1 files changed, 11684 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/25916.txt b/25916.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3fc19f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/25916.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11684 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Prescott of Saskatchewan, by Harold Bindloss
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Prescott of Saskatchewan
+
+Author: Harold Bindloss
+
+Illustrator: W. Herbert Dunton
+
+Release Date: June 28, 2008 [EBook #25916]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net
+
+
+
+
+
+PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+[Illustration: "IT SEEMED PRUDENT TO PLACE AS LONG A DISTANCE AS POSSIBLE
+BETWEEN THEM AND THE SETTLEMENT"--Page 158]
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN
+
+BY
+HAROLD BINDLOSS
+
+AUTHOR OF
+THE LONG PORTAGE,
+RANCHING FOR SYLVIA,
+WINSTON OF THE PRAIRIE, ETC.
+
+WITH A FRONTISPIECE IN COLOR BY
+W. HERBERT DUNTON
+
+GROSSET & DUNLAP
+PUBLISHERS :: NEW YORK
+
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION
+INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN
+COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY
+
+PUBLISHED IN ENGLAND UNDER THE TITLE, "THE WASTREL"
+
+August, 1913
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER                                PAGE
+     I.  JERNYNGHAM'S HAPPY THOUGHT       1
+    II.  MURIEL SEES THE WEST            12
+   III.  JERNYNGHAM MAKES A DECISION     23
+    IV.  MURIEL FEELS REGRET             35
+     V.  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUSKEG       45
+    VI.  A DEAL IN LAND                  57
+   VII.  THE SEARCH                      67
+  VIII.  A DAY ON THE PRAIRIE            79
+    IX.  PRESCOTT MAKES A PROMISE        92
+     X.  A NEW CLUE                     102
+    XI.  A REVELATION                   113
+   XII.  PRESCOTT'S FLIGHT              123
+  XIII.  THE CONSTRUCTION CAMP          131
+   XIV.  ON THE TRAIL                   141
+    XV.  MISS FOSTER'S ESCORT           153
+   XVI.  THE MISSIONARY'S ALLY          168
+  XVII.  THE PASSAGE OF THE MOUNTAINS   183
+ XVIII.  DEFEAT                         195
+   XIX.  PRESCOTT'S RETURN              206
+    XX.  MURIEL RELIEVES HER MIND       216
+   XXI.  WANDLE TAKES PRECAUTIONS       227
+  XXII.  JERNYNGHAM MAKES A DISCOVERY   237
+ XXIII.  A NIGHT RIDE                   249
+  XXIV.  MURIEL PROVES OBDURATE         261
+   XXV.  A WOMAN'S INFLUENCE            272
+  XXVI.  PRESCOTT MAKES INQUIRIES       284
+ XXVII.  STARTLING NEWS                 296
+XXVIII.  THE END OF THE PURSUIT         306
+  XXIX.  JERNYNGHAM BREAKS DOWN         318
+   XXX.  PRESCOTT'S VINDICATION         332
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+
+
+PRESCOTT, OF SASKATCHEWAN
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+JERNYNGHAM'S HAPPY THOUGHT
+
+
+The air was cooling down toward evening at Sebastian, where an
+unpicturesque collection of wooden houses stand upon a branch line on the
+Canadian prairie. The place is not attractive during the earlier portion
+of the short northern summer, when for the greater part of every week it
+lies sweltering in heat, in spite of the strong west winds that drive
+dust-clouds through its rutted streets. As a rule, during the remaining
+day or two the temperature sharply falls, thunder crashes between
+downpours of heavy rain, and the wet plank sidewalks provide a
+badly-needed refuge from the cement-like "gumbo" mire.
+
+The day, however, had been cloudless and unusually hot. Prescott had
+driven in from his wheat farm at some distance from the settlement, and
+he now walked toward the hotel. He was twenty-eight years old, of average
+height and rather spare figure; his face, which had been deeply bronzed
+by frost and sun, was what is called open, his gray eyes were clear and
+steady, the set of his lips and mould of chin firm. He looked honest and
+good-natured, but one who could, when necessary, sturdily hold his own.
+His attire was simple: a wide gray hat, a saffron-colored shirt with
+flannel collar, and a light tweed suit, something the worse for wear.
+
+As he passed along the sidewalk he looked about. The small, frame houses
+were destitute of paint and any pretense of beauty, a number of them had
+raised, square fronts which hid the shingled roofs; but beyond the end of
+the street there was the prairie stretching back to the horizon. In the
+foreground it was a sweep of fading green and pale ocher; farther off it
+was tinged with gray and purple; and where it cut the glow of green and
+pink on the skyline a long birch bluff ran in a cold blue smear. To the
+left of the opening rose three grain elevators: huge wooden towers with
+their tops narrowed in and devices of stars and flour-bags painted on
+them. At their feet ran the railroad track, encumbered with a string of
+freight-cars; a tall water-tank, a grimy stage for unloading coal, and a
+small office shack marked the station.
+
+Prescott, however, did not notice much of this; he was more interested in
+the signs of conflict on the persons of the men he met. Some looked as if
+they had been violently rolled in the dust; others wore torn jackets; and
+the faces of several were disfigured by bruises. Empty bottles, which
+make handy clubs, were suggestively scattered about the road. All this
+was unusual, but Prescott supposed some allowance must be made for the
+fact that it was the anniversary of the famous victory of the Boyne.
+Moreover, there was a community of foreign immigrants, mixed with some
+Irishmen and French Canadians, but all professing the Romish faith,
+engaged in some railroad work not far away.
+
+In front of the hotel ran a veranda supported on wooden pillars, and a
+row of chairs was set out on the match-strewn sidewalk beneath it. Most
+of them were occupied by after-supper loungers, and several of the men
+bore scars. Prescott stopped and lighted his pipe.
+
+"Things seem to have been pretty lively here," he remarked. "I came in to
+see the implement man and found he couldn't talk straight, with half his
+teeth knocked out. It's lucky the Northwest troopers have stopped your
+carrying pistols."
+
+One of the men laughed.
+
+"We've had a great day, sure. Quite a few of the Dagos had knives, and
+Jernyngham had a sword. Guess he'd be in trouble now, only it wasn't one
+you could cut with."
+
+"How did he get the sword?"
+
+"It was King Billy's," explained another man. "Fellow who was acting him
+got knocked out with a bottle in his eye. Jernyngham got up on the horse
+instead and led the last charge, when we whipped them across the track."
+
+"Where's the Protestant Old Guard now?"
+
+"Some of it's in Clayton's surgery; rest's gone home. When it looked as
+if the stores would be wrecked, Reeve Marvin butted in. Telephoned the
+railroad boss to send up gravel cars for his boys; told the other crowd
+he'd bring the troopers in if they didn't quit. Ordered all strangers off
+on the West-bound, and now we're simmering down."
+
+"Where's Jernyngham?"
+
+The man jerked his hand toward the hotel.
+
+"In his room, a bit the worse for wear. Mrs. Jernyngham's nursing him."
+
+Pushing open the wire-mesh mosquito door, Prescott entered the building.
+Its interior was shadowy and filled with cigar smoke; flies buzzed
+everywhere, and the smell of warm resinous boards pervaded the rank
+atmosphere. The place was destitute of floor covering or drapery, and the
+passage Prescott walked down was sloppy with soap and water from a row of
+wash-basins, near which hung one small wet towel. Ascending the stairs,
+he entered a little and very scantily furnished room with walls of
+uncovered pine. It contained a bed with a ragged quilt and a couple of
+plain wooden chairs, in one of which a man leaned back. He was about
+thirty years old and he roughly resembled Prescott, only that his face,
+which was a rather handsome one, bore the stamp of indulgence. His
+forehead was covered by a dirty bandage, there was dust on his clothes,
+and Prescott thought he was not quite sober. In the other chair sat a
+young woman with fine dark eyes and glossy black hair, whose appearance
+would have been prepossessing had it not been spoiled by her
+slatternliness and cheap finery. She smiled at the visitor as he walked
+in.
+
+"If you'd come sooner, we might have kep' him out o' trouble," she said.
+"He got away from me when things begun to hum."
+
+Her slight accent suggested the French Canadian strain, though Prescott
+imagined that there was a trace of Indian blood in her. Her manners were
+unfinished, her character was primitive, but Prescott thought she was as
+good a consort as Jernyngham deserved. The latter had a small wheat farm
+lying back on the prairie, but his erratic temperament prevented his
+successfully working it. Prescott was not a censorious person, and he had
+a liking and some pity for the man.
+
+"Well," he said, in answer to the woman's remark, "that was certainly
+foolish of him. But what had he to do with the row, anyway?"
+
+"Have a drink, and I'll try to explain," said Jernyngham. "A big cool
+drink might clear my head, and I feel it needs it."
+
+"You kin have soda, but nothin' else!" the woman broke in. "I'll send it
+up; and now that I kin leave you, I'm goin' to the store." She turned to
+Prescott. "Nothin' but soda; and see he don't git out!"
+
+She left them and Jernyngham laughed.
+
+"Ellice's a good sort; I sometimes wonder how she puts up with me.
+Anyhow, I'm glad you came, because I'm in what might be called a
+dilemma."
+
+As this was not a novelty to his companion, Prescott made no comment, and
+by and by two tumblers containing iced liquid were brought in. Jernyngham
+drained his thirstily and looked up with a grin.
+
+"It isn't exhilarating, but it's cool," he said. "Now, however, you're
+curious about my honorable scars--I got them from a bottle. It broke, you
+see, but there's some satisfaction in remembering that I knocked out the
+other fellow with the flat of the Immortal William's sword."
+
+"You'll get worse hurt some day," Prescott rebuked him severely.
+
+"It's possible, but you're wandering from the point. I'm trying to
+remember what led me into the fray in the incongruous company of certain
+Hardshell Baptists, Ontario Methodists, and Belfast Presbyterians. As a
+young man, my sympathies were with the advanced Anglicans, perhaps
+because my people were sternly Evangelical. Then the whole thing's
+unreasonable--what have I to do, for instance, with the Protestant
+succession?"
+
+"It isn't very plain," said Prescott. "Still, everybody knows what kind
+of fool you are."
+
+"I live," declared Jernyngham. "You steady, industrious fellows grow. The
+row began at the ball-game--disputed base, I think--and our lot had got
+badly whipped at the first round when I stood on the veranda and sang
+them, 'No Surrender.' That was enough for the Ulster boys, and three or
+four of them go a long way in this kind of scrimmage."
+
+Prescott had no sympathy with Jernyngham's vagaries, but one could not be
+angry with him: the man was irresponsible. In a few moments, however,
+Jernyngham's face grew graver.
+
+"Jack," he resumed, "I'm in a hole. Never troubled to ask for my letters
+until late in the afternoon, and now I don't know what to do unless you
+can help me."
+
+"You had better tell me what the trouble is."
+
+"To make you understand, I'll have to go back some time. Everybody round
+this place knows what I am now, but I believe I was rather a promising
+youngster before I left the old country, a bit of a rebel though, and
+inclined to kick against the ultra-conventional. In fact, I think honesty
+was my ruin, Jack; I kicked openly."
+
+"Is there any other way? I can't see that there's much use in kicking
+unless the opposition feels it."
+
+"Don't interrupt," scowled Jernyngham. "This is rather deep for you, but
+I'll try to explain. If you want to get on in the old country, you must
+conform to the standard; though you can do what you like at times and
+places where people of your proper circle aren't supposed to see you. I
+didn't recognize the benefits of the system then--and I suffered for it."
+
+He paused with a curious, half-tender look in his face.
+
+"There was a girl, Jack, good as they're made, I still believe, though
+not in our station. Well, I meant to marry her--thought I was strong
+enough to defy the system--and she, not knowing what manner of life I was
+meant for, was fond of me."
+
+"What manner of life were you meant for?"
+
+Jernyngham laughed harshly.
+
+"The Bar, for a beginning; I'd got my degree. The House later--there was
+strong family influence--to assist in propagating the Imperial idea.
+Strikes one as amusing, Jack."
+
+Prescott thought his companion would not have spoken so freely had he
+been wholly sober, but he had long noticed the purity of the man's
+intonation and the refinement that occasionally showed in his manners.
+
+"You're making quite a tale of it," he said.
+
+"Well," resumed Jernyngham, "I didn't know what I was up against; the
+system broke me. When the stress came, I hadn't nerve enough to hold out,
+and for that I've been punished. My sister--she meant well--got hold of
+the girl, persuaded her to give me up--for my sake, Jack. Wouldn't see
+me, sent back my letters, and I came to Canada, beaten."
+
+He paused.
+
+"There's a reason why you must try to realize my father and sister. He's
+unflinchingly upright, conventional to a degree; Gertrude's a feebler
+copy, as just, but perhaps not quite so hard. Well, I've never written to
+either, but I've heard from friends and the conclusion seems to be that
+as I've never asked for money I must have reformed. There's a desire for
+a reconciliation; my father's getting old, and I believe, in their
+reserved way, they were fond of me. Don't be impatient; I'm coming to the
+point at last. I'd a letter to-day from Colston--though the man's a
+relative, I haven't seen him since I left school. He and his wife are
+passing through on their way to British Columbia and the idea seems to be
+that he should see me and report."
+
+Prescott made a sign of understanding. Jernyngham, stamped with
+dissipation and injured in a brawl, and his small homestead where
+everything was in disorder and out of repair, were hardly likely to
+create a favorable impression on his English relatives. Besides, there
+was Mrs. Jernyngham. The effect of her appearance and conversation might
+be disastrous.
+
+"Now," continued Jernyngham, "you see how I'm fixed. I haven't much to
+thank my people for, but I want to spare them a shock. If it would make
+things easier for them, I don't mind their thinking better of me than I
+deserve."
+
+His companion pondered this. It was crudely put, but it showed a rather
+fine consideration, Prescott thought, for the people who were in part
+responsible for the man's downfall; perhaps, too, a certain sense of
+shame and contrition. Jernyngham's desire could not be found fault with.
+
+"What are you going to do about it?" he asked.
+
+"Nothing," said Jernyngham with a reckless laugh. "You'll do all that's
+needed; I mean to leave my friends to you. Strikes me as a brilliant
+idea, though not exactly novel; made a number of excellent comedies. Did
+you ever see 'Charley's Aunt'?"
+
+Prescott frowned.
+
+"I don't deal."
+
+"Think! You're not unlike me and we're about the same age; Colston,
+hasn't seen me for fourteen years; his wife never!"
+
+"No," objected Prescott. "It can't be done!"
+
+"It's hardly good form to remind you of it, Jack, but there was a time
+when we took a grading contract on the line and you got into trouble
+close in front of the ballast train."
+
+Prescott's determined expression changed.
+
+"Yes," he conceded; "it gives you a pull on me--I can't go back on that."
+He spread out his hands. "Well, if you insist."
+
+"For the old man's sake," said Jernyngham. "I want you to take the
+Colstons out to your place and entertain them for a day or two; they
+won't stay long. They're coming in by the West-bound this evening."
+
+"Then," exclaimed Prescott, "they'll be here in half an hour, if the
+train's on time! If there are any points you can give me about your
+family history, you had better be quick!"
+
+"In the first place, I was rather a wild youngster, with an original turn
+of mind and was supposed to be a bit of a rake, though that wasn't
+correct--my eccentricities were harmless then. Your word 'maverick'
+describes me pretty well: I didn't belong to the herd; I wouldn't be
+rounded up with the others and let them put the brand on. That's no doubt
+why they credited me with vices I didn't possess." Jernyngham laughed.
+"Still, you mustn't overdo the thing; you want delicately to convey the
+idea that you're now reformed. The part requires some skill; it's a pity
+you're not smarter. Jack. But let me think----"
+
+He went into a few details about his family, and then Prescott left him
+and, after giving an order to have his team ready, proceeded to the
+station. It was getting dark, but the western sky was still a sheet of
+wonderful pale green, against which the tall elevators stood out black
+and sharp. The head-lamp of a freight locomotive flooded track and
+station with a dazzling electric glare, the rails that ran straight and
+level across the waste gleaming far back in the silvery radiance. This
+helped Prescott to overcome his repugnance to his task, as he remembered
+another summer night when he had attempted to hurry his team across the
+track before a ballast train came up. Startled by the blaze of the
+head-lamp and the scream of the whistle, one of the horses plunged and
+kicked; a wheel of the wagon, sinking in the loose ballast, skidded
+against a tie; and Prescott stood between the rails, struggling to
+extricate the beasts, while the great locomotive rushed down on them.
+There was a vein of stubborn tenacity in him and it looked as if he and
+the horses would perish together when Jernyngham came running to the
+rescue. How they escaped neither of them could afterward remember, but a
+moment later they stood beside the track while the train went banging by,
+covering them with dust and fragments of gravel. Prescott admitted that
+he owed Jernyngham something for that.
+
+Nevertheless there was no doubt that the part he had undertaken to play
+would be difficult. He could see its humorous side, but he had not been a
+prodigal; indeed he was by temperament and habit steady-going and
+industrious. The son of a small business man in Montreal, he had after an
+excellent education abandoned city life and gone west, where he had
+prospered by frugality and hard work. He was by no means rich, but he was
+content and inclined to be optimistic about the future.
+
+When he reached the station, he found that the usual crowd of loungers
+had gathered to watch the train come in. Lighting his pipe, he walked up
+and down the low platform, wondering uneasily how he would get through
+the next few days. Jernyngham, he felt, had placed him in a singularly
+embarrassing position.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+MURIEL SEES THE WEST
+
+
+The sunlight was fading off the prairie when a party of three sat in a
+first-class car as the local train went jolting westward. Henry Colston
+leaned back in his seat with a Winnipeg paper on his knee; and his
+appearance stamped him as a well-bred Englishman traveling for pleasure.
+He was thirty-four; his dress, though dusty, was fastidiously neat; his
+expression was pleasant, but there was an air of formality about him. One
+would not have expected him to do anything startling or extravagant, even
+under stress of emotion. Mrs. Colston resembled him in this respect. She
+was a handsome woman, a little reserved in manner, and was tastefully
+dressed in traveling tweed, which she had found too hot for the Canadian
+summer. Muriel, her sister, was twenty-four, and though the two were
+alike, the girl's face was fresher, more ingenuous and perhaps more
+intelligent. It was an attractive face, crowned with red-gold hair; broad
+brows, straight nose and firm mouth hinted at some force of character,
+but her eyes of deep violet were unusually merry, and her warm coloring
+suggested a sanguine temperament.
+
+So far, Muriel Hurst had taken life lightly and had foiled Mrs. Colston's
+attempts to make a suitable match for her. The daughter of a man of taste
+who had died in difficulties, she had not a penny beyond the allowance
+provided by her sister's generosity. Nevertheless, she was happy and had
+a strong liking and respect for her prosperous brother-in-law, though his
+restricted views sometimes irritated her.
+
+She was now trying to arrange her impressions of Canada, which were
+mixed. She had looked down on Montreal with its great bridge and broad
+river from the wooded mountain, and from there it had struck her as a
+beautiful city. Then she had seen the handsome stone houses with their
+lawns at the foot of the hill, and afterward the magnificent commercial
+buildings round the postoffice. These could scarcely be equaled in
+London, but the rest of the town had not impressed her. It was strewn
+with sand and cement-dust: they seemed to be pulling down and putting up
+buildings and tearing open the streets all over it.
+
+Afterward the Western Express had swept her through a thousand miles of
+wilderness, a vast tract of forest filled with rocks and lakes and
+rivers; and then she had spent two days in Winnipeg on the verge of the
+prairie. This city she found perplexing. The station hall was palatial,
+part of wide Main Street and Portage Avenue with their stately banks and
+offices could hardly be too much admired, and there were pretty wooden
+houses running back to the river among groves of trees. But apart from
+this, the place was somehow primitive. There were numerous hard-faced men
+hanging about the streets, and it jarred on her to see the rows of
+well-dressed loungers in the hotels lolling in wooden chairs close
+against the great windows, a foot or two from the street. It gave her a
+hint of western characteristics; the people were abrupt, good-naturedly
+so, perhaps, but devoid of delicacy.
+
+Last had come the prairie--the land of promise--which seemed to run on
+forever, flooded with brilliant sunshine under a sky of dazzling blue.
+Banded with miles of wheat, flecked with crimson flowers, it stretched
+back, brightly green, until it grew gray and blue on the far horizon. It
+was relieved by the neutral purple of poplar bluffs, and little gleaming
+lakes; its vastness and openness filled the girl with a sense of liberty.
+Narrow restraints, cramping prejudices, must vanish in this wide country;
+one's nature could expand and become optimistic here.
+
+Then Colston began to talk.
+
+"We should arrive in the next half-hour and I'll confess to a keen
+curiosity about Cyril Jernyngham. He was an amusing and eccentric
+scapegrace when I last saw him, though that is a very long time ago."
+
+"You object to eccentricity, don't you?" laughed Muriel.
+
+"Oh, no! Call it originality, and I'll admit that a certain amount is
+useful; but it should be kept in check. Indulged in freely, it's apt to
+rouse suspicion."
+
+"Which is rather unfair."
+
+"I don't know," Mrs. Colston broke in. "Considered all round, it's an
+excellent rule that if you won't do what everybody in your station does,
+you must take the consequences."
+
+Colston nodded.
+
+"I agree. One must think of the results to society as a whole."
+
+"Cyril Jernyngham seems to have taken the consequences," Muriel pointed
+out. "Isn't there something to be said for the person who does so
+uncomplainingly? I understand he never recanted or asked for help."
+
+Mrs. Colston shot a quick glance at her. She did not wish her sister's
+sympathy to be enlisted on the black sheep's behalf.
+
+"I believe that's true," she replied. "Perhaps it's hardly to his credit.
+His father is an old man who had expected great things of him. If he had
+come home, he would have been forgiven and reinstated."
+
+"Yes," said Colston, "though Jernyngham seldom shows his feelings, I know
+he has grieved over his son. There can be no question that Cyril should
+have returned; I've told him so in my letters."
+
+"I suppose they'd have insisted on a full and abject surrender?"
+
+"Not an abject one," answered Colston. "He would have been expected to
+fall in with the family ideas and plans."
+
+"And he wouldn't?" suggested Muriel with a mischievous smile. "I think he
+was right." Reading disapproval in her sister's expression, she
+continued: "You dear virtuous people are a little narrow in your ideas;
+you can't understand that there's room for the greatest difference of
+opinion even in a harmonious family, and that it's very silly to drive
+the nonconformer into rebellion. Variety's a law of nature and tends to
+life."
+
+Colston glanced meaningly at his wife. He was not a hypercritical person,
+but it did not please him that his sister-in-law, of whom he was fond,
+should champion Jernyngham.
+
+"I don't wish to be severe on Cyril," he rejoined. "As a matter of fact,
+I know nothing good or bad about his Canadian life; but he must be
+regarded as, so to speak, on probation until he has proved that he
+deserves our confidence."
+
+Muriel made no answer. She was looking out of the window toward the west,
+and the glow on the vast plain's rim seized her attention. The sunset
+flush had faded, but the sky shone a transcendent green. The air was very
+clear; every wavy line of bluff was picked out in a wonderful deep blue.
+Muriel thought she had never seen such strength and vividness of color.
+Then she glanced round the long car. It was comfortable except for the
+jolting; the silvery gray of its cane-backed seats contrasted with the
+paneling of deep brown. The big lamps and metal fittings gleamed with
+nickel. All the girl saw connected her with luxurious civilization, and
+she wondered with a stirring of curiosity what awaited her in the wilds,
+where man still grappled with nature in primitive fashion.
+
+"Sebastian in three or four minutes!" announced the conductor; and while
+Muriel and Mrs. Colston gathered together a few odds and ends a scream of
+the whistle broke out.
+
+Prescott heard it on the station platform and with strong misgivings
+braced himself for his task. A bright light was speeding down the track,
+blending with that flung out by a freight locomotive crossing the
+switches. Then amid the clangor of the bell the long cars rolled in and
+he saw a man standing on the platform of one. There was no doubt that he
+was an Englishman and Prescott hurried toward the car.
+
+"Mr. Henry Colston?" he asked.
+
+The man held out his hand.
+
+"I think Harry is sufficient. Come and speak to Florence; she has been
+looking forward to meeting you with interest." He turned. "My dear, this
+is Cyril."
+
+Prescott shook hands with the lady on the car platform, and then looked
+past her in confused surprise. A girl stood in the vestibule, clad in
+garments of pale lilac tint which fell about her figure in long sweeping
+lines, emphasizing its fine contour against the dark brown paneling. She
+had a large hat of the same color, and it enhanced the attractiveness of
+her face, which wore a friendly smile. She was obviously one of the
+party, though Jernyngham had not mentioned her, and Prescott pulled
+himself together when Colston presented him.
+
+"My sister-in-law, Muriel Hurst," he added.
+
+When they had alighted, Prescott asked for the checks and moved toward
+the baggage car. While he waited, watching the trunks being flung out,
+Ellice passed him talking to a smartly dressed man. This struck Prescott
+as curious, but he knew the man as a traveling salesman for an American
+cream-separator, and as he must have called at Jernyngham's homestead on
+his round and was no doubt leaving by the train, there was no reason why
+Ellice should not speak to him. He thought no more of the matter and
+proceeded to carry several trunks and valises across the platform to his
+wagon, while his new friends watched him with some surprise. It was a
+novel experience in their walk of life to see their host carrying their
+baggage, and when Prescott lifted the heaviest trunk Colston hurried
+forward to protest.
+
+"Stand aside, please," said the rancher, walking firmly across the boards
+with the big trunk on his shoulders. When he had placed it in the wagon
+he turned to the ladies with a smile.
+
+"I had thought of putting you up for the night at the hotel, but they're
+full, and with good luck we ought to make my place in about three hours.
+I dare say this isn't the kind of rig you have been accustomed to driving
+in; and somebody will have to sit on a trunk. There's only room for three
+on the driving-seat."
+
+Mrs. Colston surveyed the vehicle with misgivings. It was a long, shallow
+box set on four tall and very light wheels, and crossed by a seat raised
+on springs. Two rough-coated horses were harnessed to it with a pole
+between them. She saw this by the glare of the freight locomotive's
+head-lamp when the train moved out, and noticed that her husband was
+looking at their host in surprise.
+
+"I'll take the trunk," said Colston. "We had dinner down the line not
+long ago."
+
+Prescott helped the ladies up and seating himself next to the younger
+started his horses. They set off at a rapid trot and the wagon jolted
+unpleasantly as it crossed the track. Then the horses broke into a
+gallop, raising a dust-cloud in the rutted street, while the light
+vehicle rocked in an alarming fashion, and Prescott had some trouble in
+restraining them when they ran out on to the dim waste of prairie. Then
+the wonderful keen air, faintly scented with wild peppermint, reacted
+upon the girl with a curious exhilarating effect. She felt stirred and
+excited, expectant of new experiences, perhaps adventures. The wild
+barley brushed about the wheels with a silky rustle; the beat of hoofs
+rang in a sharp staccato through the deep silence; and the touch of the
+faint night wind brought warmth into Muriel's face.
+
+"They're pretty fresh; been in the stable of a farm near here most of the
+day," Prescott explained. "Not long off the range, anyhow, and they're
+bad to hold."
+
+There was a shrill scream from a dusky shape flitting through the air as
+they skirted a marshy pool, and the team again broke into a furious
+gallop. The trail was grown with short scrub which smashed beneath the
+hoofs, and the vehicle lurched sharply when the wheels left the ruts and
+ran through tall, tangled grass. Prescott with some diffidence slipped
+his arm round Muriel's waist, while Colston jolted up and down with his
+trunk.
+
+"You have still the same taste in horses, Cyril," he remarked. "I suppose
+you remember Wildfire?"
+
+"Wildfire?" queried Prescott, and then, having the impression that young
+English lads were sometimes given a pony, ventured: "Quite a cute little
+beast."
+
+"Little!" exclaimed Colston. "How many hands make a big horse in this
+country? I'm speaking of the hunter you cajoled the second groom into
+saddling when your father was away. Can't you remember how you insisted
+on putting her at the Newby brook?"
+
+"I don't seem to place it somehow," said Prescott in alarm, seeing that
+if he were called upon to share any more reminiscences it might lead him
+into difficulties. "You know I've been out here a while."
+
+"Long enough to forget, it seems."
+
+Prescott made a bold venture.
+
+"That's so; perhaps it's better. This is a brand new country. One starts
+afresh here, looking forward instead of back."
+
+Muriel considered this. The idea was, she thought, appropriate, but the
+man's tone and air were not what one would have expected of a reformed
+rake. There was no hint of contrition; he spoke with optimistic
+cheerfulness.
+
+"Of course," Colston agreed. "I wonder if I might say that you have grown
+more Canadian than I expected to find you?"
+
+"More Canadian?" Prescott checked himself in time and laughed. "Is it
+surprising? You drive and starve out many a good man who dares to be
+original--I've met a number of them. Can you wonder that when they're
+welcomed here they're willing to forget you and become one with the
+people who took them in?"
+
+"In a way, that's a pity," said Mrs. Colston. "We like to think we
+haven't lost you altogether."
+
+Disregarding his horses, Prescott turned toward her with a bow.
+
+"Face the truth, ma'am. If you're ever in a tight place, we'll send you
+what help we can, hard men, such as can't be raised in your cities, to
+keep the flag flying, but we stop there. Don't think we belong to you--we
+stand firm on our own feet, a new free nation. I"--he paused in an
+impressive manner--"am a Canadian."
+
+Muriel felt a responsive thrill. His ideas were certainly not English,
+nor was his mode of expressing them, but his boldness appealed to her.
+Her companions were frankly astonished and rather hurt, which he seemed
+to realize, for he resumed with a laugh:
+
+"But we won't talk politics. Things I've heard English people say out
+here make one tired."
+
+Then he turned toward the girl, adding softly:
+
+"Was that a very bad break I made?"
+
+"I think it could be forgiven," she told him.
+
+"The years you have spent in Canada seem to have had their full effect on
+you," Colston remarked dryly.
+
+Prescott turned his attention to his team, slightly checking their pace.
+
+"What did you mean when you said we should reach your ranch in three
+hours, if we had good luck?" Muriel asked.
+
+"Oh," he said, "there are badger burrows about, and a little beast called
+a gopher makes almost as bad a hole; they're fond of digging up the
+trail. If a horse steps into one of those holes, it's apt to bring him
+down. Besides, we trust a good deal to our luck in this country--one has
+to run risks that can't be estimated: harvest frost, rust, dry seasons,
+winds that blow destroying sand about. I've lost two crops in the eight
+years I've been here."
+
+"Can it be eight?" Colston broke in. "If I remember right, you spent
+three years in Manitoba."
+
+"It's the same kind of country and the same climate," Prescott rejoined,
+conscious that he had nearly betrayed himself again. He felt angry with
+Jernyngham for giving him such a difficult part to play.
+
+After this, he carefully avoided any personal topic and talked about
+Canadian farming, sitting silent when he could, while Muriel gazed about
+with pleasurable curiosity. It is never quite dark on those wide levels in
+summertime, and, for there was no moon, the prairie stretched away before
+them shadowy, silent, and mysterious. Now they passed a sheet of water,
+gleaming wanly among thin willows; then they plunged into the deep gloom
+of a poplar bluff; and later, lurching down a steep declivity, swept
+through a shallow creek. The air was filled with the smell of dew-damped
+soil and unknown aromatic scents, the loneliness was impressive, the
+half-obscurity emphasized the strangeness of everything. Muriel felt as if
+she had left all that was stereotyped and matter-of-fact far behind. It
+was the unexpected and romantic that ought to happen in this virgin land.
+
+Then, worn by several days' journey in the jolting cars, she grew drowsy.
+The steady drumming of hoofs, the slapping of the traces, and the rattle
+of wheels were strangely soothing. She fancied that once or twice when
+they sped furiously down an incline, the driver held her fast, but she
+did not resent the support of his arm: it was a steady, reassuring grasp.
+At last, as they swung round a poplar bluff, she roused herself, for dim
+black buildings loomed up ahead, and one which had lighted windows took
+the shape of a small house. The team stopped, there were voices speaking
+with a curious accent which reminded her of Norway, and the rancher
+helped her down.
+
+Afterward she followed her sister into a simply furnished, pine-boarded
+room with a big stove at one end of it, where a middle-aged woman set
+food and coffee before them. She spoke English haltingly, but her lined
+face lighted up when Muriel thanked her in Norse. Then there followed a
+flow of eager words, a few of which the girl caught, until the woman
+broke off when their host came in. He was silent, for the most part,
+during the meal, and shortly afterward Muriel was shown into a small room
+where she went to sleep in a few minutes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+JERNYNGHAM MAKES A DECISION
+
+
+Prescott's guests had spent a week at his homestead with content when
+Colston and his wife sat talking one morning.
+
+"I'm frankly puzzled," said Colston, opening his cigar case; "I can't
+make Cyril out. He's frugal, remarkably industrious--I think the
+description's warranted--and, from all that one can gather, as steady as
+a rock. This, of course, is gratifying, but it's by no means what I
+expected."
+
+"He certainly doesn't fit in with the picture his sister Gertrude drew
+me, though she conveyed the impression that she was softening things
+down. There can be no doubt that he was wild. That might, perhaps, be
+forgiven, but one or two of the stories I've heard about him filled me
+with disgust."
+
+Her husband looked thoughtful. He had not noticed that Muriel was sitting
+just outside the open window, though Mrs. Colston, being in a different
+position, had done so. She thought their voices would reach the girl, and
+if anything strongly in Cyril's disfavor cropped up during the
+conversation it might be as well that she should hear it. Mrs. Colston
+was willing that he should be reconciled to his relatives, but a reformed
+rake was not the kind of man to whom she wished her sister to be
+attracted. One could not tell whether the reformation would prove
+permanent.
+
+"After all, I never heard any really serious offense proved against him,"
+Colston rejoined. "It's sometimes easy to acquire a reputation without
+doing anything in particular to deserve it. People are apt to jump at
+conclusions."
+
+"When there's a general concurrence of opinion it's wiser to fall in with
+it. But what did he say about his father's suggestion that he should go
+home?"
+
+"Asked for a day or two to think it over; I fancied that he wished to
+consult somebody. Then he promised to give me an answer."
+
+"On the whole, I think they need have no hesitation about taking him back
+now," Mrs. Colston responded; and Muriel agreed with her. "There's
+another point," she added. "How long shall we stay here?"
+
+"I don't know. I've a growing liking for Cyril, the place is pleasant,
+and though things are rather rudimentary, the air's wonderfully bracing.
+He urged me to stay some little time, and I felt that he wished it."
+
+Mrs. Colston considered. She was enjoying her visit; everything was
+delightfully novel and she felt more cheerful and more vigorous than she
+had done for some time. But Muriel seemed to find the prairie pleasant,
+and there was a possibility of danger there.
+
+"We might, perhaps, remain another week," she suggested.
+
+As it happened, Colston's suspicion that his host wished to consult
+somebody was correct, for Prescott was then driving in to the settlement
+to lay his visitor's message before the man it most concerned. He found
+him lounging in the hotel bar, and, drawing him into the general-room, he
+sat down opposite him in a hard wooden chair. The apartment had no floor
+covering and was cheerless and dirty; there was not even a table in it;
+and only a railroad time-table and advertisements of land sales hung on
+its rough pine walls. Jernyngham, however, looked in keeping with his
+surroundings. The dirty bandage still covered his forehead, his clothes
+were stained and untidy, and he had an unkempt, dissipated air.
+
+"Well," he asked with a grin, "how are you getting on with your new
+friends?"
+
+"I don't know; I'm curious about what they think of me. Anyway, I found
+the thing harder than I expected. Why didn't you tell me Mrs. Colston was
+bringing her sister?"
+
+"If I ever heard she had one, I forgot it; suppose I couldn't have read
+the letter properly. What's she like?"
+
+"Herself," said Prescott. "I can't think of anybody we know I could
+compare her with."
+
+He had endeavored to speak carelessly, but something in his voice
+betrayed him and Jernyngham laughed.
+
+"That's not surprising. If you want to play your part properly, you had
+better make love to her. It's what would be expected of me, and it
+couldn't do any harm, because these people would very soon head you off.
+Harry Colston's sister-in-law would look for an assured position and at
+least five thousand dollars a year. When are they going?"
+
+"I've asked them to stay a little longer and I think they'll agree. But
+that is not what I came to see you about. Colston laid a proposition
+before me--you're formally invited to return home."
+
+"On what terms?"
+
+Prescott detailed them, watching his companion. The latter sat silent for
+a minute or two, and then he said slowly:
+
+"It's a handsome offer, but it was made under a mistake. There's no doubt
+that Colston was trusted with powers of discretion. He must be satisfied
+with you--don't you feel complimented, Jack?"
+
+"What I feel is outside the question."
+
+"Well," continued Jernyngham thoughtfully, "I suppose if I indulged in a
+spell of hard work in the open and practised strict abstinence it might
+improve my appearance, and I could, perhaps, keep out of Colston's way,
+or if needful, own up to the trick. The old man would hold to his
+bargain: he's that kind. It's a strong temptation--you see what I'd stand
+to gain--a liberal allowance, a life that's wildly luxurious by
+comparison with the one I'm leading, the society of people of the stamp
+I've been brought up among. Jack, I feel driven to the point of yielding.
+But it's a pity this offer has come too late."
+
+"Is it too late?"
+
+"Think! Would it be fair to go? For a month or two I might keep straight,
+then--I've tried to describe my people--you can imagine their feelings at
+the inevitable outbreak. Besides, there's a more serious difficulty."
+Jernyngham's tense face relaxed into a grim smile. "Can you imagine
+Ellice an inmate of an English country house, patronizing local
+charities, presiding over prim garden parties? The idea's preposterous!
+And that's not all."
+
+Prescott knew little about England, but he could imagine her making an
+undesirable sensation in Montreal or Toronto.
+
+"You force me to ask something. Is she Mrs. Jernyngham?" he said,
+hesitatingly.
+
+"I used to think so; there's a doubt about the matter now."
+
+"One would have imagined that was a point you would have been sure
+about."
+
+"I understood her husband was dead when we were married in Manitoba. She
+was a waitress in a second-rate hotel; the brute had ill-used and
+deserted her. But there's now some reason to believe he's farming in
+Alberta. I haven't made inquiries: I didn't think it would improve
+matters."
+
+Prescott said nothing. In face of such a situation, any remarks that he
+could make would be superfluous. There was a long silence; and then
+Jernyngham spoke again, slowly, but resolutely.
+
+"You see how it is, Jack--where my interest lies. Against that, there's
+the feelings of my father and sister to consider. Then my reinstatement
+would have to be bought by casting off the woman who has borne with my
+failings and stuck to me pluckily. I haven't sunk quite so far as that.
+You'll have to tell Colston that I'm staying here!"
+
+He got up and Prescott laid a hand on his arm.
+
+"It's hard; but you're doing the square thing, Cyril."
+
+Jernyngham shook off his hand.
+
+"Don't let us talk in that strain. Come and see Ellice and try to amuse
+her. Don't know what's wrong with the woman; she has been moody of late."
+
+"I must get back as soon as I can and I've some business to do."
+
+"Oh, well," acquiesced Jernyngham, walking with him to the bar, which was
+the quickest way of leaving.
+
+On reaching it he turned and glanced about sardonically. The room was
+dark, filled with flies, and evil smelling, as well as thick with smoke;
+half a dozen, untidy men leaned against the counter.
+
+"What a set of loafing swine you are!" he coolly remarked. "It's not to
+the point that I'm no better, but if any of you feel insulted, I'll be
+happy to make what I've said good."
+
+"Cut it out, Cyril! Can't have a circus here!" exclaimed the bar-tender.
+
+"You needn't be afraid. They look pretty tame," Jernyngham rejoined, and
+going on to the door, shook hands with Prescott.
+
+"Tell Colston he has my last word," he said.
+
+Turning away, he proceeded to the untidy parlor where he found Ellice
+dawdling over a paper. Her white summer dress was stained in places and
+open at the neck, where a button had come off. The short skirt displayed
+a hole in one stocking and a shoe from which a strap had been torn.
+Jernyngham leaned on the table regarding her with a curious smile.
+
+"What's Jack come about?" she asked.
+
+"To say my fastidious relatives want me to go home, which would mean
+leaving you behind."
+
+She looked at him searchingly, and then laughed.
+
+"And you won't go?"
+
+"That's the message I sent."
+
+Ellice's face softened, though there was a hint of indecision in it.
+
+"You're all right, Cyril, only a bit of a fool."
+
+"A bit?" he said dryly. "I'm the whole blamed hog. But enough of that.
+We'll pull out for the homestead to-morrow. I expect Wandle is robbing
+me."
+
+"He's been robbin' you ever since you bought the ranch. I don't know why
+you stopped me from gettin' after him."
+
+"He saves me trouble," explained Jernyngham, and they discussed the
+arrangements for their return.
+
+Prescott, arriving home, had a brief private interview with Colston, who
+realized with some disappointment that his errand had failed. Then the
+rancher harnessed a fresh team and proceeded to a sloo where his
+Scandinavian hired man was cutting prairie hay. An hour or two later
+Muriel went out on the prairie and walked toward a poplar bluff, in the
+shadow of which she gathered ripe red saskatoons, and then sat down to
+look about.
+
+The dazzling blue of the sky was broken by rounded masses of silver-edged
+clouds that drove along before a fresh northwest breeze. Streaked by
+their speeding shadows, the great plain stretched away, checkered by
+ranks of marigolds and tall crimson flowers of the lily kind that swayed
+as the rippling grasses changed color in the wind. A mile or two distant
+stood the trim wooden homestead, with a tall windmill frame near by, girt
+by broad sweeps of dark-green wheat and oats. These were interspersed
+with stretches of uncovered soil, glowing a deep chocolate-brown, which
+Muriel knew was the summer fallow resting after a cereal crop. Beyond the
+last strip of rich color, there spread, shining delicately blue, a great
+field of flax; and then the dusky green of alfalfa and alsike for the
+Hereford cattle, standing knee-deep in a flashing lake. The prairie, she
+thought, was beautiful in summer; its wideness was bracing, one was
+stirred into cheerfulness and bodily vigor by the rush of its fresh
+winds. She felt that she could remain contentedly at the homestead for a
+long time; and then her thoughts centered on its owner.
+
+This was perhaps why she rose and strolled on toward the sloo, though she
+would not acknowledge that she actually wished to meet him. The man was
+something of an enigma and therefore roused in her an interest which was
+stronger because of some of the things she had heard to his discredit.
+Following the rows of wheelmarks, she brushed through the wild barley,
+whose spiky heads whipped her dress, passed a chain of glistening ponds,
+a bluff wrapped in blue shadow, and finally descended a long slope to the
+basin at its foot where the melting snow had run in spring. Now it had
+dried and was covered with tall grass which held many flowers and
+fragrant wild peppermint.
+
+A team of horses and a tinkling mower moved through its midst, and at one
+edge Prescott was loading the grass into a wagon. Engrossed as he was in
+his task, he did not notice her, and she stood a while watching him. He
+wore no jacket; the thin yellow shirt, flung open at the neck and tightly
+belted at the waist, and the brown duck trousers, showed the lithe grace
+of his athletic figure. His poise and swing were admirable, and he was
+working with determined energy, his face and uncovered arms the warm
+color of the soil.
+
+Muriel drew a little closer and he stopped on seeing her. His brown skin
+was singularly clean, his eyes were clear and steady, though they often
+gave a humorous twinkle. If this man had ever been a rake, his
+reformation must have been drastic and complete, because although she had
+a very limited acquaintance with people of that sort, it was reasonable
+to conclude that they must bear some sign of indulgence or sensuality.
+The rancher had no stamp of either.
+
+He showed his pleasure at her appearance.
+
+"You have had quite a walk," he said. "If you will wait while I put up
+the load, I'll take you back."
+
+Muriel sat down and watched him fling the grass in heavy forkfuls on to
+the growing pile, until at last he clambered up upon the frame supporting
+it and, pulling some out and ramming the rest back, proceeded to excavate
+a hollow.
+
+"What are you doing?" she asked.
+
+"Making a nest for you," he told her with a laugh. "Now, if you'll get
+up."
+
+While she mounted by the wheel he stood on the edge of the wagon, leaning
+down toward her. There did not seem to be much foothold, the grass looked
+slippery, and the hollow he had made was beyond her reach, but she seized
+the hand he held out and he swung her up. For a moment his fingers
+pressed tightly upon her waist, and then she was safe in the hollow,
+smiling at him as he found a precarious seat on the rack.
+
+"You couldn't see how you were going to get up, but you didn't hesitate,"
+he said with a soft laugh, when he had started his team.
+
+"No," she smiled back at him. "Somehow you inspire one with confidence. I
+didn't think you would let me fall."
+
+"Curious, isn't it?"
+
+She reclined in the recess among the grass, which yielded to her limbs in
+a way that gave her a sense of voluptuous ease. Her pose, although
+scarcely a conventional one, showed to advantage the fine contour of her
+form; and the lilac-tinted dress that flowed in classic lines about her
+made a patch of cool restful color on the warm ocher of her surroundings.
+It was easy to read the man's admiration in his glance, and she became
+suddenly filled with mischievous daring.
+
+"Cyril," she said, "you are either an excellent actor, or else--"
+
+"I have been maligned. Is that what you meant?"
+
+"I think I did mean something of the kind."
+
+"Then I'm a very poor actor. That should settle the question."
+
+"I've wondered how you became so very Canadian," she said thoughtfully.
+
+"What's the matter with the Canadians?"
+
+"Nothing. I haven't met very many yet, but on the whole I'm favorably
+impressed by them. They're direct, blunt, perhaps less complex than we
+are."
+
+"No trimmings," he suggested. "They don't muss up good material so that
+it can hardly be recognized. You can tell what a man is when you see him
+or hear him talk."
+
+"I don't know," Muriel argued. "I've an idea that it might be difficult,
+even in Canada."
+
+He let this pass.
+
+"What do you think of the country?" he asked.
+
+She glanced round. It was late in the afternoon and somewhat cooler than
+it had been. Half the plain lay in shadow, but the light was curiously
+sharp. A clump of ragged jack-pines stood on a sandhill miles away, and a
+lake twinkled in the remote distance. The powerful Clydesdale horses
+plodded through short crackling scrub; a fine scent of wild peppermint
+floated about.
+
+"Oh," she responded, "it's delightful! And everybody's so energetic! You
+move with a spring and verve; and I don't hear any grumbling, though
+there seems to be so much to do!"
+
+"And to bear now and then: crops wiped out--I've lost two of them. The
+work never slackens, except in winter, when you sit shivering beside the
+stove, if you're not hauling in building logs or cordwood through the
+arctic frost. At night it's deadly silent, unless there's a blizzard
+howling; the plains are very lonely when the snow lies deep. Don't you
+think you're better off in England, taking it all 'round?"
+
+He laid respectful fingers on the hem of her skirt, touching the fine
+material, as if appraising its worth.
+
+"Our wheat-growers' wives and daughters are lucky if they've a couple of
+moderately smart dresses, but I suppose you have several trunks full of
+things like this. That and the kind of life it implies must count for
+something."
+
+"I believe I have," said Muriel with candor, answering his steady
+inquiring glance. "Still, I've felt that we drift along from amusement to
+amusement in a purposeless way, doing nothing that's worth while. There
+might come a time when one would grow very tired of it."
+
+"It must come and bring trouble then. Here one goes on from task to task,
+each one bigger and more venturesome than the last; acre added to acre, a
+gasoline tractor to the horse-plow, another quarter-section broken. Mind
+and body taxed all day and often half the night. One can't sit down and
+mope."
+
+This was, she thought, a curious speech for a man who had been described
+as careless, extravagant, and dissolute; but he was getting too serious,
+and she laughed.
+
+"You were energetic enough in England, if reports are true. I've often
+thought of your right-of-way adventure. It must have been very dramatic
+when you appeared at the garden party covered with fresh tar."
+
+"Sounds like that, doesn't it?" he cautiously agreed. "How do they tell
+the tale?"
+
+"Something like this--you were at the Hall with Geoffrey when the
+townspeople were clamoring about Sir Gilbert's closing the path through
+the wood, and for some reason you assisted them in attacking the
+barricade. It had been well tarred as a defensive measure, hadn't it?
+Then you returned, triumphant, black from head to foot, when you thought
+the guests had gone, and plunged into the middle of the last of
+them--Maud always laughs when she talks about it. Sir Gilbert was
+somewhere out of sight when you related the rabble's brilliant victory,
+but he dashed out red in face when he understood and never stopped until
+he jumped into his motor. I don't think Geoffrey's wife has forgiven
+you."
+
+Prescott smiled.
+
+"Well," he said, "I must have grown very staid since then."
+
+Muriel changed the subject, but they talked with much good-humor until
+they reached the homestead, where the man alighted and held out his arms
+to her. She hesitated a moment, and then was seized by him and swung
+gently to the ground, but she left him with a trace of heightened color
+in her face and went quietly into the house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+MURIEL FEELS REGRET
+
+
+It was pleasantly cool in the shadow of Jernyngham's wooden barn, where
+Prescott sat, talking to its owner. Outside the strip of shade, the sun
+fell hot upon the parched grass, and the tall wheat that ran close up to
+the homestead swayed in waves of changing color before the rush of
+breeze. The whitened, weather-worn boards of the house, which faced the
+men, seemed steeped in glowing light, and sounds of confused activity
+issued from the doorway that was guarded by mosquito-netting. A clatter
+of domestic utensils indicated that Ellice was baking, and she made more
+noise than she usually did when she was out of temper. Jernyngham
+listened with faint amusement as he filled his pipe.
+
+"Sorry I can't ask you in, Jack," he said. "The kitchen is a pretty large
+one, but when Ellice starts bread-making, there isn't a spot one can sit
+down in. Of course, we've another living-room--I furnished it rather
+nicely--but for some reason we seldom use it."
+
+The mosquito door swung back with a crash and Ellice appeared in the
+entrance with a hot, angry face, and hands smeared with dough, her hair
+hanging partly loose in disorder about her neck, her skirt ungracefully
+kilted up.
+
+"Ain't you goin' to bring that water? Have I got to wait another hour?"
+she cried, ignoring Prescott.
+
+Jernyngham rose and moved away. Returning, he disappeared into the
+kitchen with a dripping pail and Ellice's voice was raised in harsh
+upbraiding. Then the man came out, looking a trifle weary, though he sat
+down by Prescott with a smile.
+
+"These things should be a warning, Jack," he said. "Still, one has to
+make allowances; this hot weather's trying, and Ellice got a letter that
+disturbed her by the last mail. I didn't hear what was in it, but I
+suspect it was a bill."
+
+Prescott nodded, because he did not know what to say. Mrs. Jernyngham
+had, he gathered, been unusually fractious for the last week or two, and
+Cyril was invariably forbearing. Indeed, Prescott sometimes wondered at
+his patience, for he imagined that his comrade had outgrown what love he
+had borne her. The man had his virtues: he was rash, but he seldom failed
+to face the consequences with whimsical good-humor.
+
+"Your friends are going to-morrow," Prescott told him. "They understand
+that you will write home and explain your reasons for remaining."
+
+"I suppose I'll have to do so, though it will be difficult. You see, to
+give the reasons that count most would be cruel. If it's any comfort to
+my folks to think favorably of me, I'd rather let them. I've made a
+horrible mess of things, but that's no reason why others should suffer."
+
+Prescott glanced round at the dilapidated house, the untidy stable, the
+door of which was falling to pieces, and the wagon standing with a broken
+wheel. There was no doubt that Jernyngham was right in one respect.
+
+"Jack," Cyril resumed, "your manner gives me the impression that you'll
+be sorry to lose your visitors."
+
+"I shall be sorry. I pressed them to stay and I think they'd have done
+so, only that Mrs. Colston was against it."
+
+"Ah! That strikes me as significant. You see, I can make a good guess at
+her motives; I've suffered from that kind of thing. She evidently
+considers you dangerous. Don't you feel flattered?"
+
+"Mrs. Colston has no cause for uneasiness; I could wish she had."
+
+"Then I'm glad my friends are going. It will save you trouble, Jack. A
+match between Miss Hurst and you is out of the question."
+
+"I've felt that, so far as my merits go, which is the best way I can put
+it," said Prescott gravely. "You speak as if there were stronger
+reasons."
+
+"There are; I'm a little surprised you don't see them. Your merits--I
+suppose you mean your character and appearance--should go a long way;
+we'll admit that you're a man who might have some attraction for even
+such a girl as Miss Hurst seems to be, if she didn't pause to think.
+Unfortunately for you, however, it's her duty to her relatives to make a
+brilliant match and I've no doubt she recognizes it. Girls of her
+station--you had better face the truth, Jack--never marry beneath them."
+
+"But a man may."
+
+"A fair shot," laughed Jernyngham. "I can't resent it. But the man
+generally suffers, and the price is a heavier one when the girl has to
+pay. There's a penalty for breaking caste."
+
+"You seem to tolerate worse things in the old country."
+
+"Not often, after all--you hear of the flagrant offenders, and though I
+dare say there are others who are not found out, the bulk against whom
+there's no reproach, excite no attention. But we'll let that go. I want
+you to understand. You're right, Jack; it's your position that's all
+wrong. Girls of the kind we're considering are brought up in luxury,
+taught every accomplishment that's economically useless, led to believe
+that every comfort they need will somehow be supplied. They're charming
+in their proper environment, but it's a cruelty to take them out of it.
+They'd be helpless in this grim country, where you must work for all you
+want and do without many things even then. Can you imagine Miss Hurst
+standing over a hot stove all day and spending her evenings mending your
+worn-out shirts?"
+
+Prescott looked up, his face set hard.
+
+"You have said enough."
+
+There was silence after this, until a big man dressed in old brown
+overalls stopped his horse near-by.
+
+"I've fixed up with Farrer to send over his gasoline tractor to do the
+fall breaking," he said. "Saw the telephone construction people yesterday
+and told them I'd let them have two teams to haul in their poles. It's
+going to pay us better than keeping them for plowing."
+
+"Quite right, Wandle," replied Jernyngham, and the fellow nodded to
+Prescott and rode away.
+
+He lived on the next half-section and assisted Jernyngham in the
+management of his ranch, besides sharing the cost of labor, implements
+and horses with him, though Prescott had cause for believing that the
+arrangement was not to his friend's benefit.
+
+"You'd be better off if you didn't work with that man," he said.
+
+"It's possible," Jernyngham agreed. "I know he robs me, but he saves me
+bother. Besides, if we decided to separate and came to a settlement, I
+dare say he would claim that I was in his debt; and he might be right.
+I'm no good at business. Ranching I don't mind, but I could never learn
+how to buy and sell."
+
+"It's a very useful ability," Prescott rejoined with some dryness. "But
+as I want to be home for supper, I must get on."
+
+He unhitched his horse and mounted, and Jernyngham walked with him to the
+gate in the wire fence.
+
+"You'll remember what I told you, Jack," he said meaningly.
+
+"Yes," Prescott answered with a stern face. "I suppose I ought to thank
+you. I'm not likely to forget."
+
+He rode home and arriving in time for supper took his place at the table
+with mixed feelings, foremost among which was keen regret. Except for the
+company of his Scandinavian hired man and the latter's hard-featured
+wife, he had lived alone in Spartan simplicity, thinking of nothing but
+his farm; and his guests' arrival had revealed to him the narrowness of
+his life. They had brought him new desires and thoughts, besides
+recalling ideas he had long forgotten, and among other things had made
+the evening meal a pleasant function to be looked forward to, instead of
+an opportunity for hurriedly consuming needed food.
+
+The spotless cloth and the flowers on the table were novelties, but they
+pleased his eye. Colston with his cheerful, well-bred air and
+fastidiousness in dress, talked interestingly; Mrs. Colston with her
+gracious dignity, and Muriel, who was wholly alluring, seemed to fill the
+room with charm. It was perhaps all the more enjoyable because Prescott
+had been accustomed to pleasant society in Montreal, before he abandoned
+it with other amenities and went out to a life of stern toil and
+frugality in the grim Northwest.
+
+He said little, though it was the last time they would gather tranquilly
+round his board--they were to leave for the railroad early on the morrow.
+A heavy melancholy oppressed him, though bright sunlight streamed into
+the room and an invigorating breeze swept in through the open window,
+outside which tall wheat and blue flax rolled away. He could not force
+himself to talk, though he laughed at Colston's anecdotes, and it was a
+relief when the meal was over. Half an hour later he overtook Muriel
+strolling along the edge of the wheat.
+
+"Have you recovered yet?" she asked. "You looked very downcast."
+
+"That's how I feel. It strikes me as perfectly natural. I'll be alone
+to-morrow."
+
+"But you were alone before we came."
+
+"Very true; I didn't seem to mind it then. I was happy thinking how I
+could put in a bigger crop or raise another bunch of stock. My mind was
+fixed on the plow. But you have lifted me out of the furrow. I guess it's
+weak, but somehow I hate the thought of going back to the clods."
+
+Remembering Jernyngham's remarks, it struck him that this was not the
+line he should have taken, and for a moment or two Muriel turned her
+head. Then she looked at him, smiling.
+
+"I shall be very sorry to leave, and I believe Florence and Harry feel
+the same."
+
+"But you are going to British Columbia and down the Pacific Coast. You
+will revel in new experiences and interesting sights."
+
+"I suppose so," she answered, rather listlessly. "We shall get a glimpse
+of a new country, but that will be all. On the steamers we'll meet much
+the kind of people we are accustomed to, and no doubt we'll stay at
+hotels built especially for luxurious tourists. You see, we take our
+usual environment along with us."
+
+"But isn't that what you like?"
+
+"I don't know; perhaps it ought to be." Muriel paused and looked up at
+him with candid eyes. "You hinted that we had given you a new and wider
+outlook--or brought back the one you used to have, which is what you must
+have meant. You don't seem to realize that you have done much the same
+thing to me."
+
+"I'm not sure I understand."
+
+"It shouldn't be difficult. You know the kind of people I have hitherto
+met, and how we spend our time in a round of amusements that lead to
+nothing, with all that could jar on one carefully kept away. This is the
+first time I've come into touch with strenuous, normal life."
+
+"And it doesn't seem to have frightened you?"
+
+"No," she said with a smile; "I'm not in the least afraid--why should I
+be? I must have more courage than you think, but does one need a great
+deal of it to live here?"
+
+He looked at her in grave admiration. There was a hint of pride in her
+pose, and her eyes were calm.
+
+"I believe if ever a time of stress came, you wouldn't shrink. But this
+is a pretty hard and lonely country, especially in winter."
+
+Muriel changed the subject.
+
+"For all that, I feel you are right in staying, Cyril. Have you written
+to your people?"
+
+Prescott felt embarrassed and guilty, as he generally did when, in
+confidential moments, she called him by Jernyngham's name. Somehow he
+could not imagine her saying Jack.
+
+"No," he rejoined slowly. "Of course, they must be written to."
