The Silver Horde

the window for the twentieth time, and, breathing

s go

ouseholder he had said little, and upon finding this coverless, brown-stain

!" reiterated the

ve, Fraser spread his hands before him in the shape of a book, an

on, with his customary vivacity, sm

kon he has depar

is voice cussing us,'

ent; 'he has got cold feet!' Evidently unwilling to let the conversation lag, the garrul

utchous gel?' said I, at whic

aid down

muttering ab

dalusian has got tired of singin' Won't You

has h

a policeman and a writ of ne plus ultra. Maybe he has gone afte

e, and, going to the inner doo

a cup of

real feed? I'm hungry enough to eat anything e

on't want to cause any mor

f grub in the cache. L

rdly a

, b

N

ser fell back in

an had slunk forth and

bserved,

sessed that fellow

I had a warm cabin, a lot of grub-and a squ

urely. As Emerson roped up the sleeping-bags, Fraser suddenl

r? We ain't goin'

he other canneries," answered

e feet," complain

ed skeptically. "Better walk

getting

It can't be f

veins; then he tried to question the woman, but she maintained a frightened silence. When they had finished their

our later, and through the gloom beheld a group of great shadowy buildings. Approaching the solita

dogs are played out," Emerson explaine

here," said the

y n

got no

a road-hou

n't k

" retorted the young man, with risin

in their faces and bolting it. Once secure behind his barricade, he added: "

ik is certainly overjoy

, "ain

sing the anger behind his silence, the speaker, for o

lity, and all they could elicit from the shock-headed proprietor w

they swung out into the darkness a second time. "If that doesn't succeed,

inly show us to the st

as

e w

he sky-dog-oh

le surmounted by a dimly discerned Greek cross, no sign of

nd they

d toilsome travel had worn out both men, and rendered them well-nigh desperate. Hence they wasted no words when, for the fourth time, thei

cannery; it looked more like a road-house or trading-post, for the structure was low and it was built of logs. Behind and connected with it by a covered hall or passageway crouched another squat building of the same character, its roof piled thick with a mass of snow, its windows

d, then tossed their bundles to the floor. With a sharp exclamation at this unceremonious intru

t the place with his eyes. "It's a store." Then to the wo

counter carried a supply of clothing, skins, and what not; a cyli

ss" Fraser, starting to remove his parka, the fox f

demanded the squa

e than a girl-a native, undoubtedly; but she was neatly dressed, her skin was

he replied to

here," the girl

plenty of room, and there's lots of food

ng, raised her voice an

tant

e tall figure of a man emerged, advancing sw

Squirrel-Tail," cried

tant

but although he must have recognized them, his demeanor had no welcome in it. The In

lly; and, making toward the outer door, he

and we're tired," Emer

pay you

rmness, "No," to which the other retor

note. "We won't leave here until we are ready. We're tired, and we're going to st

terloper, his design recognizable in his threatening attitude; but before he cou

ntine,"

the Indian had just come a few seconds before, the golden-haired girl of the storm, to whom the

s the t

ried Constantine violently.

o take forcible possession, but we're played out-we'

neries above?" int

es

oftly, her voice a mellow contralto. "The Father has been gone

antine, at which the two natives retired-Constantine reluctan

ived here, we certainly should not have intruded in this manner." He found himself growing hotly uncomfortable as he

to get to him before the natives could give the poor little fellow a Russian bath and then stand him out in the snow. Th

her-" The girl

arrange with him to hire lodgings

came to

hat put Boyd Emerson more at his ease. "You are quite welcome to stay as long as you wish. Constantine objects to my hospitality, and treats all strangers alike,

ser, swelling with conscious importance, "and I gu

in you. Now, won't you make yourselves at home while Constantine attends to your dogs? Dinner will soon be ready, and I h

uch surroundings. Undeniably pretty, graceful in her movements, bearing herself with certain

