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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1932-02-18, Page 7THE EXETER TIMES-AD VO CATE THURSDAY, FWRT4W M IdfcM “The Silver Hawk ?? BY WIL-LIAM BYRON MOWERY SYNOPSIS James Dorn, aerial map maker, as­ signed to a territory in the north­ ern Canadian Rockies lives alone In liis camp on Titan Island. ’ Kansas Eby, his friend for the past six years was stationed at Eagle Nest, two hundred miles east, Kansas came over one night to a dance that the Indians ‘ were having on the station „ platform. When the midnight train pulled in lie seen a girl come out and glance hurriedly , around and then disappear into the darkness. * hurriedly but . trace ■ Dorn Pere rived Kansas followed failed to find any He told his friend and the same night of her. about it Bergelot, a trusty metis ar- with the girl. The girl, Aurore McNain, asks Dorn to go to a lonely lake in search of her father and she wish­ es to accompany him where she remains in hiding and Dorn car- . Ties supplies to her hy aeroplane. | Carter-Snowdon arrives, and with - the help of some 'breeds is trying to locate her. Lukef the trusty old Indian, who knows her secret hiding place is captured and Dorn- is trying to free him from Carter- Snowdon, ’ Luke is rescued and finds that ■ the half-breeds are closing in • Aurore’s hiding-place. on CHAPTER XXI two the and A Tabic Set for Two As days passed and those planes never molested him in slightest, Dorn became more in-ore uneasy. Since he was the rock in the path of his enemies’ finding Aurore, he believed they were gath­ ering thunderbolts against him and that he would know it when they made any decisive move. But the _ quiet was strange and ominous; he ■^preferred a’ fight to this gnawing ^uncertainty of what day the storm twould break. Cid Luke was a dismal ■ prophet those days, and hard to get along with. and lie should go down night to Eaux Mortes dynamite and blow their to the Dead. Waters. grunt and snarl in his unintelligible Beaver, and finally, break out: “I used, believe you wise man; you think much, say little. But now I believe you hyas fool like all other white men. Way you fight, much chance is you lose young skaw-siclie. Some day big chief finds her, carry her away. Why not take her in roaring flying-devil and fly siah-siah south into Boston-land?” (The States) “She make you good squaw. She young and strong and mountain- born like you. She "be mother of . strong boy, of girl like herself.” Dorn could not explain to Luke that in the white man’s code there were inhibitions against killing an enemy save as a last resort, and against taking a girl for the mere primitive reason of wanting her. Then one afternoon, when he re­ turned home, old Luke was again waiting for him with news—dore ominous than the news of the battle plane. Luke reported that Yoroslaf and two other of the ’breeds were no longer at the Dead Waters camp or anywhere about Titan Pass. .Startled, Dorn thought; “They’ve pitched off somewhere, on some pur­ pose. Soft-Shoe has side-stepped me; he’s got some new scheme in progress against Aurore.” He went into action. “Luke, we must find out where Yoroslaf is, what , he’s doing. We use on enemies same medicine •they used -on use; catch one of them It was his opinion that Dorn there some with hiyu enemies in- He would point gun, walk up, say,. What dam hell you do here, olenian son-of-she- ' dog?’ i say hunt medicine roots; ■ say old squaw sick, bones go creak* 1 creak, belly hurt, can’t eat, Bimeby he sees neck of bottle, He say, 'Two 1 damns and a Jiell, friend, what that? ■ I make look like try hide bottle, He grab, take 1 glook-glool: - tion water by i begin he .talk like whiskey-jack.” Then Luke reported how Yoroslaf and Csharlo and Npreisse had. been set off barely forty miles south of Aurore’s lake. was, old the they morrow . Dorn shuddered at the thought of that 'Fort Liard murderer coming upon Aurore on her island, For all the fight he had put up, here Aur­ ore’s enemies had closed in upon her till they were only a few miles away. He thought again of a hunt­ ing eagle circling in evernarrowing spirals; of its inevitale swoop and strike. ■Planning a counter-stroke, he gaz­ ed thoughtfully at old Luke. With knife or belt-axe Luke could kill any ’breed at Titan Pass in open battle, In ambush, with rifle and automa­ tic, he was a match for any three or four of the lot. He was old and frinkled and leathery as if he had been hanged for a month; but he had lived cleanly.. In the bush he was a flitting shadow, a pair of glittering eyes, a steady hand and trigger-finger, a shrewd old brain of deadly cunning. ,, Dorn said tersely: “Luke, you re­ member mountain meadow up above that lake, where focnsli-bears 'come to pasture? You remember trail lead across that mesa? 