+
+Muriel did not answer. The turn their conversation had taken had filled
+her with a vague unrest as she looked back at the life she had led. Three
+or four years ago it had seemed filled with glamour and excitement, and
+she had entered on its pleasures with eager zest, but of late she had
+begun to find them wearisome. They no longer satisfied her. If this were
+the result of a few years' experience, what would she feel when she had
+grown jaded with time and everything was stale? Then her glimpse of the
+simple, healthful western life had come as a revelation. It was real, a
+bracing struggle, in which no effort was wasted but produced tangible
+results: broad stretches of splendid wheat, sweeps of azure flax.
+
+But this was not all. She felt drawn to her brown-faced companion, who
+had obviously redeemed whatever errors he had been guilty of in the past.
+She had known him for only about a fortnight, but she had seen his
+admiration for her with a satisfaction that was slightly tempered by
+misgivings. She could not tell exactly what she expected from him, but
+she had at least looked for some expression of a wish that their
+acquaintance should not end abruptly on the morrow. She did not think she
+would have resented a carefully modified display of the gallantry Cyril
+Jernyngham must be capable of, if reports were true. Considering what his
+past was supposed to have been, the grave man who watched her with
+troubled eyes was hard to understand.
+
+"Cyril," she asked, "has Harry given you our address at Glacier and
+Banff?"
+
+He supposed that this implied permission to write to her, but he could
+not do so as Jack Prescott and he already bitterly regretted that he had
+allowed her to think of him as Jernyngham.
+
+"Yes," he said, with a carelessness which cost him an effort. "But I'm
+afraid I'm not a good correspondent. I'm too busy, for one thing."
+
+"Too busy?" she mocked, with a stronger color in her face. "Can't you
+spare half an hour from your plowing to write to your friends?"
+
+"Well," he answered with forced coolness, "it's difficult, except, of
+course, in the winter and you'll be back in England then, with so many
+festivities on hand that you won't be anxious to hear about Canada."
+
+She looked at him for a moment, puzzled and a little angry, and he
+guessed her thoughts. He was behaving like a boor; but it was better that
+she should think him one.
+
+"How very un-English you have become!" she said.
+
+"You mean I'm very Canadian? Anyway, I try to be sensible--I've done some
+wretchedly foolish things and I've got to pay for them. Of course, this
+visit's only an episode to you; something that's soon over and
+forgotten."
+
+There was trouble in his voice, though he strove to speak with
+indifference, and after a swift glance at him she answered coldly:
+
+"I suppose it is. One impression rubs out another, and no doubt we shall
+see something novel and interesting farther on. However, we won't stay in
+Canada very long and we shall see your father and sister as soon as we
+get home. It's curious that you have scarcely mentioned them."
+
+"Oh, well," he evaded awkwardly, "Harry has told me a good deal."
+
+He turned his head, dreading her curious eyes. His last evening in her
+company was proving more trying than he had expected; though usually
+tolerant and good-humored, the strain made him bitter. To-morrow he must
+put this girl out of his mind. After all, it was to Cyril Jernyngham,
+rake and wastrel, but a man of her own station, that she had been
+gracious and charming; had she known he was Jack Prescott, she would, no
+doubt, have treated him very differently; but in this supposition he did
+her wrong.
+
+Puzzled by his lack of responsiveness and with wounded pride, she stopped
+and looked out toward the northwest across the prairie. Steeped in strong
+coloring, it seemed to run back into immeasurable distance, though a
+wonderful blaze of crimson marked its rim. The faint, cool air that
+flowed across it was charged with a curious exhilarating quality; there
+was a subtle fragrance of herbs in the grass.
+
+"It's getting late," she said; "I must go in. This is the last sunset I
+shall watch on the prairie, and in several ways I'm sorry. You have made
+our stay here very pleasant."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE MYSTERY OF THE MUSKEG
+
+
+Colston and his party had been gone a fortnight when Prescott called at
+the Jernyngham homestead one afternoon and found its owner sitting
+moodily in the kitchen, which presented a chaotic appearance. Unwashed
+plates and dishes were scattered about, the wood-box was overturned and
+poplar billets strewed the floor, there was no fire in the rusty stove,
+and the fragments of a heavy crock lay against the wall. The strong
+sunlight that streamed in emphasized the disorder of the room.
+
+"I was passing and thought I'd come in," Prescott explained. "Where's
+Mrs. Jernyngham? The look of the place gives one the idea that she's not
+at home."
+
+"It's never remarkably tidy." Jernyngham broke into a rueful smile. "I
+believe she started for the settlement when I was at work in the summer
+fallow this morning. The fact that the horse and buggy are missing points
+to it."
+
+"But don't you know whether she has gone or not?"
+
+"I don't," said Jernyngham. "She didn't acquaint me with her intentions.
+As I see she has taken some things along, it looks as if she meant to
+visit Mrs. Harvey at the store. They're friends now and then."
+
+His manner was suggestive, though he looked more resigned than disturbed,
+and Prescott, glancing at the shattered crock, ventured a question which
+he feared was not quite judicious:
+
+"How did you break that thing?"
+
+"It ought to be a warning. I didn't break it; it was meant to break on
+me. Ellice flung it at my head a day or two ago, and fortunately missed,
+though as a rule she's a pretty good shot. I suppose it's significant
+that neither of us troubled to pick up the pieces."
+
+Prescott looked sympathetic, and hesitated, with his half-filled pipe in
+his hand.
+
+"Shall I go, Cyril? I want to make Sebastian before it's dark."
+
+"Sit still," Jernyngham told him. "I'm in an expansive mood, and I've a
+notion that I'm not far off a crisis in my affairs. Ellice has been
+fractious lately; I seem to have been getting on her nerves, which
+perhaps is not surprising."
+
+Prescott made no comment and after sitting silent a few moments
+Jernyngham resumed:
+
+"I was rather rash when I ventured to remonstrate about a bill. Ellice
+pointed out, with justice, that so long as I slouched round and let
+Wandle rob me, I'd no right to grumble at her for buying a few things.
+Most unwisely I maintained my point and"--he indicated the broken crock
+and littered table--"you see the consequences."
+
+"Wandle is a bit of a rogue," said Prescott, choosing the safest topic.
+"I've told you so."
+
+"You have. For all that, he's useful and I don't mind being robbed in
+moderation; I'm a man who's accustomed to losing things." His
+half-mocking tone grew serious. "I wrote to my people, as soon as Colston
+left, telling them I'd determined to remain in Canada; but if it wasn't
+for Ellice, I think I'd quit farming."
+
+Prescott smoked in silence for a while. Jernyngham had made a costly
+sacrifice, chiefly on the woman's account, and Prescott felt sorry for
+him.
+
+"Perhaps I'd better get on," he said after a while.
+
+For a few moments Jernyngham looked irresolute, and then he got up.
+
+"I'll come with you to Sebastian. I think I'd have gone earlier, only
+Ellice had the horse and rig, and Wandle's using the wagon team. It's no
+doubt my duty to sue for peace."
+
+They set out shortly afterward and reaching Sebastian late in the evening
+drove to the livery-stable, where Jernyngham called the man who took
+Prescott's team.
+
+"I suppose you have my horse?" he asked.
+
+"Sure," said the fellow, looking at him curiously. "Mrs. Jernyngham said
+we'd better keep him until you came in. She left a note for you with the
+boss; he's in the hotel."
+
+Jernyngham crossed the street, followed by his companion, and Prescott
+noticed that the loungers in the bar seemed interested when they came in.
+Two of them put down their glasses and turned to fix their eyes on
+Jernyngham, a third paused in the act of lighting his pipe and dropped
+the match. Then the owner of the livery-stable looked up in a hesitating
+manner as Jernyngham approached him.
+
+"I believe you have a message for me," Jernyngham said abruptly.
+
+"That's so," the man rejoined gravely. "I'll give it to you outside."
+
+They left the bar, and when they stood under the veranda, Jernyngham tore
+open the envelope handed him. A moment later he firmly crumpled up the
+note it had held.
+
+"When did she leave?" he asked in a harsh voice.
+
+The liveryman regarded him sympathetically.
+
+"By the afternoon East-bound. I'm mighty sorry, Cyril--guess you know it
+isn't a secret in the town."
+
+Jernyngham's face grew darkly flushed.
+
+"Then you can tell me whom she went with?"
+
+"The drummer who was selling the separators. Bought tickets through to
+St. Paul. Told Perkins he wasn't coming back here; nothing doing on this
+round."
+
+The man tactfully moved away and Jernyngham turned to Prescott, speaking
+rather hoarsely.
+
+"She's gone--that's the end of it!"
+
+He dropped into one of the chairs scattered about and a few moments later
+broke into a bitter laugh.
+
+"It would have been more flattering if she had chosen you or Wandle
+instead of that blasted weedy drummer. Still, there the thing is, and it
+has to be faced." Then he surprised his companion, for his voice and
+expression became suddenly normal. "Go in and get me a cigar."
+
+He lighted it carefully when it was brought to him and leaned back in his
+chair.
+
+"Jack," he said, "I've got to hold myself in hand--if I start off on the
+jag now, it will be a dangerous one. Have you noticed that I've been
+practising strict abstinence since Colston left?"
+
+Prescott, not knowing how to regard his ironic calmness, said nothing,
+and Jernyngham continued:
+
+"It's a bitter pill. I was very fond of her once, and there's not much
+consolation in reflecting that she'll probably scare the fellow out of
+his wits the first time she breaks out in one of her rages." Then his
+voice grew regretful. "Ellice's far from perfect, but she's much too good
+for him."
+
+Remembering that it was on the woman's account his friend had remained on
+the prairie, Prescott made a venture:
+
+"Since she has gone, it's a pity she didn't go a few weeks earlier."
+
+"That doesn't count," declared Jernyngham. "She has cause to blame me as
+much for marrying her--one must try to be just. I thought of her when I
+determined to stay, but my own weaknesses played as big a part in
+deciding me."
+
+He sat silent a while, and then indicated his surroundings with a
+contemptuous sweep of his hand--the dirty sidewalk strewn with cigar ends
+and banana peelings, the straggling houses with their cracked board walls
+and ugly square fronts, the rutted street down which drifted clouds of
+dust.
+
+"Jack," he said, "I'm very sick of all this, and I can't face the lonely
+homestead now Ellice's gone. I must have a change and something to brace
+me; something that has a keener bite than drink. Think I'll take a
+haulage job on the new railroad, where there ought to be rough and risky
+work, and I'll leave this place to-night. Come across with me to
+Morant's, and I'll see what I can borrow on the land."
+
+The sudden unreasoning decision was characteristic of him, but Prescott
+expostulated.
+
+"You can't clear out in this eccentric fashion; there are a number of
+things to be settled first."
+
+"I think I can," Jernyngham retorted dryly. "It's certain that I can't
+stay here."
+
+He took his companion with him to call on a land-agent and mortgage-broker,
+and when they left the office Jernyngham had a bulky roll of bills in his
+pocket.
+
+"Jack," he requested, "you'll run my place and pay Morant off after
+harvest; if Wandle gets his hands on it, there'll be very little left
+when I come back. You may have trouble with him, but you must hold out.
+Charge me with all expenses and pay as much of the surplus as you think
+I'm entitled to into my bank when you have sold the crop. Now if you'll
+come into the hotel, I'll give you a written authority and get Perkins to
+witness it."
+
+Prescott demurred at first, but eventually yielded because he believed
+his friend's interest would need looking after in his absence. After some
+discussion they agreed on a workable scheme, which was put down in
+writing and witnessed by the hotel-keeper. Then Jernyngham borrowed a
+saddle and sent for his horse.
+
+"I'll pull out for the railroad now; it's cooler riding at night and
+there's a good moon," he said. "As I'll pass close to your place, you may
+as well drive so far with me."
+
+They set off, Prescott seated on the front of his jolting wagon,
+Jernyngham riding as near it as the roughness of the trail permitted,
+with a blanket and a package of provisions strapped to his saddle. He was
+wearing a hat of extra-thick felt and uncommon shape which had been given
+him by a man who had broken his journey for the purpose of seeing the
+country when returning from Hong Kong by the Canadian Pacific route. Soon
+after they left Sebastian, a young trooper of the Northwest Police
+dressed in khaki uniform came trotting up in the moonlight and joined
+them.
+
+"Where are you off to, Jernyngham?" he asked, glancing at the rolled up
+blanket. "Looks as if you meant to camp on the trail."
+
+"I'll have to, most likely," said Jernyngham. "I'm leaving the farm to
+Prescott for a while and heading for Nelson's Butte on the new road."
+
+"What are you going to do there?"
+
+"Thought I'd pick up a horse or two at one of the ranches I'll pass and
+apply for a teaming job. Contractor was asking for haulage tenders; he's
+having trouble among the sandhills and muskegs."
+
+"Then you'll be taking a wad of money along?"
+
+Jernyngham assented and the trooper looked thoughtful.
+
+"Now," he cautioned, "there's a pretty tough crowd at Nelson, and though
+we stopped any licenses being issued, we've had trouble over the
+running-in of liquor. Then you have a long ride before you through a
+thinly-settled country. You want to be careful about that money."
+
+"The settlers are to be trusted."
+
+"That's so, but we have reason to believe the rustlers are at work in the
+district; seem to have been going into the liquor business, and I've
+heard of horses missing. Now that the boys have stopped their branding
+other people's calves in Alberta and corralled their leaders, it looks as
+if the fellows were beginning the game in this part of the country."
+
+"Thanks," said Jernyngham. "I may as well take precautions. How would you
+recommend my carrying the money?"
+
+The trooper made one or two ingenious suggestions as to the safest way of
+secreting the bills, and Jernyngham, dismounting, carried them out. Soon
+afterward the trooper struck off across the plain, and the others, riding
+on, met a farmer who spoke to them as he passed. At length Prescott
+pulled up his team at the spot where his companion must leave the trail.
+
+"I'll do what I can with the land, Cyril, and keep an account," he said.
+"You might write and let me know how you are getting on."
+
+They shook hands and Jernyngham trotted away, while Prescott sat watching
+him for a minute or two. Man and horse were sharply outlined against the
+moonlit grass. Jernyngham looked very lonely as he rode out into the
+wilderness. He could hardly have been happy, Prescott thought, in his
+untidy and comfortless house at the farm; but, after all, it had been a
+home, and now he was rudely flung adrift. It was true that the man was
+largely responsible for the troubles that had fallen upon him, but this
+was no reason for refusing him pity, and Cyril had his strong points. He
+had staunchly declined to profit by a felicitous change of fortune out of
+consideration for the relatives who had once disowned and the woman who
+had deserted him. Jernyngham had been a careless fool, and Prescott
+suspected that he was not likely to alter much in this respect, but he
+did not expect others to pay for his recklessness when the reckoning
+came. Then Prescott started his team.
+
+Two days later, he was busy in front of his homestead putting together a
+new binder which had just arrived from the settlement. It was the latest
+type of harvesting implement and designed to cut an unusually broad
+swath. While he was engaged, the trooper he had met when accompanying
+Jernyngham rode up with a corporal following. He stopped his horse and
+glanced at the binder with admiration.
+
+"She's a daisy, Jack; I guess she cost a pile," he said. "Where did you
+get the money to buy a machine of that kind?"
+
+"It wasn't easy to raise it," Prescott replied. "But I'll save something
+in labor--harvest wages are high--and I've long wanted this binder. When
+Trant came round from the implement store yesterday morning I thought I'd
+risk the deal. Will you wait for dinner?"
+
+"No, thanks," the corporal broke in. "We're making a patrol north; just
+called to look at your guards. Several big grass fires have been reported
+in the last few days."
+
+Prescott pointed to the rows of plowed furrows which cut off his holding
+from the prairie. The strip of brown clods, which was two or three yards
+in width, seemed an adequate defense, and after a glance at it the
+corporal nodded his satisfaction.
+
+"Good enough," he said. "We'll take the trail."
+
+He trotted away with his companion and it was evening when they rode
+along the edge of a ravine which pierced a high tract of rolling country.
+The crest of the slope they followed commanded a vast circle of grass
+that was changing in the foreground from green to ocher and silvery
+white. Farther back, it ran on toward the sunset, a sweep of blue and
+neutral gray, flecked with dusky lines of bluffs, interspersed with
+gleaming strips of water, but nowhere in the wide landscape was there a
+sign of human habitation. Small birches and poplars, with an undergrowth
+of nut bushes, clothed the sides of the ravine, but some distance ahead
+it broadened out and the stream that flowed through it turned the hollow
+into a muskeg. There harsh grass and reeds grew three or four feet high,
+hiding the stretch of mire.
+
+The police were young men with deeply bronzed faces, dressed in smart
+khaki uniform with broad Stetson hats of the same color.
+
+"What's that?" exclaimed Corporal Curtis, pointing to an indistinct
+object lying among a patch of scrub some distance off.
+
+"Looks like a hat," replied Private Stanton. "Some settler prospecting
+for a homestead location must have lost it."
+
+"You jump at things!" said the corporal. "How'd the man lose it? Guess it
+wouldn't drop off without his knowing it, and with the sun we've been
+having he'd want it pretty bad. He wouldn't throw it away, when he knew
+he couldn't get another. We'll go along and see."
+
+They dismounted a minute or two later and made a startling discovery. The
+hat was a good one, but in one place the soft gray felt had been crushed
+and partly cut as though by a heavy blow. On turning it over, they saw
+that the inside was stained a dull red.
+
+"Blood!" said Curtis significantly, and swept a searching glance about.
+"More of it," he added. "See here--on the brush."
+
+Moving forward, they found a succession of crimson spots and splashes on
+the leaves of the willow scrub and withering grass.
+
+"Picket the horses. Stanton; we've got to look into this," the corporal
+said.
+
+"I'd better lead them back a piece," responded his companion. "We don't
+want to muss up things by making fresh tracks."
+
+When he had done so, they set about the examination systematically. They
+were men who lived, for the most part, in the open, and made long
+journeys through the wilds, sleeping where they could find shelter in
+ravine or bluff. Such things as a broken twig, a bruised tuft of grass,
+or a mark in loose soil had a meaning to them, and here they had
+plentiful material to work upon. Counting footprints and hoofmarks,
+measuring distances, they constructed bit by bit the drama that had taken
+place, but half an hour had passed before they sat down to talk it over
+and took out their pipes. The afterglow shone about them; their hands and
+thoughtful faces showed the same warm color as the brown grass in the
+ruddy light. In the hat lay a five-dollar bill and a coat button.
+
+"There were two men here," Curtis remarked. "Both were mounted and came
+up the trail from the settlement, but it looks as if the first one had
+picketed his horse and started to make camp when the other joined him."
+
+"That's so," Private Stanton agreed.
+
+"Then there was trouble, but the men didn't clinch. One fellow hit the
+other with something heavy enough to drop him in his tracks, then got
+into the saddle and rode off, leading the other horse."
+
+The evidence on which he arrived at this conclusion was slender, but
+Stanton signified assent.
+
+"Well," he said, "where's the hurt man?"
+
+"I've a notion he's in yonder muskeg. The other fellow could have packed
+him there on the led horse--the blood spots point to it--though he might
+have hid him farther on in a bluff. It's getting too dark to search now;
+we'll try to-morrow. But I guess we know who he is."
+
+"Sure," said Stanton. "I'll swear to the hat. Chaffed Jernyngham about it
+one day, and he put it in my hands and said there wasn't another of the
+kind in the country. A man from Hong Kong gave it to him."
+
+Curtis took up the bill.
+
+"Five dollars, Merchants' Bank, and quite clean; not been issued long.
+We'll find out if they've a branch at Regina or Saskatoon and trace up
+the fellow they paid it to. The button doesn't count--quite a common
+pattern. Now if you'll fill the kettle at the creek, I'll start a fire.
+We'll camp near the birch scrub yonder."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+A DEAL IN LAND
+
+
+On the morning after the corporal's discovery, Gustave Wandle was leading
+his team to a drinking pool on the creek that crossed his farm. He was a
+big, reserved, fair-haired man, with a fleshy face that was redeemed from
+heaviness by his eyes, which were restless and keen. Though supposed to
+be an Austrian, little was known about him or his antecedents except that
+he owned the next half-section of land to Jernyngham's and farmed it
+successfully. It was, however, believed that he was of an unusually
+grasping nature, and his neighbors took precautions when they made a deal
+with him. He had reached the shadow of a poplar bluff when he heard
+hurried footsteps and a man with a hot face came into sight.
+
+"I'm going across your place to save time; I want my horse," he explained
+hastily. "Curtis, the policeman, has ridden in to the settlement and told
+me to go up and search a muskeg near the north trail with Stanton.
+Somebody's killed Jernyngham and hidden him there."
+
+"So!" exclaimed Wandle. "Jernyngham murdered! You tell me that?"
+
+"Sure thing!" the other replied. "The police have figured out how it all
+happened and I'm going to look for the body while Curtis reports to his
+bosses. A blamed pity! I liked Jernyngham. Well, I must get to the muskeg
+soon as I can!"
+
+He ran on, and Wandle led his horses to the pool and stood thinking hard
+while they drank. He was well versed in Jernyngham's affairs and knew
+that he had once bought a cheap quarter-section of land in an arid belt
+some distance off. A railroad had since entered the district, irrigation
+work had been begun, and the holding must have risen in value. Now, it
+seemed, Jernyngham was dead, which was unfortunate, because Wandle had
+found their joint operations profitable, and it was very probable that
+Ellice and himself were the only persons who knew about the land. Wandle
+mounted one of the horses and set out for Jernyngham's homestead at its
+fastest pace.
+
+On reaching it, he soon found an iron cash-box in a cupboard and succeeded
+in forcing it with a screw-driver. It contained a few papers, among which
+were one or two relating to the purchase of the quarter-section, and
+Wandle put these in his pocket. The others he threw into the
+cupboard--Jernyngham's carelessness was well known--and then hastily
+studied a railroad time-table. By starting promptly, he could catch a
+train at the station next after Sebastian, which he thought would be
+wiser, and reach a new wooden town of some importance in the evening.
+Having ascertained this, he hurried out and rode home, taking the cash-box
+with him. On arriving, he smashed it flat with an ax and flung it into his
+stove in which a fire was burning; then he made a hasty meal, changed his
+clothes, and saddling a horse, rode hard across the prairie. There was, he
+realized, some risk in what he meant to do, but it was not a very serious
+one, and he was thankful that the sale of land is attended by few
+formalities in western Canada.
+
+When he reached his destination, business premises were closed for the
+night, but after making inquiries he found a land agent who was
+recommended as respectable and trustworthy at a smart hotel. Wandle led
+him to the far end of the lobby, where they would not be disturbed, and
+sitting down at a table took out the papers.
+
+"What's that quarter-section worth?" he asked.
+
+The agent told him and Wandle lighted his pipe and affected to consider.
+He thought Jernyngham had not suspected its value.
+
+"Don't you think you could get another three dollars an acre?" he
+suggested.
+
+"It's possible, if you will leave the sale in my hands; but I may have to
+wait for a suitable opportunity. There's a good demand for land in the
+district now that they're getting on with the irrigation scheme, but to
+insist on the top price will mean delay."
+
+"Could you sell it for me promptly at the figure you mentioned?"
+
+"Why, yes," said the agent. "I've a number of inquiries for farming land
+on my books. I shouldn't wonder if I fixed the thing up in a week."
+
+"I can't wait a week. There's a pretty good haulage contract I could get,
+but it will take some financing, which is what brought me along; because
+I ought to see about it in the next few days. Now I'll tell you what I'll
+do--I'll sell you that land to-night at the lower figure."
+
+The agent pondered.
+
+"No, sir," he said, irresolutely. "I'd only make a few dollars an acre on
+the deal, and I can get ten per cent. on my money right in this hotel."
+
+"You'd have to wait a year for it, wouldn't you? What price will give you
+ten per cent. profit on this quarter-section? You want to remember that
+you may get it in a few weeks, and you'd have first-class security."
+
+After making a rough calculation in his notebook, the agent looked up.
+
+"As a rule, I prefer to buy for other people, but I can't go back on what
+I said about land being in strong demand, and I'll make you a bid. This
+is the most I can do."
+
+Wandle, after trying to raise the price, made a sign of acquiescence.
+
+"We'll let it go at that. I'll get things fixed up as soon as the
+land-office is open in the morning."
+
+He left the hotel, satisfied on the whole, though he had sacrificed a
+dollar or two an acre and there was an element of danger in what he had
+done. The sale of the land must be registered, and the date would be two
+or three days after the one on which Jernyngham was killed. The latter's
+homestead was, however, a long distance off, there was only one small
+weekly newspaper published in the district, and it was very probable that
+the agent would not hear of the affair until some time had elapsed, and
+then might not attach any importance to the fact that the victim's name
+was that of his customer. Even if he did so, the small discrepancy in the
+dates would, no doubt, escape his attention. Wandle did not think he had
+much cause for uneasiness.
+
+Reaching home the next day, he raked out his stove and found the
+cash-box. It had not fallen to pieces as he had expected, and he doubled
+it up again with the ax before he flung it into the ash pail. Then he
+lighted the stove and set about getting supper, for it was late in the
+evening. After finishing the meal, he threw some fragments of potatoes
+and a rind of pork into the pail and took it up to carry it to the refuse
+heap, but stopped with a start when he left the house. It was getting
+dark, but two shadowy figures were riding up the trail and by the way
+they sat their horses he recognized them as police troopers. Putting down
+the pail, he waited until they dismounted near-by.
+
+"You're too late for supper, Curtis," he said coolly. "I've just cleaned
+it up."
+
+The corporal glanced at the pail and in the dim light noticed only the
+domestic refuse.
+
+"I've had some," he answered. "I want a few minutes' talk." Then he
+motioned to his companion. "Hitch the horses, Stanton, and come in when
+you're ready."
+
+They entered the house, followed presently by the trooper, and Wandle
+lighted his pipe. He felt more at ease with it in his hand and he
+suspected that he would need all his collectedness.
+
+"Well," he said, "what's the trouble?"
+
+"I suppose you know that Jernyngham's missing?"
+
+"I heard that he was killed."
+
+"Looks like it," said Curtis. "You know the muskeg where the creek
+spreads out, about fourteen miles north?"
+
+"I don't; never been up so far."
+
+Curtis noticed the prompt disclaimer.
+
+"Anyway, Jernyngham rode there and was knocked out with something heavy
+that must have left him stunned, if it didn't make an end of him. He
+didn't ride away after it, though his horse went on. The point is that it
+was led."
+
+"How do you know that?" Wandle asked.
+
+"It's my business to know these things. Think we can't tell the
+difference between the tracks of a led horse and a ridden one? The only
+times two horses trot close together at an even distance is when one's
+rider has both bridles, or when they're yoked to a wagon pole. However,
+I've come to ask if you can throw any light on the matter? You and
+Jernyngham were partners, in a way, weren't you?"
+
+"That's so. Now and then we bought implements and horses, or hired a
+tractor plow, between us. As a matter of fact, Jernyngham owed me about
+five hundred dollars. Anyhow, I'm as puzzled about the thing as you must
+be."
+
+"Then you think we're puzzled?" Curtis said in a significant tone.
+
+Wandle laughed.
+
+"It struck me as likely. You know there's not a rancher in the district
+who would hurt the man. He was easy to get on with."
+
+"Did you know that he borrowed money on his holding and took it with him
+the night he disappeared?"
+
+"I didn't," said Wandle, starting. "I'm not pleased to hear it now. I've
+a claim on the place and there are some pretty big storekeepers' bills to
+come in."
+
+Curtis asked a few more questions before he took his leave. He passed
+near the ash pail as he went out and Stanton touched it with his foot,
+but they had mounted and reached the trail before either of them spoke.
+
+"Well?" said Curtis.
+
+Stanton smiled.
+
+"Nothing much to be learned from him; the fellow's about as sly and hard
+to get at as a coyote."
+
+"A sure thing," Curtis agreed. "We'll keep an eye on him; I've a
+suspicion he knows something."
+
+Then they trotted away in the moonlight, for it was a long ride to their
+camp beside the muskeg, which with the assistance of several men they
+were engaged in searching.
+
+On the next afternoon, Prescott was at work in the summer fallow, sitting
+in the iron saddle of a gangplow, which four powerful horses hauled
+through the crackling stubble. It was fiercely hot and he was lightly
+clad in thin yellow shirt and overalls. A cloud of dust rose about him
+from the parched soil, and the broad expanse of wheat which the fallow
+divided glowed with varied colors as it rippled before the rush of
+breeze, the strong greens changing to a silvery luster as the lush blades
+bent and caught the light. Farther on, there were faint streaks of yellow
+among the oats; the great stretch of grass was white and delicate gray,
+the rows of clods behind the plow rich chocolate-brown.
+
+Prescott, however, paid little attention to his surroundings. He was
+perhaps the only man in the district who had known Jernyngham intimately;
+he felt troubled about his disappearance, and he had had a disturbing
+interview with Wandle during the morning. The Austrian had contested his
+right to manage the farm, declaring that Jernyngham owed him money and
+had made certain plans for the joint working of their land which must be
+carried out. This did not so much matter, in a sense, if one could take
+Jernyngham's death for granted; but Prescott could not do so and had,
+moreover, no intention of letting his property fall into the hands of a
+cunning, grasping fellow, who, he was fully persuaded, had no real right
+to it. If Jernyngham did not turn up, Prescott meant to discharge all his
+debts after harvest and, as the crop promised well, to send the balance
+to England as a proof that his friend had not been a failure in Canada.
+This might be some comfort to Jernyngham's people.
+
+He was considering the matter when he heard the stubble crackle behind
+him and, looking around, saw Curtis riding up. Stopping his team, he
+waited until the corporal drew bridle.
+
+"Have you found him yet?" he asked.
+
+"We have not," said Curtis. "It's a big muskeg and quite deep. You know
+the place?"
+
+"Oh, yes, I know it pretty well."
+
+Curtis looked at him sharply, but Prescott seemed to be musing.
+
+"It's a sad thing when you think of it," he said after a few moments.
+"From the little he told me, the man had hard luck all through; and that
+Mrs. Jernyngham should leave him just after he'd sacrificed his future
+for her must have been a knock-out blow. Yet I've an idea that instead of
+crushing it braced him. It pulled him up; he showed signs of turning into
+a different man."
+
+"You knew him better than I did," Curtis replied. "I heard at the hotel
+he'd asked you to look after his place, given you a share in the crop."
+
+"He did. I'd some words with Wandle about the matter this morning;
+Jernyngham warned me he might pretend he had a claim. However, that's not
+to the purpose; somehow I feel convinced he'll turn up again. What motive
+could any one have for killing him? The only man we might have
+suspected--the fellow who went off with Ellice--must have been on the
+train bound for St. Paul."
+
+"He was; we wired the conductor. But the thing's quite simple--the motive
+was robbery. You remember that wad of bills?" The corporal paused before
+he added: "Where did you last see Jernyngham?"
+
+"At the trail-forks near my place. He rode right on; I took the turning."
+
+"Did you see your man, Svendsen, or his wife when you got home?"
+
+"I didn't; they live at the back of the house. I put up the horses,
+slipped in quietly, and went to bed."
+
+"Then you can't fix the time you got back?"
+
+Prescott moved sharply, lifting his head, while an angry color suffused
+his face.
+
+"Curtis, you can't think--Jernyngham was my best friend!" Then he laughed
+indignantly. "You always struck me as a sensible man."
+
+The corporal regarded him with scrutinizing eyes, his manner stamped with
+official austerity.
+
+"I'm forming no opinions--yet. It's my duty to find out all I can about
+the matter and report. If there's anything you're open to tell me, I'll
+make a note of it."
+
+Prescott's face grew stern and his glance very steady.
+
+"I can add nothing to what I've said, and I'm busy."
+
+Curtis rode away, but when he was out of the rancher's sight he broke
+into a dry smile. He was an astute young man and knew his business, which
+was merely to investigate and follow the instruction of his chiefs at
+Regina. Unembroidered facts were what they required in the first
+instance, but later he might be permitted to theorize.
+
+When the corporal had gone, Prescott went on with his plowing, but the
+crackle of the stubble and the thud of the heavy Clydesdales' hoofs fell
+unheeded on his ears, and it was half-consciously that he turned his team
+at the head-land. He had a good deal to think about and his thoughts were
+far from pleasant. To begin with, the memory of Muriel Hurst had haunted
+him since she left; he recalled her with a regretful longing that seemed
+to grow steadily stronger instead of diminishing. He thought she had left
+an indelible mark on his life. Then there was his impersonation of
+Jernyngham, which he had rashly agreed to, but did not now regret. If
+Colston had met Cyril on the night of the riot and had gone to his untidy
+dwelling, he would have been forced to send home an adverse report.
+Prescott was glad to think he had saved his friend from a farther fall in
+his English relatives' esteem, though, knowing a little of the man's
+story, he held them largely responsible for his reckless career. Their
+censoriousness and suspicion had, no doubt, driven him into wilder
+rashness.
+
+Besides all this, the corporal's manner rankled in his mind. He knew
+Curtis well and had a good opinion of his ability. It seemed preposterous
+that such a man could imagine that he had had any hand in Jernyngham's
+death. Yet the corporal's tone had been significant and the facts had an
+ugly look. He had seen Jernyngham secrete his money and had afterward
+ridden on with him, unaccompanied by anybody else. He could not prove
+when he returned to his farm, and it might be said that he stood to
+benefit by securing the management of Jernyngham's property.
+
+When he reached the end of the furrows his face was grim, but he steadily
+continued his plowing.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE SEARCH
+
+
+Prescott dismounted and turned loose his horse, short-hobbled, near the
+muskeg about two o'clock one hot afternoon. He had begun work at four
+that morning, and, with harvest drawing near, time was precious to him,
+but he was filled with a keen curiosity to see what progress Curtis had
+made in his search. He had a strong personal interest in the matter,
+because it seemed that some suspicion might rest on him; though he was
+far from sharing the corporal's conviction that Jernyngham was dead.
+Stopping at the edge of the ravine, he looked about, taking in the
+details of the scene.
+
+Though the prairie had lost its greenness and the flowers had died, it
+stretched away, flooded with dazzling light, a great expanse of silvery
+gray, flecked with faint lemon and brown. In the swampy hollow, however,
+the grass grew tall and green among the shining pools, and Prescott
+noticed to his astonishment a dozen men working assiduously lower down.
+They had discarded most of their clothing, their brown arms were bare,
+and the stiff, dark-colored soil they flung up with their shovels
+cumbered the bank of the ravine, which had narrowed in again. Prescott
+saw that they were cutting a deeper channel for the creek, with the
+object of draining the swamp.
+
+Moving farther along the bank, he came upon the two policemen, who looked
+very hot and somewhat muddy, which, as they were usually fastidiously
+neat, was noticeable. He felt some hesitation in accosting them, as he
+recalled the corporal's attitude when they last met, but he was curious.
+
+"I suppose you have found nothing?" he said, and when Curtis made a sign
+of negation continued: "How did you get so many of the boys here?"
+
+Putting his hand in his pocket, the policeman gave him a printed circular
+which announced that a reward of one thousand dollars would be paid for
+the discovery of Cyril Jernyngham's remains.
+
+"His people in the old country cabled it over," he explained.
+
+"Well," Prescott said thoughtfully, "I don't believe he's here; but he
+was a friend of mine, and I'm as anxious to have the question answered as
+you are."
+
+Private Stanton, who was sitting in the grass, looked up with a rather
+significant smile. Indeed, there was a certain reserve in the manner of
+both men which exasperated the rancher.
+
+"It's quite likely you'll have to wait," Curtis rejoined. "Even when
+we've run the water out, it may take a long while to search the mushy
+stuff it will leave, and if we're beaten here, we'll have to try the
+bluffs." He looked hard at Prescott. "We don't let up until we find him."
+
+"Tell me where I can get a shovel and I'll help the boys."
+
+Stanton brought him one and for the next two hours he worked savagely,
+standing knee-deep in water in a trench, hacking out clods of the "gumbo"
+soil, which covers much of the prairie and grows the finest wheat. When
+dry it sets like stone, when wet it assumes a glutinous stickiness which
+makes it exceptionally difficult to deal with. Fierce sunshine poured
+down on Prescott's bent head and shoulders, his hands grew sore, and mire
+and water splashed upon him, but he was hard and leanly muscular and,
+driven as he was by a keen desire to test the corporal's theory, he would
+have toiled on until the next morning, had it been needful. At length,
+however, there was a warning cry from one of the men nearer the swamp.
+
+"Watch out! Let her go!"
+
+Prescott leaped from the trench. There was a roar higher up the ravine,
+and a turgid flood, streaked with frothy lines, came pouring down the new
+channel, bearing with it small nut bushes and great clumps of matted
+grass. By degrees it subsided, and the men, gathering about the edge of
+the muskeg, hot and splashed with mire, lay down to smoke and wait, while
+the pools that still remained grew smaller. They had been working hard
+since early morning and they did not talk much, but Prescott, sitting a
+little away from them, was conscious of an unpleasant tension. It was
+possible that the search might prove Curtis right. The corporal stood
+higher up the bank, scanning each clump of grass and reeds with keenly
+scrutinizing eyes. At length, however, he approached the others.
+
+"I guess you've made a job, boys," he told them. "The soft spots ought to
+dry out in about a week, but we can't wait till then. You want to
+remember there's a thousand dollars for the man who finds him."
+
+They glanced at the morass hesitatingly. It did not look inviting. In
+places the reeds grew as high as their heads, and one could not tell what
+depths they hid. In other spots there were tracks of slimy ooze in which
+one might sink a long way. None of them, however, was fastidious, and
+they waded out into the mire, shouting warnings to one another,
+disappearing now and then among the grass. The search was partially
+rewarded, for while Prescott and a companion were skirting a clump of
+reeds they saw part of a soaked garment protruding from the slime. For a
+few moments they stood looking at it irresolutely; and then Prescott,
+mustering his courage, advanced and seized the stained material. It came
+away more readily than he had expected, and he turned to his companion,
+conscious of keen relief, with a brown overall jacket in his hand. A
+further examination, shrinkingly made, revealed nothing else, and after
+marking the place they waded to the bank. The garment was carefully
+washed in the creek and the men gathered in a ring round Curtis when he
+inspected it.
+
+"Have any of you seen this thing before?" he asked, holding it up.
+
+None of them would identify it. Thin duck overalls are commonly worn by
+ranchers and working people, in place of heavier clothing, during the hot
+weather. Then Curtis turned to Prescott.
+
+"What's your idea?"
+
+"It isn't Jernyngham's," the rancher said decidedly. "It's too old, for
+one thing; looks as if it had been in the water quite a while."
+
+"Hard to tell," commented Curtis. "But go on."
+
+Prescott took the jacket and held it so that the others could see the
+inside of the collar.
+
+"No maker's tag," he continued. "Now Cyril always bought the kind they
+give you a doll with."
+
+One of the others laughed and supplied the name of the manufacturer,
+which was attached to every garment.
+
+"I've seen three or four of those dolls and golliwog things in his
+house," the man added. "Used to guy him about keeping them, as he had no
+kids."
+
+"We can fix the thing by inquiring at the dry goods store," Curtis
+rejoined.
+
+"Can't see whose it was, if it wasn't Jernyngham's," another broke in.
+"There's no homestead anywhere near the creek and mighty few people come
+up here!"
+
+The policeman took from his pocket a wet envelope, upon which the blurred
+writing was still legible.
+
+"Well," he said coolly, "there's no doubt about whose this is." He handed
+it to Prescott. "Ever see it in Jernyngham's possession?"
+
+"Yes," answered Prescott with some hesitation. "I recognize the address,
+though the English stamp has gone. It was lying near when he was talking
+to me on the night of the trouble in Sebastian."
+
+He was filled with uneasiness. The police would certainly attempt to read
+the letter, which was the one Colston had written announcing his arrival.
+If they succeeded, they would no doubt wonder why the Englishman had not
+stayed with Jernyngham, and investigation might lead to a discovery of
+the part Prescott had played.
+
+"We've begun quite satisfactorily," said the corporal, "and there's
+nothing more to be done to-night. I guess you can quit and have supper,
+boys."
+
+In a little while trails of gray smoke floated across the ravine, and
+after a meal with one of his neighbors Prescott rode back to his
+homestead, feeling much disturbed. For all that, and in spite of the
+letter, he did not think Jernyngham would be found in the swamp.
+
+On the following evening a commissioned officer of the police, who had
+made the journey from headquarters at Regina and spent an hour or two
+examining the scene of the supposititious tragedy, sat with Curtis in a
+very hot private room of the hotel at Sebastian. Its raw board walls gave
+out a resinous smell; the opening in the window was filled with
+mosquito-netting, so that little air crept in. On the table lay a
+carefully made diagram; a boot, and one or two paper patterns
+representing footprints were on the floor. The officer's hair was turning
+gray and he had a quiet brown face with a look of command in it.
+
+"Taking it for granted that your theory's right, suspicion seems to fall
+on the men you mentioned," he said. "Whom do you suspect?"
+
+Curtis considered. He was reluctant to express a decided opinion in the
+presence of his superior, who was famous for his acumen.
+
+"So far as we have any evidence, I think it points to Prescott," he
+responded. "He saw Jernyngham hide his money; he went on alone with him,
+and can't prove when he got home. Then several of the footprints marked
+on the plan might have been made by him."
+
+The officer took up the boot and one of the paper patterns.
+
+"There's a doubt. I suppose he knows you have his boot?"
+
+The corporal's eyes twinkled faintly.
+
+"I guess he'll miss it sometime."
+
+"It's possible. But what else have you against him?"
+
+"Prescott stands to profit by Jernyngham's death: he has control of the
+holding until the year's up, and it's a pretty good crop. He declares the
+jacket isn't Jernyngham's; he won't allow the man can be in the muskeg. A
+day or two after Jernyngham disappeared he bought one of the new
+wide-swath binders. Paid the money down in new bills, which was what
+Jernyngham had, though the implement agent didn't note the numbers."
+
+"Pretty strong points. What's your private opinion? Out with it."
+
+The man's tone was commanding and Curtis complied.
+
+"On the whole, I'm inclined to blame the other fellow, Wandle."
+
+"Against the evidence?" asked his superior in quiet surprise. "You of
+course remember your instructions and know what your duty is."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Curtis. "Still, I think----" He paused and continued
+diffidently: "You would have an answer."
+
+The other leaned back in his chair with a meditative expression.
+
+"We'll let it go at that," he said. "Perhaps you had better follow the
+waiting course you seem to have decided on, but if suspicion gathers
+round Prescott it won't be a drawback and you needn't discountenance it.
+For one thing, it may divert attention, and after all he may be the right
+man."
+
+A look of comprehension shone in the corporal's eyes. He believed that
+his superior, who never expressed a strong opinion prematurely, agreed
+with him.
+
+"Suppose either of the men lights out?" he suggested.
+
+"You'll have to guard against it. If it happens, apply for a warrant and
+follow him."
+
+The officer returned to Regina the next day; and a week or two, during
+which Curtis and his assistants laboriously searched the drying swamp,
+passed uneventfully. Then one morning Prescott sat somewhat moodily in
+the saddle of his binder which a powerful team hauled along the edge of
+the wheat. The great stretch of grain blazed with color as it swayed with
+a harsh rustle of warm-tinted ears before the breeze, but now and then
+broad cool shadows sped across it as the white-edged clouds drove by.
+Behind him followed two more teams and machines, half covered by falling
+sheets of yellow grain, while their whirling wooden arms flashed in the
+dazzling sunlight as they flung out the sheaves. Bare-armed and very
+scantily attired men came after them, piling the stocks together.
+Disturbed as he was, Prescott felt cheered by the prospect of harvesting
+a record crop.
+
+He had turned a corner and was proceeding along another side of the great
+oblong when he noticed a wagon approaching, carrying two strangers and
+several large trunks. As their dress differed from that usually worn on
+the prairie, he wondered who they were and why they were driving toward
+his ranch. The liveryman, who held the reins, presently pulled up his
+team and Prescott; stopping his binder, waited to be addressed. An old
+soft hat fell shapelessly forward over his deeply bronzed face, his neck
+and most of his arms were uncovered. Before him the four powerful horses
+stood fidgeting in the heat, a black cloud of flies about their heads.
+Though not a man of striking appearance, he was in harmony with his
+surroundings, and formed a fine central figure in the great harvest
+field: a worthy type of the new nation that is rising in the West.
+
+For a moment or two the strangers studied him carefully from the wagon.
+The one nearest him was a woman of thirty, he thought, of tall and
+chastely lined figure, with a colorless and rather expressionless face,
+though her features were excellent. She wore a tight-fitting dark dress
+which seemed to have been made all in one piece, and gave an impression
+of prim coldness and careful restraint. The man in the soft hat was
+obviously her father. He had gray hair; his face, which was finely
+chiseled, suggested a formal, decided, and perhaps domineering,
+character; his gray tweed traveling suit was immaculately neat. There was
+no doubt that they were English, and Prescott wondered whom they reminded
+him of, until the truth flashed upon him with a disconcerting shock--they
+were Jernyngham's father and sister!
+
+"Mr. Prescott?" inquired the man.
+
+Prescott bowed, and the teamster, jumping down, handed him two cards.
+
+"I understand that you knew my unfortunate son," the newcomer continued.
+
+"I did," Prescott replied guardedly.
+
+"Then can I have a word or two with you in private?"
+
+Getting down from the binder, Prescott helped the other to alight from
+the high wagon; the man was not agile, though he carried himself well.
+They walked back some distance along the edge of the wheat. Then the
+rancher stopped and from force of habit felt for his pipe.
+
+"I must be to some extent confidential," began Jernyngham. "You must
+guess why I came."
+
+The strong light fell searchingly on his face, revealing lines on it
+which Prescott thought had lately been deepened by pain, but his eyes
+were very keen and hard.
+
+"I suppose the recent calamity brought you," the rancher ventured.
+
+"Yes; I have come to see justice done. But we will not discuss that yet.
+We arrived yesterday evening and found it was impossible that my daughter
+should be comfortable at the hotel; besides which, it is rather too far
+away. I accordingly determined to look for quarters at one of the
+ranches, but succeeded in getting shelter for only the one night."
+
+Prescott felt amused. Jernyngham and his daughter were not the kind of
+people the somewhat primitive prairie ranchers would welcome; their
+request for accommodation was more likely to cause astonishment and
+alarm.
+
+"People are very busy, now that harvest's coming on, and they've extra
+hands to cook for," he explained.
+
+"I understand," continued Jernyngham, "that my son's homestead is in this
+neighborhood, and domestics might be hired; but after what has happened,
+I fear my daughter would find living there a painful strain. That was why
+I thought of applying to you."
+
+The announcement filled Prescott with dismay. The presence of the
+Jernynghams might involve him in further complications.
+
+"I'm sorry, but we live very simply," he said hastily. "My place is only
+half furnished; we have no time to make it comfortable--and I'm sure
+you'd find our cooking barbarous. I'm afraid Miss Jernyngham couldn't put
+up with the accommodation we could offer her."
+
+"We only want quietness, fresh air, and a little privacy, none of which
+seems to be obtainable at Sebastian. While the question of terms is no
+consideration, I recognize that I must make my appeal to your
+generosity."
+
+Prescott did not answer, and Jernyngham resumed in a more urgent tone:
+
+"I must beg you not to make difficulties; I'm told there is nobody else
+in the neighborhood who could take us in. We will require very little
+attention and will promise to give you no trouble."
+
+Prescott wavered. The man was keenly anxious; it was hard to resist his
+appeal, and there was, after all, only a small risk that he might hear of
+Colston's visit. Svendsen and his wife, who attended to the housekeeping,
+were Scandinavians, and could scarcely converse in English. When they
+addressed him by any distinguishing epithet it was always as "Boss."
+
+"Well," he said doubtfully, "I can't refuse you shelter. You can stay for
+a while, anyway, until we see how we get on. I'll go up to the homestead
+with you."
+
+He had an interview with his housekeeper, who protested in broken English
+that harvest was a singularly inconvenient time to entertain strangers,
+but eventually gave away. The extra hands lately hired could be put up in
+the barn, and there were two rooms that could be spared. Prescott showed
+his visitors in and afterward watched with some amusement their surprise
+when they sat down to the midday meal with the lightly clad toilers from
+the field. During the afternoon and until late in the evening, he worked
+hard among the grain, but when the light was failing and he leaned on a
+wire fence, hot and tired after the long day of effort, Jernyngham came
+toward him.
+
+"We have had very little talk so far," he said. "My daughter, however,
+desires me to convey her thanks to you. She believes she will be
+perfectly comfortable."
+
+He was irritatingly formal, his tone was precise, but it changed as he
+added:
+
+"So you knew Cyril!"
+
+"Yes," Prescott said gravely. "I was fond of him."
+
+Jernyngham seemed to be struggling with some stirring of his deeper
+nature beneath the crust of mannerisms.
+
+"Mr. Prescott," he said, "I may tell you that I now fear I treated the
+lad injudiciously, and perhaps with needless harshness. I looked upon
+extravagance and eccentricity as signs of depravity. It was a vast relief
+when I heard from Colston, whom you may have met; that Cyril had
+prospered and was leading an exemplary life in Canada."
+
+The blood crept into Prescott's face, and Jernyngham glanced at him
+curiously before he proceeded.
+
+"We were somewhat hurt that he would not come home; but after past
+mistakes I could not urge him, and it seemed possible that he might
+change his mind later. Then the dreadful blow fell--crushing and filling
+me with all the bitterness of useless regret. I had spoken too late; the
+opportunity I would not use in time had gone."
+
+He broke off, and his face had grown white and stern when he went on
+again:
+
+"There is only one thing I can do, but if needful, I will devote the rest
+of my life to it--that is, to track down the man who killed my son!"
+
+He was silent for the next few minutes, and then, after a few words on
+indifferent subjects, intended, Prescott thought, to cover his display of
+feeling, he turned away, leaving the rancher smoking thoughtfully.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A DAY ON THE PRAIRIE
+
+
+A week after Jernyngham's arrival at the homestead he sat among the
+sheaves in the harvest field late one afternoon studying a letter which
+the mail-carrier had just brought him. His daughter, sheltered from the
+strong sunlight by the tall stocked sheaves, was reading an elegantly
+bound book of philosophy. Gertrude Jernyngham had strict rules of life
+and spent an hour or two of every day in improving her mind, without, so
+far as her friends had discovered, any enlargement of her outlook. Among
+her numerous virtues was an affectionate solicitude about her father's
+health, which was variable. Though still muscularly vigorous, Jernyngham
+was getting an old man, and he had been out of sorts of late.
+
+"I'm glad you are looking much better than you did this morning," she
+said, glancing at him after a while.
+
+"Thank you," Jernyngham rejoined punctiliously. "I suppose it was the
+strain of the past few weeks that tried me, and perhaps I have been doing
+too much, traveling backward and forward between here and the muskeg."
+Then with an effort he banished his painful thoughts and smiled. "I
+wonder how many years it is since I spent an afternoon in a harvest
+field! I'll confess that I find much to interest me."
+
+Gertrude laid down her book and glanced about. She was of a practical
+disposition and almost devoid of artistic susceptibilities, but the
+richness and color of the scene impressed her. Far away in front ran the
+long ranks of sheaves, gleaming in the sunshine amid the golden stubble
+which was flecked by their deep-blue shadows. The air was cooling, but
+the light was brilliant and the standing wheat was picked out with tints
+of burnished copper. By comparison with it, the oat stocks shone pale and
+silvery. Round the edge of the grain moved the binders, clashing and
+tinkling musically, while their whirling arms flashed in the sunlight.
+
+Prescott, lightly clad, drove the foremost machine. The fine modeling of
+his lean, muscular figure was effectively displayed; his uncovered arms
+and face were the color of the soil. Seated behind the big horses, he
+looked wonderfully virile. The man seemed filled with primitive vigor; he
+was a type that was new to Gertrude Jernyngham.
+
+"Our host," remarked her father, "strikes one as tireless; though I'm
+inclined to think that during harvest everybody here works at a higher
+tension than would be borne at home. Their methods are rather
+wasteful--this tall stubble, for instance, continuous cereal crops,
+except for the short summer fallow--but they're no doubt adapted to the
+needs of the country. Having some experience in these matters, I should
+say this farm was excellently managed."
+
+In place of answering, Gertrude watched the rancher. The physical
+perfection of the man had an effect on her, though she was essentially
+prudish.
+
+"I ought to drive in to the settlement and send off a cablegram, though I
+expect it will be difficult to get a team," Jernyngham resumed, returning
+to his letter. "Cranford wants instructions about a matter of importance
+that has cropped up since we left."
+
+"It wouldn't be wise for you to drive so far," Gertrude said firmly. "I
+might go instead; we'll speak to Mr. Prescott about it this evening."
+
+Shortly afterward there was a harsh clanking sound and Prescott, pulling
+up his team, sprang down from the binder. He became busy with hammer and
+spanner, and in a few minutes the stubble was strewn with pinion wheels,
+little shafts, and driving-chains. Then, while his guests watched him
+with growing interest, he put the machine together, started his team and
+stopped it, and again dismembered the complicated gear. This, as Gertrude
+realized, was work that needed a certain amount of skill. Finally, when
+the overtaking binders had stopped near-by, he took out a small shaft and
+held it up so that the harvesters could see it.
+
+"Journal's bent; I'll have to go get a new piece," he said. "Go ahead
+with your teams."
+
+After that he unhitched his horses and was leading them past the place
+where the Jernynghams sat, when Gertrude spoke to him.
+
+"I'm sorry you had an accident, and I suppose you will have to send the
+broken part to Sebastian. May I go with the team?"
+
+"Why, of course," he said. "I'll drive you in to-morrow. As it's a pretty
+long way, I'll try to borrow a comfortable rig."
+
+He went on with the horses and she saw no more of him that day, but early
+the next morning he brought up a light, four-wheeled vehicle, which would
+carry two people and had a hood that could be drawn up. Gertrude thought
+it a great improvement on the prairie wagon, and she admired the restive
+team which he had some trouble in holding. When she got in, he sprang to
+the seat beside her, the horses bounded forward, and they sped out
+through a gap in the fence, the vehicle lurching wildly among the ruts.
+
+For a while Gertrude was occupied, to the exclusion of everything else,
+in trying to keep her place, but when Prescott turned the team on to a
+stretch of smooth short grass she began to look about. It was a clear,
+cool morning, the sky was a wonderful blue, and bluffs miles away showed
+up with sharp distinctness. In the foreground the gray grass was bathed
+in a soft light which was restful to the eyes. Then Gertrude examined the
+rig, as the man had called it, which struck her as remarkably light and
+fragile; and the same thing was noticeable about the harness. The horses
+moved as if they were drawing no load, swinging along at a fast and
+springy trot, while the vehicle ran lightly up and down the slight
+undulations, the wheels jarring now and then into a hollow or smashing
+through dwarf scrub. The pace was exhilarating, the fine air invigorated
+the girl, and her usual prim reserve melted away.
+
+"I am fortunate in getting in to Sebastian," she said. "There's a
+cablegram it's necessary that my father should send."
+
+"Glad to take you," Prescott rejoined. "Is Mr. Jernyngham in business?"
+
+"Oh, no; not as you would understand it. We spend most of our time in the
+country, where he manages the estate. It's small, but there are two
+quarries which need looking after. Then he's director of a company. He
+doesn't believe that a man should be idle."
+
+Prescott smiled. He had read a good deal about England, and he could
+imagine Jernyngham's firm control of his property. His rule would, no
+doubt, be just, but it would be enforced on autocratic and highly
+conventional lines. His daughter, the rancher thought, resembled him in
+some respects. She was handsome and dignified in a colorless way; she
+might have been charming if she were only a trifle less correct in manner
+and there were more life in her.
+
+"Well," he said, in answer to her last remark, "that's a notion you'll
+find lived up to here. The man who won't work mighty hard very soon goes
+broke. It's a truth you in the old country ought to impress on the men
+you're sending out to us."
+
+She liked his easy phraseology; which she supposed was western, and there
+was nothing harsh in his intonation. It was that of a well-educated man,
+and the Jernynghams were exacting in such matters.
+
+"I think there must be something in the air which makes toil less
+arduous," she said. "The people I've met have a cheerful, optimistic
+look." She hesitated, and added in a confidential tone: "I like to
+imagine that my brother wore the same expression, though he was always
+carelessly gay. He seems to have made a capable rancher. It was a great
+relief to us when we were told of it."
+
+Prescott grew hot and embarrassed, but he thought he could understand how
+Cyril Jernyngham had entered on a course of recklessness. It was a
+reaction against the overwhelming propriety of his father and sister.
+
+"I don't think you need grieve for your brother yet," he said gravely.
+"Although nobody here seems to agree with me, I find it impossible to
+believe that he is dead."
+
+Gertrude gave him a grateful look.
+
+"I'm glad to hear you say so--there is at least a doubt, and that is
+comforting; though I'm afraid my father can't be made to realize it."
+
+"Can't you persuade him not to take too much for granted?"
+
+"I wish I could." Gertrude's tone was sad. "He has been brooding over the
+dreadful news ever since it reached us. It has possessed him absolutely;
+he can think of nothing else, and there will be no relief for him until
+he finds the guilty person, or it is proved beyond all doubt that the
+police are mistaken." She paused before she went on. "If they're right, I
+think I should feel as merciless as he does. Cyril was my only brother; I
+was very fond of him."
+
+Her voice trembled a little, though her eyes were hard, and Prescott felt
+sorry for her. She was not of emotional nature; he could imagine her
+shrinking from any display of tenderness. Nevertheless, it was obvious
+that she was a prey to fear and grief.
+
+"So was I," he said. "I wonder if I may point out that he struck me as
+being different from you and your father?"
+
+"I think I know what you mean. Cyril was like my mother--she died a long
+while ago, but I remember her as gentle, sympathetic, and perhaps more
+variable than I am. Cyril was swayed by feeling rather than by judgment."
+
+Prescott knew this was correct, but he found his companion an interesting
+study. She was wrapped up in cold propriety; she must have led an
+uneventful life, looked up to and obeyed by the small community that
+owned her father's rule. Romance could not have touched her; she was not
+imaginative; but he thought there were warmth and passion lying dormant
+somewhere in her nature. She could not have wholly escaped the
+consequences of being Cyril Jernyngham's sister.
+
+Nothing further was said for a while, and presently the team toiled
+through a belt of sandy ridges, furrowed by the wind, where the summits
+were crested here and there by small jack-pines. Looking up as they
+crossed one elevation, Gertrude noticed a wedge of small dark bodies
+outlined against the soft blue sky.
+
+"What are those?" she asked.
+
+"Wild geese; the forerunners of the host that will soon come down from
+the marshes by the Polar Sea."
+
+"But do they go so far?"
+
+He laughed.
+
+"They cross this continent twice a year; up from the steaming lagoons on
+the Gulf to the frozen muskegs of the North, and back again. They're
+filled with a grand unrest and wholly free; travelers of the high air,
+always going somewhere."
