Part 12 (1/2)

A low, frightened cry broke from Joanne's lips, and he knew that she, too, had seen him But it was not Quade that she had looked for It was not his face that she had expected to see nor because of him that she had lifted her veil for the ave her his hand Her fingers clutched his convulsively And they were cold as the fingers of the dead

CHAPTER X

A h the crowd, and called Aldous by naenial face with its little spiked moustache rose above the sea of heads about hirinned a welcoripped his friend's hand ”I' my wife nearer than the back platform”

Aldous turned to Joanne He was still half in a daze His heart was choking hi Even as he introduced her to Blackton the voice kept crying in his brain that she had expected to find some one in this crohom she knew For a space it was as if the Joanne whom he had known had slipped away frorave, but this other she had kept froed up in hireet Blackton In an instant, it seeained a part of her coard lines about her eyes and the deep pallor in her face, which he ascribed to fatigue

”You're tired, Miss Gray,” he said ”It's a killing ride up froh this mob we'll have supper within fifteenhis long, lean body ahead of them

An instant Joanne's face was very close to Aldous', so close that he felt her breath, and a tendril of her hair touched his lips In that instant her eyes looked into his steadily, and he felt rush over hi, it was to hi for protection The haunting trouble in her eyes, their entreaty, their shi+ning faith in hilad that she had not seen his sudden fear and suspicion She clung ers held his arht tear hi quickly at the faces about the e of the crowd Blackton dropped back beside them A few steps more and they ca in the diht of one of the station lamps Blackton introduced Joanne, and assisted her into the seat beside his wife

”We'll leave you ladies to becoe,”

he said ”Got the checks, Aldous?”

Joanne had given Aldous two checks on the train, and he handed thee-rooe, so I had one of my men come with another teaive him the checks”

Before they returned to the buckboard, Aldous halted his friend

”I couldn't say ra I'd let her explain I want you to tell Mrs

Blackton that she has come to Tete Jaune on a rather unpleasant rave of a--a near relative”

”I regret that--I regret it very hted without touching it to his cigar ”I guessed so She's welco as she remains in Tete Jaune Perhaps I knew this relative If I can assist you--or her----”

”He died before the steel cah was his narave Miss Gray is an old friend of mine,” he lied boldly ”We want to start at dawn Will that be too much trouble for you and your wife?”

”No trouble at all,” declared Blackton ”We've got a Chinese cook who's more like an owl than a human Hoill a four o'clock breakfast suit you?”

”Splendidly!”

As they went on, the contractor said:

”I carried your word to MacDonald Hunted him down out in the bush He is very anxious to see you He said he would not be at the depot, but that you ely under cover of late Curious old ghost, isn't he?”

”The strangest man in the mountains,” said Aldous ”And, when you coether”

This time it was Blackton who stopped, with a hand on his companion's arm

A short distance froht of the station lamp

”Has old Donald written you lately?” he asked

”No He says he hasn't written a letter in twenty years”