ingerless" Fraser was m

my name is French. I

haps you have heard of

eal t

r acknowledgment by breaking in roughly, w

an utterly worthless rogue, and absolutely unreliable so far as I can lear

ter me," stoutly denied

mine-we're regular chum

some papers to take

his shoulders

rra

! Not at al

remarkable turn of the ceremony, pre

wever, I should prefer to think of you as a runaway rather than as

stily disclaimed. "I just sort of bow to him"-he gave an

hen recalling herself, she continued: "I should

and fancied that the woman's smile sat a trifle unnaturally on her lips, while the delicate coloring of her face cha

u are bound f

Fraser along for company; it's hard travelling alone in a stra

d that cheerful person,

names!"-he looked que

amusing

,'" correc

girl rose, and after showing them to a room, she excused herself on the score of having to see to the dinn

I'll-be

merson, in a low, eag

Miss Malotte, and she's cert

their hostess introduced herself to them f

Emerson pointed to the provisions and fittin

er ask her yourse

a strange note in the rogue's voice, but it was too slight to pro

wonders, was a round table gleaming like a deep mahogany pool, upon the surface of which floated gauzy hand-worked napery, glinting silver, and sparkling crystal, the dark polish of the wood reflecting the light from shaded candles. It held a delicately figured service of blue and gold, while the sel

ly to find, of a sudden, that, unknown to him perhaps, his soul has been hungering for them all the while. The feel of cool linen comes like the caress of a forgotten sweetheart, the tinkle of glass and silver are so many chiming fairy bells inviting him back into the foretime days. And so

cious of his rough clothing, his fur boots, and his ha

delighted to have somebody to talk to. It

Fraser remarked, staring about in o

things with

ulated Emers

es

since the camp was discovered

re very long. I we

a gracious, richly gowned young woman who talked interestingly on many subjects, For a second time he lost himself in a maze of conjecture. Who was she? What was her mission here? Why was she alone? But not for long; he was too heavily burdened by the responsibility and care of his own affairs to waste much time by the way on those of other people; and becoming absorbed in his own thoughts,

ly, but she was powerless to shake off his mood. It was not abashment, as she realized when, from the corner of her eye, she observed him covertly stroke the linen and finger the silver as if to renew a sense of touch long unu

en have instructions n

is t

ies. They are afraid somebody w

es

; the 'run' is tremendous, and seems to be unfailing; he

quite und

year's catch and the loss of many hundreds of thousands of dollars, for there is no way of importing new help during the short summer months. Why, this village would become a city in no time if such a thing were to happen; the whole region would fill up with miners, and not only would labor conditions be en

s

jobs depend upon their unbroken bond of inhospitality, and the Indians dare not sell you anything,

ave established a tra

isn't a store. This

ur

-stake. This is our cache. While they prospect

y. "Then you are buck

wn here from Nome in the early spring. We stood off the watchmen, and when the supply-ships arrived, we had these houses co

re you?" said Emerson, now thoroughly int

s that come handy. There is no real code of financial morality, and the battle for dollars is the bitterest of all contests. Of course, being a woman, they couldn't very well attack me personally, but they tried everything except physi

d we stand, div

ee her spars sticking up through the ice out in front there. One of their tugs 'accidentally' ran her down, although she was at anchor fully three hundred feet inside the c

chor under such conditions. Having allowed me to taste his power, that man first threatened me covertly, and then proceeded to persec

e!" ejacul

re there is no law; they halt at nothing when in chase of money. They are di

really

said a Chinaman did it in a brawl, but Willis Marsh was to blame. They brought the poor fellow here, and laid him on my steps

to your post?" said

besides, I will not be beaten"-the stem of the glass wit

oman should be possessed of the determination, the courage, and the administrative ability to conduct so desperate an enterprise. He could understand the feminine rashness that might have led her to embark upon it in the first place, but to con

while a pucker of perplexity came between her dainty

arty," observed Fraser, his usuall

ther-er-violence

rd." She smiled slightly, recalling the scene she had interrupted before dinner. "Then, too, Chakawana, his sister, is just as devoted. Rather a musical n

her with undisguised amazement now, and therefore aros

y the strangeness of the whole affair, Emerson gained his f