+
+"Ah!" responded Gertrude. "To be always doing something is good. But the
+other--the ceaseless wandering----"
+
+"Going on and on, beating a passage through the icy winds, rejoicing in
+the sun, seeking for adventure. Is there no charm in that?"
+
+She looked at him uneasily, as if his words had awakened some
+half-understood response.
+
+"I think Cyril must have felt something of the kind. So far it has never
+stirred me. Isn't it wise to hold fast by what is safe and familiar?"
+
+"Oh, I don't know," Prescott answered with a smile. "I follow the course
+you mention, because I have to. It's my business to drive the plow, and
+the hazard of having a crop hailed out is adventure enough. But I don't
+think it should make one hard on the people who prefer the other thing.
+After all, they may be right; the life they take pleasure in may be the
+best for them, though it wouldn't appeal to you or me."
+
+"I'm not sure that toleration should be encouraged. It often means
+indifference, perhaps a lack of principle."
+
+She grasped tightly the rail around the seat, for the horses plunged down
+a sandy slope at a wild gallop, passing at the bottom a horse and buggy
+in which sat a man dressed in a dark gray suit, to whom Prescott waved
+his hand.
+
+"Is he a clergyman?" asked Gertrude.
+
+"Well," Prescott smiled, "he's a Presbyterian minister. I suppose you
+think there's a difference?"
+
+His companion with unusual forbearance let this pass.
+
+"Then you have churches at Sebastian?"
+
+"Four. I can't say they're crowded; but, while we're liberal-minded on
+many points, the flocks won't mix. Strikes me as a pity."
+
+"It is a pity; there should be only one strong and united church in every
+place."
+
+"And that the right one?" Prescott's eyes twinkled mischievously. "You're
+thinking of the one we call Episcopalian?"
+
+"Yes," said Gertrude severely; "the Church."
+
+"I'll admit that I'm on pretty good terms with the lot, but Father
+Dillon's my favorite. For one thing, he's a practical farmer as well as a
+fine classical scholar. His crowd, for the most part, are hard-up
+foreigners; and he shows them how to build decent homes and put their
+crops in. All the same, I've quite a high opinion of the Methodist and
+the Presbyterian, who are at the opposite end of the scale."
+
+Gertrude showed signs of disapproval.
+
+"In these matters, broad-mindedness may be dangerous. One can't
+compromise."
+
+"Well," he said, "even the Roman Curia tried it before the council of
+Trent, and your people made an attempt to conciliate the English
+Calvinists about Elizabeth's time; you were inclined to Genevan
+Protestantism once or twice afterward."
+
+His companion's surprise was evident, and he laughed as he read her
+thoughts.
+
+"Oh," he explained, "I used to take some interest in these matters once
+upon a time. You see, I was at McGill."
+
+"McGill? I seem to have heard the name, but what does it stand for?"
+
+Prescott looked amused.
+
+"I don't know that it quite means what Oxford does to you, but it's
+something of the kind; you might have seen the fine buildings at the foot
+of the mountain, if you had stayed in Montreal. Then we have Toronto;
+with deference to the Toronto men, I'll compare that to Cambridge. Still,
+so far as I understand your English ideas, there's a difference--our boys
+go to McGill or Toronto with the intention of learning something that
+will open up a career. They certainly play football and one or two other
+games pretty well, but that's a very secondary object; so's the acquiring
+of a polished style. In fact, it's not altogether unusual on this side of
+the Atlantic to find university men spending a vacation as waiters in the
+summer hotels."
+
+"But why do they do that?" Gertrude asked with a shocked expression.
+
+"For money," Prescott answered dryly. "One gathers that the St. Andrew
+boys did something of the same kind in Scotland in your grandfather's
+time; and no logical objection could be made to it, anyway. Isn't it a
+pretty good test of a man's determination? It's hard to see why he should
+make a worse doctor, engineer, or preacher, because he has the grit to
+earn his training by carrying plates, or chopping trees, which some of
+our boys take to."
+
+This was difficult to answer, and Gertrude did not attempt it; her
+prejudices were stronger than her powers of reasoning. Looking southward,
+she saw the turreted tops of the Sebastian elevators rising from the sea
+of grass like cathedral towers. Their smallness emphasized the vastness
+of the plain, which was beginning to have a stimulating effect on her
+mind. She thought it might explain the broadness of her companion's
+views, which, while erroneous, were becoming comprehensible. He lived in
+the open, beyond the bounds of walls and fences, breathing this wonderful
+invigorating air. Nevertheless, he was obviously a man of varied and
+extensive information, which struck her as somewhat curious in face of
+his severely practical abilities. He could mend harness, plow a straight
+furrow, break horses, and strip a complicated machine. As a new type, he
+deserved attention.
+
+After a while they struck into a well-beaten track which had been graded
+where it crossed a muskeg. The rude work, however, had suffered from
+frost and rain: the ruts in the hard black soil were deep and there were
+dangerous holes. To make matters worse, a big gasoline tractor, intended
+to assist in some harvesting operations, had got into difficulties near
+the middle of the graded track. It was making an alarming noise and
+diffusing a pungent odor, while two men thrust bits of board beneath the
+wheels for it to climb out of the hole on. Prescott's team slackened
+their pace, jerking their heads and pricking their ears. They were young
+range horses that had roamed over wide spaces, and were badly broken.
+
+Getting a tight grip on the reins he turned to his companion.
+
+"We can't get around--the muskeg's too soft. I'd put you down, only that
+I may not be able to hold the team after we get past that machine." He
+raised his voice. "Can't you stop her, boys?"
+
+"No, sir!" cried a grimy man. "Soon as we cut out the engine she'd run
+back into the hole! We've been here two hours already!"
+
+"Hold tight!" Prescott cautioned Gertrude, and urged the horses forward.
+
+As they approached the tractor the noise suddenly increased, and its
+wheels spun faster, grinding on the skids. One of the horses reared,
+swinging up the pole, which nearly threw its fellow; then there was a
+frantic thud of hoofs against the frame of the vehicle, and the team,
+swinging half around, threatened to overturn it into the swamp. Prescott
+plied the whip; the beasts plunged. One pair of wheels left the road, and
+the rig slanted alarmingly. A violent crash and jolt followed; Gertrude
+came near to being flung out of her seat; and they passed the tractor and
+sped across the graded stretch at a furious pace. Prescott was braced
+backward, his feet pressed hard against a bar, his lips tightly set,
+while Gertrude, shrinking from the disaster that seemed imminent,
+wondered how he swung the panic-stricken beasts clear of the worst holes.
+She gasped with relief when they had passed the muskeg, but the trail was
+still in a dangerous state, and Prescott turned the team upon the grass,
+where they galloped on while the wheels smashed through short scrub,
+until at last the speed began to slacken. The horses' coats were foul and
+flecked with spume when Gertrude looked backward and saw the tractor far
+away in the distance.
+
+"They've had enough," Prescott remarked. "We made the last mile at a
+pretty good clip; I kept them at it. Guess they won't start another
+circus if we meet a freight locomotive on the switches."
+
+The settlement was reached without further mis-adventure, and Prescott,
+as a special favor, secured a separate table at the hotel, where Gertrude
+was served with an excellent meal. Afterward he showed her how to
+despatch her father's message, and as she turned away the telegraph
+operator grinned at Prescott.
+
+"Where are all these high-toned English girls coming from, Jack?" he
+said. "You have brought another one this time."
+
+Leaving the man without an answer, Prescott rejoined his companion.
+
+"Are there any English people staying near the settlement?" she asked.
+
+"The fellow was alluding to Miss Hurst."
+
+"Muriel Hurst?" Gertrude exclaimed sharply. "Was she here with you?"
+
+"Yes." Prescott regretted that she had asked for an explanation of the
+operator's remarks. "I once drove her in; Cyril's team was doing
+something else. But you said you wanted to visit the drygoods store,
+didn't you?"
+
+Gertrude accompanied him there and when he left her in the hands of a
+lady clerk she fancied that she was favored with somewhat unusual
+attention on his account. The man seemed to be a favorite in the
+settlement. She spent a tedious afternoon in the hotel parlor while he
+went about the business that had brought him in and the team rested. It
+was a relief when he reappeared in time for supper; and after that they
+set out again. The sun set before they reached the homestead, the air
+grew bracingly cool, and the prairie rolled away before them, dim and
+mysterious, streaked with shadowy blurs of bluffs until a full moon rose
+and flooded it with silvery light. There was strange, deep silence except
+for the thud of hoofs which rose and fell in sharp staccato rhythm.
+
+Gertrude was tired when Prescott helped her down at the homestead, but
+all her senses were unusually alert. She had enjoyed what she felt had
+been an invigorating day, and she admitted that, although she by no means
+agreed with all the rancher said, his breezy talk had added to its zest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+PRESCOTT MAKES A PROMISE
+
+
+The fortnight that followed Gertrude's drive to Sebastian passed
+uneventfully, though the minds of three of the occupants of the homestead
+were filled with disturbing thoughts. Prescott spent the time working
+hard at his harvest, but he wished that something might relieve him of
+his guests, whose presence he found embarrassing, since it forced him to
+be continually on his guard. In spite of this, he was conscious of strong
+sympathy for them and did what he could to ensure their comfort. He was
+getting uneasy, for he saw that Cyril Jernyngham had involved him in a
+maze of complications from which there seemed to be no escape. It was
+obvious that appearances were against him; the evidence that Curtis had
+obtained pointed to his being implicated in the death of his friend, and
+the painstaking corporal might discover something more damaging. Prescott
+fancied that one or two of his acquaintances who now and then rode across
+his farm on different errands returned his greeting with a new and
+significant coldness.
+
+Jernyngham spent much of his time at the muskeg, encouraging the men who
+searched it and often assisting in the work. The whole morass was being
+systematically turned over with the spade, but no further discoveries had
+been made. In addition to this, Jernyngham rode to and fro about the
+prairie, talking to the farmers whom he met on the trail or found at work
+in the fields. They were all sorry for him, but there was something
+deterrent in his sternness and his formal English manner, and they were
+less communicative than they might have been. This was why he failed to
+learn that the Colstons had stayed at Prescott's homestead, though, for
+that matter, the fact was not generally known. The man could not rest;
+tormented by regrets for his past harshness, he was bent on making the
+only amend he could by hunting down the slayer of his son. His whole mind
+was fixed on the task, and he brooded over it in a manner that aroused
+his daughter's concern. She dreaded the effect a continuance of the
+strain might have.
+
+Gertrude, however, was relieved of a more pressing anxiety. Though her
+father steadfastly refused to entertain it, she shared Prescott's belief
+that her brother was not dead. For one thing, Cyril was not the man to
+come badly to grief; he had done many reckless things and somehow escaped
+the worst results. Illogical as the idea was, she felt that his luck was
+good. It was a comforting reflection and she was sensible of a growing
+confidence in the farmer, who encouraged her to cling to it.
+
+One afternoon she left the house and strolled across the harvest fields,
+which had greatly changed in appearance since she had first seen them.
+The oats were all stooked and stood in silvery sheaves, ready for the
+thrasher; the great stretch of wheat had melted down to a narrow oblong,
+round which the binders were working. Gertrude stopped to watch them. The
+plodding horses, the bent figures of the men, the play of light on
+falling grain, and the revolving arms of the machines fixed her eyes; the
+rustle of sheaves, the crackle of stubble, and the musical tinkle of
+metal, fell pleasantly on her ears. The mornings and evenings were cold
+now, but the days were hot and bright, and the scene was steeped in vivid
+hues: ocher, lemon, and coppery red below, dazzling blue above.
+
+Prescott drove the leading binder and when it drew nearer she followed
+his movements with careful scrutiny. She admitted that the man aroused
+her interest. He was wonderfully virile, sanguine, and hopeful, with a
+trace of what she thought of as the primitive strain; which tended toward
+physical perfection; his vigor and muscular symmetry had their effect on
+her. Though her father was a man of means and influence, her circle of
+acquaintances had been restricted by the narrowness of his views; and the
+men with whom she had been brought into contact were, for the most part,
+distinguished rather by unexceptional morals and sound opinions than by
+bodily grace and original thought.
+
+By disposition as well as training Gertrude was a formalist and a prude,
+but she was human and she unconsciously obeyed a law of nature which
+ordains the union of the dissimilar. This was why, having met only men of
+her own kind hitherto, she had escaped the touch of passion and now felt
+drawn toward one who greatly differed from her.
+
+After a while Prescott stopped his binder and opened a box attached to
+it. He closed it sharply, as if annoyed, called to one of the men
+gathering up the sheaves, and then walked toward the house.
+
+"Run out of twine; I'll have to get some," he explained to Gertrude.
+
+"You look tired," she said, stopping him. "You have been working very
+hard."
+
+"I don't feel quite as bright as usual," he confessed. "It's the heat, I
+think, but I've turned out at four o'clock every morning since harvest
+began."
+
+"Then why not take a few minutes' rest? I'll make you a cup of tea; I was
+going in to get some ready. It's an English custom."
+
+He indicated his attire.
+
+"I'd be glad, but I haven't time to make myself presentable."
+
+"I'll excuse that." Gertrude smiled and added with unusual boldness: "You
+don't seem to know that your dress is really most artistic. It suits
+you."
+
+He bowed to her.
+
+"I'm flattered. This costume was adopted with a view to economy and
+comfort. The worst of a man's wearing smart clothes is that whenever he
+wants to do anything useful he has to take them off."
+
+"Is that a great trouble?"
+
+"It takes a lot of valuable time," he answered with a smile.
+
+They turned toward the house, and after getting the twine he joined her
+in a cool, shadowy room. Gertrude was watching a silver spirit-lamp; near
+which two dainty cups and plates were laid out.
+
+"That's a very pretty outfit," he remarked. "Is it English?"
+
+"No; I bought it at a big store in Winnipeg--on Portage Avenue, I think."
+
+"I know the place. So they're selling this kind of thing there! It's
+significant. A few years ago they'd have got nobody to buy such truck."
+He picked up a cup and held it to the light after examining the chaste
+color, design, and stamp. "Anyway, it's English; the genuine article. I
+believe the biscuit can't be imitated."
+
+Gertrude had not expected him to understand artistic china.
+
+"I've read about these things," he explained with a good-humored laugh;
+"and I've a way of remembering. We have time in winter, and one is glad
+to study anything that comes along. Still, I'll allow that I found
+five-cent cans quite good enough when I first came out."
+
+This was not a point of much importance, but it fixed Gertrude's
+attention. She was in the habit of roughly sorting people into different
+groups; there were, for example, those who appreciated beautiful things
+and had been endowed with them as a reward of merit, and those of coarser
+nature on whom they would be wasted, which was, no doubt, why they had
+none. Yet here was a man with artistic taste, who was nevertheless
+engaged in hard manual labor and had drunk contentedly out of common
+cans. It did not fit in with her theories.
+
+"I suppose this country has its influence on one?" she said, searching
+for an explanation.
+
+"That's so; the influence is strong and good, on the whole."
+
+She considered this, quietly studying him. It was the first time she had
+entertained at table a man in outdoor working attire; Prescott, out of
+deference to his guests, had made some preparation for the meals they
+shared. Still, the simple dress became him; he was, as she vaguely
+thought of it, admirable, in a way. His hands and wrists were
+well-shaped, though scarred and roughened by the rasp of the hot straw.
+The warmth of the sun seemed to cling to his brown face; a joyous
+vitality emanated from him, and he had mental gifts. She felt lightly
+thrilled by his propinquity.
+
+"But everything out here is still very crude," she said.
+
+"That's where our strength lies; we're a new people, raised on virgin
+soil out in the rushing winds. We haven't simmered down yet; we're
+charged with unexhausted energies, which show themselves in novel ways.
+In our cities you'll find semibarbarous rawness side by side with
+splendor and art, and complicated machines run by men who haven't much
+regard for the fastidious niceties of civilization, though they're
+unexcelled in their engineering skill. We undertake big works in an
+unconsidered manner that would scare your cautious English minds, make
+wild blunders, and go ahead without counting the damage. We come down
+pretty hard often, but it never brings us to a stop."
+
+He saw that she did not grasp all he meant to convey, and he leaned back
+in his chair with a laugh.
+
+"This is the kind of fool talk you would expect from a boastful
+Westerner, isn't it?"
+
+"No," she replied somewhat formally; "that isn't what I thought. I find
+everything I see and hear interesting, but there's much I can't
+understand. One has to feel for its meaning."
+
+"It's a very proper attitude," he rejoined with amusement. "So long as
+you don't bring over a ready-made standard to measure our shortcomings
+by, we'll explain all we can. In fact, it's a thing we're fond of doing."
+Then his tone grew grave. "But I haven't seen your father since this
+morning. Is he at the muskeg?"
+
+"Yes. I'm getting anxious about him; the trouble is preying on his mind.
+Grief, of course, is a natural feeling, but he thinks of nothing except
+revenge. He's growing haggard and losing his judgment. I'm almost afraid
+to think what may happen if he finds anything that looks like a clue. The
+shock has shaken him terribly."
+
+"And you?"
+
+"I feel half guilty because I've been so calm since I came here, but I
+can't believe the worst. You have reassured me." She paused and added
+softly: "And I'm very grateful."
+
+"I'm glad." Prescott's tone was sympathetic. "But I can imagine what your
+father feels. From a few things he has told me, he seems to have led a
+smooth, well-ordered life; no doubt he made too much of the trouble your
+brother caused him."
+
+"Yes; I think so now."
+
+"Perhaps he half-consciously formed an idea that things would always go
+tranquilly with him, and when it came without warning the shock of
+Cyril's disappearance was too strong. And yet I firmly believe he's
+mistaken in his fears."
+
+Gertrude made a sign of agreement.
+
+"Nothing I can say calms him. One can only wait."
+
+"And that's always hard," Prescott said gently.
+
+She roused him to strong compassion. She had, he thought, no great depth
+of character, but her development had been checked by many restraints.
+Her father had curbed each natural impulse, until the little originality
+in her withered and died; she had grown up cold and colorless, with
+narrow views, and petty, if quite blameless, aims. Prescott, however, was
+wrong in crediting Jernyngham with too great a success. Gertrude's nature
+had not been utterly repressed and stunted, and now, in time of stress,
+it was expanding.
+
+Romance had come late to her, but she was dimly conscious of it at last.
+Her senses were stirring and she felt a half-guilty pleasure at seeing
+the bronzed rancher's eyes bent on her tenderly. To think of him except
+as her host for a few weeks was, of course, folly; but there was a
+fascination in the gentleness he showed her. She was beginning to
+understand and sympathize with Cyril's rash daring and contempt for
+restraints. She felt tempted to follow her impulses; her frigid reserve
+was melting.
+
+"Will you have more tea?" she asked, shrinking back to safe ground.
+
+"Thank you," he said, holding out the dainty cup.
+
+"Hot water? It's rather strong."
+
+"Before I had a housekeeper we made it black and drank it by the
+kettleful."
+
+"But the effect on your nerves!"
+
+"Nerves?" he laughed. "We don't cultivate them in this country. Mine make
+no trouble."
+
+"You're to be envied," she said, and looked up sharply at a sound of
+footsteps as her father came in.
+
+His clothes were dusty and creased; the neatness which had characterized
+him on his arrival had gone. His face had grown brown, but it was
+haggard, hotly flushed, and beaded with perspiration; his lips were
+tightly set, his eyes had an ominous glitter. Throwing down a riding
+quirt he carried, he sat down; resting his arms on the table, in an
+attitude of blank dejection.
+
+"Nothing yet," he said listlessly. "It's hard to bear."
+
+"There's a suggestion I want to make." Prescott spoke quietly. "The offer
+of a reward here has led to nothing; send another round to the Alberta
+and British Columbia papers, with a description of your son, saying
+you'll pay a hundred dollars for trustworthy information about him. I
+believe it will bring you good news."
+
+Jernyngham turned to him in keen impatience.
+
+"It would be useless--my son is dead! The police have proved that beyond
+a doubt, and I cannot understand why you should persist in denying it!"
+His eyes grew hard with sudden suspicion. "It looks as if you had some
+motive."
+
+"I'm afraid you're hardly just," Gertrude broke in. "Mr. Prescott only
+wishes to lessen your anxiety, but he's convinced of what he says."
+
+It was a rare thing for her to oppose him, but Jernyngham was too
+preoccupied to be surprised at her boldness, and he made a gesture of
+deprecation.
+
+"You must forgive me, Mr. Prescott--my daughter's right. But to offer me
+assurances that must prove false is rank cruelty. I have faced the worst;
+I'm not strong enough to bear a second blow, which is what must follow if
+I listen to you. As it is, the strain is merciless."
+
+His voice and bearing showed it. Indeed, one could have imagined that it
+would have been better had he yielded a little more, but his eyes
+expressed a grim, vengeful determination. He was not the man to weaken,
+he would hold out until he broke down; but his daughter and Prescott were
+filled with fears for him.
+
+"I'm sorry," said the rancher. "Has Curtis thought of anything new?"
+
+"No," Jernyngham answered harshly. "The police can entertain only one
+idea at a time; they can read the meaning of footprints and there their
+ability ends. They have no power of organization; I can't force them to
+make investigations on a proper scale, and I'm helpless until harvest's
+over. Then, when men can be hired, I'll have every bluff and ravine in
+the country searched. If I spend the rest of my life here, I'll find the
+guilty man!"
+
+He said nothing further, and there was a strained silence while he sat,
+leaning forward limply, with bent head, and a thin hand clenched hard
+upon the table. Rousing himself by and by, he took the cup of tea
+Gertrude passed to him, and set it down without drinking. It made a sharp
+clatter, but he left it setting near him as if he had forgotten it.
+Unable to bear the sight of his distress, Prescott went quietly out, and
+when he was leaving the house Gertrude joined him.
+
+"Perhaps I should have stayed with him, but I was afraid to speak," she
+said. "Besides, there was nothing to be said."
+
+"This can't go on," Prescott declared. "It's too much for him. I can't
+leave here until the harvest's over, and then the grain ought to be
+hauled in, but I've thought of making a tour of inquiry along the new
+railroad and round the Alberta ranches and the mines in British
+Columbia."
+
+Gertrude looked grateful.
+
+"It would be a great relief to feel that something was being done. But--"
+she added hesitatingly, "your time is valuable and there would be
+expense. I have some means, Mr. Prescott, and though I dare not speak to
+my father about it, you must draw on me."
+
+"We'll talk about it later. I wish I could go now, but that's impossible,
+and there's no use in suggesting that Mr. Jernyngham should send somebody
+else. Besides, I believe I'd have the best chance of picking up the right
+trail. You won't mind my saying that I'm very sorry for you?"
+
+Her eyes grew soft and her whole expression gentle. It was an attractive
+face Prescott looked into.
+
+"I value your sympathy," she said softly. "Indeed, I can't tell you what
+a comfort you have been. But you will undertake this search as soon as
+possible, won't you?"
+
+"Yes," Prescott replied firmly; "you can count on that. If I've made
+things easier for you, I'm very glad."
+
+Then he turned away and hurried back to the binder.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A NEW CLUE
+
+
+It was a clear, cool morning and Prescott was busily engaged throwing
+sheaves into his wagon. He had finished his harvest and, in accordance
+with western custom, had immediately begun the thrashing. Part of the
+great field was already stripped to a belt of tall stubble, though long
+ranks of stooks still stretched across the rest, and dusty men were hard
+at work among them. Wagons rolled through the crackling straw--going
+slowly, piled high with rustling loads; returning light, jolting wildly,
+as fast as the teams could trot, for the thrashers were paid by the
+bushel and would brook no delay. In the background stood their big
+machine, pouring out a cloud of smoke that stretched in a gray trail
+across the prairie, and filling the air with its harsh clatter.
+
+It was a scene of strenuous activity, filled with hurriedly moving
+figures, but its coloring had lost something of its former vividness. The
+blue of the sky was softer, the light less strong; the varying hues of
+lemon and copper and ocher had become subdued; the shadows were no longer
+darkly blue but a cool restful gray. The rushing winds that had swept the
+wide plain all summer had come to rest; the air was sharp and still.
+
+The last week or two, however, had brought no change to the inmates of
+the homestead. Jernyngham still brooded over his loss and worried the
+police, his daughter looked to her host for comfort, and Prescott did
+what he could to cheer her. Gertrude, indeed, was sensible of a rapidly
+growing confidence in him and of the abandonment of many long-held ideas.
+The man was not of her station: he was a working farmer, his views at
+first had jarred on her; and yet the attraction he had for her was
+steadily increasing. She made a feeble fight against it. In England she
+had stood on safe ground, hedged in by conventions, ruled by the opinions
+of a narrow circle of friends. Now all was different; she had lost these
+supports and restraints and she was helpless without them. Passion was
+beginning to touch her and she mistook the rancher's gentleness and
+sympathy.
+
+When Prescott had loaded his wagon she joined him as he led his team
+between the ranks of stooks, but while she walked by his side he thought
+of another Englishwoman whom he had once brought home with the prairie
+hay. He remembered how Muriel Hurst had nestled among the yielding grass,
+with something delightful in every line of her figure. He recalled her
+bright good-humor, the music of her laugh, the soft tones of her voice,
+the hint of courage he had seen in her eyes; and there was pain in the
+recollection. Gertrude Jernyngham was powerless to move him as Muriel had
+done, but he was sorry for Cyril's sister and very considerate of her.
+
+"We'll have the crop off the ground before long," he said. "Then I'll
+start for Alberta, as I promised."
+
+"You will be away some time?"
+
+"I'm afraid so. It's a big province, though there are not a great many
+settlements in it yet; and I may have to cross over into British
+Columbia."
+
+Gertrude looked down.
+
+"It is very generous of you to go, but I shall miss you. I shall feel as
+if I had lost my chief support."
+
+"So far, I've done nothing but talk; and talk is cheap," he laughed.
+
+"You have given me courage," she said with shy hesitation. "And sympathy
+is worth a good deal."
+
+He did not respond as she thought he might have done, and she continued:
+
+"If my father had been less obstinate, you need not have gone; he could
+have hired a professional inquiry agent. But you had better not say
+anything about your object to him--it must be a secret between us."
+
+"Yes," assented Prescott thoughtfully, "I guess that would be wiser. You
+want to keep his mind at rest as far as you can. Of course, there's a big
+chance that I may fail."
+
+Gertrude turned to him with a smile.
+
+"Oh, no! You are not one to fail!"
+
+Prescott was slightly embarrassed. He had a feeling that he was being
+gently led on toward a closer acquaintance with his companion. She was
+dropping the reserve she had at first displayed and seemed to invite him
+tacitly into her confidence. He admitted that this idea might be
+incorrect, but it had troubled him once or twice before.
+
+"I expect you'll be comfortable enough while I'm away," he said. "Mrs.
+Svendsen's trustworthy, and everything will be quiet after the harvesters
+have gone."
+
+Gertrude did not answer, and they went on in silence to the noisy
+separator. Perspiring men, stripped of their heavier garments, were
+tossing the sheaves amid a cloud of dust; cleaned grain poured out into
+open bags, and as each was filled two panting toilers flung it into a
+wagon. Near-by stood a great and growing pile of bags, over which the
+short straw would be spread a number of feet thick, to form a granary.
+Gertrude joined her father, who was standing near the machine, moodily
+looking on, and before Prescott had unloaded his wagon Curtis rode up
+with Private Stanton.
+
+"Nothing new at the muskeg, sir," he reported to Jernyngham rather
+curtly, and walked his horse toward Prescott.
+
+"We were passing," he told him, and indicated the pile of grain. "You're
+not selling right away?"
+
+"No; I'm not ready to haul the crop in to the elevators yet. I've one or
+two more pressing things to do."
+
+"Mayn't you miss a chance? Prices are pretty good."
+
+Prescott was on his guard; he felt that Curtis suspected him.
+
+"I don't know," he answered. "I guess they won't fall much."
+
+"Your neighbors mean to sell, though it's quite likely that's to meet
+their bills, and you always tried to get in on the first of the market
+until this year. It must have cost you a pile to put in that big crop."
+
+"It did."
+
+"Then how have you got so prosperous since last fall?"
+
+It was a pointed question, because everybody in the district knew that
+Prescott had sold only a few head of cattle and a horse or two, while he
+would shortly have his accounts to meet.
+
+"It's a matter of management," he replied. "I've been working on a
+different system this spring, and I find it pays." Then he looked
+steadily at the corporal, "Besides, running Jernyngham's place along with
+mine made it easier to cut expenses."
+
+"It's a great crop. But we must be getting on."
+
+He rode off and when they had left the stubble, Private Stanton looked at
+him.
+
+"His being able to hold his wheat; which he couldn't do last year, is a
+pretty strong count against the man. You gave him his chance for
+explaining and he made a mighty bad show. Looks as if he'd got some money
+he couldn't account for since last fall."
+
+"Not proved," returned Curtis. "There's something in what he said.
+Anyway, he isn't afraid of us, since he's putting up his grain."
+
+"I don't quite catch on."
+
+Curtis smiled.
+
+"You're young. A guilty man would have rushed his crop into the elevators
+and had his money ready to light out with. If Prescott pulls out
+suddenly, he'll have to leave his property behind."
+
+"The thing's between him and Wandle," Stanton persisted.
+
+"Looks like that. Anyway, as the Austrian's at the settlement, we'll have
+a good look round his homestead. It's possible that we'll find
+something."
+
+"What made you think of searching the place again? Anything in the last
+instructions you got from Regina? You didn't show them to me."
+
+"That's so. It isn't a part of my duty to consult you, and you're a bit
+of a hustler. However, this is what I heard--a land agent in Navarino
+sent for the district sergeant; told him he'd run across a man from
+Sebastian at the hotel and the fellow got talking about Jernyngham. It
+was the first the land agent had heard of the matter; but he was struck
+by the date on which Jernyngham disappeared, because he'd had a deal with
+him three days later."
+
+"That's mighty strange. If he's right, Jernyngham couldn't have been
+killed."
+
+"Don't hustle!" said Curtis. "The fellow showed the sergeant the sale
+record, but he described Jernyngham as a big, rather stout man with light
+hair."
+
+"Wandle!" exclaimed Stanton. "Are you going to arrest him?"
+
+"Not yet. We might get him sent up for fraud and forgery, but if he had
+anything to do with knocking Jernyngham out, he'll be more likely to give
+us a clue of some kind while he's at large."
+
+They rode on and reaching Wandle's farm searched the house carefully,
+replacing everything exactly as they found it. They discovered nothing of
+importance, but as they went out Curtis glanced at the ash and refuse
+heap.
+
+"We might have thought of that earlier," he said. "I've heard of people
+trying to burn up things it might be dangerous to leave about."
+
+Setting to work with a fork and shovel, they presently unearthed a rusty
+iron object which Stanton picked up.
+
+"Looks like a big meat can," he remarked. "Kind of curious that Wandle
+should double it over this way and flatten it down."
+
+Curtis took it from him and examined it carefully.
+
+"It isn't a meat can; top edges are turned over a wire--here's a bit
+sticking out--and it's had a handle. There's a hinge in another place.
+The thing has been a box--a cash-box, I guess--one of the rubbishy kind
+they sell for about a dollar."
+
+"But what would make a man smash up his cash-box?"
+
+"I don't know; guess it doesn't apply. I could understand his wanting to
+get rid of one that belonged to somebody else, after he'd cleaned it out.
+Aren't you beginning to understand?"
+
+"Sure," said Stanton eagerly. "The box was Jernyngham's--we'll find out
+when he bought it at the hardware store. Then we'll get after Wandle."
+
+"You hustle too much!" Curtis rebuked him, and then sat down with knitted
+brows. "Now see here--in a general way, it's convictions we're out for;
+you want to count on your verdict before you arrest a man. It comes to
+this: he's tried first by us, and if he's to be let off, it saves trouble
+if we decide the thing, instead of leaving it to the jury. They won't
+tell you that at Regina, but, in practise, you'll find that a police
+trooper is expected to use some judgment. Still, there are exceptions to
+what I've said about holding back. In the interests of justice, one might
+have to corral an innocent man."
+
+"How's that going to serve the interests of justice?"
+
+The corporal's eyes twinkled with dry amusement.
+
+"For one thing, it might lead the fellow we were really after to think we
+hadn't struck his trail. But that's not the point. How much ash would you
+figure Wandle takes out of his stove each time he lights it?"
+
+"About a bucketful, burning wood."
+
+"Not quite, but there's a bucket yonder. See how many times you can fill
+it with the stuff we shoveled off, while I take a smoke. Build up the
+pile to look as if we hadn't disturbed it."
+
+Stanton did as he was bidden, counting each bucketful he replaced, and
+then Curtis sent him to clean out the stove and estimate the quantity of
+ash before he put it back. Then he made a calculation.
+
+"Allowing for some of the ash slipping down the pile and for our having
+moved a little that was there before Wandle threw the cash-box in, it
+fixes the time he did so pretty close to Jernyngham's disappearance," he
+remarked. "Looks bad against the Austrian, doesn't it?"
+
+"You have quite as much against Prescott."
+
+"Yes," Curtis admitted regretfully; "that's the trouble. It isn't quite
+so easy being a policeman as folks seem to think. Now we'll ride along
+and call on the hardware man."
+
+They mounted and soon afterward saw a buggy emerge from the short pines
+on the crest of a distant rise, whereupon Curtis rode hard for a poplar
+bluff, which he kept between himself and the vehicle.
+
+"Looks like Wandle coming back," he said to Stanton, who had followed
+him. "I can't see any reason he should know we've been prospecting round
+his place."
+
+Reaching the settlement they visited the hardware dealer, who remembered
+having sold Jernyngham a small cheap cash-box about twelve months
+earlier. On being shown the bent-up iron, he expressed his belief that it
+was the article in question.
+
+A day or two after the corporal's discovery, the mail-carrier left some
+letters at the Prescott homestead, and when it was getting dusk Gertrude
+strolled out on the prairie, thinking of one she had received. After a
+while Prescott joined her and she greeted him with a smile.
+
+"My team was looking a bit played out and the boys will be able to keep
+the separator gang going as long as they can see," he said.
+
+"Do you feel that you have to make excuses for stopping work, after
+twelve hours of it?" Gertrude asked.
+
+"Yes," he laughed; "I do feel something of the kind. There's so much to
+do and the days are getting shorter fast."
+
+He glanced at her with appreciation. She wore a thin, black dress made
+after the latest London mode, which showed to advantage the graceful
+lines of her tall figure; the Jernynghams, who seldom departed from an
+established custom, changed their attire every evening. Gertrude had on
+no hat, and the fading light shone into her face. It was finely cut but
+cold, the features unusually good. She was a handsome woman, but she
+lacked warmth and softness.
+
+"I'm in a difficulty," she told him. "Perhaps you can help--you're a man
+of many resources."
+
+"I'll be glad to do what I can."
+
+"We are expecting a visit from three old friends of ours who heard in
+America of the trouble we are in and want to see us. What can we do with
+them?"
+
+"I haven't room," Prescott answered. "But let me think--Leslie has quite
+a big house, and it's only three miles from here. Now that he will have
+got rid of the harvesters, he might be willing to take your friends in.
+He and his wife are pleasant people; but I think you met her."
+
+"Yes. I knew you wouldn't fail us," Gertrude said gratefully. "But, after
+all, I feel inclined to wish they were not coming."
+
+There was an elusive something in her tone which did not escape
+Prescott's notice.
+
+"Why do you wish that?" he asked.
+
+"Oh," she said, "it's difficult to explain, but we have got used to the
+mode of life here: the few people we meet seem to understand our
+feelings, and we have learned to trust them. Strangers would rather spoil
+it all; in a sense, their visit would be an intrusion."
+
+Prescott realized that this was complimentary to him. She had made it
+clear that he was not a stranger, but one of the people she trusted. The
+effect was to render him somewhat embarrassed, but Gertrude resumed:
+
+"I think we owe you a good deal. I don't know what we should have done
+had we fallen into less considerate hands."
+
+"I'm yours to command," he replied; and they walked on in silence for a
+while, Gertrude glancing at him unobtrusively now and then.
+
+She did not believe her brother dead--Prescott had reassured her; and now
+she felt strongly attracted by the rancher. She had thrown off the
+restraints in which she had long acquiesced; she was driven by a passion
+which was rapidly overpowering her.
+
+"You don't suggest that the Leslies should take us all," she said.
+
+"No," Prescott answered gravely; "I'd rather keep you and your father
+here."
+
+"Then you're no longer anxious to get rid of us?"
+
+He colored.
+
+"That's true. I begin to feel I'm one of the party. Then, you see,
+Leslie's pretty talkative and agrees with Curtis. He might have a bad
+effect on your father; he might even shake your confidence."
+
+"Oh," she begged, "don't labor the explanation. You are one of the party
+and our friend."
+
+Prescott bowed.
+
+"I'll try to make that good. I'm going off to look for your brother in a
+few more days, but it will cost me something to leave the homestead now."
+
+He had spoken the truth. Until lately the man had been bereft of all the
+amenities of life, but he had now grown to appreciate the society of
+cultured people; the task of cheering and encouraging his guests had
+become familiar; he might even have been drawn to the beautiful woman he
+had comforted had not his heart been filled with the image of Muriel.
+
+"But after the summer's hard monotonous work, a change must be nice," she
+suggested.
+
+"Yes; in a way. The trouble is that I must leave my guests."
+
+Gertrude's eyes grew soft as they rested on him.
+
+"We shall miss you," she murmured. "But you must go and find out all you
+can; I'm afraid the mystery and suspense are breaking my father down."
+
+They walked on in silence for a while, and then Svendsen appeared near
+the homestead, waving his arm.
+
+"Looks as if I were wanted," Prescott remarked; "I believe there's a
+wagon to be fixed. Will you excuse me? I'll ride over and have a talk
+with Leslie in the morning."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+A REVELATION
+
+
+The sun had just dipped, leaving a rim of flaring color on the edge of
+the vast plain, when Prescott sat smoking on the stoop of the Leslie
+homestead a week after his evening walk with Gertrude. Leslie and his
+wife were simple people from Ontario, who had prospered in the last few
+years. Their crops had escaped rust and hail and autumn frost, and as a
+result of this, the rancher had replaced his rude frame dwelling with a
+commodious house, built, with lower walls of brick and wood above, in a
+somewhat ornate style copied from the small villas which are springing up
+on the outskirts of the western towns.
+
+Leslie, an elderly, brown-faced man, sat near Prescott; the Jernynghams,
+who had driven over to welcome his friends, were inside, talking to Mrs.
+Leslie.
+
+"Guess you don't know much about the English people we're expecting?"
+Leslie asked.
+
+"No," said Prescott; "only that they're friends of the Jernynghams. I
+don't think I've even heard their names yet."
+
+"Mrs. Leslie knows," rejoined the farmer; "I forget it. I feel kind of
+sorry now that she agreed to take them in, but you made a point of it,
+and if the man's not so blamed stand-offish, I'll have somebody to talk
+to."
+
+"I wouldn't talk too much about Cyril Jernyngham."
+
+Leslie looked hard at him.
+
+"There's one point, Jack, where I can't agree with you--you're the only
+man in this district who doesn't believe Jernyngham's dead. It strikes me
+that you know more about the thing than you have told anybody yet."
+
+"Let it go at that," said Prescott awkwardly, "All I could say would only
+bring more trouble on his people, and they've had quite enough."
+
+"Sure," agreed Leslie, raising his hand in warning. "Sh-h! They're coming
+out."
+
+The next moment Gertrude and her father joined the men, and after a few
+words with them stood still, listening. A long bluff, through which the
+trail from the settlement led, ran close up to the homestead, cutting
+against the pale green glow of the sky. For a few minutes there was a
+deep silence, intensified by the musical clash of cowbells in the
+distance, and then a measured, drumming sound rose softly from behind the
+trees.
+
+"Guess that's your friends," Leslie said to Jernyngham. "Jim's made
+pretty good time."
+
+The beat of hoofs grew nearer until the listeners could hear the rattle
+of wheels. Then a light, four-wheeled vehicle came lurching out of the
+bluff and Jernyngham hurried down the steps. Prescott had entered the
+house to tell Mrs. Leslie, and he came out as the driver pulled up his
+team. The occupants of the wagon, which had run a little past the door,
+had their backs to him, but seeing a girl about to alight he sprang
+forward. Her head was turned away from him at first, but she glanced
+round when he offered to assist her; and he forgot what the consequences
+of the meeting must be as he looked into the eyes of Muriel Hurst. He was
+conscious of an overwhelming delight, which showed itself in his shining
+eyes and the warm color that suddenly flushed his face; Gertrude
+Jernyngham, standing beside him, read what was in his heart.
+
+The effect on Muriel was as marked. He had seized her hand and as she was
+standing precariously poised, ready to descend, he swung her down. Then
+she recoiled from him, startled, but with strong relief in her
+expression.
+
+"Cyril!" she cried in a strained voice. "Why didn't you write and tell us
+that it was all a mistake? We heard that you were dead!"
+
+Then Prescott remembered and his heart sank, but he strove to gather his
+courage, for there was a crisis to be faced. He stood silent, with one
+hand clenched tight, while Gertrude watched him with hard, unwavering
+eyes. Jernyngham, however, had heard Muriel's startled exclamation and
+hurried toward her.
+
+"What's this?" he asked harshly. "You called my son's name!"
+
+The girl looked at Prescott; troubled and surprised by the confused
+emotions his face betrayed. There was obviously something wrong, but she
+could not imagine what it was.
+
+"Yes," she said, "I called him Cyril. Why shouldn't I?"
+
+Colston and his wife joined the group, while the driver looked on from
+the wagon and the Leslies from the stoop. Prescott and the girl stood a
+little distance apart and Muriel was sensible of a nervous shiver. When
+Prescott had first held up his hand to her, she had seen his keen
+pleasure and her heart had responded to it; now, however, she was filled
+with dismay.
+
+Jernyngham answered her in curt, stern tones:
+
+"There's one very good reason--this is not my son!"
+
+"Not Cyril!" Colston broke in. "But he made us believe he was; he's the
+man we stayed with!" He made a puzzled gesture. "I can't understand the
+thing."
+
+"Nor I," replied Jernyngham. "Is this the man you wrote to us about?"
+
+"Of course!" said Colston stupidly. "I thought he was Cyril; so did we
+all. We had no cause to doubt it."
+
+Jernyngham turned in fury to the Leslies.
+
+"Who is the fellow?" he demanded.
+
+Prescott braced himself.
+
+"I'll answer that--Jack Prescott. Mr. Colston stayed at my homestead."
+
+"And you personated my son? I suppose you had some motive for doing so
+and must see that we are entitled to an explanation?"
+
+"Yes," Prescott returned quietly. "This isn't the place to make it.
+Hadn't you better take your friends in?"
+
+They entered the house, which was getting dark, and while the hired man
+carried in the baggage Leslie lighted a lamp in his sitting-room. It was
+spacious, roughly paneled in cedar, with an uncovered floor. There were a
+few chairs scattered about and a plain pine table. Jernyngham sat by the
+table and the others found seats here and there, except Prescott, who
+stood quietly opposite the old man. At a curt sign from Jernyngham,
+Leslie and his wife left the room.
+
+"Mr. Prescott," Jernyngham began, "you have deceived my friends here and
+I think they should remain to hear what you have to say, but I will
+dismiss them if you prefer it. You are responsible to me and I must ask
+for a full account of your conduct."
+
+Prescott glanced round the room, which reminded him of a court. Gertrude
+Jernyngham's eyes were fixed on him, and there was a hardness that hinted
+at cruelty in them; she looked very dignified and cold. Mrs. Colston he
+could not see, but her husband seemed disturbed and uneasy. Muriel leaned
+forward in her chair, with wonder, apprehension, and pity curiously
+mingled in her expression. All of them were very still, the silence was
+disconcerting, but Prescott roused himself to make what defense he could.
+
+"I passed for Cyril Jernyngham at his request," he said.
+
+"An extraordinary statement!" Jernyngham remarked with ironical
+incredulity. "May one ask if he gave any reasons for wishing you to do
+so?"
+
+Prescott hesitated, which counted against him.
+
+"Well," he said, "Cyril had got hurt in a row at the settlement a few
+hours before Mr. Colston's arrival. His head was badly cut; he thought it
+might make a bad impression."
+
+"That doesn't sound very convincing. Had he no better reason?"
+
+The rancher paused to think. He would not explain that his friend's mode
+of life would not have borne a critical examination, but he had a duty to
+himself and something must be urged.
+
+"I think he meant to hide the fact that he was married. He did not wish
+your friends to meet his wife."
+
+Colston started and it was obvious that the others were keenly
+interested, but Jernyngham's face grew darker and marked by signs of
+pain, for he had learned a little about Ellice. He was struggling with an
+overwhelming humiliation.
+
+"We'll let that pass," he said. "It's a matter that cannot be discussed.
+Was Mr. Colston's visit the only time you personated my son?"
+
+"Certainly! Nothing would induce me to play the part again."
+
+"Then you will be surprised to hear that shortly after Cyril's
+disappearance a man sold some land of his at a town farther along the
+line?"
+
+"I am surprised, but I believe it must have been Cyril."
+
+"Then his handwriting must have totally changed, which I believe is a
+very unusual thing," Jernyngham rejoined sarcastically. "I have been
+shown some documents which he is supposed to have filled in."
+
+Prescott began to realize that appearances were very strongly against
+him. He had admitted having once impersonated his friend and it would be
+difficult to convince those who had heard his confession that he had not
+done so again, when there was a strong motive for it in the price of the
+land.
+
+"Well," he said firmly; "if the handwriting wasn't Cyril's, I can't tell
+whose it was; it certainly wasn't mine. There's one thing I'm convinced
+of--your son is not dead."
+
+Jernyngham looked at him; with the veins on his forehead swollen and his
+face tense with anger, but he held himself in hand.
+
+"You have said so often. I did not believe you; I do not believe you now;
+but your object in making the statement is easy to understand. I've no
+doubt you realize that you lie open to a very ugly suspicion."
+
+"No!" a strained voice broke in. "That is not just!"
+
+Looking up, Prescott saw that it was Muriel who had spoken. Her eyes were
+bright with indignation and her face was hot, but none of the others
+showed him any sympathy. Colston's face was grave and troubled, his
+wife's expressionless; Gertrude Jernyngham looked more determined and
+more merciless than her father. She sat very still, coldly watching him.
+
+"Thank you," he said to Muriel. "It's comforting to find one person who
+does not think the worst of me."
+
+"Silence, sir!" Jernyngham exclaimed with the air of a judge rebuking a
+prisoner of whose guilt he is convinced. "You cannot be permitted to
+speak to this lady."
+
+"I think that is a point for Mrs. Colston to decide, but we'll let it
+drop. Out of consideration for you, I've answered your questions; but you
+have gone too far, and this must end." Prescott's expression grew as
+stern as the old man's and he looked about with pride. "I tell you it
+must stop! What right have you to fling these infamous hints at me?"
+
+Jernyngham broke into a harsh laugh.
+
+"The part of an innocent man is too much for you to play; we won't force
+you into it. It will be a favor if you will have our baggage sent across
+here; needless to say, neither my daughter nor I can re-enter your
+house." Then his self-control deserted him and he broke out in hot fury:
+"I firmly believe you are the man who killed my son, and you shall not
+escape!"
+
+"I think," said Colston quietly, "that is going too far."
+
+Making no answer, Prescott left them; and he was harnessing his horse
+outside when, somewhat to his astonishment, Muriel came toward him. A
+half-moon hung low above the bluff and the silvery light shone into her
+face, showing her warmth of color and the sparkle in her eyes. He thought
+she looked wonderfully attractive and his heart throbbed faster, but he
+knew he must hold himself in hand.
+
+"Hadn't you better go back?" he asked. "You have heard what your friends
+think of me."
+
+"What does that matter?" she exclaimed with feeling. "I'm very angry with
+them. I can't let you go without saying that I know you could not have
+done what you have been wickedly accused of."
+
+"I'm glad. Thank you. It's a big relief to feel that you believe in me.
+So long as I have that assurance nothing else counts."
+
+"Harry Colston's not convinced; I believe he's trying to keep an open
+mind."
+
+"Is that so?" said Prescott. "I don't expect much from him. He's the kind
+of man who's guided by appearances and seldom does anything out of the
+common."
+
+Muriel disregarded this.
+
+"But you were very foolish in deceiving us. I can't understand yet why
+you did so."
+
+"I can only tell you that it was for Cyril's sake."
+
+"Oh," she cried, "it could not have been because of any benefit that you
+would get! That would never have tempted you."
+
+He read unshaken confidence in her eyes and it cost him a stern effort to
+refrain from reckless speech. Muriel was beautiful, but that was not all:
+she was generous and fearless, a loyal friend and a staunch partizan.
+
+"Well," Prescott confessed, "when I explained, I was more afraid of you
+than of Jernyngham. I wanted to keep your good opinion, and I wondered
+whether you had only given it to me because you thought I was Cyril
+Jernyngham. From your friends' point of view Jack Prescott is a very
+different kind of person."
+
+Muriel blushed.
+
+"Is it unpardonable that I was angry when I first found out the mistake?
+Try to imagine with what ideas I have been brought up. But the feeling
+left me when I saw how merciless Jernyngham was; his hard words turned it
+into sympathy."
+
+"That is something to be thankful for, though it doesn't content me. I
+think you would be sorry for any one, even an enemy, who was in trouble
+and getting hurt."
+
+She grasped his meaning and looked at him steadily with an air of pride.
+
+"Then must I tell you that I have as much faith in Jack Prescott as I had
+in the man whom I supposed to be Cyril Jernyngham? But you must justify
+my confidence. You have been wrongly and cruelly accused; don't you see
+the duty that lies on you?"
+
+"Yes," Prescott answered gravely; "I have to clear myself. If there were
+no other reason than the one you have given, it would have to be done.
+It's going to be a tough proposition, but I'll get about it very soon."
+
+"You know that I wish you all success," she told him softly.
+
+Then she held out her hand and turned away. When she had gone Prescott
+went on with his work and after buckling the last strap he found that he
+had forgotten a parcel Mrs. Leslie had asked him to deliver. Hurrying
+back to the house for it, he met Gertrude Jernyngham in the hall and she
+stopped where the light fell on her, instead of avoiding him as he had
+expected. There was suspicion in her eyes.
+
+"I see you agree with your father," he said boldly.
+
+"Yes," she replied in a scornful tone. "You can pose rather cleverly--you
+tricked me into trusting you, but your ability is limited, after all.
+When the strain comes, you break down. Could anything have been feebler
+than the defense you made?"
+
+"It was pretty lame, but every word was true."
+
+"Oh," she cried with disgust and impatience, "one wouldn't expect you to
+say it was false! You don't seem to have anything more convincing to
+add."
+
+"I'm going to add nothing. It isn't very long since you were willing to
+take my word."
+
+"I'm afraid I was easily deceived," Gertrude said bitterly. "I didn't
+know you had twice passed yourself off as my brother, and you can't
+complain if we see an obvious motive for your doing so the second time."
+
+"You mean that I stole the price of Cyril's land?" Prescott asked
+sternly.
+
+"Yes," she said, watching him with cruel eyes. "That, however, is not the
+worst." She struggled with rising passion before she resumed: "I
+believe----"
+
+Prescott raised his hand commandingly.
+
+"Stop! I'm going away to find your brother."
+
+"One can understand your going away!" she flung back at him as she passed
+on down the hall.
+
+Prescott drove home at a reckless pace. Facing the situation boldly, he
+recognized that the outlook was very dark.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+PRESCOTT'S FLIGHT
+
+
+Two days after the arrival of the Colstons, Gertrude Jernyngham walked
+down the trail from the Leslie homestead in a very bitter mood. During
+the last few weeks her cold nature had kindled into sudden warmth; love
+had most unexpectedly crept into her heart. At first she had struggled
+against and been ashamed of it, for its object was a man beneath her in
+rank and of widely different mode of thought; but by degrees the judgment
+she had hitherto exercised had given place to passion. After the narrow,
+conventional life she had led, there was a strange exhilaration and
+excitement in yielding to her impulses; the virility of Prescott's
+character and his physical perfection stirred her. She desired him and
+had boldly used such charms as she possessed in his subjugation. Misled
+by his gentleness, she imagined him responsive, and then Muriel had
+appeared on the scene and the truth was plain to her when she saw his
+face light up at sight of the girl. She had read warm love in his eager
+glance.
+
+Now Gertrude was crushed and humbled. She had cheapened herself, as she
+thought of it, to this rancher, only to find that he preferred another.
+Her punishment was severe, but she felt that it was deserved, and her
+ripening passion had turned to something very much like hate. Whether he
+had really had any hand in her brother's death was a point she would not
+calmly reason out, though she had a half-conscious feeling that he could
+not be charged with this. She wanted to think him base: to believe in his
+guilt would be an excuse for making him suffer.
+
+While she walked, she cast quick glances across the waste of grass,
+looking for a mounted figure that did not appear, until at last she
+turned with a start at the sound of footsteps as Muriel came up.
+
+"I saw you alone and thought I would join you," Muriel said.
+
+"It's a relief to be by oneself now and then," Gertrude answered with
+curt ungraciousness.
+
+"One can understand that. I tried to give Harry a hint that our visit
+might be an intrusion, when he talked of joining your father; but he
+thought it would be some comfort for you to have your friends about you."
+
+"He was some time in putting his idea into practise."
+
+"We started as soon as we heard of your trouble," said Muriel. "We were
+in Mexico then, and as we had moved about a good deal there was some
+delay in our letters. Has your father decided to stay with the Leslies?"
+
+"Yes, for a while. It was, of course, impossible for us to remain with
+Mr. Prescott."
+
+"Why could you not?" Muriel asked with sparkling eyes.
+
+"Isn't it obvious, after what you heard the man admit?"
+
+Muriel stopped, the color creeping into her face, which was filled with
+anger.
+
+"It's impossible that Mr. Prescott could have had any connection with
+Cyril's disappearance. It's wicked and cruel to suspect him!"
+
+"You seem strangely convinced of his innocence," Gertrude retorted with a
+somber glance at her. "We shall see by and by whether you or my father is
+right."
+
+They walked on slowly, and shortly afterward two mounted figures appeared
+on the plain. Gertrude watched them draw near, and then turned to her
+companion.
+
+"The police; we have been expecting them," she said. "My father sent a
+message to the corporal after Prescott had gone."
+
+"Then he will be deeply ashamed of his harshness before long," Muriel
+declared as she abruptly moved away.
+
+Gertrude let her go with a cruel smile. She thought she knew how matters
+stood, and if the girl were suffering, she had no pity for her. Then she
+waited until the police trotted by, and afterward walked slowly toward
+the house. On reaching it, she met Curtis coming out and he asked for a
+word with her.
+
+"I understand you were the last person to see Prescott when he left this
+place the other night," he said.
+
+Gertrude admitted it, watching the man. He looked disturbed, as if he did
+not know what to think. Private Stanton was sitting in his saddle with an
+expressionless face a few yards away, but she imagined it was intended
+that he should hear her answers.
+
+"Well," Curtis resumed, "I have to ask what he said to you; anyway, so
+far as it bears on the business we have in hand. You know why I was sent
+for?"
+
+Gertrude hesitated. She was very angry with Prescott, and there was a
+statement he had made which would prove damaging to him if she repeated
+part of it without the rest. She shrank from this course, but her rancor
+against the man suddenly grew too strong for her.
+
+"I suppose I must answer that?"
+
+"It's your duty."
+
+"Then," she said in a strained voice, "Mr. Prescott told me he was going
+away."
+
+"Going away!" Curtis looked astonished. "I guess you realize that this is
+a serious matter. Did he mention when?"
+
+"I understood it would be very soon." Gertrude looked at the man
+haughtily. "That is all I have to tell."
+
+She went into the house, feeling that she had said enough, and Curtis
+motioned to his companion and rode away. They had gone some distance when
+Stanton turned to his superior.
+
+"Pretty significant. What are you going to do about it?" he asked.
+
+"I'll have to apply for a warrant."
+
+"You certainly will."
+
+"Well," Curtis went on, "this thing isn't quite so simple as it seems. To
+begin with, it's my idea that Miss Jernyngham hasn't told us all she
+knows; you want to remember that Prescott's a good-looking fellow with a
+taking manner. I can see complications, though I can't get the right
+drift of them."
+
+"Guess the matter will be worse mussed up if Prescott lights out. Now
+that Bardsley's gone down the line, you can't get your warrant for a day
+or two."
+
+"That's so," Curtis agreed. "I'll make for the settlement and wire
+Bardsley and our bosses at Regina; you'll ride on and keep Prescott in
+sight--though it would be better if you didn't let him know you were
+watching him. When he clears, take the trail behind him and send back
+word to Sebastian. Soon as I get the warrant or instructions, I'll come
+after you."
+
+They separated and some time later Stanton took up his station in a bluff
+which commanded a view of the Prescott homestead. Lying hidden with his
+horse, he saw the rancher drive up and disappear within the house.
+Prescott had been very busy during the past two days and had found
+strenuous application something of a relief. He recognized that suspicion
+was centering on him and that he might expect a visit from the police,
+but the only way of proving his innocence that he could see was to
+produce his supposed victim. He foresaw that it might take a long while
+to find the man, and he must make preparations for a lengthy absence. The
+risk he ran in remaining until he had completed them was grave, but there
+was a vein of dogged persistency in him and he would not go before he was
+ready.
+
+He had, however, other matters to think of. Miss Jernyngham had turned
+against him; after the confidence she had expressed, he could not
+understand why she had done so. Muriel Hurst, however, still believed in
+him, which was a comforting thought, though he would not permit himself
+to dwell on it. He loved the girl, but it seemed impossible that she
+should marry him. There was so much against this: the mode of life to
+which she had been accustomed, his obscure position, the prejudices of
+her relations. He blamed himself for not struggling more determinedly
+against the charm she had exerted on him; but it was too late to regret
+this now. He must bear his trouble and try to think of her as seldom as
+possible, which would be the easier, inasmuch as the work that waited him
+would demand his close attention. As soon as it grew dark that evening,
+he must set off on his search for Cyril Jernyngham.
+
+Dusk was falling when he rode away from the homestead with a couple of
+blankets and provisions for a few days strapped to his saddle. Though he
+could trust Svendsen to look after things in his absence, he was anxious
+and dejected, and it was with keen regret that he cast a last glance
+across the sweep of shadowy stubble toward the lighted windows of the
+house. All he saw belonged to him; he had by patient labor in frost and
+scorching sun built up the farm, and he was conscious of a strong love
+for it. It was hard to go away, an outcast, branded with black suspicion,
+leaving the place in another's charge; but there was no remedy.
+
+The sky was faintly clouded, the moon, which was near its setting,
+obscured; the prairie ran back, dim and blurred; the air was keen and
+still. Prescott thought he heard a soft beat of hoofs behind him. He
+could, however, see nobody, and he rode on faster, heading for the house
+of a neighbor with whom he had some business, near the trail to the
+settlement. After a while he pulled up, and listening carefully heard the
+sound again. It looked as if he were being followed and he thought that
+if the police were on his trail, they would expect him to make for the
+American frontier, and to do that he must pass through or near Sebastian.