'Breeds have to follow trail, cross mesa. No other south pass to lake. I wawa correct, hull?” And when old Luke nodded: “Now suppose I take you in roaring air-devil up to her lake. S’pose you climb up to mesa, build ambush, guard trail. S’pose Yoroslaf ahd two 'breeds come hyaaking along. What happen, huh?” )OJd Luke make three clicking sounds with his mony jaws, -and his eyes glinted as though lie was sight­ ing down a rifle barrel. “Good ” Dorn said grimly. ‘Then go make up pack. We get in air quick!” Paddling out to tho silver Hawk, he changed the oil in it, pumped the tanks full of gas, ran back to his tent, climbed into flying clothes, and gave old Luke a»great'coat. Out at the plane the Indian sto­ ically clambered into the rear seat and submitted to pack-shute, harness without grunt or quiver; but Dorn knew that Luke would rather “fight a grizzly with a pine bough” than go aloft in that roaring air-devil. Taking off, Dorn -circled for alti­ tude til he was looking down on the snowy poll of old -Titan iM'ajor; then straightening out, he lined away north, full-throttle, to beat Yoroslaf to the Lake of the Dawn. One hundred miles from his g-Cal he swung west in a great semi-circle to avoid passing over the ’breeds and giving them a dead-certain di­ rection clue. Dorn remembered that first night when he had taken Aur­ ore north and hew difficult been to find her lake then, was not difficult now; her refuge had become his orientation ' and he could have flown to it with­ out compass, by starlight. Coming in out of the northwest, he looked out and down and far ahead and saw the moon-glistening away, -glook. loosen to aslt tilt up, bottle go Binieliy conversa- liis tongue, Bime- questions. Bimeby Two days ago, that “Much chance is,” old Luke Luke concluded, remembering difficult mountain trail, “that not reached lake yet. But to- that all his prearranged programme to hold himself aloof was impossible, absurd, now when Aurora’s was warm in his again. Aurore was frightened and ering; and her fright recalled He had foreseen this question hers; lie had reasoned that if he de­ nied would shield truth, lamity’s happened merely found out something ought to know about, and I’ve a few suggestions to make understand then why I didn’t want to come during flie nothing at all to . trembling, Aurore!” His casual voice ceived Aurore. No ed now, it suddenly how she was dressed, and said, “If you’ll excuse me, Jim ... a few minutes,” and ran into her room, Dorn closed the door against the chilli night breeze, and liis glance then went around the cabin. He marvelled: “Aurore can work wond­ ers with four log walls, a roof and a fireplace!” For a‘11 its bareness, the room had a cozy air of a wo­ man’s touch; he compared it with his own bleak, austere tent. The cabin was scented with odours of several wildflowers. Aurore had made birchrind vases lined with moss' and fringed with maidenhair fern, and had filled them with blos­ soms—with avalanche lilies and dwarf roses, with gorgeous clusters of purple heather and snow anemon­ es which she could have gathered only across on the mainland high above tree line. Tired and hungry, and with a day’s cartograpliing ahead of him, Dorn stirred the embers in the stove and stuck in fresh wook to cook the breakfast and put on a pan of water for coffee. Busy with this while Aurore was dressing, he thought out just what to tell her. with those ’breeds stopped, her danger lay in one of the enemy airplanes discover­ ing her. The cabin was snugly hid­ den. He himself that first morning had searched the island with power­ ful glasses and had failed to spot it. But chimney-smoke or her white canoe on the lake or Aurore herself hand qiuv- iiim, of any trouble whatsoever she know he was lying in order to her from some harrowing