe for you to { talk now, m'sear, and to shout as loud- { ly as you please" he sald. "After I | have looked into your pockets 1 will | free your hauds so that you can smoke. | Are you comfortable?' "Comfortable--be cursed!" were the Grst words that fell from Howland's | lips, and bis blood bolled at the socl- | able way In which Croisset grinned { down into bis face. "So you're in it, | too, eh? And that lying girl"-- The smile left Croisset's face. "Do you mean Meleese, M'seur How- land y | "Yes™ Crotsset leaned down with his black | eyes gleaming like coals. "Do you know what I would do if was Mer, m"seur? he said in a low | voice and yet one filled with a threat | | which stilled the words of passion which the engineer was on the point of uttering. "Do you know what I would do? 1 would kill you--kill you inch by { fnch--torture you. That is what I would do." "For (God's sake, Croisset, tell me | why--why"-- Croisset had found Howland's pistol | and freed his hands, and the engineer | stretched them out entreatingly. "1 would give my life for that girl Croisset. I told ber so back thefe, and she came to me when I was in the | | snow and""-- He caught himself, add- | ing to what he bad left incomplete. | There is a mistake, Croisset. I am 'ot the man they want to kilL"" Croisset was smiling at bim again. "Smoke -- and think, m'gear. - It 1s tmpossible for me to tell you why you: shon!d be dead, but you ought to know | | unless your memory 1s shorter than a child's." | | A RACE INTO THE NORTH. E went to the dogs, stirring them up with the cracking of | {a his whip, and when How- 451 1a0d tured to look back he saw a bright flare of light where the other sledge had stopped. A man's volce came from the farther gloom, calling to Croisset in French. "He tells me | am to take'you on alone." said Crolsset after he bad re- plied to the words spoken in a patois which Howland could not understand. ey will join us again very soon." "I'ney!" exclaimed Howland. "How many will it take to kill me, my dear Crolsset?" The half breed smiled down into his face again. "You may thank the blessed Virgin that they are with us" he replied softly. "If you bave any hope outside of beaven, m'seur, it Is on that sledge behind." . As he went again to the dogs, straightening the leader in his traces, Howland stared back at the fre Ht space in the forest gloom. He could see a man adding fuel to the blaze and -beyond- him, shrouded fn-the deep shadows of the trees, an indistinch tangte: of dogs and sledge. As be strained his eyes to 'discover more there was ® movement beyond the figure over the fire, and the young 3 { engineer's heart leaped with a sudden sounded in a' thrill. Crolsset's' voice shrill shout behind bim. and en pace a fh gi "M'seur, 1 would like pr be Interrupted. "1 Hked Fou that night we came in together from the figh the trail. 1 have tke yet, if 1 was in thel® place, 1 'would § kill you even though like you: It-is a great duty to kill-you, They did not} do wrong when they tied you in the: coyote. They did not do wrong when 3 | they tried to kill you on the tralk Bu 1 have taken a solemn oath to tell you nothing, nothing beyond this--that so long as you are with me and that sledge Is behind us your life 1s not in danger. 1 will tell you nothing more. 3 Are you hungry. m'seur?' 5 "Starved!" said Howland. 2 He stumbled a few steps out into the J snow, the numbness in his limbs forc-' ing bim to catch at'trees and saplings to save himself from falling. He was' astonished at Croisset's words and more confused than ever at the balf breed's assurance that his life was no' longer in immediate peril. To him this meant that Meleese had not only 3 warned him, but was now playing an active part in preserving his life, and this conclusion added to his perplexity. Who was this girl who a few hours be- 8 fore had deliberately lured him among his enemies and who was now fighting & to save him? The question held a deeper significance for bim thati when be had asked himself this same thing 3 at Prince Albert, and when Croisset © called for him to return to the camp- fire and breakfast he touched once more more the forbidden subject. "Jean, 1 don't want te hurt your feelings." he sald, seating himself on & the sledge, "but I've got to get a few & things out of my gystem. I believe thi Meleese of yours is a | wort Like a fosh; Crolsset strucksgt the bait which Howland threw out to bil He leaned a little forward, a ha quivering on his knife, his eyes. fi ing fre. Involuntarily the ei recoiled from that animal-like ® from the black rage which was: ing each instant in the half face. Yet Croisset spoke softly without 'excitement, even .whil shoulders and arms were twi like a forest cat about to springs "M'seur. no one in the Wo gay tbat about my Mariane, dnd 30 her they must not say it ab leese. Up there," and he poin farther into the north, "1 KNOWS hundred men between the Athabi and the bay who would kill what you have said. And fit is Jean Crolsset to listen to it B will kill you unless you take It "God!" breathed Howland. ed straight into Croisset's fi glad--it's so--Jean." he added "Don't you understand, mi her. 1 didn't mesn whit I would Kill for her, too, Jea that to find out--what you Slowly Croisset relaxed, & curling his tbip lips. *"Jt it was a joke, m'seun bad, one." "It wasn't a joke," cried. "It was a serious effort to me sowething about Melees Jean. She told ime. back was. dot wrong for me 10 when 1 lay bound and