+If they believed this was his object, it might save him trouble, for he
+meant to ride north in search of Jernyngham after calling at the farm.
+
+Checking his horse, he rode on without haste until it became obvious that
+the man behind was drawing up, then he set off at a gallop. Behind the
+farm he meant to visit lay a belt of broken ground, marked by scrub and
+scattered bluffs, where it should not be difficult to evade his pursuer.
+The staccato thud of the gallop would ring far through the still, night
+air, but this was of no consequence; he was some distance ahead and his
+horse was fresh and powerful. In a few minutes he believed that he was
+gaining and when he rode into sight of the little wooden house, which
+showed up black against the sky with one dim light in it, he was seized
+by a new idea. A horse stood outside the door, and he supposed the
+rancher had just returned. The man was a friend of Prescott's and
+believed in his innocence.
+
+"Larry," he cried as he rode up, and added when a shadowy figure came
+out: "You can send along your teams and do that breaking we were speaking
+of. Svendsen will pay you when you're through with it. I'm off to the
+north."
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed the other sharply. "I guess I know what you're after. It
+strikes me you should have gone before."
+
+He paused with a lifted hand as he heard the drumming of hoofs, and
+Prescott laughed.
+
+"That's so. I believe you'll have a police trooper here in the next few
+minutes. Your horse is still saddled?"
+
+"Yes; I've just come back from Gillom's."
+
+"Then get up and ride for the settlement. Mail an order for some harness
+or anything useful to Regina by the night train, when you get there; you
+can let Svendsen have the bill. You had better go pretty fast and keep
+ahead of the trooper as long as you can. I guess you understand."
+
+"Sure," grinned the other, and getting into the saddle, rode away at a
+smart trot, while Prescott dismounted and led his horse quietly toward
+the nearest bluff.
+
+On reaching it he stopped and, listening carefully, heard the rancher
+riding down the trail to Sebastian, and another beat of hoofs that grew
+rapidly louder. By and by he made out a dim mounted figure that pressed
+on fast across the shadowy waste, and for a few anxious moments wondered
+whether the policeman would call at the house and discover its owner's
+absence. He passed on, however, and was presently lost in the darkness.
+When the drumming of his horse's hoofs gradually died away, Prescott
+mounted and rode hard toward the north. It would, he thought, be an hour
+or two before the trooper found out his mistake; the rancher would not
+betray him, and there was a prospect of his getting clear away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE CONSTRUCTION CAMP
+
+
+The light was fading when Prescott walked into sight of the construction
+camp. It was situated on the edge of a belt of a muskeg sprinkled with
+birches and small pines, where the new railroad, leaving the open country
+to the south, ran up toward the great coniferous forest that fringes the
+northern portion of the prairie. Prescott had sold his horse at a lonely
+farm and he was now tired and hungry, but he felt satisfied that he was
+on the right track and had succeeded in eluding the police. Curtis and
+Private Stanton were men of fixed ideas; believing Jernyngham to be dead,
+they had, no doubt, merely made a few perfunctory inquiries at the
+nearest railroad camps. Moreover, as they had reason for concluding that
+Prescott would seek refuge across the American boundary, they would
+concentrate their efforts on looking for him there. Accordingly, he felt
+safe from pursuit.
+
+By and by he stopped to look about. To the eastward all was gray, a dim
+waste of grass dotted with shadowy trees; but a vivid band of green still
+glowed on the western horizon. In front lay a broad shallow basin,
+streaked with filmy trails of mist, between which came the wan gleam of
+little pools. A causeway stretched out into the morass, sprinkled with
+the indistinct figures of toiling men. At its inner end, where it left
+the higher ground, a row of cars stood on a side-track, and near-by there
+were ranged straggling lines of tents and wooden shacks. Wisps of blue
+smoke drifted across the swamp, and a beam of strong white light streamed
+out from the electric head-lamp of a locomotive. The still air was filled
+with the clink of shovels, the clang of flung-down rails, and the sharp
+rattle of falling gravel.
+
+Going on until he reached the camp, Prescott stopped beside a group of
+men sitting about a fire, and loosed the heavy pack that galled his
+shoulders.
+
+"If you can give me a place to lie down and a bit of supper, boys, I'd be
+obliged," he said.
+
+Two or three of them turned and looked at him without much curiosity.
+They were strong, brown-faced fellows, dressed in old duck overalls and
+slate-colored shirts, with shapeless hats and dilapidated knee-boots.
+
+"Why, certainly," responded one in a clean English intonation. "However,
+as we're paying for our board, we'll have to invite you as the guest of
+the construction contractor; but there's no reason you should be shy
+about accepting his hospitality. Sit down until Shan Li brings the grub
+along."
+
+"Here's a place," said another. "Want a job?"
+
+"I don't know yet," Prescott answered. "I'm looking for a friend of mine:
+man of middle height, with pale-blue eyes and a curious twinkling smile.
+He was wearing a green shirt of finer stuff than they generally sell at
+the settlements when I last saw him, and I expect he'd have a fresh scar
+on his head."
+
+There was signs of interest and amusement which suggested that Prescott
+was on the right track.
+
+"Did he call himself Kermode?" one of the men asked.
+
+Prescott hesitated. It was possible that some of them had heard of the
+Jernyngham affair, and he had no wish that they should connect him with
+it. While he considered his answer, the man with the English accent broke
+in:
+
+"We needn't trouble about the point. One name's as good as another, as
+our friend Kermode, who seems to have been a bit of philosopher, remarked
+when they put him on the pay-roll."
+
+"When I was back at Nelson a smart policeman rode into the camp," said
+another of the group. "Wanted to know if we had seen the man you're
+asking for; gave us quite a good description of him. Anyway, I hadn't
+seen him then, and when I struck him afterward I didn't send word to the
+police. I've no use for those fellows; they're best left alone."
+
+"Then you know him?" Prescott exclaimed eagerly.
+
+The man looked at his comrades and there was a laugh.
+
+"Oh, yes," said one of them; "we know him all right. Glad to meet a man
+who's a friend of his; but if you expect a job here, you don't want to
+mention it. If another fellow of that kind comes along, the boss will get
+after him with a gun."
+
+"Kermode," the Englishman explained, "is a man of happy and original
+thoughts. I believe I might say he is unique."
+
+The conversation was interrupted by a steadily increasing rattle, and a
+great light that moved swiftly blazed on the camp. It faded as a
+ballast-train rolled out upon the bank which traversed the swamp, with a
+swarm of indistinct figures clinging to the low cars. When it stopped,
+the sides of the cars fell outward, a big plow moved forward from one to
+another, and broken rock and gravel, pouring off, went crashing and
+rattling down the slope. The noise it made rang harshly through the
+stillness of the evening, and when it ceased a whistle screamed and the
+clangor of the wheels began again. As the engine backed the train away,
+the blaze of the head-lamp fell on an object lying half buried in the
+muskeg about sixty feet below the line, and one of the men, pointing to
+it, touched Prescott's arm.
+
+"See what that is?" he said.
+
+Prescott saw that it was what the railroad builders call a steel dump: a
+metal wagon capable of carrying thirty or forty tons of ballast, with an
+automatic arrangement for throwing out its load.
+
+"How did it get there?" he asked.
+
+"Tell you after supper," said the fellow. "They're bringing it along."
+
+A whistle blew and Prescott followed his companions into a shed built of
+railroad ties and galvanized iron. It was lighted by kerosene lamps which
+diffused an unpleasant odor, and fitted with rude tables and benches; but
+the meal laid out in it was bountiful and varied: pork, hard steak, fish
+from the lakes, potatoes, desiccated fruits, and tea. The shovel-gang
+paid six dollars a week for their board and got good value. As usual,
+most of them were satisfied in fifteen minutes, for in the West the rank
+and file eat with determined haste, and when they trooped out Prescott
+went back with his new friends to the fire. Taking out his pipe, he made
+himself as comfortable as possible on a pile of gravel and, tired with a
+long day's march, looked lazily about. The strong light still blazed
+along the bank where hurrying men passed through the stream of radiance,
+vanished into the shadows, and appeared again. There was a continuous
+rattling and clinking and roar of falling stones; rails rang as they were
+moved, and now and then hoarse orders came out of the darkness.
+
+After Prescott had asked a few leading questions, the men began to talk
+of Kermode, who had already left the camp, and the rancher was able to
+put together the story of his doings there.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+The muskeg was an unusually bad one. It swallowed the rock the men dumped
+in; logs, brush, and branches afforded no foundation, and a long time
+elapsed before the engineers were satisfied about the base of the
+embankment. The weather remained unusually hot until late in the fall,
+and the contractor, already behind time and anxious to make progress
+before the frost interfered with his work, developed a virulent temper.
+His construction foreman drove the men mercilessly, spurring on the
+laggards with scathing words and occasionally using a heavy fist when
+they showed resentment. The laborers' nerves were worn raw, their
+strength was exhausted; but the muskeg must be filled and, while carload
+after carload of rock and gravel was hurled down, the line crept on.
+
+Things were in this state when Kermode reached the camp and, on applying
+for work, was given a shovel and made to use it in a strenuous fashion.
+It appeared that he was not expert with the tool and the foreman's most
+pointed remarks were generally addressed to him, but he had a humorous
+manner which gained him friends. Once or twice, to his comrades'
+admiration, he engaged his persecutor in a wordy contest and badly routed
+him, which did not improve matters. Indeed, his last victory proved a
+costly one, because afterward when there was anything particularly
+unpleasant or dangerous to be done, Kermode was selected. As it happened,
+the risks that must be faced were numerous.
+
+Kermode stood it for some weeks, though he grew thin and his hands were
+often bleeding. In spite of this, his eyes still twinkled mischievously
+and, when occasion demanded, his retort was swift and edged with wit. Now
+and then he made reprisals, for when, as happened once or twice, a load
+of gravel nearly swept the foreman down the bank, Kermode was engaged in
+the vicinity. Another time, the bullying martinet was forced to jump into
+the muskeg, where he sank to the waist, in order to avoid a mass of
+ballast sent down before its descent was looked for.
+
+There was a difference of opinion about the cause of Kermode's holding
+out. Some of his comrades said he must have meant to wait for the arrival
+of the pay car, so as to draw his wages before he left; others declared
+that this did not count with him, and he stayed because he would not be
+driven out. The Englishman took the latter view for, as he told Prescott,
+Kermode once said to him, "I want the opposition to remember me when I
+quit."
+
+By degrees the foreman's gibes grew less frequent. Kermode was more than
+a match for him, and his barbed replies were repeated with laughter about
+the camp; but his oppressor now relied on galling commands which could
+not be disobeyed. Kermode's companions sympathized with him, and waited
+for the inevitable rupture, which they thought would take a dramatic
+shape. At length two big steel dump cars were sent up from the east and
+run backward and forward between the muskeg and a distant cutting where
+they were filled with broken rock. This was deposited in places where the
+embankment needed the most reinforcing, but after a while the foreman
+decided that the locomotive of the gravel train need not be detained to
+move the cars. They could, he said, be pushed by hand, and nobody was
+surprised when Kermode was among the men chosen for the task.
+
+Though the nights were getting cold, the days were still very hot, and
+those engaged in it found the work of propelling a steel car carrying
+about thirty tons of stone over rails laid roughly on a slight upward
+grade remarkably arduous. This, however, did not content the foreman. He
+took two men away; and when those whom he left had been worked to
+exhaustion, he changed them, with the exception of Kermode, who was kept
+steadily at the task. As a result, he came to be looked on as leader of
+the gang, and his companions took their instructions from him, which the
+foreman concurred in, because it enabled him to hold Kermode responsible
+for everything that went wrong.
+
+Then the pay car arrived, and when wages were drawn, the men awaited
+developments with interest; but nothing unusual occurred until a week had
+passed. Kermode had had his hand crushed by a heavy stone and meant to
+rest it for a day or two, but his persecutor drove him out to work. He
+obeyed with suspicious meekness and toiled in the scorching sun all day;
+but a few minutes before the signal to stop in the evening for which they
+were eagerly waiting, the gang was ordered to run a loaded dump car to
+the end of the line. The men were worn out, short in temper, and dripping
+with perspiration. Kermode's hand pained him and in trying to save it he
+had strained his shoulder; but he encouraged the others, and they slowly
+pushed the load along, moving it a yard or two, and stopping for breath.
+The men on the bank were dawdling through the last few minutes, waiting
+to lay down their tools, and they offered the gang their sympathy as they
+passed. Then there was a change in their attitude as the foreman strode
+up the track.
+
+"Shove!" he ordered. "Get a move on! You have to dump that rock before
+you quit."
+
+They were ready to turn on him and Kermode's eyes flashed; but he spoke
+quietly to his men:
+
+"Push!"
+
+A few more yards were covered, the foreman walking beside the gang until
+they stopped for breath.
+
+"Get on!" he cried. "Send her along, you slobs!"
+
+"We're pretty near the top of the grade," Kermode answered him quietly.
+"We want to go easy, so as to stop her at the dumping-place."
+
+The line, when finished, would cross the muskeg with a slight ascent; but
+the bank sank as they worked at it, and the track now led downhill toward
+its end. The foreman failed to remember this in his vicious mood.
+
+"Are you going to call me down?" he roared. "Mean to teach me my job? If
+this crowd's a sample of white men, give me Chinamen or niggers! Get on
+before you make me sick, you slouching hogs!"
+
+He became more insulting, using terms unbearable even in a construction
+camp, but Kermode did not answer him.
+
+"Keep her going, boys," he said.
+
+They made another few yards, gasping, panting, with dripping faces; and
+then the work grew easier as they crossed the top of the ascent.
+
+"Push!" said Kermode. "Send her along!"
+
+They looked at him in surprise. It was getting dark, but they could still
+see his face, which was quietly resolute; he evidently meant what he
+said, and they obeyed him. The big car began to move more freely, and
+they waited for an order to slacken the pace; but their leader seemed to
+be increasing his exertions and his eyes gleamed.
+
+"He told us to push, boys!" he reminded them. "Rush her ahead!"
+
+Then comprehension dawned on them. The foreman had dropped behind,
+satisfied, perhaps, with bullying them, but every man taxed his tired
+muscles for a last effort. The wheels turned faster, the men broke into a
+run, and none of them was astonished when a warning cry rose behind them.
+
+"Go on!" shouted Kermode. "He'll hold me responsible! You know what to
+do!"
+
+Men along the line called to them as they passed, and they answered with
+a breathless yell. The car was gathering speed, and they kept it going.
+There were further warnings, but they held on, until Kermode raised his
+voice harshly:
+
+"A good shove, boys, and let her go!"
+
+They stopped, exhausted, but the dump rolled on with its heavy load of
+rock, struck the guard-beams at the end of the track and smashed through
+them. Then with a crash and a roar the big steel car plunged down the
+slope, plowing up the gravel, hurling out massive stones. A cloud of dust
+leaped about it; there was a shrill ringing sound as an axle broke, a
+last downward leap, and with a mighty splash the dump came to rest, half
+buried, in the muskeg.
+
+Kermode turned with a cheerful smile as the foreman ran up; and the
+spectators knew that the time for words had passed. Nobody could remember
+who struck the first blow, but Kermode's left hand was injured, and he
+clinched as soon as he could. For a few minutes the men reeled about the
+track; and then with a tense effort Kermode pushed the foreman off the
+bank and went down with him. The gravel was small and slippery, lying at
+a steep slope, and they rolled down, still grappling with each other,
+until there was a splash below. A few moments later Kermode painfully
+climbed the bank alone.
+
+"I guess you had better go down and pull your boss out," he said. "It's
+pretty soft in the muskeg; I believe he got his head in, and by the way
+he's floundering it looks as if he couldn't see." He paused and waved his
+hand in genial farewell. "Good-night, boys! I'm sorry I have to leave
+you; but considering everything, I think I'll take the trail."
+
+Then he turned and moved down the track, vanishing into the growing
+darkness.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the tale was finished, Prescott sat a while, smoking thoughtfully.
+He imagined that he had struck Jernyngham's trail; all that he had heard
+was characteristic of the man.
+
+"Do you know where Kermode went?" he asked.
+
+"No. Guess he might have headed for a camp farther west; I've heard
+they're short of men."
+
+Prescott thought this probable and determined to resume his search in the
+morning. Presently the gravel train came back and the stream of light
+from the head-lamp, blazing along the embankment, rested on the
+half-buried dump. Then there was a roar as the plow flung the load off
+the cars, and in the silence that followed one of the men got up.
+
+"Morning will come soon enough; I guess it's time for sleep," he said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+ON THE TRAIL
+
+
+When Prescott got up the next morning, dawn was breaking across the
+muskeg. There was frost in the air, the freight-cars on the side-track
+and the roofs of the shacks were white, and a nipping breeze swept
+through the camp. It was already filled with sounds of activity--hoarse
+voices, heavy footsteps, the tolling of a locomotive bell, and the rattle
+of wheels--and Prescott's new friends were eating in a neighboring shed.
+Going in, he was supplied with breakfast, and when he left the table the
+Englishman joined him.
+
+"Have you made up your mind whether you want a job or not?" he asked.
+
+Prescott said he thought he would push on, and the man looked at him
+deprecatingly.
+
+"Well," he said, "we don't want to appear inhospitable, but as things are
+run here, you're the guest of the boss, and since he didn't give the
+invitation, there might be trouble if he noticed you."
+
+"As it happens, I want to get hold of Kermode as soon as I can," Prescott
+answered.
+
+"You shouldn't have much difficulty in finding him. It's hardly possible
+for a man of his gifts to go through the country without leaving a plain
+trail behind."
+
+Prescott agreed with this. He had not much doubt of Kermode's identity,
+and he thought his missing friend would give any acquaintances he made on
+his travels cause to remember him.
+
+"There's a construction train starting west in about half an hour,"
+resumed the railroad hand. "If you get on board with the boys, it will
+look as if you belonged to the gang."
+
+Daylight had come when Prescott clambered up on one of the long flat cars
+loaded with rails and ties, and in a few minutes the train started. It
+followed what was called a cut-out line, which worked round the muskeg
+and back to the main track through a country too difficult for the latter
+to traverse; and for a while Prescott's interest was occupied by its
+progress. Groups of men in brown overalls were seated on the rails, which
+clanged musically in rude harmony with the clatter of the wheels. A sooty
+cloud streamed back above them, now and then blotting out the clusters of
+figures; the cars swayed and shook, and in view of the roughness of the
+line Prescott admired the nerve of the engineer.
+
+The wind that whipped his face was cold and pierced the blanket he had
+flung over his shoulders; but the sunshine was growing brighter and the
+mist in the hollows was rapidly vanishing. As a rule, the depressions
+were swampy, and as they sped across them Prescott could see the huge
+locomotive rocking, while the rails, which were spiked to ties thrown
+down on brush, sank beneath the weight and sprang up again as the cars
+jolted by. As they rushed down tortuous declivities, the cars banged and
+canted round the curves, while Prescott held on tight, his feet braced
+against a rail. It was better when they joined the graded track, and
+toward noon he was given a meal with the others at a camp where a bridge
+was being strengthened. When they started again, he lay down in his
+blanket where the sunshine fell upon him and the end of the car kept off
+the wind, and lighting his pipe became lost in reflection.
+
+It was obvious that he must use every effort to find Jernyngham and he
+thought he might succeed in this; but what then? To prove his innocence,
+in which she already believed, would not bridge the gulf between him and
+Muriel Hurst. It seemed impossible that she should be willing to marry a
+working rancher. Yet he knew that he could not overcome his love for her;
+there was pleasure as well as pain in remembering her frankness and
+gaiety and confidence in him; and the charm of her beauty was strong. He
+recalled the crimson of her lips, the glow of warm color in her hair, the
+brightness of her smile, and the softness he had once or twice seen in
+her violet eyes. Then he drove these thoughts away; to indulge in them
+would only make the self-denial he must practise the harder.
+
+He next tried to occupy his mind with Gertrude Jernyngham, for he was
+still without a clue to her disconcerting change of mood. She had no
+great attraction for him, but he had pitied her and found a certain
+pleasure in her society. It was strange that after taking his view of her
+brother's fate against the one her father held, she should suddenly turn
+upon him in bitter anger. He was hurt at this, particularly as he did not
+think the revelation that he had personated Cyril accounted for
+everything. However, as it was unavoidable, he thought he could bear Miss
+Jernyngham's suspicion.
+
+He was disturbed in his reflections by a sudden jolt of the train as it
+stopped at a water-tank. Getting down with the others, he saw a man
+standing in the entrance of a half-finished wooden building. The fellow
+looked like a mechanic, and his short blue-serge jacket and other details
+of his dress suggested that he was an Englishman. On speaking to him,
+Prescott learned that the train would be detained a while, because a
+locomotive and some empty cars were coming down the line. The man further
+mentioned that a number of railroad hands had been engaged in putting up
+the building until lately, when they had been sent on somewhere else, and
+Prescott inquired if there had been a man among them who answered to his
+friend's description.
+
+"There was," said the other dryly, and called to somebody inside: "Here's
+a fellow asking for Kermode!"
+
+"Bring him in!" replied a voice, and Prescott entered the building.
+
+It contained a pump and two large steel tanks. Near one of them a man was
+doing something with a drill, but he took out his pipe and pointed to a
+piece of sacking laid on a beam.
+
+"Sit down and have a smoke," he said. "You have plenty of time. Was
+Kermode a friend of yours?"
+
+Prescott looked about the place. He saw that it was a filtering station
+for the treatment of water unfit for locomotive use.
+
+"Thanks," he responded. "I knew Kermode pretty well; but I needn't stop
+you."
+
+"Oh, don't mind that!" grinned the other. "We're not paid by the piece on
+this job. Besides, they've some chisels for us on your train and we
+haven't got them yet."
+
+"You're English, aren't you?" Prescott asked. "Are you stopping out
+here?"
+
+"Not much!" exclaimed the other with scorn. "What d'you take me for?
+There's more in life than whacking rivets and holding the caulker. When a
+man has finished his work in this wilderness, what has he to do? There's
+no music halls, no nothing; only the dismal prairie that makes your eyes
+sore to look at."
+
+Prescott had heard other Englishmen express themselves in a similar
+fashion, and he laughed.
+
+"If that's what you think of the country, why did you come here?"
+
+"Big wages," replied the first man, entering the building. "Funny, isn't
+it, that when you want good work done you have to send for us? Every
+machine-shop in your country's full of labor-saving and ingenious tools,
+but when you build bridges with them they fall down, and I've seen tanks
+that wouldn't hold water."
+
+"Oh, well," said Prescott, divided between amusement and impatience,
+"this isn't to the point. I understand Kermode was here with you?"
+
+"He was. Came in on a construction train, looking for a job, and when we
+saw he was from the old country we put him on."
+
+"You put him on? Don't these things rest with the division boss?"
+
+The man grinned.
+
+"You don't understand. We're specialists and get what we ask for. Sent
+the boss word we wanted an assistant, and, as we'd picked one up, all he
+had to do was to put him on the pay-roll."
+
+"And did Kermode get through his work satisfactorily?"
+
+"For a while. He was a handy man; might have made a boiler-maker if he'd
+took to it young. When we had nothing else to keep him busy, he'd cut
+tobacco for us and set us laughing with his funny talk."
+
+This was much in keeping with Jernyngham's character. But the man went
+on:
+
+"When we'd made him a pretty good hand with the file and drill, he got
+Bill to teach him how to caulk. He shaped first-rate, so one day we
+thought we'd leave him to it while we went off for a jaunt. Bill had
+bought an old shot-gun from a farmer, and we'd seen a lot of wild hens
+about."
+
+"It would be close time--you can only shoot them in October; but I
+suppose that wouldn't count."
+
+"Not a bit," said the boiler-maker. "All we were afraid of was that a
+train might come in with the boss on board; but we chanced it. We told
+Kermode he might go round the tank-plate landings--the laps, you
+know--with the caulker, and give them a rough tuck in, ready for us to
+finish; and then we went off. Well, we didn't shoot any wild hens, though
+Bill got some pellets in his leg, and when we came back we both felt
+pretty bad when we saw what Kermode had done. Bill couldn't think of
+names enough to call him, and he's good at it."
+
+"What had he done?"
+
+"Hammered the inside of the landings down with a gullet you could put
+your finger in. Too much energy's your mate's complaint. Nobody could
+tell what that man would do when he gets steam up. Understand, we're
+boiler-making specialists, sent out on awkward jobs; and he'd put in work
+that would disgrace a farmer! For all that, it was Bill's fault for
+speaking his mind too free--he got thrown behind the tank."
+
+"I wasn't," contradicted the other. "He jumped at me unexpected when the
+spanner hit him, and I fell."
+
+Prescott laughed. Remembering how Jernyngham had driven a truculent
+rabble out of Sebastian, he could imagine the scene in the shed; but it
+was evident that the boiler-makers bore him no malice.
+
+"After all," said the first one, "when we cooled off and got talking
+quiet, he said he'd better go, and we parted friendly."
+
+"Do you know where he went?"
+
+"I don't; we didn't care. We'd had enough of him. First thing was to put
+that caulking right, and we spent three or four days driving the landings
+down--you can do a lot with good soft steel. Anyhow, when we filled up
+the time-sheet showing how far we'd got on with the job, there was a
+nasty letter from the engineer. Wanted to know what we'd been playing at
+and said he'd have us sent home if we couldn't do better."
+
+While Prescott thanked them for the information a bell began to toll and
+there was a rattle of wheels. Hurrying out, he saw a locomotive
+approaching the tank and men clambering on to the cars in which he had
+traveled. Soon after he joined them, the train rolled out of the
+side-track and sped west, clattering and jolting toward the lurid sunset
+that burned upon the edge of the plain. Jack-pines and scattered birches
+stood out hard and black against the glare, the rails blazed with crimson
+fire and faded as the ruddy light changed to cold green, and there was a
+sting of frost in the breeze.
+
+They dropped a few men at places where work was going on, stopped for
+water, and crawled at slow speed over half-finished bridges and lengths
+of roughly graded line. After nightfall it grew bitterly cold and
+Prescott, lying on the boards with his blanket over him, shivered, half
+asleep. For the most part, darkness shut them in, but every now and then
+lights blazed beside the line and voices hailed the engineer as the pace
+decreased. Then, while the whistle shrieked, ballast cars on a side-track
+and tall iron frameworks slipped by, and they ran out again into the
+silent waste. Prescott was conscious of a continuous jolting which shook
+him to and fro; he thought he heard a confused altercation among his
+companions at the end of the car, and the clang of wheels and the shaking
+rails rang in measured cadence in his ears. Then the sounds died away and
+he fell into a heavy sleep.
+
+It was noon the next day when he alighted, aching all over, where the
+line ran into a deep hollow between fir-clad hills. A stream came
+flashing through the gorge and at the mouth of it shacks and tents and
+small frame houses straggled up a rise, with a wooden church behind them.
+Farther up, the hollow was filled with somber conifers, and the hills
+above it ran back, ridge beyond ridge, into the distance. Then, looking
+very high and far away, a vast chain of snowy summits was etched against
+a sky of softest blue. Those that caught the light gleamed with silvery
+brightness, but part of the great range lay in shadow, steeped in varying
+hues of ethereal gray. From north to south, as far as the eye could
+follow, the serrated line of crag and peak swept on majestically.
+
+Tired as he was, Prescott felt the impressiveness of the spectacle; but
+he had other things to think about, and slipping away from the railroad
+hands, he turned toward a rude frame hotel which stood among the firs
+beside the river. Rows of tall stumps spread about it, farther back lay
+rows of logs, diffusing a sweet resinous fragrance. Through a gap between
+the towering trunks one looked up the wild, forest-shrouded gorge, and
+the litter of old provision cans, general refuse, and discarded boots
+could not spoil the beauty of the scene. Prescott asked for a room; and
+sitting outside after dinner, he gathered from some men, who were not
+working, the story of Kermode's next exploit. Their accounts of it were
+terse and somewhat disconnected, but Prescott was afterward able to
+amplify them from the narrative of a more cultured person.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+Kermode had been unloading rails all day, and he was standing on the
+veranda one evening when a supply train from the east was due. It
+appeared that he had renewed his wardrobe at the local store and
+invariably changed his clothes when his work was finished. This was
+looked upon as a very unusual thing, and his companions thought it even
+more curious that he had not been known to enter the bar of the hotel;
+its proprietor was emphatic on the point. A number of railroad hands
+lounged about, attired as usual in their working clothes.
+
+At length the tolling of a bell broke through the silence of the woods
+and the train ran in. The rutted street became crowded with unkempt,
+thirsty men, and in a few minutes the hotel was filled with their harsh
+voices. Last of all appeared a girl, with a very untidy man carrying a
+bag beside her. She walked with a limp, and looked jaded and rather
+frightened. Her light cloak was thick with dust and locomotive cinders
+which clung to the woolly material; her face was hot and anxious, but
+attractive.
+
+"Thank you," she said to her companion, opening her purse when they
+reached the veranda.
+
+"Shucks! You can put that back," returned the man with an awkward gesture
+and then, lifting the bag, carefully replaced the end of a garment that
+projected through the bottom. "I'll carry the grip in for you, but you
+want to be careful with the thing. Seems to have got busted when the
+rails fell on it."
+
+The girl passed through a wire-net door that he opened, and Kermode,
+following, waited for several minutes after her companion had rung a
+bell. Then a man in a white shirt and smart clothes appeared.
+
+"Can I send a telegram from here to Drummond?" she asked him.
+
+"No; the wires won't run into that district until next year."
+
+"How can I get there?"
+
+"I guess you'll have to hire a team at the livery-stable; take you about
+three days to get through."
+
+The girl looked dismayed.
+
+"Then can you give me a room to-night?" she asked.
+
+"Sorry," said the man, "we're full up with the railroad boys; the
+waitresses have to camp in the kitchen. Don't know if anybody can take
+you in; the track bosses have got all the rooms in town."
+
+He disappeared and the girl sat down, looking very forlorn and
+disconsolate. Her voice was English and she had obviously traveled a long
+distance in an open car on the supply train. Kermode felt sorry for her.
+He took off his hat as he approached.
+
+"If you don't mind waiting a few minutes, I'll see if I can find you
+quarters," he said.
+
+She glanced at him suspiciously, with a heightened color, which he
+thought a favorable sign, but her eyes grew more confident and when she
+agreed he withdrew. As a man of experience who had been a favorite with
+women, he was, however, guilty of an error of judgment during his search.
+A smart young woman with whom he was on friendly terms managed a cigar
+store, and it is possible that she would have taken some trouble to
+oblige him; but his request that she should offer shelter to another girl
+whose acquaintance he seemed to have made in a most casual manner was
+received with marked coldness. Kermode, indeed, felt sorry he had
+suggested it when he left the store and set out for a shack belonging to
+the widow of a man killed on the line. She was elderly and grim, a strict
+Methodist from the east, who earned a pittance by mending the workmen's
+clothes. After catechizing Kermode severely, she gave a very qualified
+assent; and returning to the hotel, he found the girl anxiously waiting
+for him. She looked relieved when he reported his success.
+
+"I had better go at once," she said. "You think Mrs. Jasper will take me
+in?"
+
+Kermode picked up the bag.
+
+"To tell the truth, she only promised to have a look at you." Then he
+smiled reassuringly. "I've no doubt there'll be no difficulty when she
+has done so."
+
+The girl followed him and, as they went slowly up the street, while all
+the loungers watched them, she gave Kermode a confused explanation. Her
+name was Helen Foster, and she had come from England to join a brother
+who had taken up a farm near Drummond, which Prescott had heard was a
+remote settlement. Her brother had told her to notify him on her arrival
+at Winnipeg and await instructions, but on board the steamer she had met
+the wife of a railroad man engaged on the new line who had offered her
+company to a point in the west from which Helen could reach her
+destination. On arriving at the railroad man's station, he had sent her
+on by the supply train.
+
+A little distance up the street, Kermode stopped outside a shed in which
+a fellow of unprepossessing appearance was rubbing down a horse. His
+character, as Kermode knew, was no better than his looks.
+
+"I must see the liveryman," he told the girl, and when he had sent the
+hostler for him the proprietor came out.
+
+"The round-trip to Drummond will take six days, and you'd want a team,"
+he said. "I'd have to charge you thirty dollars."
+
+Kermode looked dubious, his companion dismayed. She had three dollars and
+a few cents.
+
+"Can you drive this lady there?" Kermode asked.
+
+"I can't. Jim would have to go."
+
+"I think not," said Kermode firmly. "I'll see you about a saddle-horse in
+the morning." He turned to the girl: "We'll go along again."
+
+A few minutes later they reached the widow's shack and Kermode waited
+some time after his companion was admitted. As she did not come out, he
+concluded that Mrs. Jasper was satisfied and returned to the hotel, where
+he was freely bantered by the loungers.
+
+"That will do, boys," he said at length. "If there's any more of this
+kind of talk, the man who keeps it up will get badly hurt."
+
+They saw that he meant it and, as he was popular, they left him in peace.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+MISS FOSTER'S ESCORT
+
+
+On the morning after he met Helen Foster, Kermode sought a foreman with
+whom he was on good terms.
+
+"I want to quit work for a week," he said abruptly.
+
+"Sorry; I can't give you leave, and the boss went down the line
+yesterday. If you let up before you see him, it's quite likely he won't
+take you back."
+
+"If he doesn't I won't be very grieved. Throwing forty-foot rails about
+all day palls on one. But what about my wages up to date?"
+
+"That's a matter for the pay-clerk when he comes along. If you quit
+without notice, he'll make trouble."
+
+Kermode considered this; but he had about ten dollars in his pocket and
+he was not of provident nature. He decided that something must be left to
+chance, though the thought that he might have handled heavy rails for the
+contractor's exclusive benefit was strongly distasteful. Walking across
+the town, he paid a visit to Miss Foster.
+
+"Can you ride?" he asked her.
+
+"I haven't ridden for years."
+
+"Perhaps you could manage a steady horse which wouldn't go faster than a
+walk?" he suggested.
+
+"Yes." Then she hesitated. "But horses are expensive, and I have very
+little money left. Somehow, it seems to disappear rapidly in Canada."
+
+"That's an annoying trick it has," Kermode laughed. "However, you had
+better start for Drummond this morning, and I'll go with you."
+
+The girl looked dubious. She knew nothing about him, but his manner and
+appearance were in his favor, and her position was far from pleasant.
+Mrs. Jasper, who had already presented what appeared to be an
+extortionate bill, seemed by no means anxious to keep her, and it might
+be a long time before she could communicate with her brother. How she was
+to hold out until he came to her assistance she could not tell.
+
+"Thank you," she said, gathering her courage; and after promising that he
+would be back in an hour, Kermode went away.
+
+He was a man who acted on impulse and, as a rule, the more unusual a
+course was the better it pleased him. In spite of her lameness Miss
+Foster was attractive, which, perhaps, had its effect, though he was
+mainly actuated by compassion and the monotony of his track-laying task.
+He did not think the settlement, in which there were very few women, was
+the kind of place in which she could comfortably remain, particularly if
+her means were exhausted. Presently he met the livery-stable keeper
+driving in his buggy and motioned to him to pull up.
+
+"How much will you charge for the hire of the roan, to go to Drummond?"
+he asked, and the man named his charge.
+
+"I'll give you eight dollars now and the balance when I come back."
+
+"No sir!" replied the other firmly. "You might fix up to stay there."
+
+"Will an order on the railroad pay-clerk satisfy you?"
+
+"It won't. If you want the horse, you must put the money down."
+
+"Then I can't make the deal."
+
+The man drove on, but Kermode was not to be daunted by such a difficulty;
+besides, he had noticed Jim, the hired man, dawdling about the outside of
+the stable. When the buggy was out of sight, he accosted him.
+
+"I want the roan in half an hour," he said. "I see you have Mrs. Leaver's
+saddle here, and as she's away, you had better put it on. I'm going to
+take the lady you saw with me to Drummond."
+
+"S'pose you have seen the boss about it?"
+
+"You must have noticed me talking to him," Kermode replied curtly. "Bring
+the horse along to Mrs. Jasper's as soon as you're ready."
+
+Then he returned to the hotel and wrote a note which he gave the
+bar-tender, instructing him to let the proprietor of the livery-stable
+have it when he came in for dinner. After this he succeeded in borrowing
+a small tent, and when he had supplied himself with provisions he hurried
+toward the widow's shack. The horse was already there, and when he had
+strapped on the folded tent and Miss Foster's bag he helped her to mount,
+and set off, carrying his blankets and stores in a pack on his back. He
+showed no sign of haste and chatted gaily, though he was anxious to get
+out of the town as soon as possible, because he did not know when the
+stable-keeper would return.
+
+It was a clear morning; the girl looked brighter after her night's rest,
+and the fresh air brought a fine color into her face. Kermode kept her
+laughing with his light chatter, but he was nevertheless glad when they
+reached the shadow of the pines, where they could travel faster without
+attracting attention. After half an hour's rapid walking, he left the
+trail, which ran on toward Drummond for a day's journey before it stopped
+at a ranch, and turned down into the valley. He thought it might be wiser
+to keep to the south of the line he would be expected to take, though
+this would entail the crossing of rougher country. Reaching the edge of a
+stream, he stopped and regarded it with some concern. It ran fast between
+great boulders and looked deep, but as there was no sign of a better
+crossing he warned the girl to hold on, and led the horse in.
+
+After a few paces he sank above his knees, and found it hard to keep his
+footing and the horse's head upstream. The roan was slipping badly among
+the stones and the hem of his companion's skirt was getting wet. He was
+pleased to notice that she did not look unduly alarmed.
+
+"We'll be across in another minute or two," he said as cheerfully as he
+could.
+
+She smiled at him rather dubiously and at the next step he sank deeper
+and dragged the horse round as he clung to the bridle. The roan plunged
+savagely and the water rippled about Kermode's waist as he struggled for
+a foothold on the slippery stones. With a desperate effort he managed to
+find firmer bottom and soon came out on a strip of shingle. Stopping
+there for a few moments, he gathered breath while the girl looked about.
+They were in the bottom of a deep gorge filled with the sound of running
+water and sweet resinous scents. Here the torrent flashed in bright
+sunshine; there it flowed, streaked with foam, through dim shadow, while
+somber pines towered above it. There was no sound or sign of human life;
+they had entered the gates of the wilderness.
+
+"Where do we go next?" the girl asked.
+
+"Up this slope," said Kermode. "Then among the pines, across the hills,
+and high plains, into a lonely land. I don't suppose we'll see a house
+until we get to Drummond."
+
+"Do you know the way?"
+
+"I don't," Kermode said cheerfully. "I've never been here before, but I'm
+accustomed to traveling about the prairie, where trails are scarce. You
+don't look daunted."
+
+There was a hint of pleasurable excitement in his companion's laugh.
+
+"Oh," she replied, "adventures appeal to me, and I've never met with any.
+For three years since my brother left, I've led a life of drudgery; and
+before that, half the pleasures I might have had were denied me by an
+accident."
+
+Recognizing a kindred nature, Kermode looked sympathetic. She was
+evidently alluding to her lameness, which must prove a heavy handicap to
+a girl of the active, sanguine temperament he thought she possessed.
+
+"In a way, it was a great adventure for you to come out here alone over
+the new road," he said.
+
+"I thought so last night," she confessed with a smile. "When I reached
+the settlement and found I could get no farther, I was really scared.
+Now, however, all my fears have gone. I suppose it's the sunshine and
+this glorious air."
+
+"Well, we had better get on. I'm afraid you'll have to walk a while."
+
+She let him lift her down, with no sign of prudishness or coquetry, and
+he led the horse uphill while she followed. Her attitude pleased him,
+because he had no desire for philandering, although he was content to act
+as protector and guide. Still, while he adapted his pace to the girl's he
+thought about her. Her rather shabby attire and scanty baggage hinted
+that she had not been used to affluence; but she showed signs of
+possessing a vigorous, well-trained mind, and he decided that she must
+have been a teacher.
+
+When they reached the top of the ascent, she mounted and they went on
+among scattered clumps of pines and across a tableland as fast as he
+could travel, because it seemed prudent to place as long a distance as
+possible between them and the settlement. He had left the place with a
+valuable horse and saddle which he had not paid for, and he was very
+dubious whether the livery-stable keeper would be satisfied with the
+promises he had left. Accordingly he only stopped for half an hour at
+noon; and evening was near when he helped the girl down and picketed the
+horse beside a small birch bluff, and set up the tent.
+
+"There are provisions in my pack and you might lay out supper, but I
+don't think we'll make a fire to-night," he said. "I'll be back in about
+half an hour; I want to see what lies beyond the top of yonder ridge."
+
+She let him go, and he climbed between slender birches to the summit of a
+long rise, where he lay down and lighted his pipe. From his lofty
+position he commanded a wide sweep of country--hills whose higher slopes
+were still bathed in warm light, valleys filled with cool blue shadow,
+straggling ranks of somber pines. The air was sharp and wonderfully
+bracing; the wilderness, across which he could wander where he would,
+lured him on. Irresponsible and impatient of restraint, as he was, he
+delighted in the openness and solitude. For all that, he concentrated his
+gaze on one particular strip of bare hillside. At its foot ran the gorge
+they had crossed, but it had now grown narrow and precipitous, a deep
+chasm wrapped in shadow. He did not think a horse could be led down into
+it, which was consoling, because if any pursuit had been attempted, it
+would follow the opposite side, near which a trail ran.
+
+After a while his vigilance was rewarded, and he smiled when three very
+small figures of mounted men appeared on the hillslope. They were going
+back disappointed, and he did not think he had much to fear from them.
+Wages were high about the settlement, where everybody was busy, and the
+liveryman would, no doubt, find the search too costly to persist in. When
+the horsemen had vanished, he returned to the camp, and Miss Foster
+glanced at him keenly.
+
+"Supper's quite ready; you have been some time," she said. "What did you
+see from the top?"
+
+"Mountains, woods and valleys. They were well worth looking at in the
+sunset light."
+
+"And what else? As you live in this country, you didn't go up for the
+view."
+
+Kermode saw that she was suspicious, and thought her too intelligent to
+be put off with an excuse.
+
+"I'll admit that I wasn't greatly surprised to see three men a long way
+off. They were riding back to the settlement and I dare say they were
+angry as well as tired."
+
+"Ah!" she said. "You wouldn't light a fire, though you have a package of
+tea here and there's a spring near-by. You thought it wouldn't be
+prudent?"
+
+"I did think something of the kind; but won't you begin your supper? What
+shall I hand you?"
+
+"Wait a little. You haven't told me very much yet." Then her eyes
+sparkled with amusement. "Mr. Kermode, I'd better say that my brother
+will be responsible for the expenses of this journey. I suppose you
+haven't paid for the horse?"
+
+"It's unfortunately true. The trouble was that your brother lives a long
+way off, and you led me to believe that your money was running out."
+
+"I have," she said calmly, "fifty cents left."
+
+Kermode began on a sandwich she handed him.
+
+"And I've three or four dollars. You see our difficulty needed a drastic
+remedy."
+
+"But you were at work on the railroad. I understand wages are high."
+
+"That's so; but it's some time since the pay car came along."
+
+"But you will get what is due you, when you go back?"
+
+"Have another sandwich," said Kermode. "You have made them very well."
+Then seeing that she meant to have an answer, he added: "I'm not going
+back."
+
+A little color crept into her face as she looked at him. Kermode had for
+a time led a dissipated life, but there had been a change during the last
+few months. He had practised abstinence, and in new surroundings found it
+easier than he had expected; severe labor had healed and hardened him.
+His brown skin was clear, his pale-blue eyes were bright and steady, his
+figure was spare and finely lined.
+
+"So," she said, "you sacrificed your wages to assist a stranger?"
+
+He made her a whimsical bow.
+
+"I'd like to think we'll be better acquainted before we part."
+
+"But what will you do now?"
+
+"Oh," he responded lightly, "that's hardly worth talking about. I'll
+strike something. So long as you're pretty active there's generally work
+to be had, and when it grows monotonous you pull out and go on again."
+
+Miss Foster mused.
+
+"After all," she said, "life must have a good deal to offer a strong man
+with the ability to make the most of things. He can set off, when he
+likes, in search of new and interesting experiences."
+
+"It has its drawbacks now and then," declared Kermode, smiling. "Anyway,
+you needn't imagine you're shut off from everything of the kind. You took
+a big risk and faced a startling change when you came out here."
+
+"So I felt. Though I had misgivings, the thought of it drew me."
+
+"I understand. You have courage, the greatest gift, and you felt
+circumscribed at home. No doubt, the love of adventure isn't confined to
+one sex. It's a longing many of us can't overcome; but it doesn't seem to
+meet with general sympathy, and it's apt to get one into difficulties."
+
+"Yes," Miss Foster assented with some bitterness; "particularly a woman."
+
+After that, she went on with her meal while dusk crept up about the
+lonely camp. The sky was pale green in the west and the hills stood out
+against it, black and calm; not a breath of wind was stirring and it was
+very still, except that out of the distance came the murmur of falling
+water. When the air grew damper, Kermode brought her a blanket which she
+wrapped about her shoulders and they talked on for an hour in a casual
+manner. Then he got up.
+
+"You will be quite safe in the tent," he said. "I've found a comfortable
+berth in the wood. We'll get off as soon as it's light to-morrow."
+
+He disappeared into the shadows and she noticed that he had left her the
+two blankets he had brought from the settlement. She hesitated about
+taking them both, but decided not to call him back. A little later she
+entered the tent, while Kermode scraped out a hollow in a bank of fallen
+leaves and went to sleep.
+
+The grass was white with frost when Miss Foster left the tent in the
+morning, but a fire of branches crackled cheerfully near-by and Kermode
+was busy with a frying-pan. A light cloud of smoke rose into the still,
+cold air, and day was breaking on the eastern horizon.
+
+"This looks pretty good," he said, taking out a greasy cake and several
+strips of pork. "If you will make the tea, I'll water the horse."
+
+He was back in a few minutes. His companion enjoyed the simple meal, and
+when it was finished they resumed the march. During most of the day their
+pathway led over high, treeless ridges which lay in bright sunshine,
+though a delicate haze dimmed the encircling hills. Then they dipped to a
+valley where they had trouble among the timber and the girl was forced to
+dismount. The winter gales had swept the forest and great pines lay piled
+in belts of tangled ruin, through which Kermode found it difficult to
+lead the horse, while as they floundered over branches and through
+crackling brush his companion's limp grew more pronounced. Afterward
+there were several rapid creeks to be forded, and Kermode was wet and
+Miss Foster very tired when they camped at sunset, in a grove of spruce.
+Little was said during the evening meal and soon after it was over the
+girl sought her tent, while Kermode found a resting-place among the
+withered sprays at the foot of a tree.
+
+They spent the next morning toiling up a long ascent, and from its summit
+a prospect of majestic beauty burst upon them. The great peaks had grown
+nearer, the air was clear, and the girl sat, rapt, in the saddle, gazing
+at the vast snow-fields that glittered with ethereal brilliance, very
+high up against a cloudless sky. Then the wonderful blue coloring of the
+shadows streaking the white slopes caught her glance, and she found it
+unutterably lovely. Kermode, however, had an eye for other things and
+carefully searched the wide valley that stretched away beneath them.
+
+"What are you looking for?" the girl asked at length.
+
+"Smoke; I thought I saw a faint streak, but it has gone. I suppose you
+didn't notice it?"
+
+"Oh no!" she told him with a smile. "I'm afraid I shouldn't have noticed
+such a commonplace thing, even if it had been very plain."
+
+He made a sign of comprehension.
+
+"Then what have you seen?" he asked.
+
+"Unapproachable, stainless whiteness, touched with an unearthly glory
+that daunts the mind!" Then her expression changed. "But the sight is too
+overpowering to talk about. I would have been more useful had I looked
+for smoke, as that would mean a house."
+
+Kermode nodded.
+
+"We have stores enough for another meal or two and had better get on. I
+believe I've kept pretty near the line I was told to take, but I'd be
+glad to see the first ranch in the Drummond district by supper time."
+
+They went down into the valley, struggling through belts of timber and
+clumps of brush, until they reached a broad expanse of grass broken by
+small bluffs. After camping for a meal, they pushed on steadily while the
+girl grappled with a growing fatigue, until the white peaks faded into
+dusky blue and the waste grew shadowy. Kermode had seen no sign of life
+and he was getting anxious when, as they approached a bluff, he pulled up
+the horse.
+
+"Listen!" he exclaimed. "I think I heard something!"
+
+There was silence for a moment or two, and then he caught a soft drumming
+and a rattle that might have been made by wheels.
+
+"Yes," he said. "It's a team and wagon."
+
+The sound grew plainer, and when Kermode shouted, an answer came out of
+the gathering darkness. Then a moving shape appeared from behind the
+bluff, and a minute or two later the newcomer pulled up his team.
+
+"Well," he said, "what do you want?"
+
+"Tom!" cried the girl excitedly.
+
+The man sprang down, and Kermode needed no explanation. After his
+companion had dismounted and run forward, he stood quietly holding the
+horse, until she beckoned him.
+
+"This is Mr. Kermode, who brought me here," she said. "My brother, Tom
+Foster."
+
+"Indebted to you," responded the man. "I was driving home when you
+shouted; my place is about six miles off. If you'll follow, I'll take my
+sister in the wagon."
+
+Kermode thought it better that she should explain the reason for their
+journey, and he got into the saddle and contented himself with keeping
+the vehicle in sight until it stopped at a wooden house that stood near a
+sod stable and rude log barn. When he entered the dwelling after putting
+up the horse, the lamp was lighted and the stove burning. He saw that
+Foster was a young man with a good-humored brown face.
+
+"I understand that I owe you more than I thought at first," he said.
+"Helen seems to have been pretty awkwardly situated when you appeared on
+the scene. Sit down and smoke while I get supper."
+
+They talked gaily during the meal.
+
+"Is there any means of sending back the horse I brought?" Kermode asked
+after a while.
+
+"I've been thinking about that," Foster replied.
+
+"I have a neighbor who is going east on business. He'll strike the new
+line where you left it, and he'll be glad to have the horse."
+
+Then they talked about other matters, but when the men sat smoking some
+time later, Foster said cordially:
+
+"You'll stay here a while?"
+
+Kermode said that he would remain a few days.
+
+"Where will you make for then?" his host asked. "There's nothing doing
+round here except a little cattle-raising."
+
+"For the mountains, I think. I hear the railroad people are busy in the
+passes; but I'll try to strike something softer than handling rails."
+
+"I can fix that," Foster declared. "They've been advertising for haulage
+tenders--there are a lot of piles and building logs they want brought in.
+Now I've two good horses I've not much use for and I'd be glad to let you
+have them. You could bring them back when the frost stops work."
+
+"Thanks," said Kermode. "What's your idea of shares?"
+
+The rancher declared that he did not expect a share, but when Kermode
+insisted, they arrived at a satisfactory understanding, and soon after
+Helen appeared the party broke up.
+
+Kermode spent three or four pleasant days with his new friends, and when
+he left the ranch one morning, leading two strong horses, Helen Foster
+walked with him some distance up the valley. She had not known him long
+enough to recognize his failings, which were plentiful, but his virtues
+were obvious, and she knew that she would miss him.
+
+"So you are going out on the trail again," she said. "Where will it lead
+you?"
+
+"That," he answered with a gay laugh, "is more than I can tell. No doubt,
+to fresh adventures and strange experiences."
+
+"But you know your first stopping-place, the railroad camp. When you have
+finished your work there, you could come here again and rest a while."
+
+"No," he said, more gravely; "I'll send your brother his horses, but I
+don't think I'll come back. It's nice to feel that we have been pretty
+good friends, but it might spoil any pleasant impression I'm leaving if
+you saw too much of me. Besides, I'm a wanderer; the long trail beckons."
+
+"It runs through swamps and many rough places into the lonely wilds.
+Aren't you afraid of weariness?"
+
+Kermode smiled, falling into her mood.
+
+"You may remember that there are compensations," he said; "glimpses of
+glory on the untrodden heights. It's true that one never gets there, but
+they lead one on."
+
+"But you can see them from the valley."
+
+"No; the farmer's eyes are fixed on the furrow; he must follow the plow.
+His crop and his stock are nearer him; he cannot see past them. The
+wanderer's mind is free."
+
+"When you had that glimpse of glory, you turned away and looked for
+household smoke."
+
+"There you have me," he laughed. "Inconsistent, wasn't it? But we're only
+human: one needs rest and food."
+
+Helen changed the subject.
+
+"Well," she declared, "I'm grateful; and if it's any comfort, you won't
+be forgotten."
+
+He stopped the restive horses.
+
+"That's good to hear," he told her. "But the ground is rough ahead and
+you have come some way."
+
+"Good-by," she said, and gave him her hand.
+
+He held it for a moment, and then, getting into the saddle, turned and
+swung off his hat. After that he rode on into the waste, leading one
+horse; and Helen Foster watched him for a while before she went back,
+slowly and thoughtfully, to the ranch.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE MISSIONARY'S ALLY
+
+
+On reaching the railroad camp, Kermode was engaged by the contractor to
+haul in logs cut in a neighboring forest for constructional purposes. The
+line ran into a wild valley, clinging to the rocks that formed one side
+of it, with a torrent brawling hoarsely among the stones beneath. Above
+rose vast slopes, streaked in some places with small firs, in others
+ground to a smooth scarp by sliding snow. Farther back were glaciers and
+a chain of glittering peaks.
+
+The mouth of the valley had been laid out as the site of a future town,
+but so far it was occupied by rows of tents and rude wooden shacks,
+inhabited by the construction gangs. A large proportion of them were
+orderly, well-conducted men: industrious immigrants who had seized the
+first opportunity for getting work, small farmers attracted by high
+wages, skilled artisans. There were, however, some of a rougher type; and
+the undesirable element, was, as usual, well represented. On the whole,
+the camp was sober, largely because no licenses had been issued, though
+this did not prevent men who came up from other points from bringing
+liquor in, and the authorities suspected another source of supply.
+
+Kermode had little trouble with his work, which he found profitable, and
+he rapidly made friends. Among them was a young Presbyterian missionary
+whom he met for the first time on the hillside, engaged on a squared log
+with a big jack-plane. He wore knee-boots and a threadbare suit of gray,
+while his hat had suffered from exposure to the weather. Kermode stopped
+his team near-by and the clergyman looked around.
+
+"If you have a good eye, you might tell me whether this chamfer's running
+true," he said.
+
+"You want a bit off here." Kermode laid his finger on the spot. "Except
+for that, it's good."
+
+The clergyman sat down and pulled out a tobacco pouch.
+
+"I'll attend to it presently, but I feel I'm entitled to a rest. Take a
+smoke; you're not paid on time."
+
+"I'm not sure it would matter if I were." Kermode's eyes twinkled as he
+filled his pipe. "An idea of the kind you suggested doesn't go far in a
+construction camp, unless, of course, a foreman happens to be about.
+However, you made one rash statement, didn't you?"
+
+"I'm afraid I make a good many," replied the clergyman good-humoredly.
+"But you are right. It would be very rash to claim all that one was
+entitled to; in other words, one's deserts. You're Mr. Kermode, I
+believe; you must know my name is Ferguson."
+
+Kermode bowed.
+
+"What are you going to do with this log?" he asked.
+
+"It's to be a door-post in the new church. I wonder if you would be
+willing to haul it in?"
+
+Kermode said that he would be glad to do so.
+
+"You encourage me to go a little farther," Ferguson continued. "Building
+a church is a costly proposition."
+
+"So I should imagine; I can't speak from experience." Kermode was
+generally liberal, and he took out some money. "I think you ought to let
+me off with this, as I don't belong to your flock."
+
+"It's a generous contribution; better than the excuse. There are, I may
+remind you, many kinds of sheep, and the outward difference is often
+marked. Since, you're from the old country, you can take the little
+Cheviot and the ponderous Shropshire as examples. You see the drift of
+this?"
+
+"That they're all sheep. I've noticed, however, that they wear a good
+many different brands."
+
+"Ah, the pity of it! After all, a shepherd has his human weaknesses;
+perhaps he's too fond of using his private mark or the stamp of his
+guild."
+
+"That," Kermode smiled, "is a handsome admission. Anyway, you have no
+rival in shepherding the boys here; and taking us all round, we need it.
+But can you raise building funds on the spot?"
+
+"Oh, no! I went to Ontario this summer and spent a month begging from
+people who have very little to spare. The response was generous--I've a
+carload of shiplap lumber coming out; but you may understand how that
+adds to one's responsibility."
+
+"It's obvious. I suppose you know you're up against a strong opposition?"
+
+"That's true, unfortunately." The clergyman looked thoughtful. "There's
+one group, the Mitcham crowd, who would like to run me out. The fellow's
+piling up money by smuggling in liquor; he and his friends are depraving
+the camp. They must be stopped."
+
+"It's a big thing for one man to undertake. It may wreck your mission."
+
+Ferguson's eyes sparkled.
+
+"The risk mustn't count. One can't shut one's eyes to what those fellows
+are doing. But I want backers; will you give me your support?"
+
+"That's more than I can consistently promise. However, I'll look on and
+see you get fair play. If the opposition hit below the belt, I may take a
+hand in."
+
+"Thanks," responded Ferguson, and Kermode went on with his team.
+
+He was favorably impressed by the young missionary and kept the promise
+he had made, though it now and then involved him in difficulties with his
+comrades. The carload of lumber duly arrived, and with the help of men
+who gave their labor after their hard day's work was done, the church was
+raised by the light of flaring blast-lamps which the contractor allowed.
+By day, Ferguson worked at it alone, and the building steadily grew into
+shape; but as the weather got colder trouble broke out in camp. Men
+engaged on the higher portions of the line were laid off by snow and
+frost, and when the cost of their board ran on, their tempers got short.
+There were dismissals, and as working hours diminished, the gangs were
+driven harder. Friends began to quarrel over games of chance, and the
+violence they displayed was often accounted for by indulgence in smuggled
+liquor.
+
+Ferguson, however, was making progress: gaining staunch adherents here,
+tacit sympathizers there, though the opposition saw to it that several
+had reason to regret their joining him. Kermode took no open part in the
+struggle, but watched it interestedly.
+
+At length, one nipping morning, he left his tent with a shiver before it
+was light and busied himself about his horses with a lantern in their
+rude branch and bark shelter. Winter was beginning in earnest, and a
+bitter wind had raged all night, covering gorge and hillside deep with
+snow, but this would make his hauling easier when he had broken out a
+trail. He plowed through the snow in the darkness, and the threatening
+dawn had broken when he came down the hillside with the ends of three or
+four big logs trailing behind his jumper-sled. The shacks and tents were
+white in the hollow, over which there floated a haze of thin, blue smoke;
+the rapid creek that flowed past them showed in leaden-colored streaks
+among the ice; and somber pines rose in harsh distinctness from the
+hillside.