He answered her: "No Aurore. ca- I'ye you sot you’ll day. But it’s . . why, you’re completely de- longer frighten- occurred to her She flushed upon the jutting boulder would be easily seen from the air. He hud to guard against her exposing her­ self, and yet he must keep herefrom suspecting the truth. With bacon and trout frying and the coffee simmering, he turned to the table to set it. It was then he noticed that the table was already prepared. That was innocent, quite like a practical little soul; but what caught and held Dorn’s eyes, what struck him hard—her table was laid for two. Dorn’s He could were the two knives and works, and even two chairs drawn up in readiness. A thought 'struck him: “She’s expect­ ing someone, she didn’t know I was to come this morning. Someone is coining here to her,” He remember­ ed those words ho had spoken to Aurora that first morning when he brought her to this wilderness lake: “You came here to meet somebody; he evidently hasn’t arrived yet”; and as he stood there staring down at the table set for two, it seemed to Dorn that that pld jealous sus­ picion was proved now; and some­ thing cold and hard and dagger­ sharp pierced him and turned in the wound. 0 Aurore came out of her room, fix­ ing the big bow tie at her throat and pinning a vivid scarlet orchid on her breast. her Ing she and<< of avalanche lilies, he the business which had to come here, and he to Aurora; it had but it point, and jnake him talk! You go up On waters of Aurore’s lake and the sil- crhAr- 1AAlr_Ai<T * nrhan briait 1 »glacier. twelve engine, in the could miles; of the mountain, spot look-out’breed, keep , ver of the ]1U„G eye cn him. Bimeby come owl dusk his iortyS heW of I come up along you. We liog-tie, thousand feet he cut -off his ’•breed; make believe we going to'- - • - - burn him alive!” Old Luke went. Bitt at sundown, when Dorn had finished some minor repairs on tlio Silver Hawk and. was just ready to start for the mountain slope, Luke chine skirling Across from the mainland. “What happened?” Dorn Sharply. “Why you come back?” Reaching into a hidden fold of his medicine robe, Luke brought out a leather bottle and handed it to Dorn It was nearly empty* Dorn smelled of it. Rotgut lioutclrinl—-a particu­ lar vile drink of characteristic odour. The Jumping-Salmon Tlilinkets and Bella Coolas over on the 'coast made it from sour molasses, and frozen potatoes, and distilled it through coils of the snaky algte washed ashore; and then,, as though it were not atrocious enough already, they tinctured it heavily with plug tobac­ co. Compared with it, the ordinary Tink-eye and forty-rod and day-and -a-half of the “permit” smugglers were mellow,- bottled sunshine, Luke had taken things into own hands; make look like I toots. Bimeby -'breed sees me, bach asked his hunt lie for the night was very still mountains pud the ’breeds hear that powerful roar ten and coasting over the peaks horseshoe range and on down at a long, fifteeii-mile diagonal, Dorn skimmed silently over Aurore’s is­ land and lit in the far southeast cor­ ner of the lake, where the old Car­ rier trail led up to coat Mes. In the canvas canoe he took Luke ashore with pack and rifles; and then taxied back across the lake. As he started up the path, a light Suddenly flickered in the cabin and then burned steadily, and Dorn saw Aurora's figure shadowed against a window. She had heard liis plane. When ho knocked at the door, Aurore flung it open and stood in front of him, dad in nightgown, a billowy hair streaming down her shoulders, iS-he cried at sight of him, “Jim, what's happened—-you coming nt night—-so suddenly?” Dorn stepped across the threshold took Aurore’s hand, and denied impulsive his arms, dismayed, and the into was longing to take her He was shocked, ho by the realization oreatn was like a net be mistaken; two tin plates, two gasp, there cups, I-Ie did not look around at or speak, She saw him stand- there stock-still and silent, and came up, puzzled and alarmed, ! faced him. She cried; 'Jim! There is something the matter!” Dorn said, “Yes,? He the table and his words ily. “That extra place somebody. Who?” Aurore glanced once pointed, and then back to him, be­ wildered for a moment. She gasped; “Oo-oh,” as though she had been struck. Dorn saw the anger that swept through