+
+Then the half-covered frame of the church caught Kermode's eye. Something
+was wrong with it. The skeleton tower looked out of the perpendicular;
+and on his second glance its inclination seemed to have increased. The
+snow, however, was clogging the front of his sled and he set to work to
+scrape it off. While he was thus engaged there was a sharp, ripping
+sound, and then a heavy crash, and swinging around he saw that the tower
+had collapsed. Where it had stood lay a pile of broken timber, and planks
+and beams were strewn about the snow.
+
+Kermode urged his team downhill, and when a group of men came running up
+to meet him, he recognized Ferguson some distance in front of them. The
+man's face showed how heavy the blow had been.
+
+"It looks bad; I'm very sorry," said Kermode when they reached the
+wrecked building.
+
+"I'm afraid we can't get things straight until spring and I don't know
+how I'll raise the money then," declared Ferguson. "A good deal of the
+lumber seems destroyed, and I've levied pretty heavily on every friend
+I've got." Then he tried to assume a philosophic tone. "Well, I suppose
+this is the result of impatience; there were spikes I didn't put in
+because I couldn't wait for them and some tenons were badly cut. It blew
+hard last night and there must have been a big weight of snow on the new
+shingling."
+
+"I don't think you're right," Kermode said dryly, and turned to a
+bridge-carpenter who stood near-by. "What's your idea?"
+
+"The thrust of what roof they'd got up wouldn't come on the beams that
+gave," rejoined the man. "There's something here I don't catch on to."
+
+"Just so," said Kermode. "Suppose you take a look at the king-posts and
+stringers. We'll clear this fallen lumber out of the way, boys."
+
+They set to work, and in an hour the sound and damaged timber had been
+sorted into piles. Then, when the foundations were exposed, Kermode and
+the carpenter examined a socket in which a broken piece of wood remained.
+
+"This has been a blamed bad tenon," the mechanic remarked. "The shoulders
+weren't butted home."
+
+"I'm afraid that's true; I made it," Ferguson admitted; but Kermode,
+laying his finger on the rent wood, looked up at his companion.
+
+"For all that, should it have given way as it has done?"
+
+"I'll tell you better when we find the beam it belonged to."
+
+It took them some time; and then the carpenter turned to Ferguson.
+
+"You marked this tenon off before you cut it. Did you run the saw past
+your line?"
+
+"No," said Ferguson with a start; "that's certain. I dressed up to the
+mark afterward with a chisel."
+
+The carpenter looked at Kermode meaningly.
+
+"Guess you're right. See here"--he indicated the broken stump--"there's a
+saw-cut running well inside his mark. Now that tenon was a bit too small,
+anyway, and when they'd notched her, she hadn't wood enough left to hold
+up the weight."
+
+There were exclamations from the others standing round in the snow, but
+Kermode glanced at Ferguson. His face grew darkly red, but with an effort
+he controlled his anger.
+
+"Who can have done this thing?" he asked.
+
+"There's no direct evidence to show, but I've my suspicions," Kermode
+said. "It's dangerous to interfere with people's business, particularly
+when it isn't quite legitimate. You must have known you ran a risk."
+
+"Do you think I should have let that stop me?" Ferguson asked with
+sparkling eyes.
+
+"That's a matter of opinion," Kermode rejoined. "Perhaps you had better
+wait and think the thing over when you cool off. I've some logs to haul
+in."
+
+He moved off with his team and went on with his work all day, but when
+night came he attended, by special invitation, a meeting held in a tent
+that flapped and strained in the boisterous wind. Half a dozen men were
+present, steady and rather grim toilers with saw and shovel, and though
+two or three had been born in Ontario, all were of Scottish extraction.
+Their hard faces wore a singularly resolute expression when Kermode
+entered.
+
+"Boys," he said, "before we begin I'd better mention that taking a part
+in a church assembly is a new thing to me."
+
+One or two of them frowned at this: his levity was not in keeping with
+the occasion.
+
+"Ye're here, and we'll listen to your opinion, if ye hae one," said their
+leader. "Jock is for raiding Mitcham's shack and firing him and the other
+scoundrel out of camp."
+
+"I see objections. Mitcham has a good many friends, and if he held you
+off, you'd have made a row for nothing, besides compromising Mr.
+Ferguson."
+
+"There's reason in that," another remarked.
+
+"Then," continued Kermode, "you can't connect Mitcham with the wrecking
+of your church."
+
+"I'm thinking the connection's plain enough for us. Weel, we ken----"
+
+"Knowing a thing is not sufficient; you want proof, and if you go ahead
+without it, you'll put yourselves in the wrong. This is not the time to
+alienate popular sympathy."
+
+"Weel," said the leader, "hae ye a plan?"
+
+Kermode lighted his pipe and after a few moments answered thoughtfully:
+
+"I hear that Mitcham, Long Bill, and Libby will take the trail to-morrow
+with Bill's team and sled--he's laid off work because of the snow. They
+were away three or four days once or twice before, and when they came
+back a number of the boys got on a high-class jag and there was trouble
+in camp. I dare say you can put the things together?"
+
+"Sure," declared one who had not spoken yet. "Where do we butt in?"
+
+"This is my suggestion--half a dozen picked men will meet Mitcham coming
+home and seize the sled. If its load is what I suspect, somebody will
+ride off for Sergeant Inglis on my horse, and you'll have a guard ready
+to bring the sled to camp and hold the liquor until the police arrive.
+I'm inclined to think you can leave the rest to them."
+
+A harsh smile crept into the faces of the listeners, and their leader
+nodded gravely.
+
+"We cannot do better. It will work."
+
+The plan was duly put into execution, and one bitter night Kermode and
+several others plodded up a frozen creek. It had been snowing hard for
+the last few hours and he could scarcely see his companions through the
+driving flakes, while the wail of the wind in the pines above drowned the
+soft sound of their footsteps. Kermode was tired and very cold, and could
+not have explained clearly what had induced him to accompany the
+expedition. Adventure, however, always appealed to him, and he was sorry
+for Ferguson, who had, he thought, been very shabbily treated. Kermode
+had a fellow-feeling for anybody in difficulties.
+
+After a while the snow ceased and they could dimly see the dark pines
+climbing the steep banks that shut them in. It was obvious that if
+Mitcham's party had entered the deep hollow, they could not well get out
+of it. The expedition had only to go on or wait until it met them; but
+Kermode did not envy the man whose duty it would be to ride across the
+open waste to the lonely post where Sergeant Inglis might be found.
+Resting, however, was out of the question. They must move to keep from
+freezing, and though the snow began again, they plodded on, with heads
+lowered to meet the blast that drove the stinging flakes into their
+faces.
+
+At length the leader stopped and raised his hand. Standing still, they
+heard a muffled sound that might have been made by the fall of hoofs
+ahead, and they hastily turned toward a clump of spruce. The trees
+concealed them and the sound grew nearer, until they could see the dim
+shapes of men and horses moving through the driving flakes. Then they
+left cover and spread out across the creek. The team stopped and an angry
+voice came out of the snow:
+
+"What's this? What do you want?"
+
+"Yon sled and its load," the leader concisely replied.
+
+"Stand clear!" cried the voice. "Go right ahead, Bill!"
+
+A man sprang forward and seized the near horse's head.
+
+"Stop where you are!" he cried. "We're not looking for trouble, but we
+want the sled!"
+
+Two others ran out from behind the horses, but the leader of the
+expedition raised his hand.
+
+"It's six to three, Mitcham, and that's long odds. Ye'll get sled and
+team when ye claim them in camp. Lift a fist and ye'll give the boys the
+excuse they're wearying for. I'll ask nothing better."
+
+Mitcham turned to his companions.
+
+"They've got us, boys. Leave them to it," he said.
+
+"Lead the horses, Kermode," directed one of the party, and the team moved
+on again while the leader, walking beside the sled, hastily examined its
+load. Several small cases lay beneath a tarpaulin.
+
+What became of Mitcham and his friends did not appear, for they were left
+behind in the snow; but the night grew wilder and the cold more biting.
+For minutes together they could see nothing through the cloud of flakes
+that drove furiously past them; it was hard to urge the tired horses
+forward through the deeper drifts and all were thankful when they came to
+reaches which the savage wind had swept almost clear. They could not,
+however, leave the creek without their knowing it, and they had a fringe
+of willows, into which they stumbled now and then, as guide. When, at
+length, the gorge opened out, there was a high ridge to be crossed, and
+they had cause to remember the ascent. The route led up through belts of
+brush and between scattered pines, and leaving it inadvertently every now
+and then, they got entangled among the scrub. Two of them plodded at the
+stumbling horses' heads, four pushed the sled, and at the top of every
+steeper slope every one stopped and gasped for breath. It was now near
+dawn and they had marched all night after a day of heavy toil.
+
+The ascent made, they went down the hill at an awkward run, the horses
+slipping with the sled pressing on them, colliding with small trees,
+smashing through matted brush, until they heard a hail. It was answered
+and another body of men appeared and escorted them into camp. Drowsy
+voices called to them and here and there a man looked out as they passed
+the lines of shacks and tents, but no word was spoken until they reached
+their leader's cabin. The cases were carried in and while two of the
+company took the horses away the others were given hot coffee and
+afterward sat down to wait for morning. It was very cold and icy draughts
+crept in, but they were undisturbed until daybreak, when there was a cry
+outside:
+
+"Here's Mitcham wanting to talk to you!"
+
+A weary man, white with snow, entered and looked eagerly round the shack.
+
+"I've come for those cases," he said, pointing to the pile.
+
+"What right have you to them?" Kermode inquired.
+
+"What right?" cried the other. "They're my property; I bought them!"
+
+Kermode smiled.
+
+"You hear that; you'll remember it, boys."
+
+Mitcham's face grew dark as he saw the trap he had fallen into.
+
+"Anyhow, I want them," he muttered. "You won't be wise to keep them."
+
+"Now see here," said one of the party. "We have a dozen men round this
+shack, and if there's trouble, we have only to call for more. Every boy
+knows what to do. Strikes me it wouldn't pay you to bring your hobos
+along."
+
+Mitcham looked at the others and saw that they were resolute. His enemies
+were masters of the situation. Bluster and threats would not serve him;
+but it was Kermode's amusement which caused him the most uneasiness.
+
+"Well," he said, "keep them while you can. You're going to be sorry for
+this!"
+
+He went out and several of the men broke into a laugh. They had, however,
+a problem to face later, when they received a sharp message from the
+foreman demanding their immediate return to work. All were willing to
+lose a day's pay, but the prompt dismissal which would follow
+disobedience was a more serious matter.
+
+"The trouble is that if we leave the shack without a guard, Mitcham will
+steal his liquor back," declared one.
+
+"I think I had better see Mr. Morgan," Kermode suggested, and they let
+him go.
+
+The young engineer he interviewed listened with a thoughtful air to the
+request that several of the workmen should be given a day's leave.
+
+"It would be awkward to let these fellows quit," the engineer protested.
+
+"If you would tell the foreman to send the boys I'll mention ahead up the
+track, so they couldn't get back before evening, and give two of us a day
+off, it would get over the difficulty."
+
+When he heard the names the engineer looked hard at Kermode.
+
+"Has this request any connection with the collapse of Mr. Ferguson's
+church?"
+
+"It has, indirectly. I'm sorry I can't give you an explanation."
+
+"Try to understand how I'm situated. I may have my sympathies, but I
+can't be a partizan; my business is to see you do your work. Suppose I do
+as you suggest, will it make any trouble in the camp? I want a straight
+answer."
+
+"No," said Kermode. "I give you my word that what we mean to do will lead
+to quietness and good order."
+
+"Then I'll have the boys you mentioned sent up the track; they're a crowd
+I've had my eye on. One of your friends and you can lie off."
+
+Kermode thanked him and went back to the shack, where he kept watch with
+the leader of the Presbyterians until two police troopers rode up late in
+the afternoon. They opened the cases and heard Kermode's story.
+
+"You declare the man Mitcham claimed this liquor as his property?"
+Sergeant Inglis asked.
+
+"He said he'd bought it. We're ready to swear to that, and we can give
+you the names of several more who heard him."
+
+"I'll take them down. Where's Mitcham?"
+
+They told him and he closed his notebook.
+
+"You may be sent for from Edmonton later. Don't let these cases out of
+your sight until Private Cooper calls for them."
+
+He went out and came back later with the trooper and a teamster they had
+hired, who loaded the cases on a sled. Sergeant Inglis, however, sat
+still in his saddle, with a watchful eye on Mitcham and another man who
+stood, handcuffed, at his horse's side. When the police had ridden off
+with their prisoners, Morgan, the engineer, sent for Kermode.
+
+"I've seen the sergeant and he gave me an outline of the affair," he
+said. "It was cleverly thought out--I suppose the idea was yours?"
+
+"I can't deny it," returned Kermode modestly.
+
+"Well," said the other, "see that your friends and you begin work as
+usual to-morrow."
+
+During the next two weeks Ferguson made some progress in repairing the
+damage to his church. He found several helpers, now that his strongest
+opponent had been removed. The weather, however, grew more severe and as
+the frost interfered with operations, men were freely dismissed. One day
+Morgan and the contractor's clerk sat talking in the latter's office.
+
+"I'll have to cut out two or three teams," he said. "I don't know whom I
+ought to fire."
+
+"Kermode," Morgan advised promptly.
+
+The clerk looked surprised.
+
+"Foreman reports him as a pretty good teamster. He strikes me as smart
+and capable," he objected.
+
+"He is. In fact, that's the trouble. I like the man, but you had better
+get rid of him."
+
+"You're giving me a curious reason."
+
+Morgan smiled.
+
+"I expect our plans for the winter may lead to some trouble with the
+boys; such work as we can carry on is going to be severe. Now do you
+think it prudent to provide them with a highly intelligent leader?"
+
+"Guess you're right," the clerk agreed. "He'll have to go, though I'm
+sorry to part with him."
+
+"I'll send him to another job nearer the coast," said Morgan.
+
+The next day Kermode was informed of this decision and took it
+good-humoredly. Before leaving the camp he spent an evening with
+Ferguson, who expressed keen regret at his departure.
+
+"I have an idea that I may have got you into trouble, and it hurts me,"
+the minister said.
+
+Kermode laughed in a reassuring manner.
+
+"It's likely that you're wrong; but I'm not the first man who has found a
+righteous cause unprofitable."
+
+"That," Ferguson returned gravely, "is in one sense very true."
+
+They sat up late, talking; and the next morning Kermode found means of
+sending Foster's horses back, and then resumed his journey.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE PASSAGE OF THE MOUNTAINS
+
+
+Kermode had been gone a fortnight when Prescott reached the camp and
+heard from Ferguson and others of his latest exploit. He smiled as he
+listened to their stories, but that he should find people willing to talk
+about the man did not surprise him. Kermode was not likely to pass
+unnoticed: his talents were of a kind that seized attention. Where he
+went there was laughter and sometimes strife; he had a trick of winning
+warm attachment, and even where his departure was not regretted he was
+remembered.
+
+Ferguson insisted on taking Prescott in, for his comrade's sake, and late
+one evening he sat talking with him beside the stove. His house was
+rudely put together, shingle-roofed and walled with shiplap boards that
+gave out strong resinous odors. The joints were not tight and stinging
+draughts crept in. Deep snow lay about the camp and the frost was keen.
+
+"I can't venture to predict Kermode's movements," said the clergyman. "It
+was his intention to make for a camp half-way to the coast, but he may
+change his mind long before he gets there."
+
+"Yes," Prescott replied; "that's the kind of man he is."
+
+Ferguson smiled.
+
+"You and Kermode strike me as differing in many ways; yet you seem
+strongly attached to him."
+
+"That's true," Prescott assented. "I can't see that I owe him anything,
+and he once led me into a piece of foolishness that nobody but himself
+could have thought of. I knew the thing was crazy, but I did it when he
+urged me, and I've regretted it ever since. Still, when I meet the fellow
+I expect I shan't have a word of blame for him."
+
+"He's a man I had a strong liking for, though on many matters our points
+of view were opposite. However, I dare say it's something to be thankful
+for that we're not all made alike."
+
+"Kermode's unique," Prescott explained. "I'm of the plodding kind and I
+find that consequences catch me up. Kermode's different: he plunges into
+recklessness and the penalty falls on somebody else."
+
+"You don't mean by his connivance?"
+
+"Never! It's the last thing I meant. Kermode never shirks. Bring a thing
+home to him and he'll face it, but somehow he generally escapes. There's
+the matter I mentioned--he and I played a fool trick, and while he
+rambles about the country, flinging a foreman down an embankment,
+assisting a lady in distress, posing as a temperance reformer, in his
+usual inconsequent way, I'm deep in trouble, and so are other people who
+don't deserve it. So far I've always reached the scene of his latest
+exploit soon after he had left; but the man must be found."
+
+Ferguson laughed.
+
+"What are you going to do about it?"
+
+"Follow him to the Pacific, if necessary. As the country isn't opened up,
+he can't get off the line."
+
+"I'm afraid you're going to have a very rough journey. The track's
+surveyed and blazed; they're working at it in sections, but there are big
+gaps where nothing has been done yet, and they have been withdrawing a
+large number of men. Crossing the mountains is a tough proposition in the
+winter."
+
+"Kermode didn't seem afraid of it."
+
+"He started two weeks ago, when there had been less snow. You'll find it
+difficult to get through the passes now."
+
+"Anyway," declared Prescott, "I have to get through."
+
+Ferguson pondered the simple answer. It was, he thought, typical of the
+man, and the contrast between him and his friend became more forcible.
+Kermode exercised a curious charm. His gay, careless nature made him
+excellent company, and he had a strain of somewhat eccentric genius; but
+he was irresponsible and erratic, one could not depend on him. The
+Canadian was of different temperament: slower, less subject to impulse,
+but more stubborn and more consistent. When dealing with him one would
+know what to expect. He would reason out a purpose and then unwaveringly
+adhere to it.
+
+"Well," the clergyman said, "you may have to cross a big province; and
+though it's warmer as you get down to the coast, the weather's often
+nearly arctic among the ranges, while it's only here and there that
+you'll have a chance to find shelter. It's a trip that's not to be
+undertaken rashly. You'll need a fur coat, among other things, and I
+think I can get you one. You had better take a couple of days' rest so as
+to start fresh. And now it's time for bed."
+
+Prescott spent the next day with him and left the camp at daybreak on the
+second morning. He wore a long coat, from which the fur had peeled in
+patches, and carried a heavy pack besides a small ax. His boots were
+dilapidated, but he had been unable to replace them. There was sharp
+frost and when he boarded a construction train he looked back at the camp
+with keen regret; he shrank from the grim wilds ahead. A haze of smoke
+hung over the clustering shacks, lights still blinked among them, and
+already the nipping air was filled with sounds of activity. Then the
+locomotive shrieked and he turned his face toward the lonely white hills
+as the cars moved forward with a jerk. It was bitterly cold, though he
+lay down out of the wind behind the load of rails, where hot cinders
+rattled about him and now and then stung his face.
+
+At noon the train stopped. Alighting with cramped limbs, Prescott saw
+that the rails went no farther. A few shacks stood forlornly upon the
+hillside, a frozen river wound like a white riband through the gorge
+beneath, and ahead lay a sharply rising waste of rock and snow. His path
+led across it, and after a word or two with the men on the line he began
+his journey, breaking through the thin, frozen crust. The sounds behind
+him grew fainter and ceased; the trail of dingy smoke which had followed
+him melted away, and he was alone in the wilderness. His course was
+marked, however, by a pile of stones here, a blazed tree there, and he
+plodded on all day. When night came he found a hollow free from snow
+beneath a clump of juniper, and lay awake, shivering under his blankets.
+White peaks and snow-fields were wrapped in deathly silence: there was
+not even the howl of a prowling wolf or the splash of falling water.
+
+Rising at dawn, almost too cold to move, he could find no dry wood to
+make a fire and had serious trouble in getting on his frozen boots; and
+after a hurried meal he set out again. It was some time before he felt
+moderately warm, but with a short rest at noon, he held on until evening
+was near, when he camped in a deep rift among the rocks filled with small
+firs. Here he found dry branches, and made his supper, sitting between a
+sheltering stone and a welcome fire. Soon afterward, he lay down and
+slept until the piercing cold awakened him near dawn. The fire had burned
+out to a few red embers; he had some trouble in stirring it into life,
+and it was bright daylight when he resumed his journey.
+
+He was too tired and generally too cold to retain any clear impression of
+the next few days' march. There were ranks of peaks above, glittering at
+times against an intensely blue sky, but more often veiled in leaden
+cloud, while rolling vapor hid their lower slopes. He skirted tremendous
+gorges, looked up great hollows filled with climbing trees, followed
+winding valleys, and at length limped into sight of a lonely camp at the
+foot of a crag. The light was fading when he reached it, though a lurid
+sunset glowed behind the black firs on the crest of a ridge, and the
+place had a desolate look. Most of the shacks were empty, there were
+rings of branches with a litter of old cans about them where tents had
+been pitched, but a few toiling figures were scattered about a strip of
+track. It was comforting to see them, but Prescott was too jaded to
+notice what they were doing.
+
+Entering a shanty, roughly built of ties and galvanized iron, he found a
+stove burning, and a Chinaman who told him that supper would be ready
+soon. After a while the men came in and, asking very few questions, gave
+him a share of their meal; then he was shown a rude bed of fir branches
+and swamp hay and told he could sleep there. Prescott lay down and
+lighted his pipe and then looked about for a while. The place was dimly
+lighted and filled with rank tobacco smoke, through which he saw the
+blurred figures of his new companions. Some of them were playing cards
+under a lamp, some were disputing in harsh voices, and now and then there
+was a burst of laughter. Once or twice a man went out and an icy draught
+swept through the shed, but except for that it was delightfully warm.
+Soon Prescott's pipe dropped from his hand and, failing in a drowsy
+attempt to find it, he went to sleep.
+
+At breakfast the next morning he learned that a man answering Kermode's
+description had spent a night there eight or nine days ago. That showed
+that he was gaining, and he forced his pace all day. At sunset he made a
+fire beside a frozen lake, and after three or four days of arduous toil
+reached another camp. From the few men remaining there he learned that
+Kermode had left the spot a week earlier with a companion whose work had
+been interfered with by the frost. It was understood that they intended
+to examine a mineral vein the railroad hand had discovered in a valley
+some distance off, and when Prescott had ascertained where it lay he set
+off on their trail. The camp was well supplied with provisions and he
+bought a quantity.
+
+He felt more cheerful now. It looked as if the end of his long search
+were near, since there was every reason to believe he would join the men
+before they could test the claim. On the second day he laboriously
+ascended a steep slope leading out of a valley he had followed, a broken
+line of footprints running upward in front of him. This seemed to
+indicate that the great ridge ahead could be crossed, though when he
+glanced at the ramparts of dark rock the task looked insuperable.
+Prescott knew nothing of mountaineering, but he judged that Kermode's
+companion must be accustomed to the ranges.
+
+The slope grew sharper, there seemed to be an unbroken wall of rock
+ahead; but, climbing higher, Prescott saw a small smooth track running up
+the barrier. It was obviously a gully filled with snow and its steepness
+suggested that the ascent of it might prove beyond his powers; but the
+footprints led on to where it began. After following them to the spot,
+Prescott sat down on a stone to gather breath. He looked upward with a
+sinking heart. The hollow was deep and narrow--a cleft in the vast ridge
+of rock, which was glazed with ice. In places it looked precipitous, but
+there seemed to be no way of working round the flank of the mountain.
+Then Prescott noticed that the snow was pitted with small holes, about
+two feet apart, from which he concluded that the prospectors had carried
+a grubhoe, a tool resembling a mountaineer's ice-ax. He might get up by
+using these footholds.
+
+Before starting he carefully adjusted his pack, and slung the ax where it
+seemed least likely to do him an injury. Then he found that by laying his
+mittened hands in the holes above he could steady himself while he found
+a fresh support for his feet, and for a while he made progress, though
+the labor of carrying up his load became intense. Coming to a fang of
+rock which offered a precarious seat, he stopped and wondered how he was
+to get up the rest of the way. It seemed a vast distance to the top, and
+he was already distressed by a form of exertion to which he was
+unaccustomed. Bright sunshine rested on the jagged ridge above, but the
+gully lay in shadow; and, growing cold, the man went on again. The next
+few minutes passed uneventfully, except that he made a dangerous slip;
+and then a stone rushed past him and he heard a sharp crash below. This
+was a risk he had not counted on. Looking up anxiously, he saw some snow
+coming down. There was not much of it, but it was traveling ominously
+fast and he was right in its path. He dared not leave the steps to seek
+the shelter of the rocks. Driving in his feet to secure a better hold; he
+waited, wondering whether he would be swept away and hurled down to the
+bottom with broken bones.
+
+The sliding snow was close upon him; he saw that it was spinning and of a
+flat round shape, not a ball as he had expected, and then, while he dug
+in his hands and stiffened every muscle to resist the shock, he received
+a heavy blow on his lowered shoulder and a wet mass was flung violently
+into his face. He held on, however, and without looking around, heard the
+snow rush on down the gully beneath him. After he had climbed a few
+yards, it seemed possible to reach a projecting spur of rock, and when he
+had carefully kicked out a hold for one foot he made the attempt. He had
+scarcely reached the shelter of the rock when there was a sharp crash
+above and a great stone leaped by.
+
+Prescott found that he could maintain his position fairly comfortably and
+he lighted his pipe and sat still to rest and consider, while the
+downward rush of another stone gave him food for thought. He believed he
+was half-way up, and after the exertions he had made, it was unthinkable
+that he should go back and seek another route; besides, he doubted
+whether he could get down without slipping. It seemed quite as perilous
+to go on, until he reasoned from the state of the snow, which was not
+deeply scored, that the stones did not come down continuously. Perhaps
+the warmth of the sun, helped by a soft chinook wind that had set in had
+loosened them; but the light was fading off part of the ridge and if he
+waited a while, the discharge might cease. The trouble was that he was
+getting very cold. He smoked another pipe, and as he heard no further
+crashes, he cautiously ventured out and regained the deepest part of the
+gully. His joints ached, his muscles felt sore, but there was a break in
+the rocks some distance higher up and he determined to climb to it.
+
+The effort was severe, but he reached the spot, breathless, and carefully
+looked about. The sunshine had now vanished from the crest of the rocks
+and he supposed the stones would soon freeze fast again, but there would
+be only another hour or two of daylight and he must gain a place of
+safety before it grew dark. An incautious movement would precipitate him
+from his insecure refuge and he could not contemplate his remaining there
+through the night. Then he grew angry with Kermode.
+
+It was difficult to believe this was the easiest way into the valley
+where the railroad man had made his discovery; the latter, being used to
+the ranges, had, no doubt, taken it to shorten the distance, and Kermode
+should have objected. Kermode, however, never paused to think; he
+cheerfully plunged into the first folly that appealed to him and left
+other people to bear the consequences. Then, having rested, Prescott saw
+that there were weak points in this reasoning, since the man he was
+following must have climbed the slope, and, what was more, that his
+irritation led to no result. He could consider such matters when he had
+reached the summit, and in order to do so, he must get on at once.
+
+No more stones came down, but after Prescott had gone some distance a
+fresh difficulty confronted him. The gully was getting steeper, and the
+holes had disappeared; he supposed that the snow had softened in the
+sunshine earlier in the day and slipping down had filled up the recesses.
+He had, however, discovered that one could kick through the hard crust
+and make a hole to stand in, provided it were done carefully, and he went
+up by this means, wondering whether his boots would hold out until he
+reached the top, and stopping every few yards for breath. It was
+exhausting work after a long march and he was heavily loaded, but it
+could not be shirked, and he crawled up, watching the distance shorten
+foot by foot. Once a step broke away and he slid back a yard before he
+brought up with hands buried deep in the snow and the perspiration
+streaming from him in his terror. Still, he was slowly mounting; and at
+last, worn out and breathless, he reached the narrow ridge of crag and
+looked down with keen relief or a long slope to a valley filled with
+forest.
+
+In front there was a glorious vista of peaks that shone in the evening
+light, but Prescott was in no mood to think of them. He must get down to
+the trees, where he could camp in comfort, before darkness fell. Rising
+after a few minutes' rest, he made the descent and, as dusk crept round
+him, lighted his fire among the sheltering trunks.
+
+The next day he followed the valley through thick timber and withered
+underbrush which tore his clothes and delayed his march. There were
+fallen trunks with spreading branches to be scrambled over, and tangles
+of thorny canes, but he was cheered by signs that somebody had passed on
+ahead of him not long before. Later, the forest died out and the bottom
+of the hollow was strewn with sharp-edged stones, which threatened to
+tear his worn boots from his feet, and which added seriously to his toil.
+It was, however, impossible that the prospectors had climbed the crags
+that hemmed him in, and believing they could not be far in front of him,
+he held on until late in the afternoon.
+
+At length he came to a wider stretch, out of which a ravine that looked
+accessible led, but he gave little thought to it. There were a few small
+trees about and one of them had recently been felled. He could see the
+white chips and the place where a fire had burned. A meat-can lay near-by
+and when Prescott picked it up he found the few fragments adhering to it
+quite fresh. The men he sought had camped there, but he began to grow
+anxious, for he could see no signs of them. Laying down his load, he made
+a hasty examination of the locality and found a spot where the face of a
+crag was marked by a streak of different material. It was rent in one
+place, heavy fragments were scattered about, and Prescott saw that they
+had been blown out with giant-powder.
+
+For a few minutes he eagerly proceeded with his search, but he could find
+no blankets or provision cache, and when he saw footprints leading toward
+the ravine the truth dawned on him. The prospectors had left the spot and
+were not coming back; once more he had arrived too late. It was a cruel
+disappointment and he sat down in black dejection, looking heavily about.
+The high summits were wrapped in leaden cloud, the lower rocks towered
+above him, rugged and forbidding, and a mournful wind wailed through the
+gorge.
+
+With an effort he forced himself to think. He had provisions for only a
+day or two; one of the prospectors was obviously an expert mountaineer,
+which led Prescott to believe that they would travel faster than he was
+capable of doing. It would be the height of rashness to push on farther
+into the wilds without a guide, and the first fall of snow would blot out
+any trail the others might have left. Reason warned him that he must turn
+back; but it was unthinkable that he should descend the gully. He
+determined to climb the ravine on the morrow.
+
+Growing cold, he fell to work with the ax, and soon had a fire burning in
+a hollow among the rocks.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+DEFEAT
+
+
+The next morning Prescott awakened in the dark and set to work,
+shivering, to rekindle his fire. Day broke with a transitory brightness
+while he had breakfast and soon afterward he entered the ravine. It was
+steep, and filled with ice in places, but freshly dislodged stones and
+scratches on the rocks showed him that the prospectors had gone that way.
+The ascent was difficult: it cost him a tense effort now and then to gain
+a slippery ledge or to scramble up a slab, and he had frequently to stop
+and consider how he could best force a passage.
+
+He was tired and damp with perspiration when he reached the top and met
+an icy wind that swept across a tableland. The high plain was strewn with
+rocky fragments, the peaks above were lost in vapor, but he saw by a
+glance at the watery sun that it ran roughly west; and footprints led
+across it with an inclination toward the south. This was comforting,
+because the line of track ran to the south, and if he could strike that,
+it would serve as a guide; moreover it confirmed Prescott's conclusion
+that Kermode, who had evidently found the mineral vein worthless, would
+hold on toward the sea. He was not the man to haunt familiar ground when
+a wide, newly opened country lay before him.
+
+Then a few stinging flakes struck Prescott's face, the pale sunshine was
+blotted out, and a savage blast drove him back to the shelter of the
+ravine. For an hour he sat, shivering, among the rocks while the gorge
+was swept by snow. When it ceased he came out; but there was no sign of a
+footprint now and, to make things worse, the new snow was soft. But he
+plodded through it, heading southwest, so as to strike the track again, a
+little farther on.
+
+He spent the day on the high ground; at times toilsomely picking a way
+across banks of stones buried in snow that hid the dangerous gaps between
+them. Now and then he sank through the treacherous covering and plunged
+into a hollow, at the risk of breaking his leg; but walking was easier
+between these tracts, and when evening came he reached a few large fallen
+rocks, among which he camped and lay awake, half frozen, without a fire.
+Starting as soon as day broke, he felt that he must make the surveyed
+line before dark. He was growing afraid of the white desolation and
+wanted to get into touch with something that would lead him to the haunts
+of men.
+
+It was afternoon when he came to a great dip. A valley lay beneath him
+with a frozen river winding through its depths, and he felt convinced
+that it was one the track would follow. The trouble, however, was to get
+down, for the hillside fell away in a vast scarp, broken here and there
+by dark crags that showed through the snow. There was a belt of timber a
+long way down, but the slope was too steep for him to reach it, and he
+walked along the summit in search of a spot from which the descent could
+be made, until he came to a long declivity that looked a little less
+sharp. Then, strapping his fur coat on his pack, he kicked a step in the
+snow and began to climb down, facing inward toward the bank.
+
+For a while, he made steady progress; and then the snow grew harder. Its
+surface had melted and frozen again, resulting in a crust that could
+scarcely be penetrated. He thought about his ax, but he could not see how
+he could use it in cutting steps beneath him without falling down, and
+this was not the place for hazardous experiments. He went on very
+cautiously, finding the work of kicking hollows for his feet extremely
+severe, until, when he supposed that half an hour had passed, he drove
+his toes in deep and lay down to rest. On looking up, he seemed to have
+come a very short distance, and when he glanced below he felt appalled at
+the length of the declivity he must still creep down. His limbs ached;
+his mittens were worn and his hands badly numbed; and one boot was coming
+to pieces.
+
+The descent, however, must be continued, and he began to move again, very
+warily. Presently he found he could not break through the crust with his
+foot. Clinging hard to his handhold, he lowered himself to feel for a
+softer spot. His toe went in a little way; he ventured to trust to the
+slight support; but as he did so the treacherous snow broke beneath him.
+For a few tense moments his numbed fingers held him to the slope. He
+tried in terror to kick another hole; the attempt failed, his hands
+slipped away, and he began to slide downward, the snow driving up into
+his face. The pace grew rapidly faster; he could not keep himself
+straight, but slid on his side; then his pack caught something that
+turned him farther round so that his head was lowest. He could see
+nothing; his pace grew frightful, and he drove on, unable to make the
+least effort.
+
+How long this continued he had no idea. It was a terrifying experience;
+but at length, to his dull astonishment, his speed slackened suddenly and
+he stopped. He found that he was whole in limb, and on getting up
+cautiously he was forced to the conclusion that he was little the worse
+for his rapid descent. His clothes were packed with snow, but it was
+easily shaken out. After recovering a little, he saw that he had brought
+up on a slope that fell less sharply and that it would be possible to
+walk down it without much trouble. The timber was close ahead, and he
+smiled as he remembered his horror; it looked as if he might have made
+the descent uninjured if he had calmly sat down and let himself go.
+
+Moving downward among the trees, he had almost reached the bottom of the
+valley when he came upon a belt of rugged stones, and in picking a path
+across them slipped and fell. He was not much hurt, but when he went on
+again his foot felt sore and he was limping when he reached the river.
+One or two trees near it had been chopped, and a spur of rock lower down
+had its summit marked by a pole. He had reached the line of track, and he
+followed it west, having heard there was a camp farther on, though his
+informants did not know whether it was now occupied. It was, however, a
+relief to stop among a clump of spruce at dusk. When he had made a fire
+he examined his foot. There was no sign of injury except that ankle and
+instep were rather red, and he went to sleep reassured.
+
+In the morning he was surprised to find that the foot was painful and
+that the back of his leg felt strained. He would have been tempted to
+remain in camp only that his provisions were nearly exhausted, and after
+a meager breakfast he resumed the march. The bottom of the valley was
+level, the timber thin, but there was a good deal of brush to be
+struggled through and before long he was forced to take to the winding
+river. By noon it cost him a determined effort to walk, for his foot was
+extremely painful and his leg getting sore. As he did not know how far
+off the camp was, it seemed prudent to save the food he had left, and he
+limped on, his lips tight-set.
+
+The snow-covered ice was smooth, but the bends of the river increased the
+distance wofully; there was a keen wind, and the dark pines stretched on
+without a break as far as he could see. As he entered each fresh loop of
+the stream he looked eagerly for an opening or sign of life, but there
+were only rows of ragged spires, cutting sharply against the sky. He felt
+inexpressibly lonely and badly afraid; the desolation was growing
+appalling, and he could not keep on his feet much longer. He had food
+enough for two scanty meals, and then, if no help came, he must starve.
+
+There was now a pain which grew rapidly worse in his left side; his
+shoulders ached beneath his load, and every joint was sore with the
+effort it cost him to save his injured foot. The sun sank lower, and the
+trees still ran on ahead. Indeed, they were growing thicker, and he could
+see only a short distance into the avenues between the great colonnades
+of trunks. The loops of the river doubled more closely; in spite of his
+exertion he was getting very little farther down the valley; but an
+attempt to push through the forest led him into such tangles of fallen
+trunks and branches that he was forced back to the ice.
+
+At length he reached a spot where a fire had swept the bush. Branches and
+clustering needles had been burned away; the trees ran up in bare,
+charred columns, black when looked at closely, in the distance a curious
+silvery gray. Prescott could see ahead between them, and he stopped with
+his heart beating rapidly, for on the white hillside some distance off
+stood a few shacks. This was the camp, and in spite of the pain it cost
+him he increased his pace, driven by keen suspense. He did not know if
+there were men yonder, and he could see no smoke. The doubt grew
+tormenting; leaving the stream farther on, he struck into unburned bush
+that hid the camp from him. There were thorny brakes and thickets of
+withered ferns, but though progress was excruciatingly painful he smashed
+through them furiously. He was hot and breathless; it was insufferable
+that he should be delayed among the timber in anxiety. Breaking out into
+the open, he sent up a hoarse cry, for a thin trail of vapor curled above
+one of the shacks. Then a man appeared in the doorway and waved a hand to
+him.
+
+Prescott felt suddenly limp and nerveless; now that help was near at
+hand, he wanted to sit down; but he held on until he limped into the hut,
+where two men stood awaiting him. They were strong, weather-beaten
+fellows, dressed in quaintly patched garments, and they looked
+good-humored.
+
+"Come right in," said one. "Pull that box up to the fire and sit down."
+
+Prescott was glad to obey, and when he had taken off his pack he looked
+about the shack. It was substantially built: stones and soil had been
+used in its construction as well as boards and bark. It was warmed by a
+big open fire and contained a table, besides a few tubs and cases which
+served as seats. A bunk neatly made of split boards and filled with
+spruce twigs and swamp hay ran along one end.
+
+"Can you take me in for a day or two?" he asked. "I've hurt my foot."
+
+"Sure," said the second man. "I noticed you were walking lame. We're well
+stocked in groceries and Steve got a deer a day or two ago."
+
+"How did you get your stores?"
+
+"The contractor brought them up. There was quite a camp here; company
+putting in all the preliminary work that could be done with the shovel.
+They shut down when the frost came, but we figured we'd stay on, and took
+over part of the supplies. The boss had more truck than he could pack
+down to the other camps."
+
+"Then there's nobody else about the place?"
+
+"No, sir," said the first man; "they're all gone. It's kind of lonely,
+but we're doing some chopping for the road, and we'll be right here with
+money saved when work begins in spring. Bought a piece of fruit land,
+part on mortgage, at a snap, and with good luck we'll have it clear when
+we go back."
+
+The short explanation supplied a clue to the characters of the men, who
+with an eye to the future preferred to face the rigors of the north
+rather than to spend the winter hanging round the saloons on the warmer
+coast.
+
+"Well," inquired the other, "where did you come from?"
+
+Prescott mentioned the last camp he had visited and gave them a few
+particulars about his journey.
+
+"And so you came down the Long Bench--pretty tough proposition that! And
+kept the trail on short rations!" one of his hosts remarked. "Suppose you
+take a smoke, and I'll get supper a little earlier."
+
+Before long he was given a share of a simple but abundant meal, and after
+it was over sat talking with his hosts. It was dark outside now, but
+although the men had run out of oil for the lamp, the fire gave them
+light, and pungent odors issued from the resinous logs. The room was warm
+and, by comparison with the frozen wilderness, supremely comfortable.
+
+"What's the matter with your foot?" one of the men asked when Prescott
+took off his boot.
+
+Prescott described how it felt, though he explained that he could find no
+sign of injury, and the other nodded.
+
+"Ricked it a bit; got one of the ligaments or something kinked," he said.
+"Known that happen when there wasn't much to show. You had better lie off
+for a while."
+
+It occurred to Prescott that he might be in much worse quarters, though
+he shrank from the delay a rest would entail.
+
+"What took you up the gully and over the Bench, anyway?" the man went on.
+
+Prescott explained and then asked: "Have you come across my partner or
+the other fellow, Hollin?"
+
+"Never seen your partner." The man looked at his comrade and laughed.
+"But we know Hollin, all right. Got an idea that he's a boss prospector
+and froze on to the railroad job because it took him into the mountains.
+Been all round looking for minerals; got fired for it at one or two
+camps, and never struck anything worth speaking of. It's a point on which
+he's certainly a crank."
+
+It was characteristic of Kermode, Prescott thought, that he should be
+willing to accompany a man with a craze of the kind.
+
+"I'd expected to find them here. I understood they didn't mean to go back
+to the camp at Butler Ridge," he said.
+
+"We haven't seen their tracks, and if they were heading west, they'd have
+to come down this valley; but I guess nobody could tell where Hollin
+would make for. Of course, you can't prospect much in winter with
+everything frozen up and the snow about, but so long as he can trail
+through the mountains and find a few clean rocks the man will be happy;
+and I'll allow that he's smart at it. Knows how to fix a camp, and find a
+deer, if there's one in the country. It's a sure thing he'll have to
+strike for a camp or store sooner or later; but it's likely he has
+crossed the line south and is trying to make the Fraser and the
+settlements along the Canadian Pacific railroad."
+
+It was bad news to Prescott. He knew enough about the Pacific Province to
+realize that if his host's suppositions were correct, he would have a
+vast area to search; a region of stony uplands, mountain chains, and
+rock-walled valleys.
+
+"Would it be possible for me to get through?" he asked.
+
+"No, sir! You don't want to think of it. Guess your partner will be
+pretty safe with Hollin; but you're a plainsman and you'd sure get lost
+in a day or two and starve when your grub ran out."
+
+"That's right," agreed the other man. "The thing can't be done."
+
+Prescott fell in with his opinion. It would, he thought, require a number
+of expert mountaineers to trace the men he sought through the desolation
+of rock and forest to the south. Besides, British Columbia was well
+populated along the Canadian Pacific line, from which many avenues of
+communication opened up, and there would be a strong probability of his
+missing Kermode.
+
+"Well," he said reluctantly, "perhaps, I had better stop round here in
+case they keep this track; and my foot's too sore to let me move. Could
+you put me up for a week or two? I'll try to make it worth your while."
+
+"Stop as long as you want," Steve responded. "We'll have to charge you
+for the grub, because we paid quite a pile for it, but we'll only strike
+you for your share."
+
+"Thank you," said Prescott, and the others began to talk of Hollin.
+
+"If that man would let up on prospecting he'd get rich," declared one.
+"When a survey outfit goes up into the bush, Hollin's picked for the boss
+packer's job, and when there's a new wagon road to be staked out they
+generally put him on. A smart man at striking the easiest line through
+rough country."
+
+"That's so," agreed Steve. "Trouble is that he can't stay with it. Soon
+as he collects some pay, he goes off on the prospecting trail, and then
+heads for Vancouver with a bag of specimens that aren't worth anything.
+When the mineral men hear of a new Hollin discovery they smile. Guess
+he's found most everything--gold, copper, zinc, and platinum--and never
+made fifty cents out of them, 'cept once when, so the boys say, a mining
+company fellow gave him five dollars to promise he wouldn't worry him
+again. Now they've orders in all the offices that if Hollin comes round
+with any more specimens they're not to let him in."
+
+Prescott laughed. The man he had heard described was Kermode's companion,
+and he could imagine their wandering up and down the province, one as
+irresponsible as the other; meeting with strange experiences, stubbornly
+braving the perils of the wilds; making themselves a nuisance to business
+men in the cities. The matter had, however, a more serious aspect.
+Prescott had spent some time on the useless search and he could not
+continue it throughout the winter. It would be futile to speculate on the
+movements of men so erratic as those he had followed. He could not
+neglect his farm, and he had a heavy crop to haul in and sell: this was a
+duty that must be attended to.
+
+If he went back without Jernyngham, and Curtis still clung to his theory,
+the police might give him trouble; but he must run that risk. Though
+convinced of it, he had no means of proving that Jernyngham was wandering
+through British Columbia in company with a crazy prospector.
+
+After a while he grew drowsy and got into the bunk, where he lay down,
+enjoying the warmth and softness of the spruce twigs until he went to
+sleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+PRESCOTT'S RETURN
+
+
+It was Saturday evening, clear and cold, though the frost was not
+intense. A number of the farmers and their wives had driven in to
+Sebastian to meet their friends and make their weekly purchases. A row of
+light rigs stood outside the livery-stable, voices and laughter rose from
+the sidewalks; the town looked cheerful and almost picturesque with its
+roofs and tall elevator towers cutting against the soft night sky.
+
+A full moon hung above them, but its silvery radiance was paled by other
+lights. Warm gleams shone out from the store windows upon the
+hard-trodden snow; a train of lighted cars stood at the station, and the
+intense white glare of the head-lamp mingled with the beam flung far
+across the prairie by a freight locomotive on a side-track. Groups of
+people strolled up and down the low platform, waiting to see the train go
+out, and their voices rang merrily on the frosty air. From one of the
+great shadowy elevators there came a whirr of wheels.
+
+When the train rolled away into the wilderness, Muriel Hurst entered the
+hotel and went upstairs to the parlor where Colston and her sister were
+sitting. The room was furnished in defective taste, but it was warm and
+brightly lighted, and the girl had got accustomed to the smell of warm
+iron diffused by the stove and the odor of burning kerosene. Colston
+occupied an easy-chair, and when Muriel took off her furs he looked up
+with a smile, noticing the fine color the nipping air had brought into
+her face. She looked braced and vigorous, but it struck him that she wore
+a thoughtful expression.
+
+"Did you buy all you wanted?" he asked.
+
+"I got what I came for." Muriel sat down and handed her sister a parcel.
+"I think that ought to match. Has Harry been lounging there since supper?
+Isn't he the picture of comfortable laziness?"
+
+Colston laughed. He was still very neatly dressed, but he looked harder
+than he had when he first reached the prairie and his face was brown.
+
+"I'm content, and that's a great thing," he rejoined. "Indeed, I'll
+confess that I could enjoy our stay here, except for the damping effect
+of our friends' trouble. It's astonishing how little one misses the
+comforts we insist on in England, and I'm coming to take an interest in
+the visits we pay among the ranches and our weekly trip to Sebastian.
+Then nobody could maintain that your sister looks any the worse for her
+experience. I'm beginning to think she might pass for a wheat-grower's
+wife."
+
+"I heard Mrs. Johnson ask when you were going to take a farm," Muriel
+retorted. "It would be difficult to imagine you tramping down a furrow
+behind a plow or driving one of those smelly gasoline tractors; but
+you'll be able to pose before your constituents as an authority on
+colonial questions when you go home."
+
+"I'm afraid they'll throw me over unless they see me soon; but there's
+nothing else to take me back, and I'd feel we were deserting our friends
+in their distress."
+
+"We can't leave them yet," Mrs. Colston broke in. "The suspense is
+preying upon Jernyngham. He's getting dangerously moody; I know Gertrude
+feels anxious about him."
+
+A curious expression crept into Muriel's eyes.
+
+"Believing what he does, it's natural that he should clamor for justice,
+but he's becoming possessed by a feverish cruelty. It's mastering him,
+destroying his judgment."
+
+"You're alluding to his suspicions of Prescott?"
+
+Muriel's eyes sparkled as she took up the challenge.
+
+"You know as well as I do that they're altogether wrong! It's impossible
+that he should be guilty!"
+
+"One would like to think so," her sister responded with dry reserve. "But
+it's a pity he ran away."
+
+Muriel could not deny this. She had retained her faith in Prescott, but
+his silence about the motive for an absence that must tell against him
+troubled her. It was strange that he had given her no hint, and she felt
+hurt.
+
+"He may have gone because he could not bear to be distrusted," she said.
+"You are both sorry for Jernyngham, but don't you think the man he
+unjustly suspects deserves some pity?"
+
+"Well," said Colston, "I've tried to keep an open mind. Prejudice, of
+course, should not be pandered to; but one is as likely to be led astray
+by too strong a partiality for the suspected person." He paused before he
+added: "However, I envy you your confidence; I liked the man."
+
+"The worst of it is that the matter may go dragging on until it wears
+Gertrude and her father out," Mrs. Colston remarked. "It would be a
+relief in some ways to learn the truth, however bad it is."
+
+"Mr. Prescott has no reason to dread the truth's coming out," said Muriel
+staunchly.
+
+Then a maid came in to announce that their team was ready, and, putting
+on her furs, Muriel went down in advance of the others to see that her
+purchases had been placed together. After she had gone, Mrs. Colston
+looked at her husband.
+
+"I think it would be advisable to mention Prescott as seldom as
+possible."
+
+"So do I," Colston agreed. "I wonder whether you have noticed anything
+unusual in the relations between Muriel and Gertrude of late? They used
+to be good friends in England."
+
+"I have remarked some signs of strain. But it is not a matter you could
+be expected to take an interest in."
+
+"Of course," Colston rejoined deprecatingly, and went down with his wife.
+
+Leslie's team and a smart sleigh, which Jernyngham had had sent out from
+Toronto, stood at the door, and after he had helped his wife and Muriel
+in, Colston took the reins. When they had jolted across the track, the
+snow was beaten smooth along the trail; the team was fresh after resting,
+and it was a brilliant night. They set off at an exhilarating speed, and
+though their faces tingled they kept warm beneath their furs and
+driving-robes. Far in front of them spread the prairie, gleaming white
+beneath the moon; no cloud stained the vault of soft deep blue, and the
+drumming of the hoofs rang out in merry rhythm. The crisp cold, which was
+less marked than usual, stirred the blood.
+
+They passed a buggy, drawn by a good horse, and later a light wagon, for
+the snow does not, as a rule, lie deep on the western prairie and the
+farmers largely continue the use of wheels. After that for some time they
+were alone on the waste, until as they approached a tract of broken
+country a wagon appeared on the crest of a rise, with the double span of
+horses in front of it cutting sharply black against the snow. It came on
+slowly, heavily loaded with bags of grain, and then the dark shape of a
+man who walked beside the team grew visible. As they came closer, Colston
+turned his horses out of the trail to let the wagon pass, and then
+started as the moonlight fell on the teamster's face. It was Prescott.
+
+For a moment he hesitated, and then pulled up, acknowledging the man's
+greeting with a lifted hand. Mrs. Colston, however, said nothing, and
+Prescott stood quietly by his horses' heads, until Muriel called him
+forward and gave him her hand.
+
+"When did you get back?" she asked.
+
+"Late last night. We broke the wheat bin this morning, and I'm taking the
+first load in."
+
+"But where were you?"
+
+"In Alberta and British Columbia most of the time."
+
+He volunteered no further information and there was an awkward pause, for
+Prescott had noticed that Colston had been undecided whether to drive on
+or not. Mrs. Colston sat farthest from him, so that he could not see her,
+but she had not addressed him yet. It was clear that his appearance had
+affected them unpleasantly.
+
+"When we next meet, you must tell us about your trip," said Muriel.
+
+"We should be interested to hear about it," Colston added lamely, and
+Prescott forced a smile. Muriel was the only one who had treated him on
+the old friendly footing; and he could hardly visit the Leslie homestead,
+even if he were invited, while Jernyngham was there.
+
+"I may see you some time, and I mustn't keep you now," he responded.
+
+He started his team, and Colston turned to his companions.
+
+"I'll confess that I've had a great surprise."
+
+"Of course, you imagined that Mr. Prescott had gone for good!" said
+Muriel with scorn.
+
+"I'm afraid I had some idea of that nature. He would hardly have come
+back if he were guilty."
+
+"Oh," said Muriel mockingly, "you really can't tell what an unscrupulous,
+bold man might do."
+
+"Spare me," Colston begged with a laugh. "After all, it looks as if you
+have been right." He turned to his wife. "What do you think?"
+
+"Mr. Prescott's guilt or innocence is a question I can't decide; but in
+making us believe he was Cyril Jernyngham he did a very wrong and foolish
+thing. That Cyril may have urged him to do so is no excuse."
+
+"Leaving Mr. Prescott out, I think Cyril's idea was a very generous one,"
+Muriel declared.
+
+"How can you believe that?"
+
+"He must have wished to save his father and sister pain, and he knew the
+trick would cost him a good deal. For one thing, it would prevent his
+going home to be reinstated, because of course if he had done so, we
+would have seen he was not the man we had met in Canada. He meant to stay
+here, refusing to benefit by the change in his affairs, out of
+consideration for his relatives."
+
+"And you approve his passing off this western farmer for a Jernyngham?"
+Mrs. Colston asked.
+
+"Oh, that!" Muriel's laugh was scornful. "You were satisfied with the man
+until you knew his name was Prescott. How was it that you didn't miss the
+inherent superiority of the Jernynghams? Besides, I can't think Cyril
+suffered by getting his friend to represent him. Though people won't talk
+very freely, I've picked up some information since I've been here, enough
+to show what kind of man Cyril was. He hadn't much to boast of, and one
+must do him the justice to admit that he seems to have recognized it. You
+probably know, though you hid it from me, that on the evening he should
+have met us he was lying in the hotel after getting badly hurt in a
+drunken brawl among some riotous Orangemen."
+
+"I can't have any reflections cast upon Orangemen," Colston objected.
+"There are a large number in my constituency; most worthy people, for
+whom I've a strong respect."
+
+"You have a respect for their votes, you mean," Muriel rejoined. "You
+know you're really ritualistic High Church. If your constituents knew as
+much about St. Cuthbert's as I do, they would turn you out."
+
+"I have never hid my convictions," Colston declared. "Anyway, I have
+ascertained that the greater proportion of the Orangemen were sober."
+
+"Then," retorted Muriel, "I'm sorry that Cyril was not. But there are
+more important points to consider."
+
+"That is very true," said Mrs. Colston. "Will you tell Jernyngham that we
+have seen Prescott, Harry?"
+
+Colston hesitated.
+
+"No; I don't think so. I'm afraid of the effect it may have on him; and
+he won't be up when we get in. All the same, he's bound to hear the news
+from somebody else very soon."
+
+Neither of the others answered, and they drove on in silence until the
+lights of the Leslie homestead blinked across the snow. The cheerfulness
+which had marked the party when they set out had gone; they felt a sense
+of constraint, and Muriel wondered uneasily whether she had spoken with
+too much freedom.
+
+The next morning they were sitting with Jernyngham and Gertrude when a
+neighboring rancher came in.
+
+"I thought Leslie might be here," he explained. "Don't mean to intrude."
+
+Colston knew the man and he asked him to sit down. Jernyngham glanced up
+from the Winnipeg paper he was reading. His face was worn and had set
+into a fixed, harsh expression, but his manner conveyed a hint of
+eagerness; of late it had suggested that he was continually expecting
+something.
+
+"I drove over to give Leslie a message," the newcomer continued. "I guess
+you have heard that Prescott's back."
+
+Jernyngham started and dropped the paper.
+
+"Prescott back? You must be mistaken!"
+
+"No, sir! Spoke to him on the trail last night. He was hauling in a load
+to the settlement, and I was driving home half an hour after Mr.
+Colston."
+
+"There's only one trail," said Jernyngham, looking hard at Colston. "You
+must have met the fellow. Why didn't you tell me?"
+
+Colston showed confusion.
+
+"To tell the truth, I was afraid the news might distress and excite you.
+You couldn't do anything until Monday, and I thought it better to let you
+spend to-day in peace."
+
+"In peace!" Jernyngham laughed in a jarring manner. "Tormented as I am by
+suspense that grows beyond endurance!" His eyes glittered and the lines
+on his face deepened. "And I'm to be kept in ignorance while the villain
+who robbed and killed my son goes about his work undisturbed!"
+
+There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Mrs. Colston looked
+distressed, and Gertrude regarded Muriel with a long searching glance.
+The girl felt that she was being suspected of abetting her brother-in-law
+for some ulterior purpose. She was of sanguine temperament and wayward
+temper, and her blood ran warm; but she held in check the anger that she
+burned to give expression to. Then their visitor, whom they had
+forgotten, broke in:
+
+"Now, sir, you're getting ahead too fast. There's nothing proved against
+Prescott, and I and others know he never did the thing!" He paused and
+Muriel, regardless of her companions, flung him a grateful glance as he
+went on: "Even Curtis can't bring it home to him!"
+
+"Curtis," said Jernyngham contemptuously, "is a cautious fool! I'll
+communicate with his chiefs at Regina." He got up with a decided air.
+"I'll start for Sebastian at once. Where's Leslie? I must see him about a
+team."
+
+"You stay where you are," said the farmer, with rude sympathy. "I heard
+that one of the police bosses will be at the settlement to-morrow and you
+can see him then; Curtis took a room for him at the hotel. I'm telling
+you because the sooner all this muss is cleared up the better, and it
+won't hurt Prescott."
+
+He went out and Jernyngham, without speaking to the others, picked up his
+paper. Muriel took a book from a shelf, but although she determinedly
+tried to fix her attention on it, she could make no sense of what she
+read. It was a dreary morning; Colston was soon driven out, and the
+others were oppressed by a feeling of constraint and tension. They were
+glad when Jernyngham and Gertrude started for Sebastian in the afternoon.
+After they had gone, Colston looked at his wife and sister-in-law
+dolefully.
+
+"This kind of thing will tell upon your nerves; I'm beginning to feel
+it," he said. "We must have a long drive to-morrow to get rid of the
+depression. Those people on the ranch by the bluff pressed us to come
+back again."
+
+"There are many excuses for our friends; you couldn't expect them to be
+cheerful," Mrs. Colston replied.
+
+"That's very true; one must try to remember it. It seems our duty to
+remain and comfort them as much as possible; but I can't say that they're
+always very grateful. Indeed, I have felt hurt by Gertrude's reserve,
+though, considering how trying all this must be for her, one can't take
+exception to it."
+
+"Gertrude knows her brother is alive!" said Muriel coldly.
+
+Her sister cast a keen glance at her, while Colston, made a sign of
+expostulation.
+
+"I scarcely think you have any right to say that; but I'll confess that
+I'm wavering in my opinions--Prescott's return has had its effect on me.
+In fact, the mystery's getting deeper and more fascinating; I feel
+impelled to wait and see it unraveled."
+
+"That is hardly the way to regard it," his wife rebuked him. "I would
+rather remember that the Jernynghams have a strong claim on our
+sympathy."
+
+"It's the main consideration, of course. But we'll decide on the drive
+to-morrow. It has been a depressing day."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+MURIEL RELIEVES HER MIND
+
+
+On the Monday morning, Jernyngham was shown into the parlor of the hotel
+where a commissioned officer of the police sat waiting for him. He had
+keen, observant eyes, but his manner was quiet, and Jernyngham endeavored
+to control his impatience.
+
+"I suppose you know that Prescott has returned to his farm?" he said,
+taking the chair the other pointed to.
+
+"I have been informed so," the officer replied.
+
+"Then may I ask what you mean to do?"
+
+"We have come to no decision."
+
+"But your men have a warrant for him!"
+
+The officer changed his position and his expression hinted at
+forbearance.
+
+"That is so. On the whole, I think it should not have been issued."
+
+"You must not let the fellow's return influence you unduly."
+
+"Very true," said the other with a calm which Jernyngham found maddening.
+"It would be unwise to infer too much from that."
+
+"He is a bold man; he has, no doubt, counted on the effect his coming
+back would have," Jernyngham urged.
+
+"It's possible," the officer agreed.
+
+Jernyngham's nerves had given way beneath the strain he had borne, and he
+now stood up, trembling with anger.
+
+"Am I to understand that you intend to leave the fellow alone? Now, when
+he is within your reach, you will not arrest him? The scoundrel killed my
+son!"
+
+"Might I suggest your sitting down again?" said the officer calmly. "Let
+me try to put the matter before you as we look at it. To begin with, we
+can't very well press the charge you make against Prescott without some
+proof of the victim's death, which has not been discovered yet. The
+muskeg, I must remind you, was drained and nothing found. The handsome
+reward you offered led to no result, though every man in the district who
+had any time to spare spent it in searching the bluffs. Corporal Curtis
+has made systematic investigations, but they have been fruitless."
+
+"Corporal Curtis is a man of whose intelligence I have a very poor
+opinion!" said Jernyngham hotly.
+
+His companion smiled.
+
+"That's a point upon which I don't altogether share your views."
+
+"In short, you intend to let the matter drop! I must protest against such
+a scandalous failure of justice! But you shall not let it drop; I warn
+you that I shall apply to Ottawa, where there are people who can put upon
+you the pressure that seems to be needed!"
+
+A look of weariness crept into the officer's face.
+
+"You have my sympathy, Mr. Jernyngham, but you can't be allowed to
+interfere with the Northwest Police."
+
+Jernyngham pulled himself together.
+
+"I had no wish to be offensive, though I meant what I said. Suppose this
+fellow goes off again--for good--as soon as he has sold his wheat?"
+
+"That will have to be guarded against. He will be watched; if he leaves
+his farm, he will be followed."
+
+"He gave you the slip neatly on a previous occasion."
+
+"Quite true," said the officer. "Our men are not infallible. I think I
+can promise that it will not happen again." Then he rose. "I have some
+business waiting and you must excuse me. I can assure you that nothing
+which promises to throw any light upon the matter will be neglected."
+
+He opened the door and politely but firmly bowed out his visitor. Then he
+called Curtis, who was waiting below.
+
+"I dare say you can guess Mr. Jernyngham's errand," he said. "Unless we
+can hit on the truth before long, you'll have that gentleman in the
+guard-room."
+
+Curtis looked astonished and his superior smiled compassionately.
+
+"I mean as a sufferer from mental derangement. Don't be communicative,
+and confine yourself to reassuring generalities, if you come across him.
+His mind's morbidly fixed on punishing Prescott. I don't think he can be
+convinced that the man is innocent."
+
+"I can't help meeting him, sir. He spends his time following me about. In
+a way, one can't blame him for what he thinks."
+
+"Though it doesn't agree with your conclusions? Sit down; we have a
+number of things to talk about."
+
+"Well, sir," said Curtis, "this is certainly a mixed-up case. I've said
+nothing all along to disturb people's belief that it was Prescott we were
+after, but if I had to corral one of the two, I'd get Wandle. The land
+agency man gave us a good description of him."
+
+His superior nodded thoughtfully.
+
+"Prescott impersonated Cyril Jernyngham before his supposed death, and
+Wandle personated him afterward; the latter with the more obvious motive.
+The point is that there's no evidence of collusion, but rather
+disagreement, between the two. Of course, we could arrest Wandle now."
+
+"Yes, sir. As soon as the agent identified him, we could prove forgery
+and falsification of the land sale record. He'd be safe in the guard-room
+or a penitentiary."
+
+"Just so; we will have him there sooner or later, but if he's guilty of
+the more serious charge, he'd have no opportunity for giving himself
+away. I'd rather he was left at large and you kept your eye on him. The
+same applies to Prescott. Now I've been making a fresh study of the
+diagram of the footsteps near the muskeg, and I can see no fault in the
+conclusions you arrived at--only the remains can't be found."
+
+"Sure, that's a weak point, sir. But I might mention the case of the
+person who was found in a bluff a few miles from home after they'd
+searched the district for six months."
+
+"It has been in my mind. But you have other matters to report on. What
+about the disturbance on the Indian reservation?"
+
+While they discussed it, Jernyngham set out for the Leslie homestead and
+on his arrival found Gertrude alone. Sitting down with a shiver, he
+looked at her dejectedly.
+
+"I have failed again. They will do nothing; there's no satisfaction to be
+had," he said. "I drove out my son by arbitrary harshness, and now the
+only reparation I might have made is denied me."
+
+"You were harsh," assented Gertrude. "I have begun to realize it since we
+came to Canada--one sees things differently here. But, in a sense, I
+think you were not to be blamed; you acted in the belief that you were
+right."
+
+She had seldom ventured to address him with so much candor and she was
+surprised at his calmness.
+
+"Yes," he said, "it is some relief to remember that; but I was wrong."
+
+"Then shouldn't it make you more careful not to fall into a similar error
+again? You have a fixed idea in your mind and the way you dwell on it is
+breaking you down; seeing you suffer is wearing me. Can't you believe
+that there is room for doubt?"
+
+"I wish I could," he said with some gentleness, recognizing the anxious
+appeal in her voice. "But I imagined you were as convinced as I am of
+Prescott's guilt."
+
+"Oh," she replied miserably, "I believed I was; but I don't know what to
+think!"
+
+He noticed the distress in her face with uncomprehending sympathy. He was
+fond of her, in his stern, reserved fashion, and knew she must deeply
+feel the loss of her brother.
+
+"As soon as he saw he was suspected, Prescott ran away," he continued.
+"That must count against him. If he had had any motive except the wish to
+escape, he would have mentioned it."
+
+Gertrude sat silent, tormented by confused emotions. Prescott had told
+her he was going to hunt for Cyril, and until she had seen his devotion
+to Muriel she had felt that she must believe in him; then her mind had
+been filled with jealousy and doubt. She thought she hated him; after
+all, he might be guilty. It was not her part to speak in his defense;
+though she felt she was acting treacherously, she could not stand up for
+him.
+
+"It is possible that the police were wrong about Cyril," she said at
+length.
+
+"I'm afraid not," said Jernyngham. "It might be urged that Prescott has
+come back; but I believe that was only to sell his wheat." He broke into
+a harsh laugh. "One must admit that the fellow has courage; but he won't
+find it easy to escape again. Every move of his will be watched."
+
+Gertrude sat very still for a few moments, her lips tightly pressed
+together. Then she made a gesture of weariness.
+
+"Oh," she said, "it's all so hard to bear! There's nothing but doubt and
+suspense; not a ray of comfort!"
+
+Getting up languidly she went out and left her father lost in thought.
+
+An hour or two afterward, Prescott sat near the stove in his homestead,
+moodily making entries in an account-book, when he heard voices in the
+passage and looked up with a start. The next moment the door opened and
+Muriel Hurst came in. His heart throbbed furiously at the sight of her;
+she looked excited and eager; her rich furs enhanced her charm. He
+thought she made a wonderfully attractive picture in the small, simply
+furnished room, but he laid a strong restraint upon himself as he rose.
+
+"I felt that I had to come; I wanted to show that your friends still
+trusted you," she said impulsively.
+
+He made no move to bring her a chair.
+
+"It was a generous thought, but, considering everything, I don't know
+that it was wise. Did you tell Colston or your sister that you were
+coming?"
+
+"No," she answered with a trace of confusion; "I left rather in a hurry."
+Then she broke into a forced laugh. "This isn't the welcome I expected!"
+
+Prescott's eyes gleamed.
+
+"You know I'm glad to see you."
+
+"Well," she said, sitting down with a hint of defiance in her air,
+"that's the most important thing; though the confession had to be
+extorted from you. It looked as if you wanted to get rid of me."
+
+"I felt I ought to."
+
+Muriel looked at him with amusement.
+
+"Duty against inclination! It's a pity the former was beaten. But aren't
+you falling into our way of thinking rather fast?"
+
+"That isn't strange. I've had English ideas impressed on me pretty
+forcibly during the last few months. But you made a statement that
+surprised me. Does Colston trust me?"
+
+"He wants to."
+
+"That implies a doubt. And your sister; is she on my side?"
+
+"She's reserving her opinion."
+
+"You can't say that the Jernynghams are convinced of my innocence."
+
+"No," said Muriel. "I think they're cruelly and unreasonably bitter."
+
+"Then that leaves only one person with unshaken faith." His eyes rested
+on the girl with deep gratitude and tenderness. "Miss Hurst, I think I
+may say it's quite enough."
+
+She looked up fearlessly, with heightened color.
+
+"We won't pay each other compliments. Will you tell me why you went
+away?"
+
+"Yes; I went to look for Cyril Jernyngham."
+
+Muriel made an abrupt movement and her eyes sparkled with relief which
+she did not try to hide.
+
+"Oh," she said, "that's such a complete explanation; it answers
+everything! But why didn't you tell people the reason you were going? You
+must have known that stealing away, as you did, would count against you!"
+
+"I told Miss Jernyngham."
+
+"Gertrude knew?" Muriel started. Then her face hardened. "After all, that
+doesn't matter; there are much more important things. You didn't find
+Cyril?"
+
+"I followed him across three provinces and lost him in the end."
+
+"Ah!" she said. "How unfortunate, how terribly disappointing! But tell me
+all you did; I'm not asking from mere curiosity." She hesitated. "I think
+you owe me that."
+
+He told her the story of his wanderings and what he had learned about
+Kermode's adventures. She listened with eager attention, and laughed now
+and then.
+
+"It's convincing on the face of it," she declared. "One feels that
+everything is exactly what Cyril Jernyngham must have done. Will you tell
+his father?"
+
+"No," Prescott answered gravely. "He wouldn't believe the tale."
+
+"But I feel it can't be doubted, after what I have heard of Cyril's
+character and his conduct in England."
+
+"You have an open mind. I think you hate injustice; you try to be fair.
+That, I guess, is why you came to see me."
+
+Muriel glanced at him sharply, and then smiled.
+
+"I suppose it was; I felt that you have been badly treated. But I only
+meant to stay a minute or two, and you seem to be busy."
+
+He did not deny it. Conscious as he was of her charm and his longing for
+her, he feared to detain her lest he should be driven into some rash
+avowal.
+
+"I'm very grateful for your confidence," he answered slowly.
+
+"Well," said Muriel, "I must go." She rose, but stood still a moment.
+"Mr. Prescott, it hurts me to see suspicion fall on my friends. You must
+clear yourself somehow."
+
+"Ah," he said moodily, "how am I to set about it?"
+
+"For one thing, you must not go away again. That would look bad." She
+hesitated. "And, from a few words I heard, I fear it would bring the
+police after you."
+
+"It seems very probable; I'll stay while I'm allowed," he said with some
+bitterness and turned toward the door with her. Then a little color crept
+into his face as she held out her hand. "Miss Hurst," he added, "you are
+a very staunch friend."
+
+Muriel smiled.
+
+"It really looks as if staunchness were one of my virtues; but you see I
+venture to act on my opinions without paying much attention to what other
+people think. After all, that would be foolish, wouldn't it?"
+
+Then she got into the sleigh and left him wondering what she could have
+meant. He knew her friends regarded him as a man of inferior station,
+who, if cleared from suspicion, might perhaps be tolerated so long as he
+recognized his limitations and did not presume. Had Muriel wished to hint
+that she differed from them in this respect? The thought of it set his
+heart to beating fast and when he went back to his books he found it
+singularly difficult to fix his mind on them.
+
+Muriel drove rapidly to the Leslie homestead and, reaching it after dark,
+joined the others at supper. During the meal, a reference to Jernyngham's
+interview with the police officer gave her the opportunity she was
+waiting for.
+
+"When Mr. Prescott went away it told badly against him, because people
+didn't know what his object was," she said.
+
+She fixed her eyes on Gertrude, but the latter's face was expressionless
+as she moved her plate.
+
+"He went to find Cyril," she added.
+
+Mrs. Colston looked up sharply; her husband started.
+
+"If true, it's a strong point in his favor," Colston declared.
+
+Gertrude still made no sign; but her father broke into an incredulous
+smile.
+
+"An excellent motive! It's a pity he didn't mention it before he went! It
+would have carried more weight then!"
+
+There was an awkward silence; and then Muriel said firmly:
+
+"Still, that was why he went away."
+
+Jernyngham looked hard at her and made a gesture which suggested that the
+matter would not bear discussion. Then Colston began to talk to her, and
+he was glad when the meal was finished. Muriel waited until she found
+Gertrude alone in her room.
+
+"You knew Mr. Prescott went to look for your brother, and yet you would
+not say a word," she said.
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed Gertrude sharply. "So you have seen him! You drove over
+this afternoon--one might have expected that."
+
+Muriel's eyes sparkled, but she answered calmly:
+
+"Yes, I went to see him; but you're evading the point. What reason could
+you have had for trying to injure an innocent man?"
+
+Gertrude made an uneasy movement.
+
+"Aren't you taking too much for granted? To begin with, his innocence is
+very doubtful."
+
+"Yet, I think you must have been convinced of it. That he told you why he
+was going proves that you were on friendly terms, which would have been
+impossible if you had thought him guilty. What has made you change?"
+
+The girl's voice was stingingly scornful. It looked as if she suspected
+something, and Gertrude broke into a cold smile.
+
+"Oh," she said, "the man is clever; he has a way of creeping into one's
+confidence. He appears to have had no trouble in gaining yours. After
+all, however, if my father is right, I have a duty to my brother's
+memory."
+
+"Your father is so possessed and carried away by an idea that one can
+almost forgive him his injustice and cruelty. You have not the same
+excuse!"
+
+Gertrude turned toward her with a formal manner.
+
+"I think you have gone far enough. Do you intend to tell the others what
+you have said to me?"
+
+"Oh, no," answered Muriel. "It would serve no purpose. But I feel that
+sooner or later you will be sorry for what you have done."
+
+Then she went out, leaving Gertrude alone with her reflections.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+WANDLE TAKES PRECAUTIONS
+
+
+Bright sunshine streamed down upon the glittering plain, tempering the
+frost, when Wandle stood outside his house one morning, wondering how he
+should employ himself during the day. He had hauled his wheat in to the
+elevators, and when that is done the western farmer has now and then some
+leisure, because the frozen ground renders many of his usual operations
+impossible. Wandle had a stack of cordwood ready cut, and though he
+needed some logs for an addition to his stable which he meant to build,
+the thinness of the snow, which had been disturbed by a strong wind,
+would make the work of hauling them home too difficult. He was, however,
+an active man, who rarely wasted time or money; and as he looked about,
+the ash-heap caught his eye. It was rather large and near his house, and
+he determined to remove it, now that he had nothing better to do.
+
+In a few minutes he was hard at work with a pick, and succeeded, with
+some difficulty, in breaking through the frozen crust. The moisture,
+however, had not penetrated far enough into the fine wood-ash for the
+rest to freeze, so that he was soon able to use the shovel and during the
+next half-hour he flung a quantity of the stuff into his wagon. As he did
+so he looked out for Jernyngham's cash-box, and grew surprised when it
+did not appear. When he had hauled the load away and deposited it in a
+swampy place he was getting anxious. The box could not have escaped his
+notice, because he had spread the ash thinly; he had, he thought, dug far
+enough into the pile to have reached it; but there was still no sign of
+it. This was disconcerting, and he worked until he had largely reduced
+the heap, and he scattered the next load so that every bit of rubbish
+among it could be seen. Then he stopped in dismay to think. He had
+certainly thrown the box among the ash, and it was gone; the only
+inference was that somebody had afterward dug it up and taken it away.
+
+Wandle realized this with a shock, but he was too keen-witted to give way
+to alarm and leave his task unfinished. He must remove the whole pile, in
+order to give no cause for suspicion that he had been excavating in
+search of something; and the sooner it was done the better. It was noon
+when the work was finished and he entered the house, where there was
+something else to be done. He was a methodical man and had a place for
+each of his belongings. He began by examining the position of every
+article in a cupboard. None seemed to have been disturbed, which was
+reassuring, and Wandle proceeded to empty a chest in which he kept his
+clothing. He had reached the bottom of it when a pair of light summer
+shoes caught his eye and his face became intent. They were not where he
+had placed them; he remembered having fitted them in between some other
+things at the opposite end of the chest. This confirmed his worst
+suspicions, but he carefully laid back each garment before he sat down to
+consider.
+
+It was obvious that the police had searched his house, and had taken the
+cash-box away, but he was careful not to let his fears overcome his
+judgment. The box was of a cheap and common pattern; it would be
+difficult to identify it as having belonged to Jernyngham. He was more
+troubled by the evidence that he was being watched by the police because
+it might result in their discovering the sale of land he had made. This
+must be guarded against, as the offense was serious, and would, moreover,
+connect him with Jernyngham's disappearance; but Wandle would not be
+driven into any rash and precipitate action by his alarm. He was a cool,
+ready-witted, avaricious man, who had found industry profitable, and he
+had no intention of leaving the farm he had spent so much work on. Flight
+would mean ruin: he could not dispose of his property before he went
+without attracting attention, and it would, in all probability, lead to
+his arrest. He must stay and face the matter out.
+
+First of all, he tried to estimate the risk of his being recognized as
+the man who had sold Jernyngham's land. If the suspicions of the agent he
+had dealt with were aroused, he might describe his customer to the
+police. Wandle was glad his appearance was by no means striking. When he
+sold the land, he had, however, worn a newly made suit of a rather vivid
+brown, which the man would probably remember. Wandle had bought it on a
+business visit to Brandon, which was a long way off, and the police could
+not have seen it when searching his house, because they had done so in
+his absence and when he left the farm to drive in to the settlement he
+had put on the clothes. There was a risk that somebody in Sebastian might
+remember how he was dressed, but, as he had been there only once or twice
+in the past few months, he did not think it was likely.
+
+The garments would have to be sacrificed, which was unfortunate, because
+clothing is dear in western Canada; but Wandle thought of a better means
+of getting rid of them, than destroying them. It was obvious that the
+suspicions of the police must fall on himself or Prescott, and he
+preferred that the latter should be implicated. After a while, he saw
+what could be done, provided there was wind enough to obliterate his
+footsteps in the snow or there should be another fall.
+
+He had to wait a few days; and then one evening he made up the clothes
+into a bundle, saddled a horse, and rode off across the prairie toward
+the Prescott homestead. It was very cold and he would have been more
+comfortable wrapped in a driving-robe in his buggy; but the moon now and
+then shone through the rifts in the clouds, and a rig could not be hidden
+or driven in among thick trees.
+
+A long bluff ran close up to the homestead, and when Wandle reached its
+outer end he got down and walked beside his horse, keeping the wood
+between him and the farm trail. It was important that he should not be
+seen. The horse would attract no attention, because Prescott had a
+number, and hardy, range-bred horses are often left to run loose through
+the winter. Still, clear moonlight streamed through between the slender
+trees, and there was a glow from the windows of the house. As Wandle drew
+nearer it he moved with greater caution. He was fortunate in having done
+so, for he stopped with a start as two black mounted figures cut against
+the sky not far in front of him. They were clearly visible as they
+crossed an opening, and though he stood in shadow beside a denser growth
+of trees his heart beat faster as he watched them. They were riding
+slowly, keeping out of view of the house, which was significant, because
+had they been neighbors of Prescott's returning from a visit to him they
+would have taken no trouble to avoid being seen. These were police
+troopers, watching the homestead.
+
+Presently one of them spoke to the other, and Wandle recognized Private
+Stanton's voice. Indeed, it was ominously distinct, and Wandle, standing
+very still with a firm hand on the bridle, passed a few anxious moments;
+a movement of his horse might betray him. The troopers, however, drew
+abreast without glancing toward him and the tension slackened as they
+slowly moved away. What they expected to find he could not tell, but he
+was on the whole pleased to see them hanging round the bluff. He waited a
+while after the faint sound they had made died away; and then, tying his
+horse to a branch, he crept quietly into the bluff.
+
+There were belts of shadow among the trees; he got entangled among nut
+bushes and thickets, but creeping on toward the house, he reached a more
+open space and found a hollow nearly filled with withered leaves. There
+he stopped, wondering whether it would be safe to strike a match; but he
+knew that something must be risked and he got a light and bent down,
+shielding it with his hands. The leaves lay thickly together, a foot or
+two in depth, and the place looked suitable for his purpose.
+
+A stream of light suddenly broke out from the door of the homestead and
+Wandle's hand closed quickly on the match; somebody was crossing from the
+house to the stable with a lantern. He could see the man's dark figure
+plainly, though he could not recognize him, and he waited until a door
+was noisily opened. Then he scraped the leaves aside and laid the brown
+clothes in the hollow. He stayed beside it until the man with the lantern
+returned to the house, and then he crept back through the bluff and led
+his horse toward its end, where he mounted and rode to the next farm.
+After spending an hour with its owner, arranging for a journey to a bluff
+where unusually large logs could be found, he rode home content.
+Everything had gone as he wished; there would, he thought, be snow enough
+before morning to cover any tracks he had left, and he could, if
+necessary, account for his having been in the neighborhood of the
+Prescott farm.
+
+During the next week, Wandle watched the weather, which continued fine
+after a few snow showers. A heavy fall might hide the clothes until
+spring, but he could think of no means of leading up to their discovery.
+To give the police a hint would fix their suspicions on himself, and he
+wondered how one could be conveyed to them indirectly. Chance provided
+him with an opportunity.
+
+Gertrude Jernyngham borrowed Leslie's team one afternoon and set out for
+a drive. Troubled as she was, she had of late found the strain of
+maintaining a tranquil demeanor before her friends growing too much for
+her, and it was trying to spend the greater portion of her time in
+Muriel's society. She was filled with a jealous hatred of the girl, and
+felt that it would be a relief to be alone a while. The air was still,
+bright sunshine flooded the plain, the thick driving-robe kept her
+comfortably warm; and, lost in painful thought, she had driven farther
+than she intended when she turned back. On doing so, she noticed that she
+had left the beaten trail and she looked about timidly. The sun was low,
+a gray dimness had crept across the eastern half of the prairie where the
+homestead lay and a piercing wind was springing up. There was nobody in
+sight and no sign of a house, and she could not remember which of the
+bluffs that stretched in wavy lines across the waste she had passed.
+
+She drove on toward the east, eagerly looking for the trail, while the
+horse broke through the thin snow-crust and the sleigh ran heavily, until
+she reached a slope leading to a frozen swamp. It was of some extent, and
+she grew anxious, for she had not seen the spot before. The country ahead
+was more broken, rolling in low rises with short pines on their summits,
+and it was with unfeigned satisfaction that she saw a man crossing one of
+the ridges. He answered when she called and in a few minutes she stopped
+close beside him. He was a tall man, wearing an old fur coat and
+dilapidated fur cap; a rancher, she thought.
+
+"Can you tell me where Leslie's house is?" she asked.
+
+"Sure," said Wandle, pointing toward the east. "But as it will be dark
+before you get there, you had better let me put you on the trail. You'll
+have to cross these sandhills, and as the snow's blown off in places,
+it's rough traveling."
+
+Gertrude thanked him, and she was glad that he led the team as they
+crossed the broken belt, picking out the smoothest course among the
+clumps of birches and low steep ridges. At times he had difficulty in
+urging the horses up a bank of frozen sand, but after a while he looked
+around at her.
+
+"You're Miss Jernyngham?" he said. "Guess you must have had a mighty
+trying time?"
+
+His tone was respectful and, though he was a stranger, Gertrude could not
+resent the allusion to her troubles. She had generally found the western
+ranchers blunt.
+
+"Yes," she replied; "my father and I have had much to bear."
+
+Wandle made a gesture of sympathy.
+
+"The mystery's the worst--it's easier to face a trouble one knows all
+about. What have the police been doing lately?"
+
+"I don't know; they have told us nothing for some time."
+
+"You find them kind of disappointing?"
+
+"I believe my father does."
+
+The man said nothing for a while, and then looked around again.
+
+"Well," he ventured, "it strikes me there's one man Curtis ought to keep
+his eye on."
+
+Gertrude started and Wandle studied her face. He was observant and quick
+to draw a conclusion, and he read something that surprised him in her
+eyes. It was, he thought, a deeper feeling than suspicion; Miss
+Jernyngham knew whom he meant and had some reason for being very bitter
+against Prescott.
+
+"Why do you say that?" she asked.
+
+"All I've heard looks black against him," he answered with an air of
+reflection. "What does your father think?"
+
+"He is perplexed and distressed," said Gertrude coldly, deciding that the
+man must not be allowed to go too far.
+
+Wandle guessed her thoughts, but he was not to be daunted.
+
+"That's natural. He must be anxious to learn the truth, and the police
+haven't found out much yet--looks as if they were getting tired."
+
+Gertrude hesitated, while he led the horses round a clump of birches. It
+was painful and undignified to discuss the matter with a stranger, but
+his manner was suggestive; she felt that he had something to tell.
+Perhaps it was her duty to encourage him, and her suspicions of Prescott
+drove her on. Wandle waited, knowing that she would speak.
+
+"Is there anything that might be useful they have neglected doing?"
+
+"It's hard to say. I'll allow that they've worked through the muskeg and
+the bluffs pretty thoroughly; but do you know if they've made a good
+search round Prescott's house?"
+
+"No," said Gertrude eagerly; "I can't tell you that. But why should they
+look there?"
+
+Wandle considered. It would be awkward if she mentioned that she had had
+a hint from him, but he did not think this would happen. There was a
+greater probability of her acting as if the idea had originated with her.
+He let the team stop and looked at her impressively.
+
+"It strikes me as quite a likely place. I've heard of people hiding
+things they wanted to get rid of in a bluff. You put it to your father
+and see how the notion strikes him."
+
+"I'll think of it," Gertrude replied coldly; but Wandle knew that she
+would do as he had suggested.
+
+He said nothing further until they had crossed another rise or two, when
+he stopped and pointed to a bluff not far away.
+
+"When you make those trees you'll strike the trail and it's pretty well
+beaten. It will take you straight in to Leslie's."
+
+Gertrude thanked him and drove on. It was getting dark, and a bitter wind
+swept the waste, but at first she was scarcely conscious of the cold, for
+her thoughts were busy. She felt that she had done wrong in allowing the
+man to make the suggestion. Somehow it seemed to involve her in a plot
+against Prescott; but of late she had tried to convince herself of his
+guilt. After all, it was her duty to have the fullest investigation made
+and the fellow had spoken in a significant manner. One could imagine that
+he knew more than he had said.
+
+Darkness closed in on the empty plain, the wind stung her face, the
+loneliness grew intense, and she began to shiver in a mood of black
+depression. The mystery of her brother's disappearance filled her with
+keen anxiety; now she could no longer believe Prescott's assurance that
+he was not dead. A little while ago she had trusted him and her cold
+nature had suddenly expanded in the warmth of love, but the transforming
+glow had suddenly died out, leaving her crushed, humiliated, and very
+bitter. Even if her fears about Cyril proved unfounded, she had nothing
+to look forward to except a life that had grown meaningless and dreary;
+the brief passion she had yielded to would never be stirred again. She
+was growing hard and cruel; her keenest desire was to punish the man who
+had, as she thought of it, deceived her.
+
+At length a light began to blink in the gloom ahead and soon afterward
+she got down at the homestead, feeling very cramped and cold; but an hour
+or two passed before she had an opportunity for speaking to her father
+alone. It was easy to lead him on to talk of Cyril's disappearance, and
+by and by she asked if the neighborhood of Prescott's homestead had been
+searched. He caught at the idea.
+
+"It's hard to understand why I didn't think of that!" he cried. "I have
+lost all confidence in Curtis. What he is doing, or if he means to let
+the matter drop, I don't know; but if Prescott has hidden anything that
+might tell against him, it will of course be in the bluff! I'll go over
+and examine every hollow among the bushes, without the police."
+
+His expression grew eager and Gertrude, knowing that she had said enough,
+left him quietly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+JERNYNGHAM MAKES A DISCOVERY
+
+
+A piercing wind swept the lonely waste when Jernyngham left the homestead
+in the afternoon. He went on foot, because it was no great distance to
+the Prescott farm, and he had no wish to attract notice by driving up in
+the sleigh. It was his intention to enter the bluff quietly a little
+while before it got dark and, after searching it, to walk home. By doing
+so he would run less risk of being seen, for it was undesirable that he
+should put Prescott on his guard. He had said nothing about his plan to
+any one except Gertrude, which was unfortunate, because Leslie, who could
+read the signs of the weather, would have dissuaded him.
+
+Jernyngham felt uneasy as he glanced across the plain. There was
+something unusual in the light: every clump of scrub and bush in the
+foreground stood out with a curious hard distinctness, though the
+distance was blurred and dim. There was no horizon; the bluffs a few
+miles off had faded into a hazy shapelessness. The sky was uniformly
+gray, except in the north, where it darkened to a deep leaden color; the
+cold struck through the man like a knife. He was, however, not to be
+deterred; snow was coming and a heavy fall might make an effective search
+impossible for the remainder of the winter. There was something
+inexorable in his nature; his views were narrow, but he was true to them
+and ruled himself and his dependents in accordance with a few fixed
+principles. This was why he had driven out his son, and was now with the
+same grim consistency bent on avenging him. He had a duty and he meant to
+discharge it, in spite of raging blizzard or biting frost. Indeed, if
+need be, he was willing to lay down the dreary life which had of late
+grown valueless to him. Yet he was not without tenderness, and as he
+plodded on over the frozen snow, he thought of the lost outcast with
+wistful regret.
+
+He reached the bluff, and stopped a few moments, slightly breathless,
+among the first of the trees. They were small and their branches cut in
+sharp, intricate tracery against the sky; farther back, the rows of
+slender trunks ran together in a hazy mass, though they failed to keep
+out the wind, and once or twice a fine flake touched the old man's face
+with a cold that stung. He pulled his fur cap lower down and set about
+the search. For half an hour he scrambled among thick nut bushes, kicking
+aside the snow beneath them here and there; and then he plunged knee-deep
+into the withered grass where a sloo had dried. The snow was thin in the
+wood, but it hid the iron-hard ground so that he could not tell if it had
+been disturbed. It was obvious that the chances were against his
+discovering anything, but he persevered, working steadily nearer to the
+homestead, of which he once or twice caught a glimpse where the trees
+were thinner.
+
+At length he stopped suddenly and cast a quick glance around. He had
+heard a sharp crack behind him, but it was not repeated and there was
+little to be seen. While he listened, the wind wailed among the branches
+and the sloo grass rustled eerily. The patch of sky above him was growing
+darker, and the wood looked, inexpressibly dreary; but as the light was
+going, there was more reason for his making use of it. Though he was
+getting tired, he pushed on; avoiding fallen trunks and branches where he
+could, and floundering through thickets, he came to a small hollow which
+traversed the bluff. As it was nearly filled with drifted snow, he
+stepped down upon its white surface and, breaking through, sank above his
+boots in withered leaves. These, he thought, would effectively hide
+anything laid among them until it rotted and crumbled into their decay.
+He followed up the hollow, kicking the snow aside. He fancied that he
+heard the snapping sound again; but he was too eager to feel much
+curiosity about the cause of it, and there was nothing to be seen. The
+light was dying out rapidly, heavy snow was coming, and he must make the
+best use of his time.
+
+After a while, his foot struck something which did not yield as the
+leaves had done, and dropping on his knees he dragged it out. A thrill of
+excitement ran through him as he saw that is was a suit of clothes and
+made out in the gathering dusk that their color was brown. Then, as he
+rose with grim satisfaction, he saw with a start two indistinct figures
+watching him a dozen yards away. They moved forward, and he recognized
+the first of them as Curtis.
+
+"Mr. Jernyngham?" said the corporal.
+
+"Yes," said Jernyngham. "Who did you think it was?"
+
+"Well," returned Curtis dryly, "we didn't expect to find you. What
+brought you here?"
+
+"I've been doing your work with more success than seems to have attended
+your efforts." He pointed to the clothes. "To my mind, this is
+conclusive."
+
+An icy blast that set them shivering went roaring through the wood, but
+they were too intent to heed it, and Curtis picked up one of the
+garments. He could see only that it was a jacket, for darkness was
+closing in suddenly.
+
+"I'll allow it's kind of suggestive," he admitted guardedly.
+
+Jernyngham broke into a contemptuous laugh.
+
+"How was the man who sold my son's land dressed?"
+
+"Smartly, in new clothes. The land agent remembered that they were a
+reddish brown."
+
+"That's the color of the thing in your hand. There was more light when I
+pulled it out of the leaves yonder. Are you convinced now?"
+
+"It's certainly enough to make one think."
+
+"To think, but not to act! You seem strangely content with the former!
+Isn't it plain that Prescott sold the land, and then, remembering that he
+had worn a suit of rather unusual color which might help to identify him,
+hid it in the bluff? Having other people in the house, he was, no doubt,
+afraid to burn the clothes."
+
+Curtis folded up the garments and laid them on his arm.
+
+"Well," he said, "it sounds quite probable; but there are discrepancies.
+I'll take these things along, and I guess you had better make for the
+homestead and ask them to let you in. We'll have a lively blizzard down
+on us very soon."
+
+The trees bent above him as he spoke, the wood was filled with sound, and
+fine flakes drove past in swirls. Then, as the wild gust subsided, they
+heard a galloping horse going by outside the bluff and Curtis swung
+sharply round toward his comrade.
+
+"It's that blamed ranger of yours broken loose!" he cried. "Get after him
+with my horse!"
+
+The next moment the police had vanished and Jernyngham was left alone,
+listening to the crackle of undergrowth, which was lost in a furious
+uproar as the wood was swept by another gust. Then the thrashing trees
+were blotted out by a white haze which stung his face with an intolerable
+cold and filled his eyes. For a minute or two he could see nothing,
+though he was conscious of a tumult of sound and broken twigs came
+raining down upon him; then, lowering his head, he stumbled forward
+between blurred trees, ignorant of where he was going. He struck one or
+two of the trees and blundered into thickets, but at last he struggled
+out of the wood and stopped for a few moments in dismay.
+
+The light had gone; he could scarcely see a yard ahead, through the thick
+white cloud that rushed past him. The wind buffeted him cruelly,
+threatening to fling him down; the awful cold dulled his senses. He had
+not intended to seek shelter at the homestead--the idea was repugnant--and
+he hardly thought he meant to do so now, but, overwhelmed by the blizzard,
+he could not stand still and freeze. Struggling heavily forward, he found
+himself in the open; all trace of the wood had vanished; he could not tell
+where he was heading, but he must continue moving to keep life in him. He
+could no longer reason collectedly. He had not been trained to physical
+endurance, and he was getting old; in the grip of the storm he was
+helpless. By and by his steps grew feebler and his breath harder to get.
+How long he stumbled on he could not remember; but at length he was
+sensible of a faint brightness in the snow ahead and he made toward it in
+a half-dazed fashion. It seemed to die out, leaving him in a state of dull
+despair, but a few moments later something barred his way and stretching
+out his mittened hand it fell upon the lapped boarding of a house. There
+must be a door, he reasoned, and he groped along the wall until his hand
+fell forward into a shallow recess. Then he knocked savagely.
+
+There was no response. The gale shrieked about the building, flinging the
+snow against it in clouds, and he realized that any noise he made was not
+likely to be heard. He fumbled for a latch, and found a knob which his
+numbed fingers failed to turn. Then in a fury he struck the door again,
+each blow growing feebler than the last, until the cold overcame him and
+he slipped down into the snow. He could not get up; even the desire to do
+so grew fainter, and he sank into oblivion.
+
+It did not last, however, and the return to consciousness was agonizing.
+A strong light shone about him, though he could see nothing clearly, and
+he felt as if a boiling fluid were trying to creep through his
+half-frozen limbs; his hands and feet, in particular, tingled beyond
+endurance, which, had he known it, was a favorable sign. Then somebody
+gave him a hot drink and he heard voices which he vaguely recognized,
+though he could not tell to whom they belonged. A little later, he was
+lifted up and carried into a different room, where somebody laid him down
+and wrapped clothing about him. The tingling pain passed away, he felt
+delightfully warm, and that was all that he was conscious of as he sank
+into heavy slumber.
+
+It was daylight when he awakened, clear-headed and comfortable, and
+recognized the room as the one he had previously occupied in Prescott's
+house. It was obvious that he had slept for twelve or fourteen hours; and
+seeing his clothes laid out, dry, upon a chair, he got up and dressed.
+Then he went down to the living-room, where Prescott rose as he came in.
+
+"You don't look much the worse," the rancher said. "You had a fortunate
+escape."
+
+"How did I get here?" Jernyngham asked, leaning on the back of a chair,
+for he felt shaky still.
+
+"That's more than I can tell. Svendsen found you outside the door when he
+tried to get across to the stable. You couldn't have been there long: a
+few minutes, I guess, though we didn't hear you. Do your feet and hands
+feel right?"
+
+Jernyngham was glad that his host made no inquiries as to what had
+brought him into the neighborhood.
+
+"Thank you, yes," he said. "I must assure you that I had no intention of
+seeking shelter in your house."
+
+"So I should imagine," Prescott answered smiling. "However, there ought
+to be a truce between even the deadliest enemies where there's a blizzard
+raging and the temperature's forty below. Though I can't say you have
+treated me well, I'm glad you didn't get frozen, and if you'll sit down,
+I'll tell Mrs. Svendsen to bring you in some breakfast."
+
+"With what there is between us, you could hardly expect me to sit at your
+table."
+
+"That's a comfortable chair you have your hand on. Bring it nearer the
+stove and let's try to look at the thing sensibly," Prescott persuaded.
+"I'll confess that I'd have excused your visit, if it could have been
+avoided, but as you already owe Svendsen and me something, it would be
+rather forcing matters for you to drive away hungry. That strikes me as
+about the limit of wrong-headedness, particularly as I'm not suggesting
+that we should make friends."
+
+The elder man was possessed by a fixed idea and his prejudices were
+strong, but he was, nevertheless, a judge of character, and the rancher's
+manner impressed him. He took the chair.
+
+"I believe I owe my life to you or your hired man. I find the situation
+embarrassing."
+
+"It would be intolerable, if you were not mistaken about another point,"
+Prescott said calmly. "Now I want your attention. I'm not anxious for
+your good opinion--I don't know that I'd take it as a gift, after the way
+you have persecuted me--but I've a pity for you that softens my
+resentment."
+
+Jernyngham moved abruptly, but Prescott raised his hand.
+
+"Let me get through! I believe you're honest; you're acting from a sense
+of duty, which is why I tell you that you're tormenting yourself without
+a cause. I had no hand in your son's disappearance, and it's my firm
+conviction that he's alive now and wandering through British Columbia
+with a mineral prospector."
+
+"What proof have you of this?"
+
+"None that would satisfy you; nothing but my word, and I give you that
+solemnly. Make your own inquires among my neighbors whether it's to be
+believed."
+
+For several moments Jernyngham fixed his eyes on him, and his suspicions
+began to melt away. Truth had rung in Prescott's voice and it was stamped
+on his face; no man, he thought, could lie and look as this rancher did.
+Even the discovery of the brown clothes appeared less damaging.
+
+"Then there's much to be explained," he said slowly.
+
+"That's so. It will all come to light some day. And now, it's a bitter
+morning, the drifts are deep, and the trail lost in snow; Svendsen will
+have some trouble in driving you to Leslie's, and you can't go without
+food."
+
+Prescott called to Mrs. Svendsen, and she presently brought in breakfast.
+Jernyngham ate a little before he got into the buggy and was driven away.
+He reached the Leslie homestead greatly disturbed. The painful mystery
+was as deep as ever, but he was inclined to think he had been following a
+false clue; the man on whom all his suspicions had centered might be
+innocent. It was so seldom that he changed his mind that he felt lost in
+a maze of doubt, and in his perplexity he told Gertrude what he had found
+and related his conversation with Prescott. They were alone and she
+listened with fixed attention, studiously hiding her feelings behind an
+inscrutable expression.
+
+"I don't know what to think; for perhaps the first time in my life, I'm
+utterly at a loss and need a lead," he said. "Everything we have learned
+about the man tells against him, and yet I felt I could not doubt his
+unsupported assurance. There was a genuine pride in the way he referred
+me to his neighbors for his character for truthfulness and one must admit
+that a number of them have an unshakable belief in him. Then Colston's
+wavering; and Muriel has shown her confidence in the fellow in a striking
+manner."
+
+"Ah!" said Gertrude sharply. "You have noticed that?"
+
+"I could hardly fail to do so. It is no affair of mine and perhaps a
+breach of good manners to mention it, but if I were in Colston's place, I
+should feel disturbed about the way in which his sister-in-law has taken
+Prescott's part."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"The reason should be obvious. Leaving the man's guilt or innocence out
+of the question, there is his position; I needn't enlarge on it. Muriel's
+family is an old and honored one; it would be insufferable that she
+should break away from its traditions. Then we know what her upbringing
+has been. Could one calmly contemplate her throwing herself away on a
+working farmer?"
+
+He had appealed to his daughter's strongest prejudices, which had for a
+while sunk into abeyance and then sprung into life again. All that he had
+said about Muriel applied with equal force to her. She had yielded to a
+mad infatuation, and returning sanity had brought her a crushing sense of
+shame. She might have made a costly sacrifice for the rancher's sake,
+flinging away all she had hitherto valued; she had sought him, humbled
+herself to charm him, and he had never spared a tender thought for her.
+Despising herself, her jealous rage and wounded pride could only be
+appeased by his punishment.
+
+"Prescott," she said coldly, "is a dangerous man; I have never met
+anybody so insinuating and plausible. When he speaks to you, it's very
+hard to disbelieve him; his manner's convincing."
+
+"I felt that," said her father with a troubled air.
+
+"Then shouldn't it put you on your guard, and make you test his
+statements? Is it wise to let them influence you before they're
+confirmed?"
+
+"It was foolish of me to be impressed; but still----"
+
+Gertrude checked him.
+
+"With us suspicion is a duty. Try to think! Cyril had his failings, but
+you were harsh to him. You showed him no pity; you drove him out."
+
+"It's true," admitted Jernyngham in a hoarse voice. "I've regretted it
+deeply."
+
+She knew she had not appealed in vain to her father's grief and she meant
+to work upon his desire for retribution.
+
+"Cyril came here and fell into Prescott's hands. Instead of his meeting
+Colston, the rancher personated him. He was the last man to see him; he
+knew where he had hidden his money; soon afterward he bought a costly
+machine."
+
+"I know all this," said Jernyngham wearily.
+
+"There seems to be some danger of your forgetting it! Let me go on!
+Prescott took over control of Cyril's farm. He passed himself off for him
+a second time and sold land of his; you found the clothes he wore hidden
+near his house. Could you have any proofs more conclusive?"
+
+Jernyngham flung her a swift glance.
+
+"You believed him once. You are very bitter now."
+
+"Yes," she said, "I have admitted that he is plausible; he deceived me.
+Perhaps that has made me more relentless; but I have lost my brother, and
+I loved him."
+
+Her father's face grew very stern, and he clenched his hand.
+
+"I have lost my son, and I wronged him."
+
+Then there was silence for a few moments; but Gertrude knew she had
+succeeded. Her father had been wavering, but she had stirred him to
+passion, and his thoughts had suddenly returned to the groove they would
+not leave again. The fixed idea had once more possessed him; unavailing
+sorrow and longing for justice would drive him on along the course he had
+chosen.
+
+"You have reminded me of my duty," he said with grim forcefulness. "I
+shall not fail in it."
+
+Then he got up and left her sitting still, lost in painful reflection.
+His motives were honest and blameless; but she had not this consolation.
+She tried to find comfort in the thought that if Prescott were innocent,
+he had nothing to fear.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+A NIGHT RIDE
+
+
+It was six o'clock in the evening. Curtis had just finished his supper
+and sat drowsily content in his quarters at the police post after being
+out in the frost all day. The temperature had steadily fallen since
+morning and the cold was now intensified by a breeze that drove scattered
+clouds across the moon and flung fine snow against the board walls, but
+the stove, which glowed a dull red, kept the room comfortable. A nickeled
+lamp shed down a cheerful light, and the tired corporal looked forward to
+a long night's rest. Private Stanton sat near him, cleaning a carbine.
+
+"It's curious you have heard nothing from Regina since you sent up those
+clothes," he remarked. "It looked pretty bad for Prescott."
+
+"I don't know," said Curtis. "Have you ever seen him with that suit on?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Nor has anybody else, so far as I can learn. There's another point--the
+land agent talked of a tall, stoutish man. You wouldn't call Prescott
+that."
+
+"Those clothes were 'most as good as new; he might have only had them on
+the once," Stanton persisted.
+
+"That's what struck me; I don't know how they looked so good, if they'd
+been lying where Jernyngham found them, since last summer."
+
+"It's a thing I might have thought of."
+
+"You have a good deal to learn yet." Curtis smiled tolerantly.
+
+"Anyhow, I found you a photograph of Prescott, and you were glad to send
+it along to Regina. What do you think our bosses are doing about it?"
+
+"Lying low, like sensible men; the more we find out about this case, the
+more puzzling it gets. You think you have pretty good eyes, don't you?"
+
+"They're as good as anybody's I've come across yet."
+
+"Well, you searched the bluff several times in daylight and didn't see
+those clothes. Jernyngham comes along when it is getting dark and finds
+them. How do you account for that?"
+
+"I've quit guessing; I'll leave the thing to you. Anyhow, I've had about
+enough of Jernyngham; talked to me like a sergeant instructor last time I
+met him, and you'd have felt proud if you'd seen the way he smiled when I
+told him he had better go to you."
+
+"We'll leave it at that," said Curtis. "The man's making me tired, and
+he's worse than he was a month ago. Where's that Brandon paper?"
+
+While Stanton looked for it there was a sound of wheels and a hail
+outside, and a stinging draught swept in when the trooper opened the
+door. A fur-wrapped man sat in a wagon holding up an envelope.
+
+"For Curtis; come for it," he said. "Operator asked me to bring it along.
+I'm 'most too cold to get down and I can't let the team stand."
+
+The envelope slipped from his numbed fingers as Stanton tried to take it.
+
+"Dropped near the wheel. My hand's 'most frozen, though I've good thick
+mittens on. It's about the coldest night I've been out in."
+
+He drove on, and Stanton hurried in and flung the door to before he
+handed the telegram to Curtis.
+
+When the corporal opened it his face grew intent.
+
+"It's from Sergeant Crane," he said. "Glover was seen this morning near
+Norton, heading east on the Sand Belt trail."
+
+Stanton's face fell. He had been in the saddle the greater part of the
+day, and the prospect of spending the night in pursuit of Glover did not
+appeal to him, though he knew it could not be avoided. The man was a
+notorious thief, whose last exploit had shown some ingenuity. Appearing
+at the house of a prosperous farmer, he had shown him a letter from a
+railroad contractor asking for the use of his best Clydesdale team on
+tempting terms. The farmer let the horses go and saw no more of them,
+while the contractor repudiated the letter. Glover was also supposed to
+have had a hand in one or two more serious affairs.
+
+"I guess we'll have to get after him," said the trooper. "Where'll he
+make for?"
+
+"Jepson's, sure. I don't know another house near the Sand Belt he could
+reach to-night, and Jepson's most as slippery a tough as Glover is."
+
+"It's a mighty long ride," said Stanton, "My ranger will stand for it; I
+don't know about your gray."
+
+"He'll have to make it," Curtis answered shortly. "Get your saddle on."
+
+When Stanton went out Curtis stood up regretfully, for he was aching from
+a long journey in the stinging cold and the room looked very comfortable.
+An effort was required to leave it, and he had not much expectation of
+making a capture that would stand to his credit. Jepson and his brother
+were cunning rogues; Glover had escaped once or twice already, and Curtis
+realized that the chances were in favor of his returning after a
+fruitless ride. Nevertheless, his duty was plain; he had been trained to
+disregard fatigue and most physical weaknesses, and he went out
+resignedly into the arctic frost.
+
+They set off a few minutes later, and Curtis had the depressing feeling
+that he was riding a worn-out mount, though there was some consolation in
+the thought that the range of the service carbine might, in case of
+necessity, make up for his lack of speed. When he met the biting north
+wind that swept the plain the warmth seemed to leave his body; his
+mittened hands stiffened on the bridle, and it was only resolution that
+kept him in the saddle. He would run less risk of frost-bite if he
+walked, but time would not permit this and the claims of the service are
+more important than the loss of a trooper's feet or hands. If he were
+crippled and incapacitated, there was a small pension; it was his
+business to face the risks of the weather.
+
+They rode on with lowered heads, fine snow stinging their faces now and
+then, and though its touch was inexpressibly painful they were glad they
+retained the power of feeling. When that went, more serious trouble would
+begin. For a while a half moon shone down, and their black shadows sped
+on before them across the glittering plain, but by and by clouds drove up
+and the prairie grew dim. It changed to a stretch of soft grayish-blue,
+with the trail they followed running across it a narrow stretch of darker
+color. The light, however, was not wholly obscured; they could see a
+bluff stand out, a bank of shadow, a mile away. Once they saw the
+cheerful lights of a farm in the distance and a longing for warmth and
+the company of their fellow-creatures seized them, but this was a desire
+that must be subdued, and, leaving the beaten trail they pressed on into
+the waste. Save for the faint, doleful sound the wind made it was
+dauntingly silent and desolate. There was not a bush to break its gray
+surface, and the frost was intense. They bore it uncomplainingly for an
+hour or two, and then Stanton broke out:
+
+"I'll have to get down or I'll lose my foot! I'll run a while beside my
+horse and then catch you up."
+
+Curtis nodded and trotted on, breasting the wind which, so far as he
+could judge from his sensations, was turning him into ice. He could hear
+Stanton behind him, but that was the only sound of life in the vast
+desolation. After a while the trooper came up at a gallop, and Curtis
+called to him sharply:
+
+"Any better?"
+
+"No feeling in my foot yet," said Stanton. "I'm anxious about it, but I
+couldn't drop too far behind you. We have no time to lose."
+
+"That's so," Curtis answered. "Glover will pull out from Jepson's long
+before morning. He won't rest much until he's a day's ride from the
+nearest post."
+
+They went on, and some time later the moon shone through again, flooding
+the plain with light. It was welcome because they were now entering the
+Sand Belt where scrub trees were scattered among little hills. Pushing
+through it, they came to a taller ridge late at night, and Curtis drew
+bridle on its summit. A faint, warm gleam appeared on the snow about a
+mile away.
+
+"Jepson's," said Curtis. "Looks as if he had some reason for sitting up
+quite a while after he ought to be in bed."
+
+Stanton glanced thoughtfully down the slope in front. It was smooth and
+unbroken, a long, gradual descent, and he knew the farm stood on the flat
+at its foot. A straggling poplar bluff grew close up to the back of the
+buildings, but there was nothing that would cover the approach of the
+police, and he had no doubt that a watch was being kept.
+
+"It's a pity the moon's so bright," he remarked. "There's a cloud or two
+driving up, but I don't know that they'll cover it."
+
+"We can't wait. This is my notion--you'll turn back a piece and work down
+to the ravine that runs east behind the homestead. Stop when you can find
+cover and watch out well. I'll have to ride straight in."
+
+"You want to be careful. There'll be three of them in the place, counting
+Glover, and they're a tough crowd."
+
+Curtis smiled.
+
+"Jepson has a pretty long head. He'll bluff, if he can, but he won't get
+himself into trouble for his partner. The thing's not serious enough for
+that."
+
+"Anyway, you want to keep your eye on them," Stanton persisted.
+"Glover'll sure make for the ravine if he breaks out."
+
+Turning his horse, he disappeared behind the ridge, while Curtis rode on
+toward the farm. Glancing up at the moon, he saw that the clouds were
+nearer it, though he could not be certain that they would obscure the
+light. This was unfortunate, because he knew that he and his horse would
+stand out sharply against the smooth expanse of snow. The light ahead
+grew brighter as he trotted on, urging his jaded mount in order to give
+the inmates of the homestead as short a warning as possible. Suddenly
+another patch of brightness appeared. It was a narrow streak at first,
+but it widened into an oblong and then went out. Somebody had opened the
+door of the homestead, and the next moment the first gleam faded and all
+was dark. Curtis was inclined to think this a mistake on Jepson's part,
+but he kept a very keen watch as the buildings grew into plainer shape
+against the shadowy bluff. He knew he must have been visible some minutes
+earlier.
+
+At length he rode up to the little square house, which rose abruptly from
+the plain without fence or yard. It was dark and silent, and he was glad
+to remember that it had only one door, though there were one or two
+buildings close behind it. He was so numbed that it was difficult to
+dismount, but he got down clumsily and beat on the door for several
+minutes without getting an answer. This confirmed his suspicions, for he
+was convinced that Jepson had heard his vigorous knocking. Then the
+moonlight, which might have been useful now, died away, and the plain
+faded into obscurity. Curtis was making another attack on the door when a
+window above was flung up and a man leaned out, holding what looked
+suggestively like a rifle.
+
+"Stand back from that door!" he cried. "What in thunder do you want?"
+
+"Drop your gun!" said Curtis. "Come down right now and let me in!"
+
+"I guess not! If you don't light out of this mighty quick, you'll get
+hurt!"
+
+"Quit fooling, Jepson! You know who I am!"
+
+"Seem to know your voice now," said the other, leaning farther out. "Why,
+it's Curtis!" He laid down the rifle and laughed. "You were near getting
+plugged. Figured you were one of those blamed rustlers--the country's
+full of them--Barton back at the muskeg lost a steer last week. What I
+want to know is--why the police don't get after them? Guess it would be
+considerably more useful than walking round the stations with a quirt
+under your arm."
+
+The man was not talkative as a rule, and Curtis surmised that he wished
+to delay him.
+
+"Come down!" he said sternly.
+
+"I'll be along quick as I can," the other answered, and shut the window.
+
+While he waited, Curtis listened with strained attention. He was inclined
+to think that Glover had already left the house, which must nevertheless
+be searched, but he could hear nothing except the dreary wail of wind in
+the neighboring bluff. His fingers were so numbed that he could scarcely
+hold his carbine, his horse stood wearily with drooping head, and when a
+minute or two had passed Curtis struck the door violently. It opened, and
+Jepson stood in the entrance, holding a lamp.
+
+"All alone?" he remarked good-humoredly. "Where's your partner? But come
+in; it's fierce to-night."
+
+"Then stand out of my way. I've come for Glover."
+
+Jepson laughed.
+
+"Looked as if you were after somebody. He isn't here, but you had better
+see for yourself. Walk right in; you're welcome to find him."
+
+The house contained four small rooms, which had nothing in them that
+would hide a man, and in a minute or two Curtis sprang out of the door
+and scrambled to his saddle. He did not think Glover would seek refuge in
+any of the outbuildings, and he rode toward the thin bluff that hid the
+ravine. The man might have reached the trees, unseen, by keeping the
+house between himself and the slope down which Curtis had come. He had
+not left the house long before he heard the sharp drumming of a gallop,
+and drove his horse at the belt of timber. All had turned out as he had
+expected. Stanton had headed off Glover as he slipped away down the
+ravine, and the outlaw had broken out to the north, making for a tract of
+lonely, bluff-strewn country. He was now between the corporal and the
+trooper, and his capture might be looked for, provided that Curtis's
+mount could bear a sharp gallop, which was doubtful.
+
+The sides of the ravine were steep and clothed with brush, there were
+fallen logs in the fringing bluff, but Curtis urged his jaded horse
+mercilessly toward the timber, and went through it with rotten branches
+smashing under him. Once or twice the beast stumbled, but it kept its
+feet, and in a few more moments they reeled down the declivity. A fall
+might result in the rider's getting a broken leg and afterward freezing
+to death, but Curtis took risks of this nature lightly, and, reaching the
+bottom safely, somewhat to his surprise, he struggled up the opposite
+ascent.
+
+From the summit he saw two dark, mounted figures pressing across the open
+plain some distance apart. By riding straight out from the ravine he
+thought that he could cut off the leader. His weariness had fallen from
+him, the mad drumming of hoofs fired his blood, and as he burst out of
+the timber at a gallop the moon came through. The fugitive seemed to hear
+him, for he altered his course a little--he could not swerve much without
+approaching Stanton--and for a few minutes Curtis shortened the distance
+between them. Then his horse began to flag; it looked as if Glover might
+escape, after all, though he must still draw nearer to the trooper before
+he got away.
+
+Curtis, roughly calculating speed and distance, pulled up his horse.
+Springing from the saddle, he flung himself down in the snow, and for a
+few seconds gripped his carbine tight. Then there was a flash and little
+spirts of snow leaped up one after another ahead of the outlaw. Curtis
+pressed down the rear sight and fired again; but Glover was still riding
+hard, with Stanton dropping behind him. At the third shot Glover's horse
+went down in a struggling heap, hiding its rider. A few moments later the
+man reappeared, and began to run, but he stopped as Stanton came down on
+him at a gallop, and Curtis got up hastily. Glover made a sign of
+submission, and the next minute Stanton sprang to the ground beside him.
+
+"Hold up your hands!" he ordered sharply, and there was a clink as the
+irons snapped to.
+
+After that the trooper turned to Curtis, who was hurrying toward them.
+
+"Lend me your carbine; mine's clean."
+
+He walked to the fallen horse, which was struggling feebly, and, stooping
+down he examined it. Then there was a crash and a puff of smoke, and he
+rejoined the corporal.
+
+"Nothing else that could be done," he explained.
+
+Curtis spoke to the prisoner.
+
+"Come along. You had better not try to break away."
+
+They went back to the homestead where they found Jepson waiting for them.
+He looked disturbed.
+
+"I told you he wasn't here," he said. "How was I to know he was hiding in
+the ravine?"
+
+Curtis gave him a searching glance.
+
+"We'll consider that later. I want your team and wagon, some blankets,
+and driving-robes."
+
+"Am I bound to outfit the police?"
+
+"I guess you had better. Your record's none too good."