her—a sudden, flam­ ing, anger that scorched him, and passed in an instant; and then Aur­ ore turned away from him and burst 'into tears. It came to Dorn that be nright have made some terrible mistake, and that he had wounded Aurore cruelly. Hesitantly he went up to her, but lie could not touch her; and he could only grope for an ex­ planation of her anger and tears, until Aurore sobbed out the explan­ ation defending herself by throwing away all pride. “Jim, that extra place . . . ever since your last visit . , . I’ve kept it ... I watched for your airplane . . . I wanted you to . . . that place was for—for you!” Later, when they were sitting to­ gether at that table set for two, pointed at came jerk- is set for where he Dorn realized that it had net been his abject apology which caused Aurore to forgive him, but bis stumbling confession of how he had felt when he saw that, extra place and thought some other man was to come here. For after that confes­ sion Autore did not reproach him at all. Meeting her brown eyes new across the bouquet remembered forced- him spun his lie “Thirty miles, south of here there’s three or four metis prospecting around, looking for good for next winter, to get this far shouldn’t take That’s why I came at niglit- wouldn’t see me whip over the mesa and set down on this lake. They mustn’t get a glimpse of you. Moc­ casin telegraph—the news would he- out to the railroad in no time.” He added, swirling the sugar in his coffee-cup: “I think you ought to take a few simple precautions. Don’t do any cooking in the day time. At night shield your window's with paper. You mustn’t go over to the mainland any more------” All unaware of the avalanche hanging over her, Aurore objected to being a prisoner on her island. “But, Jim, I haven’t climbed moun­ tains for so long, and there's several wonderful neves over there, and the gloomiest canyons——” Dorn came down hard, “I said you mustn’t go over there, Aurore., That’s my plain request.” It flat fore been dominating with Aurore, and imperious,brown eyes now. He had a sudden, irrelevant thought; “I’d hate to ever quarrel with her!” But Aurore’s rebellion lasted only a moment; perhaps she felt the steel in Dorn, or rememberd all he had done for her. She said presently, with a simpli­ city that made him sorry for liis abruptness, “Then, Jim, I won’t go to those woods any more. They were silent f-or a little while. They're north, chances. fur paths not likely but you Aurore. •so they was not a request but an order and final. Dorn had never be- he saw a flash of fire in those Once when their eyes met, Dora knew Aurore was thinking alb-oat the evening when they sat at the fireplace and listened to the rain; that was the cause of her restraint, of her aloofness so manifestly fore* ed that even he could see through it He knew he ought to leave Aur­ ore, now that he had brought Luke and had warned her. But he had a presentiment that this break­ fast with her and this visit would be his last; visits are too dangerous, his every move would be watched; and he had a vague feeling that be­ fore he left that day she was going to ask him, for her own sake and! his own, not to eorpe -again. Aurore startled him,. “Jim, your partner, Mr. Eby was here.” “What! Kansas? when? How did' he know?—-I never told him about you, Aurore!” He thought that Bergelot hail confused instructions and had deliv­ ered the map and letter, Aurore set him right. “It was last week, Jim, He said he was trailing you down from Lost River and saw you dip low into this valley and then saw me on the boulder.” Dorn asked quickly, “You made him understand, Aurore, that he shouldn’t drop the first hint about you being here?” “Yes, he understands.” Aurore debated with herself whether or not to tell Dorn that she and Kansas had sat all night on the boulder, talking, She decided not to, for then she would have to explain what they had talked about, and could not bring herself to reopen that with Dorn; and besides, Kan­ sas had agreed with her that if he could be kept -from knowing the truth, it would be best for Jim Dorn. ' .So Aurore made appeal’ that Kan­ sas had merely dropped down and talked a little while and then flown away, with no great interest in her affair at all. 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