+
+He led his prisoner into the kitchen, where the stove was burning, and,
+laying his carbine on the table, he loosed the handcuffs and bade the man
+take off his long coat.
+
+"Go through his pockets, Stanton," he said.
+
+The trooper did as he was told, but nothing of any importance was
+produced. The man was not armed, and there were only a few silver coins
+and bills for small amounts in his possession. Curtis stood wearily,
+regarding him with a thoughtful smile.
+
+"Where did you get that jacket, Glover?" he asked.
+
+"Where do you generally get such things? At the store."
+
+"Just so," said Curtis. "I can't see why you didn't buy one that fitted
+you." He turned suddenly to Jepson. "Bring me his jacket."
+
+The farmer made an abrupt movement, and then seemed to pull himself up,
+and stood still.
+
+"I've no use for that kind of fooling; he has it on!"
+
+"I don't think so," said Curtis meaningly. "Give Stanton a light and
+he'll look for it."
+
+The trooper came back in a few minutes with a garment which he had found
+under a bed, and Curtis bade him put it on the prisoner.
+
+"Right size, same stuff as the trousers, and worn about as much," he
+remarked. "Now you can take it off and search it."
+
+There was nothing in the pockets, but after a careful examination Stanton
+felt a lump inside the lining. He ripped that, and took out a wad of
+carefully folded bills. On opening them, he found that they were for
+twenty dollars each, and clean. The corporal's face grew suddenly intent.
+
+"Where did you get them?" he asked.
+
+"You can find out!" muttered Glover, who had shown signs of dismay.
+
+Curtis turned to Jepson.
+
+"It looks as if he trusted you farther than I would; but harness your
+team quick, and if your brother's hanging round outside, tell him that
+he'll run up against trouble if he interferes."
+
+They sat down and waited until the farmer brought a wagon to the door,
+and then they drove away through the stinging cold with their prisoner.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+MURIEL PROVES OBDURATE
+
+
+Some time after leaving Jepson's Curtis was joined by two police
+troopers, despatched by the sergeant who had telegraphed to him. He
+handed over his prisoner and the wagon to them, though he asked
+permission to keep the wad of bills. Then Stanton unhitched the jaded
+horses from the back of the vehicle, and while the others drove back to
+the west he and Curtis rode on to the post. Reaching it, half frozen, in
+the morning, they filled up the stove and went to sleep until supper
+time. When the meal was over they sat down to smoke and talk.
+
+Stanton felt lazily good-humored. A sound sleep had refreshed him, and
+though his limbs still ached, he was enjoying the pleasant, physical
+reaction which usually succeeds fatigue and exposure to the arctic frost.
+What was better, he had assisted in the successful completion of an
+arduous piece of work. Curtis lay back in a chair opposite him, pipe in
+mouth, his expression suggesting quiet satisfaction.
+
+"Toes feeling pretty good?" he inquired by and by.
+
+"I'm glad to say they are, though I thought I was in for trouble,"
+Stanton said with a deprecatory smile. "I allow that frost-bite's a thing
+I'm easy scared about, after the patrol I made with Stafford through the
+northern bush last winter. Got his foot wet with mushy snow crossing a
+rapid where the ice was working, and it froze bad; had to pack him the
+last two hundred miles on the sled, with the dogs getting used up, and
+the grub running out. They paid him off at Regina and sent him home; but
+Stafford will never put on an ordinary boot again."
+
+"A frozen foot's bad enough, if you have to walk until it galls," Curtis
+admitted. "A hand's easier looked after, though I've three fingers I'm
+never quite sure of. That's one reason it took so much shooting before I
+plugged Glover's horse."
+
+"You were pretty cute about his jacket," Stanton remarked.
+
+"That was easy enough. The thing was too big for him and newer than his
+trousers. Soon as I noticed it, I knew I'd dropped on to something worth
+following up."
+
+"I can't see what you made of it, and you haven't told me yet."
+
+"I was too dog-goned cold and tired to talk; wanted to make the post and
+get to sleep. However, though I gave Crane's boys no hint, I'll show you
+what I've been figuring on. Consider yourself a jury and tell me how it
+strikes you. You have as much intelligence as the general run of them."
+
+"If I hadn't any more than the kind of jurymen we're usually up against,
+I'd quit the service," Stanton declared.
+
+The corporal's eyes twinkled.
+
+"If you'll learn to think and not hustle, you'll make a useful man some
+day. Anyhow, the first thing I caught on to was that Glover had taken off
+his jacket because there was something in it he didn't want us to find.
+Next, that it was money or valuables, because he could have put any small
+thing into the stove or hid it in the snow before he lit out. Now, Glover
+knew it was kind of dangerous to leave his jacket with Jepson, who might
+find the bills, and as he couldn't tell you were in the ravine he must
+have thought he had a good chance of getting clear away; but, for all
+that, he wouldn't risk taking the wad along. Guess there's only one
+explanation--he'd a reason for being mighty afraid of those bills falling
+into our hands. That was plain enough when I asked him about his jacket."
+
+"Yes," Stanton said thoughtfully; "I guess you have got it right. But
+what was his reason? He knows Crane can have him sent up for
+horse-stealing."
+
+Curtis, opening a drawer, took out a slip of paper with some numbers on
+it, and then laid the wad of bills on the table.
+
+"Twenty dollars each, Merchants' Bank, and quite clean," he said.
+
+"It was a five-dollar bill on the same bank we found at the muskeg!"
+cried Stanton, starting.
+
+"It was." Curtis took up the list. "Now here are the numbers of the
+twenty-dollar bills Morant at Sebastian got from the bank a day or two
+before he made the deal with Jernyngham; it was with those bills he paid
+him the night he disappeared." He paused and added significantly, "I
+guess we have got some of them here."
+
+This proved to be correct when they had compared them with the list. Then
+Curtis leaned back in his chair and filled his pipe.
+
+"It's a mighty curious case," he remarked.
+
+"Sure," replied Stanton. "You get no farther with it. You have points
+against three different men, and it's pretty clear that they haven't been
+working together. They can't all have killed the man."
+
+"That's true. Well, I've made a report for Regina, and they'll keep
+Glover safe until we want him. I can't tell what our chiefs will do; but
+as Glover's not likely to tell them anything, I guess they'll hold this
+matter over until we find out more." He locked up the money. "Now we'll
+quit talking about it. I want to give my mind a rest."
+
+Curtis had few of the qualities needed for the making of a great
+detective; he was merely a painstaking, determined man, with a capacity
+for earnest work, which is perhaps more useful than genius in the ranks
+of the Northwest Police. He could tirelessly follow the dog-sleds,
+sometimes on the scantiest rations, for hundreds of miles over the snow,
+sleeping in the open in the arctic frost. He had made long forced marches
+to succor improvident settlers starving far out in the wilds; in the
+fierce heat of summer he made his patrols, watching the progress of the
+grass-fires, sternly exacting from the ranchers the plowing of the needed
+guards; and cattle-thieves prudently avoided the district that he ruled
+with firm benevolence. The man was a worthy type of his people, the new
+nation that is rising in the West: forceful, steadfast, direct, and, as a
+rule, devoid of mental subtleties. He admitted that the Jernyngham
+mystery, every clue to which broke off as he began to follow it, was
+harassing him.
+
+While he spent the evening, lounging in well-earned leisure beside the
+stove, Mrs. Colston was talking seriously to her sister in a room of the
+Leslie homestead. Owing to the number of its inmates, she had found it
+difficult to get a word with the girl alone, and now that an opportunity
+had come, she felt that she must make the most of it.
+
+"Muriel," she said, "do you think it's judicious to speak so strongly in
+Prescott's favor as you have done of late? You were rude to Gertrude last
+night."
+
+The girl colored. She had, as a matter of fact, lost her temper, which
+was generally quick.
+
+"I hate injustice!" she broke out. "Gertrude and her father make such an
+unfair use of everything they can find against him, and I think
+Gertrude's the worse of the two." She looked hard at her sister. "She
+shows a rancor against the man which even the disappearance of her
+brother doesn't account for."
+
+The same idea had occurred to Mrs. Colston, but it was a side issue and
+she was not to be drawn away from the point.
+
+"You stick to the word disappearance," she said.
+
+"Yes," Muriel answered steadily. "Cyril Jernyngham isn't dead!"
+
+"You have only Prescott's word for that."
+
+Muriel made no answer for a few moments; then she looked up with a
+resolute expression.
+
+"I'm satisfied with it!"
+
+Her sister understood this as a challenge. She had indulged in hints and
+indirect warnings, and they had been disregarded. The situation now
+needed more drastic treatment.
+
+"That," she said, "is a significant admission; I can't let it pass. Your
+prejudice in favor of the man has, of course, been noticeable; you have
+even let him see it. Don't you realize what damaging conclusions one
+might draw from it?"
+
+"Damaging?" Muriel's eyes were fixed on her sister, though her face was
+hot. "As you have been thinking of all this for some time, perhaps you
+had better explain and get it over."
+
+Mrs. Colston leaned forward with a severe expression.
+
+"I feel that some candor is necessary. You have taken the man's side
+openly; you have sympathized with him; I might even say that you have led
+him on."
+
+Muriel's wayward temperament drove her to the verge of an outbreak, but
+with an effort at self-control, she sat still, and her sister resumed:
+
+"Besides his lying under suspicion, the man is a mere working farmer,
+imperfectly educated, forced to live in a most primitive manner, thinking
+of nothing but his crops and horses."
+
+"He is not imperfectly educated! As a matter of fact, he knows more about
+most things than we do; but that's not important. Mind, I'm admitting
+nothing of all that you suggest, but you might have said that I'm a
+penniless girl, living on your husband's charity. I must confess that he
+gives it very willingly."
+
+"That is precisely why I'm anxious about your future." Mrs. Colston's
+voice softened to a tone of genuine solicitude. "Of course, we are glad
+to have you--Harry has always been fond of you--but, for your sake, I
+could wish you a completer life in a home of your own. But so much
+depends on the choice you make."
+
+"Yes; a very great deal depends on that. I'm expected, of course, to make
+a brilliant match!"
+
+"Not necessarily brilliant, but there are things we have always enjoyed
+which must be looked for--a good name, position, the right to meet people
+brought up as we have been, on an equal footing."
+
+Muriel broke in upon her with a strained laugh.
+
+"Once, for a little while, it looked as if we should have to do without
+them, and somehow I wasn't very much alarmed. But your list's rather
+short and incomplete. There are one or two quite as important things you
+might have added to it; though perhaps I'm exacting."
+
+There was silence for a few moments, and a faint flicker of color crept
+into Mrs. Colston's face while the girl mused. Her sister had got all she
+asked for, but Muriel suspected that she was not content; now and then,
+indeed, she had seen a hint of weariness in her expression. Harry Colston
+made a model husband in some respects, but he had his limitations. His
+virtues were commonplace and sometimes tedious; his intelligence was less
+than his wife's. Muriel was fond of him, but his unwavering good-nature
+and placidity irritated her. She was inclined to be sorry for her sister
+in some ways.
+
+"Muriel," Mrs. Colston resumed gently, "your happiness means a good deal
+to me. A mistake might cost you dear, and, after all, one cannot have
+everything."
+
+"That is obviously true. I suppose it's a question of what one values
+most, or perhaps what most strongly appeals to one's fancy. It would be
+difficult to fix an accurate standard for judging suitors by, wouldn't
+it?" Then her tone grew scornful. "Besides, as those who are eligible
+aren't numerous, a girl's expected to wait with an encouraging smile and
+thankfully take what comes."
+
+Mrs. Colston looked at her reproachfully.
+
+"You're hardly just, my dear; I only urge you to be prudent now."
+
+"Prudence is such a cold-blooded thing! I'm afraid I never had it. After
+all, what seems wise to me might appear to be folly to you. I think if
+ever what looks like a chance of happiness is offered me, I shall take
+all risks and clutch at it."
+
+She picked up a book, as if to intimate that she had no more to say, and
+Mrs. Colston wondered whether her worst fears were justified or whether
+Muriel had been behaving with unusual perverseness. In either case, she
+might make things worse by laboring the subject. She hesitated a moment
+and then went out in search of her husband.
+
+"Harry," she said, "we have been away a long while. Don't you think it is
+time to go home?"
+
+"No," he answered; "I haven't thought so. What suggested the idea?"
+
+It was obvious that he had no suspicion of her motive, and she was not
+prepared to explain that she wished to place Muriel beyond Prescott's
+reach.
+
+"Well," she said lamely, "aren't you rather neglecting your duties?"
+
+"No," Colston replied with a smile; "as they're to a large extent merely
+formal ones, I believe they can wait a little longer without much harm
+being done."
+
+Mrs. Colston was surprised. She had not expected such an admission from
+her husband, though she agreed with him. Harry was not, as a rule,
+susceptible to new impressions, but there was a subtle influence in the
+simple life on the prairies which altered one's point of view and led to
+one's forming a new estimate of values. She had felt this. Things which
+had seemed essential in England somehow lost their importance in Canada.
+
+"Besides," he resumed, "you will remember that I made arrangements to be
+away a year, if necessary, and perhaps if I make the most of my
+opportunities in this country, I may have something worth while to say
+when we go home again."
+
+This was more in his usual vein; but his wife did not encourage him.
+Harry was apt to grow tiresome in his improving mood.
+
+"But you don't think of staying the full year?" she asked in alarm.
+
+"Oh, no; we might wait another week or two, or even a month more. It
+wouldn't be the thing to desert Jernyngham; and, as we're mixed up in it,
+I feel it would be better to see the matter through." He smiled at his
+wife with cumbrous gallantry. "Then, though you always look charming,
+you're now unusually fresh and fit; there's no doubt that the place
+agrees with you."
+
+Mrs. Colston could not deny it. She yielded for the present, deciding to
+wait until some turn of events rendered him more amenable. In spite of
+his good humor, Harry was obstinate and often hard to move.
+
+She went to join Gertrude, while Muriel, sitting alone where she had been
+left, laid down her book, and let her eyes range slowly round the room,
+trying to analyze the impression it made on her. There was no carpet on
+the floor; the walls were made of mill-dressed boards which had cracked
+with the dryness and smelt of turpentine. The furniture consisted of a
+few bent-hardwood chairs and a rickety table covered with a gaudy cloth.
+The nickeled lamp, which diffused an unpleasant odor, was of florid but
+very inartistic design; the plain stove stood in an ugly iron tray, and
+its galvanized pipe ran up, unconcealed, to the ceiling. A black
+distillate had trickled down from a bend in it, and stained the floor.
+
+Muriel realized that had she been expected to live in such a place in
+England it would have struck her as comfortless, and almost squalid; but
+now, perhaps by contrast with the frozen desolation without, it looked
+cheerful, and had a homelike air. This, she thought, was significant, and
+she followed up the train of ideas to which it led. She had a practical,
+independent bent; she liked to handle and investigate things for herself,
+to get into close and intimate touch with life. At home, this had not
+often been possible; she was too sheltered and, in a sense, too secluded.
+The people she met were conventional, acting in accordance with a
+recognized code, concealing their feelings. If she rode or drove,
+somebody got ready the horse for her; it was the same with the car. When
+she strolled through an English garden, she might pluck a flower or take
+pleasure in the smoothness of the lawn, but it was always with the
+feeling that others had planted and mown. She could take no active part
+in things; there was little that she could really do.
+
+It was different on the Western prairie. Here men and women showed anger
+or sorrow or gladness more or less openly. One could realize their
+emotions, and this, instead of deterring, attracted her; one came to
+close grips with the primitive influences of human nature. Then they were
+strenuous people, toiling stubbornly, rejoicing in tangible results that
+their hands and brains had produced. Woman was man's real helpmate, not a
+companion for his idle hours. She kept his house, and in time of pressure
+drove his horses; she had her say in determining the count of the cattle
+and the bushels of seed, and it was sometimes conceded that her judgment
+was the better.
+
+But this was only one aspect of the subject that filled the girl's
+thoughts. She knew that Prescott loved her and she was glad of it; but
+here she stopped. She was sanguine, impulsive, courageous, but, with all
+that could be said for it, the change she must face if he claimed her was
+a startling one. Besides, he must clear himself of suspicion, and because
+the part of a mere looker-on was uncongenial, there was a course which
+she would urge on him. She must see him and convince him of the necessity
+for it. Soon after she had made up her mind on this point, Jernyngham and
+Colston came in, and she had to talk to them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+A WOMAN'S INFLUENCE
+
+
+Muriel found it needful to wait several days for an opportunity for
+speaking to Prescott. It did not seem advisable to visit his house again,
+and she was at a loss for a means of meeting him when she overheard
+Leslie tell his wife that he would ask Prescott, who was going to
+Sebastian the next morning, to bring out some stores they required. The
+next day Muriel borrowed a team and, contenting herself with an
+intimation that she was going for a long drive, set off for the
+settlement. It would be time enough to confess her object if her sister
+taxed her with it, and there were one or two purchases she really wished
+to make.
+
+She had never gone so far alone, though she had occasionally driven to an
+outlying farm, and the expedition had in it the zest of adventure.
+Moreover, she was boldly going to undertake a very unusual task in
+showing Prescott what he ought to do. So far, she had been an interested
+spectator of the drama of life, but now she would participate in it,
+exercising such powers as she possessed, and the thought was additionally
+fascinating because among her intimate friends she could not pick out a
+man who owed much to a woman's guidance. Her sister had some mental
+gifts, but Harry Colston, disregarding her in a good-humored but dogged
+fashion, did what he thought best; while the idea of Jernyngham's
+deferring to Gertrude was frankly ridiculous. Neither man had much
+ability; indeed, it was, as a rule, the dullest men who were most
+convinced of their superior sense. Prescott far surpassed them in
+intellect; but she pulled herself up. She was not going to dwell on
+Prescott's virtues unduly, and she had not convinced him yet.
+
+The team gave her no trouble, the trail was good, and reaching Sebastian
+safely, she spent some time in a drygoods store, and afterward went to
+the hotel, where supper was being served. She would not have waited for
+it, only that she had seen nothing of Prescott, and she had the excuse
+that the team must have a rest. On entering the big dining-room she was
+inclined to regret that meals can rarely be had in private in the West,
+although, by the favor of a waitress, she succeeded in obtaining a small
+table to herself. There were only two women present, clerks in the store,
+she believed, but the room was nearly filled with men. Among them were
+ranchers with faces darkened by the glare of the snow, some of them
+wearing shabby coats from which the fur was coming off, though the room
+was warm; a few railroad hands who laid sooty mittens on the table; the
+smart station-agent; a number of storekeepers and clerks. Now and then
+boisterous laughter rang out, and one group indulged in rather pointed
+banter, while the way that several of them used their knives and forks
+left much to be desired; but nobody regarded the girl with marked
+attention. For all that, she was sensible of some relief when Prescott
+came in and moved toward her table.
+
+"May I take this place?" he asked.
+
+"Of course," she said.
+
+After speaking to a waitress, he inquired whether Colston or her sister
+were at the hotel.
+
+"No; I drove in alone."
+
+She saw his surprise, which suggested that her task might prove more
+difficult than she had imagined.
+
+"Well," he said, "the trail's pretty good and there's a moon to-night;
+but didn't you hesitate about getting supper here by yourself?"
+
+"Not very much; there was really no reason why I should hesitate."
+
+"That's true. But you had your doubts?"
+
+"They were foolish," Muriel told him. "Why are you so curious?"
+
+"I'm interested." He indicated the room and its occupants. "These people,
+their manners, and surroundings are typical of the New West."
+
+"Do you feel that you ought to defend them?"
+
+"Oh, no! They don't need it. They have their faults and their virtues,
+and neither are mean. They've the makings of a big nation and they're
+doing great work to-day. However, you had certainly no cause for
+uneasiness; there's not a man in the place who would have shown you the
+least disrespect."
+
+"After all," Muriel contended, "they're not your people. You came from
+Montreal; your ideas and habits are more like ours than theirs."
+
+"They're mine by adoption; I've thrown in my lot with them." He fixed his
+eyes on her. "Do you know the secret of making colonization a success? In
+a way, it's a hard truth, but it's this--there must be no looking back.
+The old ties must be cut loose once for all; a man must think of the land
+in which he prospers as his home; it's not a square deal to run back with
+the money he has made in it. He must grow up with the rising nation he
+becomes a member of."
+
+"Yes," Muriel conceded slowly; "I think that is so. But it's harder for a
+woman."
+
+"And yet have you seen any one who looked unhappy?"
+
+"No," she admitted with thoughtful candor. "The few I have got to know
+seem to have an importance that perhaps is not very common at home. For
+instance, I heard Leslie giving his wife his reasons for thinking of
+buying some Hereford cattle, and his respect for her opinion impressed
+me."
+
+Prescott smiled.
+
+"If I were going to sell those beasts, I'd rather make the deal with her
+husband."
+
+Then he changed the subject and they talked in a lighter vein until the
+room began to empty and a waitress came to collect the plates.
+
+"Don't they close this place as soon as supper is finished?" Muriel
+asked, trying to overcome her diffidence. "Where can I have a word or two
+with you? I was afraid that somebody might overhear us here."
+
+"The parlor would be best," he answered in some surprise. "The boys
+prefer the downstairs room and the bar. I'll tell the man about my horse,
+and then I'll be there."
+
+Muriel found the few minutes she had to wait trying, but she gathered her
+courage when he joined her.
+
+"Sit down," she said with an air of decision. "I'd better begin at once,
+and the thing is serious. What have you done to clear yourself, since I
+last saw you?"
+
+His searching glance filled her with misgivings; without being subtle, he
+was by no means dull, and he must be curious about her motive in asking
+him. To her relief, however, he confined himself to the point she had
+raised.
+
+"Nothing. I don't see what can be done."
+
+"Then are you content to remain suspected?"
+
+"No; I'm not content! But as I seem to be helpless, the fools who can
+only judge by appearances and the others who are quick to think the worst
+of me must believe what they like. Anyway, their opinion doesn't count
+for much."
+
+"How can people judge except by appearances?" Muriel argued. "Besides, do
+you divide everybody you know into those two classes?"
+
+He looked hard at her and, to her annoyance, she grew confused.
+
+"No," he said slowly; "that would be very wrong--I was too quick. There
+are a few with generous minds who haven't turned against me and I'm very
+grateful."
+
+"It might have been enough if you had said they had sense; but don't you
+feel you owe them something? Is it fair to keep silence and do nothing
+while they fight your battle?"
+
+"Are there people who are doing so?"
+
+"Yes," Muriel answered steadily. "You oughtn't to doubt it. You're
+wronging your friends."
+
+His expression betokened a strong effort at self-control.
+
+"Well," he said, "it seems I have a duty to them, but how I'm to get
+about it is more than I know."
+
+"Have you thought of telling the police about your journey to British
+Columbia and what you learned about Cyril Jernyngham?"
+
+"I'm afraid they wouldn't believe me. Then there's the trouble that the
+man I followed called himself Kermode."
+
+"Never mind. Tell them; tell everybody you know."
+
+"It would be useless," Prescott said doggedly.
+
+"You're wrong," Muriel persisted. "When a thing is talked about enough,
+people begin to believe it. Besides, it would give your supporters an
+argument against the doubtful. I'm afraid they need one after the finding
+of the clothes."
+
+"The clothes? What clothes?"
+
+Muriel's faith in Prescott had never been shaken, but his surprise caused
+her keen satisfaction, and she told him all she knew about Jernyngham's
+discovery.
+
+"Still, I don't see what finding them there could signify," he said when
+she had finished.
+
+"Then you don't know that a day or two after Cyril Jernyngham
+disappeared, a man dressed in clothes like those found, sold some land of
+his at a place called Navarino?"
+
+Prescott started.
+
+"It's the first I've heard of it. There's some villainy here; the things
+must have been hidden near my house with the object of strengthening
+suspicion against me!"
+
+"Of course! But you can't think that Jernyngham had a hand in it?"
+
+"Oh, no! The man is trying to ruin me, but that kind of meanness isn't in
+his line. Perhaps I'd better say that I never had clothes like those and
+that I sold no land of Cyril's."
+
+"Mr. Prescott," Muriel murmured shyly, "it isn't necessary to tell me
+this; I never doubted it."
+
+"Thank you," he answered shortly, but there was trouble in his voice and
+the girl thought she knew what his reticence cost.
+
+"Well," she said, "you will tell other people this and go to see Corporal
+Curtis? You agreed that women have some power here, and, even if you're
+not convinced, you will do what I ask because I wish it?"
+
+"You have my promise."
+
+He walked toward the window and stood looking out for a moment or two
+before he turned to her again.
+
+"Don't you think you had better start for home? The moon looks hazy. May
+I drive out with you?"
+
+Muriel had shrunk from the long journey in the dark, and she readily
+agreed.
+
+"I'll tell them to bring your team round," he said, moving toward the
+door. "Get off as soon as you're ready, and I'll come along when I've
+collected a few things I bought."
+
+The girl let him go, appreciating his consideration, for she guessed his
+thoughts. He was under suspicion and would give the tatlers in the town
+nothing on which to base conjectures. It hurt her pride, however, to
+admit that such precautions had better be taken.
+
+Leaving the hotel, she found the trail smooth when she had crossed the
+track, but after she passed the last of the fences the waste looked very
+dreary. The moon was dimmed by thin, driving clouds, and the deep silence
+grew depressing; the loneliness weighed on her, and she began to listen
+eagerly for the beat of hoofs. For a time she heard nothing and she had
+grown angry with Prescott for delaying when a measured drumming stole out
+of the distance and her feeling of cheerfulness and security returned.
+Its significance was not lost on her: she was learning to depend on the
+man, to long for his society. Then, for no obvious reason, she urged the
+team and kept ahead for a while. When he came up with an explanation
+about a missing package, she laughed half-mockingly, and on the whole
+felt glad that the narrowness of the trail, which compelled him to
+follow, made conversation difficult.
+
+An hour after she left the settlement the moon was hidden and fine snow
+began to fall. It grew thicker, gradually covering the trail, until
+Muriel had some difficulty in distinguishing it. The sleigh was running
+heavily, and after a while Prescott told her to stop.
+
+"I'll go ahead, and then you can follow my buggy," he said. "There won't
+be much snow."
+
+Muriel felt that there was quite enough to have made her very anxious had
+she been alone, but when he passed and took his place in front she drove
+on in confidence. She remembered that this was not a new feeling. He was
+a man who could be trusted; one felt safe with him. Now and then she
+could hardly see the buggy and she was glad of his cheery laugh and the
+somewhat inconsequent remarks he flung back to her when the haze of
+driving flakes grew thicker. So far as she could see, the trail now
+differed in nothing from the rest of the wilderness, but he held on
+without hesitation, and she felt no surprise when once or twice a belt of
+trees she remembered loomed up. They made better progress when the snow
+ceased, and at length Prescott stopped his horse and she saw a faint
+blink of light some distance off.
+
+"That's Leslie's," he said. "Shall I drive to the house with you?"
+
+"No, that isn't needful, thank you."
+
+"Then I'll wait until I see the door open. I'll look up Curtis in the
+morning."
+
+Muriel turned off toward the farm, where she found Colston and her sister
+disturbed by her absence.
+
+"Where have you been?" Mrs. Colston asked. "You have frightened us. Harry
+would have driven out to look for you if he had known which way to go."
+
+"I went to the settlement. I bought the things we spoke about, and I met
+Mr. Prescott, who brought me home." Muriel spoke in a tone that
+discouraged further questions. "Now I'm very cold, Harry, you might shake
+the snow from those furs."
+
+She left them soon afterward, pleading fatigue, and went to sleep,
+feeling satisfied with what she had done and knowing that Prescott would
+keep his promise.
+
+Her confidence was justified, for on the following day he drove over to
+the police post and found Curtis alone.
+
+"I've come to tell you something and I'll ask you to let me get through
+before you begin to talk," he said.
+
+Curtis showed no surprise and indicated a chair.
+
+"Sit there and go ahead."
+
+He listened with close attention while Prescott described his journey and
+recounted all that he had learned about Kermode.
+
+"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Curtis asked.
+
+"I couldn't imagine that you would believe it."
+
+"Then what makes you think I'll believe it now?"
+
+"To be honest, I don't care whether you do or not."
+
+Curtis sat silent a few moments.
+
+"What you have told me amounts to this," he then summed up: "you have
+heard of a man who seems to look like Cyril Jernyngham."
+
+"It's as much to the purpose that he acts like him. I've told you all I
+learned about his doings and you can judge for yourself. You knew the
+man."
+
+"So do you," said Curtis pointedly.
+
+Prescott smiled.
+
+"Leave it at that. I want you to find out whether I'm correct or not. You
+made some inquiries along the new line?"
+
+"We didn't go far west," Curtis admitted. "There were difficulties, and
+we couldn't see much reason for the search. It was quite clear to me that
+Jernyngham was knocked out near the muskeg." He looked hard at Prescott.
+"It isn't easy to change that opinion."
+
+"It seems your duty to test it. Even if the thing costs some trouble,
+can't you instruct your people in Alberta to find out whether a man
+called Kermode worked in any of the construction camps, and if they're
+satisfied that he answers Jernyngham's description, to have him followed
+up in British Columbia?"
+
+"There's a point you haven't got hold of," Curtis replied. "When you
+struck a camp, asking after your partner, the boys were ready to talk to
+you; but it's quite different when a trooper comes along. I wouldn't have
+much use for anything they told him."
+
+Prescott realized the truth of this. Traveling on foot in search of a
+working comrade, he had been received by the railroad hands as one of
+themselves; but he knew that men with checkered careers which would not
+bear investigation found refuge among the toilers on the new lines, and
+that even those who had nothing to fear would consider reticence becoming
+when questioned by the police. The only excuse for loquacity would be the
+sending of an inquisitive constable on a fruitless expedition.
+
+"Then can't you try the bosses?" he asked.
+
+"I guess they're not likely to have found out much about the man, and the
+boys wouldn't tell them. However, I'll send up a report and see what can
+be done."
+
+"Thanks," said Prescott, and then asked bluntly: "What do you make of the
+brown clothes?"
+
+"So you heard they were found!" said Curtis with some dryness. "I haven't
+done figuring on the matter yet."
+
+"I don't suppose I'd help you by saying that they don't belong to me."
+
+Curtis looked at him thoughtfully but made no answer for a while. Then:
+
+"Did you ever see anybody wearing a suit like that?" he asked.
+
+"Well," Prescott answered, "I believe I once did, but I can't think who
+it was. I've been trying hard to remember all day and it may come back."
+
+He got up and Curtis walked to the door with him.
+
+"Frost's keeping pretty keen," he remarked.
+
+Prescott drove away, and the corporal was smoking near the stove when
+Stanton came in.
+
+"You look as if you'd been studying the Jernyngham case," he said. "I'll
+allow it's enough to get on your nerves."
+
+"Prescott's been here," replied Curtis. "He's heard those blamed clothes
+were found, and that's going to make us trouble. We've had Jernyngham
+interfering and mussing up the tracks, and now Prescott's getting ready
+to butt in. I expect he'll be off to Navarino very soon, and we can't
+stop him unless we arrest him, which I'm not ready to do."
+
+"Did he tell you he was going?"
+
+"It wasn't needed; I've been figuring out the thing."
+
+"Well," remarked Stanton with a thoughtful air, "he wouldn't let that
+land agent see him if he'd been guilty."
+
+Curtis reserved his opinion.
+
+"You're getting smart," he said with a grin. "Still, you don't want to
+hustle."
+
+"Hustle?" Stanton rejoined scornfully. "Jernyngham was killed last summer
+and we haven't corralled anybody yet!"
+
+"That's so," Curtis assented tranquilly, "I've heard of the boys getting
+the right man nearly two years afterward."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+PRESCOTT MAKES INQUIRIES
+
+
+Supper was over and Laxton, the land agent, sat in the rotunda of the
+leading hotel at Navarino. It was a handsome building, worthy of the new
+town which had sprung into existence on the discovery that a wide belt of
+somewhat arid country, hitherto passed over by settlers, was capable of
+growing excellent wheat. As soon as this was proved, rude shacks and mean
+frame houses had been torn down, and banks, stores, and hotels, of stone
+or steel and cement rose in their places. Great irrigation ditches were
+dug and a period of feverish prosperity began.
+
+Though the frost was almost arctic outside, the rotunda was pleasantly
+warm and was dimmed, in spite of its glaring lamps, with a haze of cigar
+smoke. In front of the great plate-glass windows rows of men sat in
+tilted chairs, their feet on a brass rail, basking in the dry heat of the
+radiators. Drummers and land speculators were busy writing and consulting
+maps at the tables farther back among the ornate columns, and the place
+was filled with the hum of eager voices. The town was crowded with
+homestead-selectors, and many, braving the rigors of winter, were camping
+on their new possessions in frail tents and rude board shacks, ready to
+begin work in the spring. Indeed, determined men had slept in the snow on
+the sidewalks outside the land offices to secure first attention in the
+morning when cheap locations were offered for settlement.
+
+Laxton had had a tiring day, and he was leaning back lazily in his chair,
+watching the crowd, when a man entered the turnstile-door, which was
+fitted with glass valves to keep out the cold. He looked about the room
+as if in search of somebody; and then after speaking to the clerk came
+toward the land agent. Laxton glanced at him without much interest,
+having already as much business on his hands as he could manage. The
+stranger wore an old fur-coat and looked like a rancher.
+
+"Mr. Laxton, I believe," he said, taking the next chair.
+
+The land agent nodded and the other continued:
+
+"My name's Prescott. I've come over from Sebastian to have a talk with
+you."
+
+"I suppose I'll have to spare you a few minutes," said Laxton with more
+resignation than curiosity.
+
+"In the first place, I want to ask if you have ever seen me before?"
+
+Laxton looked at him with greater interest. The man's brown face was
+eager, his eyes were keen, with a sparkle in them that hinted at
+determination.
+
+"Well," he said, "I can't recollect it."
+
+"Would you be willing to swear to that?"
+
+"Don't know that I'd go quite so far; I don't see why I should."
+
+Prescott took out a sheet of paper with some writing on it.
+
+"Do you recognize that hand?"
+
+"No," said the agent decidedly. "It's a bold style that one ought to
+notice, but I don't think I've seen it." Then he looked up sharply. "What
+you getting after?"
+
+"I'll explain in a minute. Let me say that I've examined the land sale
+record here, and have found a deal registered that you were concerned in.
+It was made in the name of Cyril Jernyngham."
+
+Laxton started.
+
+"Look here," he said, "I've had a lot of trouble over this thing since I
+was fool enough to write to the police; in fact, I've had enough of the
+Jernyngham case." He broke off for a moment as a light dawned on him and
+then went on: "It's a sure thing I haven't met you, but, when I think,
+there was a young lad something like you among others in blanket-coats in
+a photograph a sergeant brought me. Montreal snowshoe or toboggan club, I
+guess."
+
+"I don't know how the police got it. But what did you tell the sergeant?"
+
+"Said it was no use showing me a photograph like that, because I didn't
+trade with kids."
+
+"Then, as I'm the man the police suspect of selling that land of
+Jernyngham's, it would be a great favor if you'll tell me candidly what
+you know about the matter."
+
+"Hang up your coat," said Laxton; "I'll do what I can. Anyway, you're not
+the fellow I made the deal with."
+
+He drew out a cigar-case when Prescott came back.
+
+"Take a smoke and go ahead. I'm willing to talk."
+
+"First of all, turn over the paper I gave you and look at the signature."
+
+"Cyril Jernyngham!" exclaimed Laxton, astonished. "I see your point--the
+hand ought to be the same as that on the sale registration form, and I
+might have been expected to recognize it, but I can't remember all the
+writing I see. However, we'll compare it with the other signature
+to-morrow."
+
+"When you do so, you'll find a difference."
+
+"Ah!" said Laxton. "Then whose hand is this?"
+
+"Cyril Jernyngham's. It was written in my presence, and what's more
+important, in the presence of another man. Now will you tell me what the
+fellow who made the deal with you was like?"
+
+Laxton did so, and Prescott thought the description indicated Wandle,
+though he was not the only man in the neighborhood of Sebastian to whom
+it might apply.
+
+"Did you notice how he was dressed?" he asked.
+
+"He had on a suit of new brown clothes."
+
+Prescott sat still, his brows knitted, his right hand clenched. The
+reason why the clothes had been hidden near his house was obvious, but
+there was something else: a blurred memory that was growing into shape.
+Ever since he had heard about them from Muriel, he had been trying to
+think where he had seen the clothes, and at last he seemed to hold a
+clue. In another few moments it led him to the truth; everything was
+clear. He had once met Wandle driving toward the settlement wearing such
+a suit, and by good fortune he had shortly afterward been overtaken by a
+farmer who must have seen the man. In his excitement he struck the table.
+
+"Now I know!" he cried. "The man who forged Jernyngham's name hid his
+clothes near my house to fix the thing on me. I owe you a good deal for
+your help in a puzzling matter."
+
+The agent was sympathetic, and after Prescott had given him an outline of
+his connection with the case, they sat talking over its details. Laxton
+had a keen intelligence and his comments on several points were valuable.
+When Prescott went to sleep it was with a weight off his mind; but his
+mood changed the next day and he traveled back to Sebastian in a very
+grim humor.
+
+Open and just as he was in all his dealings, Wandle's treachery
+infuriated him. There would, he felt, have been more extenuation for the
+trick had the man killed Jernyngham, but that he should conspire to throw
+the blackest suspicion on a neighbor in order to enjoy the proceeds of a
+petty theft was abominable. He must be made to suffer for it. However,
+Prescott did not mean to trouble the police. He had had enough of their
+cautious methods. He determined to secure a proof of Wandle's guilt,
+unassisted, without further loss of time, and to do this he must obtain a
+specimen of the man's writing to compare with that on the land sale
+documents. There was, he thought, a way of getting it.
+
+Reaching Sebastian in the evening, he was going to the livery-stable to
+hire a team when he met an acquaintance who offered to drive him home. As
+the man would pass within a mile or two of Wandle's homestead and there
+was a farm in the neighborhood where he might borrow a horse, Prescott
+agreed. His companion found him preoccupied during the journey. He put
+him down at a fork of the trail, and Prescott, walking on quickly through
+the darkness, saw Wandle's team standing harnessed when he reached the
+house. This was a sign that their owner had recently come home, and
+Prescott, opening the door without knocking, abruptly entered the
+kitchen. The lamp was lighted and Wandle, standing near it with his
+fur-coat still on, looked startled. Prescott was sensible of a burning
+desire to grapple with him and extort a confession by force, but there
+was a risk of the crude method defeating its object, and with strong
+self-denial he determined to set to work prudently.
+
+"I see you have just come in, and I'm anxious to get home, so I won't
+keep you more than a few minutes," he said.
+
+"How did you come?" Wandle asked. "I didn't hear a team."
+
+"Harper drove me out. I walked up the cross trail; but that doesn't
+matter. The last time we had a talk we fell out over the straightening up
+of Jernyngham's affairs."
+
+"That's so; you still owe me a hundred dollars."
+
+"I don't admit it," said Prescott, who had laid his plans on the
+expectation of this claim being made. "Anyhow, the dispute has been
+dragging on and it's time we put an end to it. It was the small items you
+wanted to charge Jernyngham with that I objected to, and I may have cut
+some of them down too hard. Suppose you write me out a list."
+
+"I can tell you them right away."
+
+"Put them down on paper; then we can figure them out more easily."
+
+"Don't know if I've any ink," said Wandle. "Haven't you a notebook in
+your wallet? You used to carry one."
+
+Prescott made a mistake in putting his hand into his pocket, which showed
+that he had the book, but he remembered that it would not suit his
+purpose to produce it.
+
+"I'm not going to make out your bill," he said. "That's your business.
+Give me a proper list of the disputed expenses and we'll see what can be
+done."
+
+He was a poor diplomatist and erred in showing too keen a desire to
+secure a specimen of the other's handwriting, which is a delicate thing
+to press an unskilful forger for. Wandle was on his guard, though he
+carefully hid all sign of uneasiness.
+
+"Well," he said, "I'll send you a list over in a day or two; after all,
+if I think them over, I may be able to knock something off one or two of
+the items. But now you're here, I want to say that you were pretty mean
+about that cultivator. They're not sold at the price you allowed me."
+
+This was intended to lead Prescott away from the main point and it
+succeeded, because, being at a loss for an excuse for demanding the list
+immediately, he was willing to speak of something else while he thought
+of one.
+
+"You're wrong," he said curtly. "You can get them at any big dealer's. I
+looked in at a western store where they stock those machines, yesterday,
+and the fellow gave me his schedule."
+
+He had taken off his mittens, but his hands were stiff with cold, and
+when he felt in his pocket he dropped several of the papers he brought
+out. The back of a catalogue fell uppermost, and it bore the words,
+"Hasty's high-grade implements, Navarino." Near this lay an envelope
+printed with the name of a Navarino hotel.
+
+There was nothing to show that Wandle had noticed them--he stood some
+distance off on the opposite side of the table--but Prescott was too
+eager in gathering them up. Opening the catalogue, he read out a
+description of the cultivator and the price.
+
+"Taking the cash discount, it comes to a dollar less than what I was
+ready to pay you," he said. "Now make out the list and we'll try to get
+the thing fixed up before I go."
+
+Wandle sat down for a few moments, for he had received a shock. His
+suspicions had already been aroused, and Prescott's motive in going to
+Navarino was obvious; besides, he thought he had read Laxton's name on
+the envelope. He could expect no mercy--Prescott's face was ominously
+grim--and there was no doubt that, having seen Laxton, he knew who had
+hidden the brown clothes. The game was up, but, shaken by fear and rage
+as he was, he rose calmly from his seat.
+
+"Well, since you insist on it, I guess I'll have to write the thing; but
+I can't leave my team standing in the frost. Sit down and take a smoke
+while I put them in."
+
+Prescott could not object to this. He lighted his pipe when Wandle left
+him. He heard the door shut and the horses being led away, for the stable
+stood at some little distance from the house, and after that no further
+sound reached him. Mastering his impatience, he began to consider what he
+would best do when Wandle had given him the list. He supposed he ought to
+hand it over to Curtis, but he was more inclined to go back to Navarino
+and compare the writing with the signature on the documents relating to
+the sale. Then, having proof of the forgery, he would communicate with
+the police. He was sensible of a curious thrill at the thought that the
+suspicion which had tainted him would shortly be dispelled.
+
+After a while it occurred to him that Wandle should have returned, but he
+reflected that the man might be detained by some small task. After
+waiting some minutes longer, he walked to the door, but finding that he
+could not see the entrance to the stable, he stood still, irresolute. He
+thought he had been firm enough, and to betray any further eagerness
+would be injudicious. The matter must be handled delicately, lest Wandle
+take alarm.
+
+When he had smoked out his pipe, Prescott could no longer restrain his
+impatience. He hurried toward the stable. The moonlight fell on the front
+of the building and the door was open; but Prescott stopped with a start,
+for all was dark inside and there was no sign of the vehicle in which the
+rancher had driven home. A worse surprise awaited him, for when he ran
+inside and struck a match it was clear that Wandle and his team had gone.
+
+Prescott dropped the match and stood still a few moments, in savage fury.
+There was no doubt that he had been cleverly tricked; Wandle, guessing
+his object, had quietly driven away as soon as he had led the team clear
+of the house. Moreover, Prescott had good cause for believing that he
+would not come back. With an effort, he pulled himself together. To give
+rein to his anger and disappointment would serve no purpose; but he had
+no horse with which to begin the pursuit. He remembered having told
+Wandle so when he first entered the house. Striking another match, he
+lighted a lantern he found and eagerly looked about. A plow team occupied
+two of the stalls, and though they were heavy Clydesdales with no speed
+in them, they would be capable of traveling faster than a man on foot. As
+he could not find a saddle, he ran back to the house and returned with a
+blanket. A bit and bridle hung on a nail, he found a girth, but his hands
+were cold and he spent some time adjusting straps and fastening on the
+blanket before he led one of the horses out and mounted.
+
+The moonlight was clear enough to show him that there were no fresh
+wheelmarks in the snow. Wandle had kept to the trail, and Prescott
+surmised that he would travel south toward the American boundary.
+Although he feared he would lose ground steadily, he meant to follow,
+since there was a chance of the fugitive's being delayed by some
+accident, which would enable him to come up. It was extremely cold,
+Prescott was not dressed for riding, and the folded blanket made a very
+bad saddle. At times pale moonlight shone down, but more often it died
+away, obscured by thin cloud. The trail, however, was plain and the big
+Clydesdale was covering the ground. Prescott's hands and feet grew
+numbed, and there was a risk in this, but he trotted steadily on.
+
+After a while he heard two horsemen following him. He did not pull up;
+time was precious, and if the others wished to overtake him, he had no
+doubt that they could do so. During the next few minutes it became
+evident that they were gaining, and he heard a cry which he answered
+without stopping. Then, as the moon came through, another shout reached
+him, sharp and commanding:
+
+"Stop, before we drop you!"
+
+This was not to be disregarded. Pulling up, he turned his horse. Two
+mounted men rode furiously down on him, loose snow flying about their
+horses, and one poised a carbine across his saddle. Struggling to check
+his horse, he swept past, shouting to his comrade:
+
+"Hold on! It's Prescott!"
+
+They were a little distance ahead when they stopped and trotted back, and
+Prescott waited until Curtis pulled up at his side.
+
+"Where were you going?" cried the corporal.
+
+"After Wandle."
+
+"I might have guessed!" said Curtis savagely, and turned to Stanton.
+"This explains the thing."
+
+"How far is he ahead of you?" Stanton asked.
+
+"He got off half an hour before I did, as near as I can guess."
+
+They sat silent for a moment or two, breathless and crestfallen, their
+horses distressed.
+
+"Let's get into the lee of the bluff yonder; this wind's keen," Curtis
+said.
+
+"You're losing time," Prescott objected.
+
+"We've lost it," Curtis told him grimly. "My mount has been out since
+noon, and it's near midnight now. Stanton's isn't much fresher."
+
+Prescott rode with them to the bluff, where they got down.
+
+"That's a relief; it's quite a while since I could feel the bridle," said
+Curtis, turning to Prescott. "How did you scare Wandle off? Be as quick
+as you can!"
+
+Prescott briefly related what led to his call at the farm and the
+corporal's face was filled with scornful anger.
+
+"This is what comes of you blamed amateurs butting in!" he remarked.
+"Jernyngham was bad enough, but he can't come near you at mussing up our
+plans. Guess you don't know that we've been watching Wandle for some
+weeks, ready to corral him, and you start him off like this, without
+warning."
+
+"I'd reason to believe you were watching me," Prescott dryly rejoined.
+
+"Oh, well," said Curtis, "that's another matter. Anyhow, I had trailed
+Wandle to Kelly's place since dark, and I'd trotted round to see if he'd
+got back to his homestead when I found that he had gone. Stanton and I
+were prospecting out this way when we struck your trail."
+
+"What are you going to do about it?"
+
+"We'll make the next farm and try to borrow horses. Then I'll ride to the
+railroad and get the wires to work. Stanton will keep the trail by Long
+Lake."
+
+"Then I'll push right on by the Traverse. There's a ranch I should make
+by daylight where I might get a mount. I'm going to see the thing
+through."
+
+Curtis considered this.
+
+"Well," he said, "I guess you can't do much harm, and Wandle may not have
+gone by the lake after all. You can pick up Stanton if you find out
+anything, and I'll try to join you from one of the stations along the
+line."
+
+They mounted, and on reaching the trail forks where they must separate,
+Prescott turned to Curtis.
+
+"Aren't you afraid of letting me out of your sight?" he asked.
+
+"No, sir," Curtis answered with a smile. "You're not quite so important
+to us now; and I'm not running much risk, anyway, considering the horse
+you've got."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+STARTLING NEWS
+
+
+It was noon on the day after Wandle's flight, and Jernyngham was sitting
+with his friends in a room of the Leslie homestead when Muriel, looking
+out of the window, saw Prescott's hired man ride up at a gallop. His
+haste and his anxious expression when he dismounted alarmed her, but her
+companions had not noticed him, and she waited, listening to the murmur
+of voices that presently reached her from an adjoining room. They ceased
+in a few minutes, she saw the man ride away as fast as he had come, and
+soon afterward Leslie opened the door. He was a talkative person and
+looked as if he had something of importance to relate.
+
+"Svendsen has been over to ask if I saw Prescott when I was in at the
+settlement yesterday," he said. "When I told him that I hadn't, he seemed
+mighty disturbed."
+
+Muriel's heart throbbed painfully, but she waited for one of the others
+to speak, and Jernyngham, laying down his paper, glanced up sharply.
+
+"Why?" he asked.
+
+This was all the encouragement Leslie needed.
+
+"I'll tell you, so far as I've got the hang of the thing; I thought you'd
+like to know. It seems Prescott has been away somewhere for a few days
+and should have got home last night. He came in on the train in the
+evening, and Harper drove him out and dropped him at Wandle's trail;
+Prescott said he wanted to see the man. Well, he didn't get home, and
+Svendsen, who'd been to Harper's this morning, found Wandle gone and
+three of his horses missing. Then he found out from Watson, who stayed at
+the hotel last night, that Curtis rode in on a played-out horse before it
+was light, and kept the night operator busy for a while with the wires.
+Seems to me the thing has a curious look."
+
+For a moment or two nobody spoke. Muriel felt dismayed by the news, and
+she glanced at the others, trying to read their thoughts. Colston looked
+troubled, Gertrude's face was hard and stamped with a kind of cruel
+satisfaction, Jernyngham was very grim.
+
+"Is that all you know about the matter?" Jernyngham asked.
+
+"I guess so," Leslie answered. "Still, Svendsen did allow he thought he'd
+seen Stanton hanging about the homestead yesterday evening."
+
+"Thank you," said Jernyngham with cold politeness. "I'll want the team
+after dinner."
+
+Seeing no excuse for remaining, the rancher went out, and Jernyngham
+turned to the others. His brows were knitted and his eyes gleamed
+ominously.
+
+"There's no mystery about the matter; the man has gone for good," he
+said. "In spite of the assurances they gave me, these fools of police
+have let him slip through their fingers. That he saw Wandle before he
+bolted proves collusion between them. It was a thing I half suspected,
+but Curtis, of course, did not agree with me."
+
+Muriel was recovering from the shock. Though things looked very bad, she
+could not believe that Prescott had run away. He had promised to call on
+Curtis and her confidence in him was unshaken.
+
+"He went away by train a day or two ago, and if he had had anything to
+fear, he would have made his escape then," she said.
+
+Mrs. Colston cast a warning glance at her, as if begging her to say
+nothing more, but Jernyngham curtly answered her remark.
+
+"The man probably wanted to sell his property where it would excite less
+notice than at Sebastian. Then I suppose he found it needful to see his
+confederate."
+
+"They could have gone off together in the first instance," Colston
+objected.
+
+Jernyngham made an impatient gesture.
+
+"I was merely suggesting an explanation; the point is not important. The
+fellow has bolted; but I've reason for believing he won't get across the
+boundary!"
+
+He broke off, tearing the newspaper as he opened it, and there was an
+awkward silence until Mrs. Leslie brought in dinner. Jernyngham ate very
+little, and after spending a few minutes in his room, he drove off in the
+sleigh. Somewhat later, Colston met Gertrude in a passage and stopped
+her. He thought she looked anxious.
+
+"I'm sorry I couldn't calm your father, but I was afraid that anything I
+might say would only make him more excited," he told her. "I meant to go
+with him, but he wouldn't permit it."
+
+"No," she said, "there was nothing that you could do; but I'm badly
+disturbed." She paused irresolutely, and then resumed: "He has taken a
+magazine pistol, though I believe it's the first time he has carried it."
+
+Colston looked grave. He determined, if possible, to abstract the pistol
+and hide it on Jernyngham's return.
+
+"I'm very sorry. It must be trying for you. Indeed, I wonder anxiously
+where all this is leading us."
+
+"The horrible mystery will be cleared up on Prescott's arrest," Gertrude
+said in a harsh voice. "I think that can't be long deferred."
+
+She left him troubled by her expression, and he and the others spent a
+dreary afternoon and evening. It was late when Jernyngham returned,
+looking worn but very stern.
+
+"From what I've learned, word has been sent to every police trooper
+between here and the frontier," he said, and broke into a grim smile.
+"Prescott's chance of escape is a very poor one."
+
+He made a scanty meal, without seeming to notice what he ate, and
+afterward sat silent. The others seldom spoke and when a word was
+exchanged there was strain in their voices. The snapping of the poplar
+billets in the stove seemed to emphasize the quiet and jarred on their
+nerves, while Muriel, tormented by fears on Prescott's account, found the
+suspense and constraint almost intolerable. She was thankful when bedtime
+came, though she could not sleep. Her troubled thoughts were with her
+lover, and she wondered what perils he was exposed to on the snowy wilds.
+
+As it happened, Prescott was riding steadily through the stinging frost.
+He had been unable to obtain a fresh horse, but he had borrowed a saddle,
+and the Clydesdale, though far from fast, possessed good staying powers.
+For all that, he had been forced to rest part of the day at an outlying
+farm, and while there a man brought him word from Stanton, whose line of
+travel ran roughly parallel with his, three or four leagues to the west.
+The trooper's horse had gone badly lame, and Prescott was instructed to
+push on while Stanton sought another mount.
+
+It was a very bitter night, but the young rancher was used to cold, and,
+riding alone in the moonlight, he made the best pace he could across the
+white desolation. There was no sign of life on it. Nothing moved in the
+reeds beside the frozen ponds and the shadowy bluffs he passed; no sound
+but the thud of heavy hoofs broke the overwhelming silence. By and by he
+left the trees behind, and pressed on into a vast glittering plain which
+ran back to the horizon, unbroken by a bush, and inexpressibly lonely.
+
+In the early morning he reached a homestead where he rested until the
+afternoon. He chafed at the delay, but as the Clydesdale was badly jaded,
+it could not be avoided, and Wandle would have to stop now and then,
+unless he could hire fresh horses, which might be difficult. Starting
+again, he came to a small wooden settlement in the evening and rode first
+to the livery-stable. The telephone wires, which were being stretched
+across the prairie, had not reached the place, and he surmised that the
+police had been unable to communicate with it. The liveryman was busy in
+one of the stalls, but he came out and answered Prescott's question.
+
+"Yes," he said, "a fellow like the one you speak of came in here about an
+hour ago. His team looked pretty used up and he wanted to hire another,
+but I couldn't deal. Keep my horses hauling cordwood through the winter,
+and the only team I have in the stable is ordered by a drummer for
+to-morrow."
+
+"Can't you find me a mount? I'll pay you what you like."
+
+"No, sir," said the other. "When I engage to drive a man round, I've got
+to make good. If I didn't, it would soon ruin my trade."
+
+Seeing he was not to be moved, Prescott asked:
+
+"How do you strike the south trail?"
+
+"Go straight through the town. It forks in about three miles, and you can
+take either branch. They're both pretty bad, but the west one's the
+shorter and the worse."
+
+"What's between the forks?"
+
+"A big patch of broken country--sandhills and bluffs. About eight miles
+on, the other trail runs in again."
+
+"Are there any homesteads on the way?"
+
+"Nothing near the trail. There's a shack where two fellows cutting
+cordwood camp."
+
+Prescott considered when he had thanked the man. He was tired and his
+horse was far from fresh, but he understood that Wandle's team was in a
+worse condition. There was a possibility of his overtaking him, if he
+pushed on at once. Leaving the stable, he meant to walk a short distance
+to ease his aching limbs, but he saw a mounted man trotting up the street
+and called out as he recognized Stanton.
+
+"I thought I might get news of you here," said the trooper, pulling up.
+"Have you found out anything?"
+
+Prescott told him what he had heard, and Stanton nodded.
+
+"Then we had better get on. The horse I've got is pretty fresh."
+
+In another minute or two they had left the lights of the settlement
+behind and Prescott prepared for a third night on the trail. His eyes
+were heavy, long exposure to extreme cold had had its effect on him, and
+the warmth seemed to be dying out of his exhausted body. After a while
+they came to a straggling clump of birches with blurred masses of taller
+trees behind, where the trail broke in two. Stanton dismounted and struck
+a few matches, examining the snow carefully.
+
+"Nothing to show which way Wandle's gone," he reported. "Somebody's been
+along with a bob-sled not long ago and rubbed out his tracks. Anyhow,
+I'll take the shorter fork."
+
+They separated; the trooper riding on in the moonlight and Prescott
+entering the gloom of the trees. He soon found the trial remarkably
+uneven. So far as he could make out, it skirted a number of low, thickly
+timbered ridges, swinging sharply up and down. In places it slanted
+awkwardly toward one edge; in others it was covered with stiff, dwarf
+scrub. One or two of the descents to frozen creeks were alarmingly steep
+and the Clydesdale stumbled now and then, but it kept its feet and
+Prescott felt that, everything considered, he was making a satisfactory
+pace. Stanton, he supposed, was two or three miles to the west of him,
+following the opposite edge of the high ground, but there was nothing to
+indicate which of them was the nearer to Wandle.
+
+He rode on, wishing the light were better, for the faint gleam of the
+moon among the trees confused his sight and made it difficult to
+distinguish the trail, while to leave it might lead to his plunging down
+some precipitous gully. At length he saw a yellow glow ahead, and soon
+afterward came upon a shack in an opening. Small logs were strewn about
+it and among them stood tall piles of cordwood. The door opened as he
+rode up and a man's dark figure appeared in the entrance.
+
+"Have you seen a rig going south?" Prescott asked.
+
+"I heard one, about seven or eight minutes ago. The fellow didn't seem to
+be driving quick."
+
+"Thanks," responded Prescott, and rode off with a feeling of
+satisfaction.
+
+He had gained on Wandle, who had probably been delayed by some mischance
+on the trail. If the Clydesdale could be urged to a faster pace, he might
+overtake him, but this must be done before the fugitive could hire a
+fresh team. Next, he began to wonder what progress Stanton had made, for
+the relative positions of Wandle and the constable were now important. If
+Stanton were far enough ahead, he would reach the spot where the trails
+united before the absconder, in which case they would have him between
+them and it would be better for Prescott to save his horse's strength,
+because speed might be required. On the contrary, if Stanton were not yet
+abreast of him, he ought to push on as fast as possible. Wandle, he was
+glad to remember, could not know how closely he was being followed.
+
+Turning the matter over in his mind, he rode at a moderate pace while the
+rough track wound deeper into the bluff. The partial obscurity was now
+extremely puzzling. Here and there a slender trunk glimmered in the faint
+moonlight that streamed down between the branches, and patches of
+brightness lay across the path, but this intensified the darkness of the
+background. It was hard to tell which of the dim avenues that kept
+opening up was the trail; the state of the short scrub could no longer be
+used as a guide, for the cordwood cutters had not penetrated so far with
+their sled.
+
+Prescott knew that he must go forward, however; and he was gazing
+anxiously ahead with eyes that ached from long exposure to the reflection
+from the snow when the Clydesdale stumbled violently. He had scarcely
+time to clear his feet of the stirrups before the beast went down and he
+was flung into a clump of brush with a force that nearly drove the breath
+out of him. For a few moments he lay still, dimly conscious that the
+horse was struggling in the snow; and then, rousing himself with an
+effort, he got up unsteadily. He felt badly shaken, but he saw the horse
+scramble to its feet without assistance and stand trembling, looking
+about for him.
+
+Neither he nor the animal seemed to be seriously injured, but he felt
+incapable of mounting and waited a while, wondering what he should do. He
+was tired out and was sensible of a depressing lassitude, the result of
+nervous strain. Then, as the bitter cold nipped him, a reaction set in.
+Wandle, he remembered, had with detestable cunning plotted to ruin him;
+it might be difficult to clear himself unless the man were arrested. For
+the sake of the girl who had maintained his innocence with steadfast
+faith, the suspicion under which he labored must be dispelled. Prescott
+was seized by a fit of fury against his betrayer. Nerved by it, he got
+into the saddle and rode on, urging the Clydesdale savagely through the
+wood.
+
+Half an hour later he heard a measured drumming sound and Stanton's voice
+answered his hail. Then a horseman rode out of a gap in the trees and
+pulled up near him.
+
+"I suppose you have seen nothing of Wandle?" Prescott asked.
+
+"Not a sign," said Stanton shortly. "Have you?"
+
+Prescott raised his hand and sat listening while he struggled with his
+rage and disappointment. The night was still; he thought he would hear
+any sound there might be a long distance off, but nothing broke the
+silence.
+
+"I learned from a chopper that I wasn't far behind him, and I half
+expected you would have headed him off. I can't think he has passed this
+spot."
+
+"We'll try to fix that."
+
+Stanton dismounted and struck several matches. The flame burned steadily,
+but it showed none of the marks for which he searched the beaten snow
+with practised eyes.
+
+"No," he said, "I'd stake a month's pay that the fellow's not ahead."
+
+They looked at each other, frankly puzzled; and then Prescott broke out
+angrily:
+
+"Where can the blasted rustler be?"
+
+"Couldn't have left the bluffs on my side without my seeing him, and if
+he'd doubled back on his tracks, you'd have met him," Curtis remarked.
+
+"He's not likely to be hiding in the woods. He'd freeze without a proper
+outfit, which he can't have got."
+
+They grappled with the problem in silence for a minute or two.
+
+"We'll take the back trail," Stanton decided. "The fellow must have
+broken out for open country on your side. I guess he knows where there's
+a homestead where he might find a team."
+
+Prescott agreed, and they rode off wearily the way he had come, shivering
+with the cold that had seized them while they waited. The expectant
+excitement which had animated them for the past hour had gone and was
+followed by a reaction. Their bodies were half frozen, their minds worked
+heavily, but both were conscious of a grim resolve. It was the trooper's
+duty to bear crushing fatigue and stinging frost, one that was sternly
+demanded of him; and the rancher had a stronger motive. He must clear
+himself for Muriel's sake, and he was filled with rage against the man
+who had tried to betray him. He would go on, if necessary, until his
+hands and feet froze or the big Clydesdale fell.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+THE END OF THE PURSUIT
+
+
+When they had ridden some distance through the wood, Stanton checked his
+horse.
+
+"Hold on!" he cried. "Here's a bit of an opening in the brush!"
+
+He moved away a few yards, and then called out:
+
+"Looks mighty like a trail. I guess you didn't notice it when you came
+along."
+
+Prescott admitted that he had not done so, which was not surprising.
+There was little to distinguish the gap between the nut bushes from
+others that opened up all round; but Stanton seemed satisfied that he was
+right.
+
+"Somebody has driven out this way not long ago," he explained.
+
+"It doesn't follow that the man was Wandle."
+
+"Why, no. Still, I guess it's likely; and if there's a trail, it leads to
+a homestead. Anyway, we'll track it up."
+
+When they reached the open prairie, the moonlight showed faint wheelmarks
+running on before them to the east. The country was open and empty; a
+wide plain, with one slight rise some miles away that cut with a white
+gleam against the deep blue of the sky. They headed toward it wearily,
+following the track, and drew bridle when they gained the summit. A
+half-moon floated rather low in the western sky, glittering keen with
+frost, and they could see that the prairie ahead of them was more rolling
+and broken. Dusky smears of bluffs checkered its white surface here and
+there, and a low irregular dark line ran across it. Prescott supposed
+this to be a small timber growing along the edge of a ravine. Beyond it,
+in the distance, a faint glimmer of yellow light caught and held his eye.
+It was the one touch of warm color in the chill and lifeless waste of
+white and blue.
+
+"A homestead," said Stanton. "We'll ride as far as the ravine together;
+and then I guess I'll make for the farm alone. If Wandle's been there
+looking for horses, he'll strike south and take the trail we left,
+farther on. You'll head down that way and watch out to cut him off if he
+lights out before I come up."
+
+Prescott understood the maneuver. By driving east the fugitive had lost
+ground, and if he could push on fast enough, Prescott might reach a
+position from which he could either run him down or turn him back into
+the hands of the trooper.
+
+When they came to the ravine and descended the deep shadowy hollow, they
+parted company, Prescott following the opposite brink, because Wandle
+would have to cross it lower down to regain the south trail. Once or
+twice he left it for a while when the gorge twisted in a big loop away
+from him, but he could see nothing of his companion. They had commanded a
+wide sweep of plain when they crossed the rise, but now that he was on
+low ground, the scattered bluffs obstructed his view. Indeed, he fancied
+from their position that they would prevent Stanton's seeing the farm.
+Once he stopped and listened with strained attention, but he could hear
+only the faint sighing of a light wind among the trees he skirted and the
+snapping of a twig, made by what means he could not tell, for there was
+no sign of life in all the frozen wilds. It was very dreary, and Prescott
+had little expectation of overtaking Wandle after the time they had lost,
+but he doggedly rode on.
+
+At length an indistinct sound, too regular for the wind to account for,
+reached him, and grew louder when he pulled up his horse. It was a dull,
+measured throbbing, and he knew it to be the beat of hoofs. It was
+drawing nearer, but it might be made by Stanton riding to join him, and
+he headed so as to clear one of the bluffs which prevented his seeing far
+across the plain. On passing the end of the timber he saw another taller
+patch half a mile off, which hid most of the prairie between him and the
+farm, and knowing that time might be valuable he clung to the ravine,
+urging the jaded Clydesdale to its fastest pace, which was very moderate.
+He had gone about a mile, opening up the flat waste beyond the second
+bluff, when the black shape of a team and rig appeared on it. The team
+was being driven furiously, and in another few moments Prescott was not
+surprised to see a horseman sweep out from the gloom of the trees behind
+them. It was, however, soon obvious that the trooper was not gaining
+ground; Wandle had got fresh horses, his rig was light, while Stanton's
+mount had already carried him a long way. Prescott's Clydesdale had been
+harder taxed, but he knew he could not spare the beast. Wandle must have
+seen him, but he was holding straight on, and this could only be because
+he was following a trail which led to the easiest crossing of the ravine.
+The man would shrink from the risk of getting entangled among thick
+timber with his team.
+
+Prescott would have found speed difficult, even had he been mounted on a
+fresh horse. The snow was thin, but it was loose and dusty beneath the
+crust, through which the hoofs broke, while Wandle was making excellent
+progress along a beaten trail. Still, Prescott was nearer to the point
+the man was making for, and if he could reach it first, Wandle could not
+escape. Riding with savage determination, he sped on, the snow flying up
+behind him, the thrill of the pursuit firing his blood and filling him
+with fierce excitement. Wandle's fresh team was going at a gallop, the
+hoofs beating out a sharp drumming that mingled with the furious rattle
+of wheels, and through these sounds broke a rapid, pounding thud which
+told that Stanton was following hard behind. The trooper was, however,
+less close than he had been; too far, Prescott thought, to use his
+carbine; and as he mercilessly drove his beast he feared that he could
+scarcely reach the trail in time. He was closing with the rig and could
+see Wandle savagely lash his team; the trouble was that instead of riding
+to cut off the fugitive, in another few minutes he would be behind him,
+which was a very different thing.
+
+While he plied the quirt he saw the rig vanish among the trees close
+ahead. They stretched out some distance into the prairie, and he might
+not be too late yet, if he were willing to take a serious risk. He did
+not think the trail ran straight down into the ravine--the hollow was too
+deep for that--it would descend the slope obliquely and might trend
+toward him. If so, he should still be able to intercept the rig by
+cutting off the corner and riding straight down the steep bank through
+the timber. The odds were in favor of his killing the horse and breaking
+his own neck, but this did not count, and the next moment there was a
+crash as the Clydesdale rushed through a brake. A branch struck
+Prescott's leg a heavy blow, but he was too numbed to feel much pain, and
+as he swung round a bush that threatened to tear him from the saddle he
+could look down between the trees. Then he was filled with exultation,
+for the trail had turned his way. Below him, but farther from the bottom
+of the dipping track than he was, Wandle's horses were plunging downhill
+at a furious gallop, the rig jolting behind them, the driver leaning
+forward and using the whip. There was no sign of Stanton except the
+pounding of hoofs that rose among the trees.
+
+Then the slope grew dangerously sharp and Prescott set his teeth. The
+Clydesdale flinched from the descent, but it was too jaded to struggle
+hard, and the next moment it stumbled and slid over the edge. They went
+down, slipping over ground as hard as granite under its thin coat of
+snow, smashing through nut bushes, tearing off low branches. Prescott saw
+Wandle turn his head and look up at him. Then the fugitive sent up a
+hoarse cry of rage and warning, too late. If he could stop his team,
+which was very doubtful, he might escape the threatened collision; but
+this would involve his capture by Stanton, and he lashed his horses and
+went on, while Prescott and the great plow horse came madly rushing down
+at him. He looked at them again, with a breathless yell; then he let the
+reins fall and seized a seat rail.
+
+The Clydesdale struck the light off-side horse, hurling it upon its
+fellow, breaking the pole. Both lost their footing and were driven round.
+Prescott, flung upon the backs of the horses, grasped the front of the
+rig, which ran on a yard or two and overturned with a crash. The
+Clydesdale went down among the wreckage, another horse was on its side,
+kicking savagely; and Stanton, hurrying up, saw Prescott crawl slowly
+clear of it. Seizing him, he lifted him to his feet, and to his great
+surprise the man leaned against a tree with a half-dazed laugh.
+
+"Well," he gasped, "I'm not in pieces, anyway!"
+
+"Then you ought to be!" said Stanton, too startled to congratulate him on
+his escape. "But where's Wandle?"
+
+Prescott seemed unable to answer and the trooper, looking round, saw
+Wandle lying in the snow; but before he could reach him the man began to
+raise himself on his elbow. This was disconcerting, for Stanton had
+thought him dead.
+
+"Well," the trooper said stupidly, "what's the matter with you?"
+
+"I don't know," Wandle replied weakly. "Don't feel like talking; let me
+alone."
+
+Stanton had no fear of his escaping, so he went back to the horses. One
+of them stood trembling, attached to the rig by the deranged harness; the
+other still lay kicking, while the big Clydesdale rolled to and fro, with
+its leg through a wrenched-off wheel. It was astonishing that none of
+them was killed. Prescott apparently needed no assistance, and Stanton
+felt that he required some occupation to calm himself. Accordingly, he
+freed the Clydesdale of the broken wheel, narrowly escaping a kick which
+would have broken his ribs. The horse was a valuable one and must not be
+left in danger, and after a few minutes of severe exertion Stanton got it
+on its feet. Then he turned to the fallen driving horse and began, at
+some risk, to cut away its harness. Prescott came to help him, and
+together they raised the beast. Then Stanton sat down heavily on the
+wreckage.
+
+"Well," he remarked, "that was the blamedest fool trick, your riding down
+the grade; they wouldn't expect that kind of work from us in the service!
+What I can't account for is that you look none the worse."
+
+Prescott, standing shakily in the moonlight, smiled. "It is surprising;
+but hadn't you better look after Wandle? He seems to be getting up."
+
+Wandle was cautiously getting on his feet, and the trooper watched him
+until he moved a pace or two.
+
+"You don't look very broke up," he said. "Do you feel as if you could
+walk?"
+
+"I believe I could ride," Wandle answered sullenly.
+
+"Well, I guess you won't. You have given us trouble enough already, and
+you'll be warmer on your feet." Then he drew out a paper. "This is my
+warrant. It's my duty to arrest you----"
+
+Wandle listened coolly to the formula, in which he was charged with
+fraudulently selling Jernyngham's land and forging his name. Indeed,
+Prescott fancied that he was relieved to find that nothing more serious
+had been brought against him.
+
+"Well," he said, "you'll hear my defense when it's ready. What's to be
+done now?"
+
+"Head back to the homestead where you got the team. Think you can lead
+one of them? It's either that or I'll put the handcuffs on you--make your
+choice." Stanton turned to Prescott. "It will be warmer walking, and I've
+ridden about enough."
+
+The suggestion was agreed to, and after looping up the cut harness
+awkwardly with numbed fingers, they set off; Wandle going first, holding
+one horse's head, Prescott following with two, and the trooper bringing
+up the rear. When they reached the farm, to the astonishment of its
+occupants, they were given quarters in the kitchen, where a big stove was
+burning. Soon afterward, Prescott and Wandle lay down on the wooden
+floor, wrapped in blankets supplied them by the farmer, and Prescott sank
+into heavy sleep. Stanton, sitting upright in an uncomfortable chair,
+kept watch with his carbine laid handy on the table. He spent the night
+in a tense struggle to keep awake, and when Prescott got up at dawn the
+trooper's face was haggard and his eyes half closed, but he was still on
+guard.
+
+After breakfast, they borrowed a saddle for Wandle and set out on the
+return journey, meeting Curtis, who had ridden from the railroad, at the
+first settlement they reached. Prescott left the others there, and rode
+toward the station the corporal had just left, taking some telegrams
+Curtis asked him to despatch. He spent an afternoon and a night in the
+little wooden town, and went on again the next day by a local train.
+
+While Prescott was on the way, Jernyngham drove to Sebastian with
+Gertrude. The girl had insisted on accompanying him. Soon after they left
+the homestead Colston, who was trying to read a paper from which his
+interest wandered, looked up at his wife.
+
+"It's fine weather and not quite so cold," he said. "Suppose we go to the
+settlement and get supper there? I've no doubt there's something you or
+Muriel would like to buy."
+
+"As it happens, there is," Mrs. Colston replied. "But I don't think
+that's all you have in your mind."
+
+"The fact is, I'm disturbed about Jernyngham," Colston admitted. "He has
+been in an extremely restless mood since Prescott disappeared."
+
+"I have noticed that. But do you know why he has gone to Sebastian
+to-day?"
+
+"He told me. One of the police authorities, whom he has seen already, is
+staying at the hotel to-night. Jernyngham means to get hold of him and
+insist upon an explanation of what they are doing."
+
+Muriel leaned forward in her chair. She looked anxious, for no news of
+anything that had happened since Wandle's flight had reached the
+neighborhood. It was only known that the police were in pursuit of him;
+and local opinion was divided as to whether Prescott was also a fugitive
+or, knowing more about the matter than anybody else, had offered Curtis
+his assistance.
+
+"I think you ought to go," she said. "And you may hear something."
+
+"Well," Colston replied, "I'll confess that I'm curious, though I'm going
+mainly on Jernyngham's account." He turned to his wife. "Don't you think
+it's advisable?"
+
+"I do, and it would be better if we all went. Then you will have an
+excuse for following Jernyngham and can watch him without making the
+thing too marked. It's a pity you didn't succeed in getting the pistol
+away from him."
+
+"I've done what I could. I had another try this morning, but he caught me
+looking for it and I believe he guessed what I was after, because he was
+unusually short with me. It's my opinion that he has taken to wearing the
+thing; so far as I can discover, it's nowhere in the house. One hesitates
+about ransacking his room."
+
+"It is not in the house, and he is not to be trusted with it," Muriel
+said quietly.
+
+Colston cast a surprised glance at her.
+
+"Oh! You seem to know. I've no doubt you are cleverer with your fingers
+than I am and wouldn't be so afraid of leaving your tracks."
+
+"Gertrude knows where the pistol is and she thought it necessary to go
+with her father," Mrs. Colston said significantly. "We'll get off as soon
+as you have asked Leslie for the buggy; I wish it had been the sleigh."
+
+They drove away in half an hour; but Jernyngham reached the settlement
+some time before they did. Leaving Gertrude at a drygoods store, he went
+to the hotel, where the commissioned officer of police had a room. The
+officer was acquainted with all that Prescott had told Curtis about his
+absence in search of the missing man, and had been advised by telegraph
+of the assistance he had rendered in Wandle's arrest. This was, however,
+a matter that must stand in abeyance until he saw Curtis, for he had come
+down to investigate some complaints about the reservation Indians, who
+were in a restless, discontented state, and the business demanded careful
+thought and handling. He was studying the report of a local constable
+when there was a knock at the door, and he looked up with annoyance as
+Jernyngham came in. The man had his sympathy, but he was troublesome.
+
+"I'm afraid I can't spare you more than a minute or two," he said. "I'm
+expecting a constable I've sent for."
+
+"One would have imagined that my business was of the first importance,"
+Jernyngham rejoined. "Have you any news of the fugitives?"
+
+"Wandle has been arrested."
+
+"Ah! That's satisfactory, though I don't think it will carry us very far.
+His attempt to escape with Prescott, however, makes it obvious that they
+were confederates."
+
+The officer let this remark pass, for he was anxious to get rid of his
+visitor. Jernyngham was piqued by his silence.
+
+"I suppose you have not apprehended Prescott yet?" he resumed.
+
+"No," answered the other shortly. "He will remain at liberty."
+
+There was a knock at the door and a trooper looked in and withdrew.
+
+"Mr. Jernyngham," said the officer, "if you will make an appointment to
+meet me on my return from the reservation, I will be at your service, but
+you must excuse me now. I have some instructions to give the constable,
+who has a long ride before him."
+
+"A minute, please; I'll be brief. Am I to understand that you have no
+intention of seizing Prescott?"
+
+"That is what I meant. So far as I can determine at present, we shall not
+interfere with him."
+
+Jernyngham's haggard face grew red with anger.
+
+"What are your grounds for this extraordinary decision?" he demanded.
+
+"A strong presumption of his innocence."
+
+"Preposterous!" Jernyngham broke out. "The scoundrel killed my son, and
+you refuse to move any further against him! I must carry the matter to
+Ottawa; you leave me no recourse."
+
+The officer rapped on the table and the trooper entered.
+
+"Come and see me when I get back, Mr. Jernyngham, and we'll talk over the
+thing again. I have other business which demands urgent attention now."
+
+Jernyngham's face was deeply colored and the swollen veins showed on his
+forehead.
+
+"Understand that I insist on Prescott's arrest! I will, spare no effort
+to secure it through your superiors!"
+
+Seeing that he was in no mood to listen to reason, the officer let him
+go, and Jernyngham walked slowly to the lobby downstairs. There were a
+number of men in it, but two or three strolled into the bar and the
+others drew away from him when he sat down. They were not without
+compassion, but they shrank from the grim look in the man's worn face.
+For a while he sat still, resting one elbow on a table, and trying to
+arrange his confused thoughts. He knew nothing of Prescott's interview
+with Curtis or the reason for his visit to Wandle on the night of the
+latter's flight; the discovery of the brown clothes occupied the most
+prominent place in his mind, and convinced him of Prescott's guilt.
+
+Then he began to consider how he could best bring pressure to bear on the
+administration in Ottawa. From inquiries he had made, it appeared less
+easy than he had supposed. It was, he had been told, unusual for anybody
+to interfere with the Northwest Police, who had been entrusted with
+extensive powers; and there was a strong probability of his failing to
+obtain satisfaction. It was, however, unthinkable that Prescott should
+escape. Jernyngham's poignant sense of loss and regret for past harshness
+to his son had merged into an overwhelming desire for vengeance on the
+man whom he regarded as Cyril's murderer. He was left without an ally;
+the organized means of justice had signally broken down; but the man
+should not go unpunished.
+
+Tormented by his thoughts, he went out in search of Gertrude.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+JERNYNGHAM BREAKS DOWN
+
+
+Colston and his party were leaving the hotel, with Jernyngham and
+Gertrude a few paces in front of them. A big lamp hung beneath the
+veranda, and the light from the windows streamed out on the snow. While
+Colston held the door open for his wife and Muriel to pass through a man
+came hurriedly along the sidewalk and Colston started.
+
+"Be quick!" he cried to Muriel. "It's Prescott!"
+
+Letting the door swing to, he moved hastily forward, and then stopped,
+seeing that he was too late to prevent the meeting. Jernyngham had
+recognized the newcomer.
+
+"Mr. Prescott," the old man cried, "a word with you!"
+
+Prescott stopped with a troubled face a few yards away.
+
+"If you insist, I'm at your service."
+
+Colston drew nearer. Jernyngham's tone had alarmed him, and it's ominous
+harshness was more marked when he resumed:
+
+"For the last time, I ask you, where is my son?"
+
+"I wish I knew," said Prescott quietly. "I believe he's in British
+Columbia, but it's a big province and I lost trace of him there."
+
+"It's a lie!" Jernyngham cried, hoarse with fury. "Your tricks won't
+serve you; I'll have the truth!"
+
+"Be calm, Mr. Jernyngham," Colston begged, touching his arm. "We'll have
+a crowd here in a few moments. Come back into the hotel."
+
+He was violently pushed away. Jernyngham's eyes glittered, his face was
+grimly set; it was obvious that his self-control had deserted him. Seeing
+that he could not be reasoned with, Colston left him alone and waited,
+ready to interfere if necessary. The man, he thought, was in a dangerous
+mood; the situation was liable to have alarming developments.
+
+"Why don't you speak?" Jernyngham stormed at Prescott. "You shall not
+leave the spot until we hear your confession!"
+
+Prescott stood still, looking at him steadily, with pity in his face. He
+made a striking figure in the glare of light, finely posed, with no sign
+of shrinking. The others had fixed their eyes on him, and did not notice
+Muriel move quietly through the shadow of the wooden pillars.
+
+"I have nothing to confess," he said.
+
+Jernyngham's fur coat was open and his hand dropped quickly to a pocket.
+As he brought it out Colston sprang forward, a moment too late; but
+Muriel was before him, her hand on the man's arm. There was a flash, a
+sharp report, and blue smoke curled up toward the veranda, but Prescott
+stood still, untouched.
+
+"Be quick!" screamed Muriel. "He's trying to fire again!"
+
+There was no time to be particular. Colston seized the elder man,
+dragging him backward several paces before he wrenched the pistol from
+him. Then he paused, breathless, looking about in a half-dazed fashion.
+Everything had happened with startling suddenness, and the scene under
+the veranda was an impressive one. His wife clutched one of the pillars
+as if unnerved. Gertrude leaned against the sidewalk rail, her face tense
+with horror, and Jernyngham stood with a slackness of carriage which
+suggested that power of thought and physical force had suddenly left him.
+
+"Jack, are you hurt?" cried Muriel clinging to Prescott.
+
+The tension was relieved by the appearance of the commissioned officer,
+who sprang out of the hotel with the constable close behind him.
+
+"Shut the door and keep them in!" he ordered.
+
+The constable obeyed, but his efforts were wasted, for men were already
+hurrying out through the separate entrance to the bar and from an
+adjoining store. Others ran out from the houses, and the street was
+rapidly filling with an eager crowd.
+
+"Stand back there!" called the officer sharply. Then he turned to the
+group under the veranda. "Now what's this? I heard a shot!"
+
+"Yes," said Colston, pulling himself together, though his manner was
+confused; "there was one. I don't know how it happened--it was a surprise
+to us all. I don't think the pistol's safe; it goes off too easily.
+However, the most important thing is that nobody is hurt."
+
+"That's fortunate. I'll take the weapon from you," replied the officer
+dryly.
+
+When Colston had given it to him, as if glad to be rid of it, the officer
+noted the positions and attitudes of the others before he turned to
+Prescott.
+
+"Can you tell me anything?" he asked.
+
+"I don't think so," Prescott answered. "Of course, I saw the flash, but
+the bullet didn't come anywhere near me."
+
+Then Gertrude's nerve gave way. All that had happened was her work; she
+had, when her father was wavering and questioning the justice of his
+suspicions, driven them back more firmly into his mind, and as a result
+of this he had come near to killing an innocent man. Overwhelmed by the
+thought, she swayed unsteadily and fell back against the rails.
+
+"Miss Jernyngham is fainting!" Mrs. Colston cried, hurrying toward her.
+
+"Bring her in!" said the officer; and when this was done, with Colston's
+assistance, he called to the constable:
+
+"Stand at the door; keep everybody out!"
+
+The big lobby was cleared, and the officer gravely watched the way the
+actors of the scene arranged themselves. Prescott stood well apart from
+the others with Muriel at his side. She was flushed and overstrung, but
+her pose and expression suggested that she was defying the rest, and she
+cast a hard, unsympathetic glance at Gertrude, who sat limply, with
+clenched hands. Colston, looking embarrassed and unhappy, sat near his
+wife, who had preserved some composure. Jernyngham leaned against the
+counter, dejected and apparently half dazed.
+
+"Before you go any farther, I'd better tell you that I fired the shot,"
+he said brokenly.
+
+"When I came out, the pistol was in Mr. Colston's hand," the officer
+pointed out in a meaning tone.
+
+"That's true," Colston broke in. "I took it from him, for fear of an
+accident. Mr. Jernyngham was in a very nervous and excited state. He has,
+of course, been bearing a heavy strain, and I imagine you must have said
+something that rather upset his balance."
+
+"I was perfectly sensible!" Jernyngham harshly interrupted him. "I found
+I could get no assistance from the police; it looked as if my son's death
+must go unavenged!"
+
+Colston raised his hand to check him. Jernyngham could not be allowed to
+explain his action, as he seemed bent on doing.
+
+"No! no!" he said soothingly, "you mustn't think of it! Please let me
+speak." He addressed the officer. "You can see the nervous state Mr.
+Jernyngham is in--very natural, of course, but I think it should appeal
+to your consideration."
+
+The officer reflected. He had been brought up in the old country, and
+could sympathize with the people before him; they deserved pity, and he
+had no wish to humiliate them. Moreover, Miss Hurst, whom he admired,
+seemed to be involved. These reasons could not be allowed to carry much
+weight, but there were others. It was obvious that Jernyngham was hardly
+responsible for his actions; the man's worn and haggard face showed that
+he had been severely tried. Justice would not be served by probing the
+matter too deeply, and Colston's attitude indicated that this would be
+difficult.
+
+"As you seem to be the one who had the narrowest escape, Mr. Prescott,
+have you any complaint to make?" he said.
+
+"None whatever. I'm sorry the thing has made so much stir."
+
+"It was my duty to investigate it. But I think that a charge of
+unlawfully carrying dangerous weapons, which is punishable by a fine,
+will meet the case." He turned to the trooper. "You will attend to the
+matter in due course, Constable Slade."
+
+Then he bowed to the company and went out, leaving Colston to deal with
+the situation with the assistance of his wife, who thought it desirable
+to break up the party as soon as possible.
+
+"The teams must be ready, and it's too cold to keep them standing," she
+remarked.
+
+"They're outside," said Colston. "We'll be mobbed by an inquisitive
+crowd, if we don't get off at once. Gertrude, bring your father."
+
+Gertrude led Jernyngham to the door, and Colston turned back to Prescott.
+
+"It was very regretable," he said. "We are grateful for your
+forbearance."
+
+Then his wife joined him, calling to Muriel.
+
+"Be quick! The people haven't gone away; the street's full!"
+
+Muriel, disregarding her, looked at Prescott, who had spoken to nobody
+except the officer. His face was troubled, but he made no attempt to
+detain her.
+
+"I believe you saved my life," he said. "I can't thank you now. May I
+call to-morrow?"
+
+"We should be glad to see you," Mrs. Colston broke in hurriedly; "but,
+with Mr. Jernyngham at the homestead, wouldn't it be embarrassing?
+Muriel, we really can't wait."
+
+The girl smiled at Prescott.
+
+"Yes," she said quietly, "come when you wish."
+
+Then her sister, knowing that she was beaten, drew her firmly away.
+
+They went out and Prescott sat down, feeling that he had done right and
+yet half ashamed of his reserve, for he had seen that Muriel had expected
+him to claim her and was ready to acknowledge him before her friends.
+This, however, was when she was overstrung and under the influence of
+strong excitement; the sacrifice she did not shrink from making was a
+heavy one, and she must have an opportunity for considering it calmly. He
+was not long left undisturbed, for men flocked in, anxious for an account
+of the affair, but he put them off with evasive answers and, making his
+escape, hurried to the livery-stable where he hired a team.
+
+The next afternoon he drove to Leslie's in a quietly exultant mood. His
+long fight was over; nature had beaten him, and he was glad to yield,
+though he had not done so under sudden stress of passion. During his
+search for Jernyngham and afterward sitting by his stove on bitter
+nights, he had come to see that if the girl he desired loved him, no
+merely prudential reasons ought to separate them. He had feared to drag
+her down, to rob her of things she valued, but he now saw that she might,
+after all, hold them of little account. He was, for his station, a
+prosperous man; his wife need suffer no real deprivation; he had a firm
+belief in the future of his adopted country, and knew that in a little
+while all the amenities of civilized life could be enjoyed in it.
+Wandle's trial would free him of suspicion; when he had stood facing
+Jernyngham, Muriel had revealed her love for him, and since it could not
+be doubted, he need not hesitate. It was her right to choose whether she
+would marry him. Only she must clearly realize all that this would imply.
+
+He had expected some opposition from Mrs. Colston, but, when it was
+inevitable, she could gracefully bear defeat. Moreover, she had never
+agreed with Jernyngham's suspicions of Prescott, and in some respects he
+impressed her favorably. There was no reserve in her greeting when he
+reached the homestead.
+
+"The less that is said about last night, the better, but I can't pass
+over it without expressing our gratitude for the position you took," she
+said. "Harry has driven Jernyngham out in the sleigh--he has been in a
+curious limp state all morning--and Gertrude has not yet got over the
+shock."
+
+"It must have been very trying for Miss Jernyngham."
+
+"No doubt." There was not much pity in Mrs. Colston's voice, for she
+could guess how matters stood. "However, I am disengaged and I believe
+Muriel will be here directly."
+
+Prescott followed her into a room and made an effort to talk to her until
+she rose and went out as Muriel entered. The girl, to his surprise, was
+dressed in furs, and he felt his heart beat when she looked at him with a
+shy smile.
+
+"I have been expecting you," she said, giving him her hand.
+
+"I wonder," he asked gravely, "whether you can guess why I have come?"
+
+"Yes," she answered in a steady voice; "I think I can. But we'll go out,
+Jack."
+
+He followed her, puzzled, but not questioning her wish, and they walked
+silently down the beaten trail that stretched away, a streak of grayish
+blue, across the glittering snow. Brilliant sunshine streamed down on
+them and the nipping air was wonderfully clear. When they passed a birch
+bluff that hid them from the house; Prescott stopped.
+
+"Muriel," he said, "I think you know that I love you."
+
+There was a warm color in her face, but for a moment she met his eyes
+squarely.
+
+"Yes; I knew it some time ago, though perhaps I should have shrunk from
+confessing that so frankly, if it hadn't been for last night. But why
+were you afraid of telling me, Jack?"
+
+He read surrender in her face and yielding pose, and with a strange
+humility that tempered the wild thrill of delight he placed his arm about
+her. Then, as she crept closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder,
+every feeling was lost in a delirious sense of triumph. It was brief, for
+he remembered how he was handicapped, and he held her from him, looking
+gravely down at her.
+
+"Dear, there is something to be said."
+
+"Yes," she rejoined with tender mockery; "you either took a great deal
+for granted or there was one important thing you were willing to leave in
+doubt. Now take my hands and hold them fast. You know I have suffered
+something--fears and anxieties because of you--I want to feel safe."
+
+He did as she bade him and she looked up.
+
+"Now listen, Jack dear. All that I have to give, my love, my closest
+trust, is yours, and because you said I saved your life, that belongs to
+me. I think it's all that matters."
+
+He was silent for a few moments, overwhelmed by a sense of his
+responsibility.
+
+"Still," he urged, "you must understand what you are risking. I should
+have told you first."
+
+Muriel released her hands, and her glance was grave.
+
+"Yes; you had better continue, Jack. I suppose we must speak of these
+things now, and then forget them forever."
+
+"You know what Jernyngham believed of me. I could not marry you with such
+a stain on my name; but it will be wiped off in a few more days, and this
+I owe to you. It was you who insisted that I should clear myself."
+
+She started.
+
+"Remember that I know nothing, except that you went away."
+
+Prescott told her briefly what he had learned at Navarino and of Wandle's
+capture; and her deep satisfaction was obvious.
+
+"I'm so glad!" she exclaimed. "This will make it easier for the others,
+though it doesn't affect me. If I had had any doubts, I couldn't have
+loved you. But I'm pleased you told me before you were really cleared. To
+have waited until everybody knew you were innocent would have looked as
+if you were afraid to test my faith in you."
+
+"No," he said; "that couldn't be. I was afraid of your having to make too
+heavy a sacrifice; and, unfortunately, there's some risk of that still."
+
+"Go on, Jack."
+
+"I'm far from a rich man, though I never regretted it much until of late.
+You know how we live here; I can guess what you have enjoyed at home.
+Life's strenuous on the prairie, and though I think it's good, it makes
+demands on one you can't have felt in England. There's so much that you
+must give up, many things that you will miss. I am anxious when I think
+of it."
+
+Muriel looked far across the plain which ran back; glistening in the
+sunlight, until it faded into cold blues and purples toward the skyline.
+The gray bluffs, standing one behind the other, and the long straggling
+line of timber by a ravine marked its vast extent. It filled the girl
+with a sense of freedom; its wideness uplifted her.
+
+"Jack," she said, "I wonder whether you can understand why I made you
+take me out? The prairie has drawn me from the beginning, and I felt it
+would be easier to make a great change in this wonderful open space; I
+wanted to adopt the country, to feel it belonged to me. Now that I've
+made my choice, my home is where you are; I want nothing but to be loved
+and cared for, as you must care for me."
+
+Prescott drew her toward him, but there was more of respect than passion
+in his caress.
+
+"My dear," he said gravely, "I feel very humble as well as thankful. It's
+a great thing I've undertaken, to make you happy; and I think you'll try
+to forgive me if I sometimes fail."
+
+Muriel laughed and shook herself free.
+
+"I'm not really hard to please, and even if you make mistakes now and
+then, good intentions count for a good deal. But you are dreadfully
+solemn, and there's so much that is pleasant to talk about."
+
+They walked on briskly, for it had been possible to stand still only in
+the shelter of the bluff with bright sunshine streaming down on them; the
+cold they had forgotten now made itself felt.
+
+"I can't understand Jernyngham," Prescott said after a while. "One can't
+blame him for persecuting me, but there's something in his conduct that
+makes one think him off his balance."
+
+Muriel's eyes sparkled with indignation.
+
+"I suppose he ought to be pitied, but I can't forgive him, and I'll tell
+you what I think. He has led a well-regulated life, but his virtues are
+narrow and petty. Indeed, I think they're partly habits. He is not a
+clever or a really strong man; but because of his money and position,
+which he never ventured out of, he found people to obey him and grew into
+a domineering autocrat. I believe he was fond of Cyril and felt what he
+thought of as his loss; but that was not all. The shock brought him a
+kind of horrified anger that anything of a startling nature should happen
+to him--he felt it wasn't what he deserved. Then his desire for justice
+degenerated into cruelty and when he came out here, where nobody gave way
+to him, he somehow went to pieces. His nature wasn't big enough to stand
+the strain."
+
+It was a harsh analysis, but Muriel was not inclined to be charitable.
+Jernyngham had made things very hard for her lover.
+
+"I dare say you're right," responded Prescott. "But the morning after he
+reached my place in the blizzard I had a talk with him and found him
+reasonable. I think he half believed in my innocence, but soon afterward
+he was more savage than before."
+
+"Isn't it possible that you took too much for granted? He couldn't be
+rude to you when you had saved him from freezing."
+
+"I don't think I did. He was pretty candid at first and I wasn't cordial,
+but he listened to me, and I feel convinced that before he left he was
+beginning to see that he might have been mistaken. What I don't
+understand is why he changed again, when nothing fresh turned up to
+account for it."
+
+A light dawned on Muriel. She saw Gertrude's work in this and her face
+flushed with anger, but it was not a subject she meant to discuss with
+the man she loved.
+
+"Well," she said, "it's scarcely likely that you will learn the truth.
+After all, much of Jernyngham's conduct can't be explained." She smiled
+at Prescott. "If he'd had any reason in him, he would never have doubted
+you."
+
+They turned back to the homestead presently and on reaching it Prescott
+found that Colston had arrived. The latter gave him an interview in the
+barn, which was the only place where they could be alone, and listened
+with a thoughtful air to what he had to say. This included an account of
+his meeting with Laxton and the pursuit of Wandle.
+
+"I'm in an unfortunate position," Colston remarked when Prescott had
+finished. "You see, every prudential consideration urges me to oppose
+you--looked at from that point of view the match is most undesirable--but
+I must admit my sympathy with you, and I don't suppose my opposition
+would have much effect."
+
+"It certainly wouldn't," Prescott replied.
+
+"After all," Colston resumed, "I have no real authority; Muriel's of age
+and she has no property. Still, I'm fond of the girl and am anxious about
+her future. I think you ought to satisfy me that you're able to take care
+of her."
+
+"I'll try."
+
+Prescott gave him a concise account of his means, his farming operations,
+and his plans for the future; and Colston listened with satisfaction. The
+man was more prosperous than he had supposed and had carefully considered
+what could be done to secure the comfort of his wife; his schemes
+included the rebuilding of his house. It was obvious that Muriel need not
+suffer greatly from the change. Moreover, Colston had liked Prescott from
+the beginning and had found it hard to distrust him, even when
+appearances were blackest against him.
+
+"All this," he said frankly, "is a relief to me. But there's another and
+more important point." He paused a moment before he continued: "To my
+mind your name is cleared, but you must agree that the mystery isn't
+unraveled yet. Although I have no power to interfere, Muriel is my wife's
+sister and I think she owes my views some deference. Neither of us can
+countenance an engagement or your meeting Muriel often while a doubt
+remains. The matter must stand over."
+
+"I must yield to that; you have been more liberal than I could have
+expected." Then Prescott smiled. "There's only one thing which could
+really clear me--the reappearance of my victim; and I don't despair of
+it. The police are trying to trace him on the Pacific Slope, but it would
+be quite in accordance with his character if he suddenly turned up here."
+
+They went out together, shivering a little, for the barn was very cold,
+but they were on friendly terms and were mutually satisfied.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+PRESCOTT'S VINDICATION
+
+
+On the day after Prescott's avowal, Muriel found Gertrude alone and sat
+down opposite her.
+
+"Don't you think you ought to insist on your father's going home?" she
+asked. "The strain is wearing him out; he may lose his reason if he
+stays."
+
+Gertrude looked up sharply. There was no sympathy in the girl's tone and
+her eyes were hard. Muriel might have forgiven a wrong done to herself,
+but she was merciless about an injury to one she loved.
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed Gertrude. "You wish to get rid of us?"
+
+"No; my suggestion was really generous, because I would much rather you
+both remained and saw Mr. Prescott proved innocent."
+
+Not knowing what had prompted her rival, Gertrude gave her jealous anger
+rein.
+
+"I'm afraid we couldn't wait. Even my father's patience would hardly hold
+out."
+
+"It wouldn't be long tried; but in a way you're right. It's dangerous for
+him to stay here, and you're responsible for his condition."
+
+"I'm responsible?" cried Gertrude with a start.
+
+"Of course! You knew Mr. Prescott went away to look for your brother and
+you kept it secret; when he saved your father from freezing, he almost
+convinced him that he had nothing to do with Cyril's disappearance. You
+must have known how it would have eased his mind to get rid of his
+dreadful suspicions, but you worked upon him and brought them back."
+
+Gertrude sank down in her chair with a shiver. A denial would serve no
+purpose and she was conscious of her guilt.
+
+"Could you expect me to be indifferent to the loss of my brother?"
+
+"You knew you had not lost him. You believed what Mr. Prescott told you,
+until we came." Muriel flushed and hesitated, for this was as far as she
+would go. Even in her anger, she would not taunt her beaten rival with
+defeat. "Now," she continued, "you must see what you have done. You have
+made your father suffer terribly; I think you have weakened his mind,
+and, if I hadn't turned the pistol, you would have made him kill an
+innocent man. He seems too dazed and shaken to realize what he meant to
+do, but the thing was horrible."
+
+Gertrude sat silent for a few moments, her face drawn and colorless. Then
+she looked up.
+
+"I couldn't see what it would lead to. Do the others know what you have
+told me? Does Mr. Prescott?"
+
+She looked crushed and defenseless and Muriel's resentment softened.
+
+"No," she said. "Nobody knows, and Mr. Prescott will never suspect; he's
+not the man to think hard things of a woman. But I'm going to insist on
+your taking your father away."
+
+"But how can I?" cried Gertrude. "You know how determined he is!"
+
+"You have influenced him already; you must do so again. You will regret
+it all your life if you let him stay."
+
+"Well," Gertrude promised desperately, "I will try." Then a thought
+struck her and her expression grew gentler. "Muriel, have you realized
+that if we leave here soon, the Colstons will accompany us and you will
+have to go with them?"
+
+"No," Muriel replied with a resolute smile; "I will stay."
+
+Gertrude turned her head and there was silence for a while. Then she said
+with an effort:
+
+"I can't ask your forgiveness; it would be too much, and I'm not sure
+that I wish to have it. But I feel that you are generous."
+
+"Take your father home," Muriel responded, and getting up went quietly
+out.
+
+During the next fortnight, Gertrude exerted all her powers of persuasion,
+without much success. Jernyngham was apathetic, moody, and morose, and
+his companions found the days pass heavily. Then one evening Prescott
+drove over with the excuse of a message for Leslie, and Muriel, putting
+on her furs, slipped out to speak to him before he left. They stood near
+the barn, talking softly, until there was a pause and Muriel looked out
+across the prairie. It was a clear, cold evening; a dull red glow blazed
+above the great plain's rim, and the bluffs stood out in wavy masses with
+sharp distinctness. The snow had lost its glitter and was fading into
+soft blues and grays.
+
+The darker line of the trail caught the girl's eye and, following it, she
+noticed a horseman riding toward the homestead.
+
+"Nobody has been here for a while," she said. "I wonder who it can be?"
+
+Prescott's team, which had been growing impatient of the cold, began to
+move, and he was occupied for the next minute in quieting them. Then he
+looked around, started violently, and stood very still, his eyes fixed on
+the approaching man.
+
+"Jernyngham, by all that's wonderful!" he gasped, and sent a shout
+ringing across the snow: "Cyril!"
+
+The man waved his hand, and Prescott, turning at a sound, saw Muriel lean
+weakly against the side of the sleigh. The color had faded from her face,
+but her eyes were shining.
+
+"O Jack!" she said breathlessly. "Now everything will be put straight!"
+
+Prescott realized from the greatness of her relief what she had borne on
+his account; but there was something that must be done and he ran to the
+stable, where Leslie was at work.
+
+"Get into my sleigh, and drive to Harper's as hard as you can!" he said.
+"Curtis was there when I passed; bring him here at once!"
+
+Leslie came out with him and understood when he saw the newcomer. Jumping
+into the vehicle, he drove off, while Prescott ran to meet Cyril, who
+dismounted and heartily shook hands with him.
+
+"It's good to see you, Jack," he said, and indicated the galloping team.
+"The sensation I seem to make shows no signs of lessening."
+
+"Haven't you heard!" Prescott exclaimed. "Don't you understand?"
+
+"Not much," Cyril replied with a careless laugh. "When I got off the
+train at the settlement, everybody stared at me, and there were anxious
+inquiries as to where I'd been. I promised to tell them about it another
+time, and at the livery-stable Kevan said something about my being
+killed. I told him it didn't look like it; and as the boys seemed
+determined on hearing my adventures; I rode off smartly. When I reached
+your place, Svendsen looked scared, and all I could get out of him was
+that you were here."
+
+Prescott made a gesture of comprehension. It was typical of Cyril that he
+had not taken the trouble to find out the cause of the excitement his
+appearance had aroused.
+
+"Who is the lady?" Cyril asked.
+
+"Miss Hurst. You had, perhaps, better know that she has promised to marry
+me."
+
+Cyril looked at him in frank astonishment, and then laughed.
+
+"I suppose my surprise isn't complimentary, but I wasn't prepared for
+your news. Jack, you're rather wonderful, but you have my best wishes,
+and you can tell me what brought Miss Hurst back by and by. No doubt she
+expects me to speak to her."
+
+"Thanks," said Prescott dryly. "Whatever my capabilities of making a
+sensation are, they're a long way behind yours."
+
+They walked toward the girl and Prescott led up his companion.
+
+"Muriel," he said, "Cyril Jernyngham wishes to be presented to you."
+
+She gave him her hand, and he realized that she was studying him
+carefully.
+
+"I'm glad we have met," she said. "I have heard a good deal about you."
+
+Cyril bowed with a mischievous smile.
+
+"Nothing very much to my credit, I'm afraid. As an old friend of Jack's,
+it's my privilege to wish you every happiness and assure you that you
+have got a much better man than the one you at first took him for."
+
+Muriel colored.
+
+"Jack stands on his own merits."
+
+Then she turned to Prescott.
+
+"Does he know? Have you told him?"
+
+"Not yet. I've news for you, Cyril. Your father and sister are here."
+
+"What brought them?" There was astonishment in Cyril's face, but he
+looked more disturbed than pleased.
+
+"They thought you dead," Muriel told him.
+
+"Then I'm sorry if they've been anxious, but I can't understand the
+grounds for it. In fact, everybody I've met seems to have gone crazy,
+except you and Jack."
+
+"We knew the truth," said Muriel. "There are a number of explanations you
+will have to make, but you had better go in."
+
+The next moment the door opened and Gertrude appeared, as if in search of
+Muriel. She saw the group and broke into a startled cry.
+
+"Cyril!"
+
+He ran toward her and Prescott suggested that it might be advisable for
+him to retire, but Muriel would not agree.
+
+"Give them a few minutes, Jack, and then we'll go in together; you are
+one of us now and must be acknowledged. Besides, you have a right to hear
+what Cyril has to say."
+
+They walked briskly up the trail and when they turned to come back Muriel
+glanced at Prescott with a smile.
+
+"Jack dear, I like him, but he said something that was true. I should
+never have fallen in love with the real Cyril Jernyngham."
+
+They found the others in the large sitting-room. Cyril was talking gaily,
+though Prescott concluded from one remark that he had not yet given a
+full account of his adventures. Jernyngham sat rather limply in an
+easy-chair, as if the relief of finding his son safe had shaken him, but
+his eyes were less troubled and his manner calmer. He rose when he saw
+Prescott.
+
+"Mr. Prescott," he said, "I must own before these others, who have heard
+me speak hardly of you, that I have done you a grievous wrong. I have no
+excuse to urge in asking you to forgive it. There is nothing that now
+seems to mitigate my folly."
+
+"All you thought and did was very natural, sir," Prescott answered
+quietly. "I tried not to blame you and I feel no resentment."
+
+"What's this?" Cyril glanced up sharply, and as he noticed the guilty
+faces of the others and Gertrude's strained expression, the truth dawned
+on him.
+
+"Oh!" he cried, "it's preposterous! You all suspected my best friend!"
+
+"If it's any consolation, we're very much ashamed of it," Colston
+replied. "And there was one exception; Muriel never shared our views."
+
+Cyril still looked disturbed.
+
+"Its obvious that I've given everybody a good deal of trouble, but I feel
+that you deserved it for your foolishness. May I ask on what grounds you
+suspected Jack?"
+
+Seeing that none of them was ready to answer, Prescott interposed.
+
+"Perhaps I had better explain; I think you ought to know."
+
+He related the events that had followed his friend's disappearance, and
+when he had finished, Cyril turned to the others.
+
+"After all, you were not so much to blame as I thought at first--you
+don't know Jack as I do, and things undoubtedly looked bad. Now I'll give
+you an account of my adventures and clear up the mystery."
+
+"Not yet," said Prescott with a smile. "You don't seem to realize that
+instead of excusing people for suspicions they could hardly avoid, you're
+expected to make some defense for the carelessness that gave rise to
+them. Anyway, Curtis is entitled to an explanation, and as I sent him
+word, he should be here soon."
+
+"You did right," Jernyngham broke in with a trace of asperity. "It's
+proper that the blundering fellow who misled us all should have his
+stupidity impressed on him!"
+
+They waited, talking about indifferent matters, until Curtis arrived. At
+Cyril's request he made a rough diagram of the tracks he had discovered
+in the neighborhood of the muskeg and stated his theory of what had
+happened there.
+
+"A clever piece of reasoning," Cyril remarked. "There's scarcely a flaw
+in it, as you'll see by my account of the affair. After saying good-by to
+Prescott on the night I left the settlement, I went on until I was near
+the muskeg and had dismounted to camp when a stranger rode up. We sat
+talking for a while and I foolishly told him I meant to buy some horses
+and apply for a railroad haulage contract, from which he no doubt
+concluded I was carrying some money. Soon afterward, he went off to
+hobble his horse, and I suppose he must have crept up behind me and
+knocked me out with the handle of his quirt, for I fell over with a
+stupefying pain in my head. This was the last thing I was clearly
+conscious of until the next morning, when I found myself lying close to
+the water, but at some distance from where I met the man. My hat had gone
+and my head was cut; my horse had disappeared, and I afterward discovered
+I had been robbed."
+
+Cyril paused and glanced at Curtis.
+
+"There's a point to be accounted for--how I reached the spot where I was
+lying, and this is my suggestion: The fellow thought he had killed me and
+in alarm determined to throw me into the muskeg. As I had a hazy
+recollection of being roughly lifted, I imagine he laid me across his
+saddle and after a while I must have moved or groaned. Then, having no
+doubt only meant to stun me, he left me on the ground. All this fits in
+with your theory."
+
+"What was the man like?" Curtis asked.
+
+Cyril described him, explaining that there was a good moon; and the
+corporal nodded, as if satisfied.
+
+"Then I'm glad to say that, as I half expected, we have got the fellow;
+corralled him for horse-stealing a while ago, and he'll be charged with
+robbing you in due time. But go on."
+
+"I felt horribly thirsty, and crawling to the edge of the sloo, tumbled
+in. There was more slime than water, but I could see a cleaner pool some
+way out, and being up to my knees already, I tried to reach it. It was
+hardly fit to drink, but I felt better and clearer-headed after
+swallowing some; and then I noticed thick grass in front of me. This
+implied that the swamp was shallower there and I made for the other bank,
+instead of going back. The grass and reeds that I disturbed would soon
+straighten, which accounts for your losing my tracks. You wouldn't have
+expected me to wade across the muskeg?"
+
+"No," admitted Curtis; "I didn't."
+
+"Why did you not return to Sebastian after being robbed of your horse and
+money?" Jernyngham asked.
+
+"Ah!" said Cyril with some constraint in his manner, "that's more
+difficult to explain. To some extent it was a matter of temperament. I
+had left the settlement after a painful and rather humiliating discovery;
+you can understand that I was anxious to avoid my neighbors. Then I'd
+been knocked out and robbed by the first rascal I fell in with. I hadn't
+the courage to crawl back in my battered state and face the boys'
+amusement; and there was something that appealed to me in the thought of
+cutting loose and going on without a dollar, to see what I could do." He
+smiled at his father and sister. "You know I had always rather eccentric
+ideas."
+
+Then he recounted his adventures along the railroad under the name of
+Kermode, until Prescott interrupted him.
+
+"I followed you to the abandoned claim in the mountains, where I had to
+give it up. How did you make out after you struck south with the
+prospector crank?"
+
+"That was the most interesting part of the trip, but I could hardly
+describe it. We crawled up icy rocks, found a river we could travel on
+here and there, scrambled through brush that ripped our clothes and over
+stones that cut our boots to bits, and finally came down by Quesnelle to
+the Canadian Pacific main track."
+
+"Loaded with worthless mineral specimens?"
+
+Cyril laughed.
+
+"They were pretty heavy, Jack. Once or twice I thought of dumping my
+share of them, but it's fortunate that Hollin, who seemed to suspect my
+intentions, kept his eye on me when I got played out. You see, an assayer
+we took them to found that they were rich in lead and silver."
+
+Prescott's astonishment was obvious and Cyril frankly enjoyed it.
+
+"Well," he said, "the end of it was that I called on some of the mining
+people in Vancouver--it seems they knew Hollin and had had enough of
+him--but I left one office with a check for a thousand dollars, besides
+retaining an interest in the claim. Hollin has gone back to see about its
+development."
+
+His father and sister looked as surprised as Prescott. One could imagine
+that they found it difficult to conceive of Cyril's financial success,
+but they offered him their congratulations, and soon afterward Curtis
+took his leave. Prescott stayed another hour, and when he went Muriel
+walked to the door with him.
+
+"Jack," she murmured, with her head on his shoulder, "I'm inexpressibly
+glad it has all come right; but you must remember that I knew it would."
+
+Prescott gently turned her face toward him.
+
+"I'm so thankful that it makes me grave. It's a pretty big task to repay
+your confidence, but I'll try."
+
+"You'll succeed," she said smiling. "You're rather a determined man and
+I'm not dreadfully exacting; I couldn't be to you."
+
+Prescott drove off, grateful for Mrs. Colston's permission to come back
+the next day.
+
+When he drove up on the following afternoon, he found Muriel dressed in
+furs.
+
+"It's beautifully fine and you may take me for a drive," she said, and
+added with a smile: "That is, unless you would rather talk to Harry."
+
+"I think Colston and I are going to be good friends, but I didn't come
+over to see him," Prescott retorted lightly. "I have something to say to
+Cyril, but it will do when we get back."
+
+"You can't see him now," said Muriel, moving toward the sleigh. "He's
+engaged with Gertrude and his father, and I think they have something
+important to talk about. Cyril looked very serious, and one would imagine
+that's not often the case with him."
+
+Prescott laughed as he helped her in.
+
+"I dare say he has his thoughtful moments; it would be surprising if he
+hadn't, considering his capacity for getting into scrapes."
+
+They drove away, but Muriel's supposition was well founded, for Cyril was
+feeling unusually grave as he sat opposite to his father and sister in a
+room of the homestead. A brief silence had fallen upon the group,
+emphasized by the crackle of poplar billets in the stove. Jernyngham, in
+whose appearance there had been a marked improvement since his son's
+return, wore an eager expression; Gertrude was watching her brother with
+troubled eyes.
+
+"You have heard my suggestions about your return to England," Jernyngham
+said at length. "I think they are fair."
+
+"They are generous," Cyril answered, and added slowly: "But I cannot go."
+
+Jernyngham leaned back in his chair as if he were weary, with keen
+disappointment in his face.
+
+"I have no other son, Cyril. We will wipe out the past--there is
+something to regret on both sides--and try to make everything pleasant
+for you. I feel that you ought to come."
+
+"No," Cyril persisted with signs of strain. "I'm strongly tempted, but it
+would not be wise."
+
+Jernyngham looked hard at him and then made a sign of resignation.
+
+"You will, at least, give us your reasons."
+
+"I'll try, though I'm not sure you will understand them; it's unfortunate
+we're so different that we cannot find a common viewpoint from which to
+look at things. I believe I've overcome what bitterness I once felt, but
+in all that's essential I haven't changed. After the first few weeks, I
+should jar on you, or I should have to be continually on my guard, until
+the repression got too much for me and the inevitable outbreak came."
+
+"Why should there be an outbreak?" his father asked with some asperity.
+
+Cyril glanced at Gertrude, noticing her rather weary smile, and fancied
+that she could sympathize with him, which was more than he had expected.
+She had somehow gained comprehension in Canada.
+
+"I suppose I must explain. I'm not thinking of my worst faults, but, you
+see, I'm a careless trifler, impatient of restraint. To have to do things
+in stereotyped order distresses me; I must go where my fancy leads. When
+I'm cooped up and confined, I feel I must break loose, even if it leads
+to havoc." He laughed. "Of course, such a frame of mind is beyond your
+imagining."
+
+"I must confess that it is," Jernyngham replied dryly.
+
+Gertrude cast a half-applauding glance at her brother. With all his
+failings, which she recognized and deplored, Cyril was to her something
+of a romantic hero. He took risks, and did daring and perhaps somewhat
+discreditable things, but, narrow as her decorous life had been, she
+envied his reckless gallantry. Once she had ventured to break through the
+safe rules of conduct and grasp at romance, but it had eluded her and
+left her humiliation and regret. She must go back to the dreary routine
+wherein lay security, but she admired him for standing out.
+
+"Well," said Cyril, "I'm talking at large; but we must thrash out the
+matter once for all. I may do something useful here--make wheat grow;
+perhaps help in developing the mine--which I couldn't do at home." He
+paused and concluded whimsically: "It's even possible that I may turn
+into a successful rancher."
+
+"But that means working like an English field laborer!"
+
+"For a higher pay. When the crop escapes drought and frost, and there's
+no hail or rust, western farming's fairly profitable."
+
+"In short," said Jernyngham, "you have made up your mind not to come home
+with us."
+
+"I'm sorry it is so," Cyril responded gravely. "Try to understand. If I
+stay here, we will be good friends and you will think well of me. If I go
+home there will be trouble and regret for you. I want to save you that."
+
+"Father," Gertrude broke in softly, "though it's hard to say, I know that
+Cyril's right."
+
+Jernyngham got up wearily.
+
+"There is nothing more that I can urge. You must do as you think best, my
+son, but while I shall never quite grasp your point of view, you will
+always be in our thoughts."
+
+They were glad to separate, for the interview had been trying to them
+all.
+
+Some time had passed when Cyril, hearing a beat of hoofs, went out and
+found Prescott pulling up his team.
+
+"We have been talking over matters while you were out," he told him. "As
+I've decided to stay here, my people are going home soon--in a week or
+two, I think; and I expect Colston will leave with them. I thought you
+might like to know."
+
+He saw the color creep into Muriel's face; and when he turned back to the
+house Prescott lifted the girl down from the sleigh.
+
+"Dear, I can't let them take you away," he said.
+
+Muriel glanced across the snowy plain to the blaze of fading color upon
+its western rim. It was growing shadowy, the woods were blurred and
+vague, but its wideness fired her imagination and she felt the
+exhilaration that was in the nipping air.
+
+"Jack," she smiled up at him, "my home is here! I'm learning to love the
+prairie, and it has brought me happiness. I'm glad to stay with you!"
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Prescott of Saskatchewan, by Harold Bindloss
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN ***
+
+***** This file should be named 25916.txt or 25916.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/9/1/25916/
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.