Part 20 (2/2)

Pondering thus, at last the realization cas, yet it was he, the son, who must pay for them Old Fitzpatrick would never dare beard the coh lair; if that had been his ai since Why, then, had the factor withheld his bolt until now?

Because McTavish loved Jean? Possibly That, at least, had brought theelse, deeper, and this affair with the girl had given opportunity to strike

Donald thought back Now that he had a tangible motive in view, his mind shook off its paralysis and worked more easily; he was more his forone to Fort Severn, the elder McTavish had soon followed as factor at York The forger man in every way Consequently, when promotion came, McTavish had been elevated over the head of Fitzpatrick As was natural with any man in Fitzpatrick's position, thereand jealousy

How much more so, if that man were narrow, choleric, and filled with a blind sense of loyalty and service? Donald had no doubt now that the old factor had hidden the gall of disappoint it poison his vitals until he was venoainst the clan of McTavish His sense of duty and reverence for office had forbade his acting against the new commissioner, personally But, when the co of his ancestors, no barriers opposed the wreaking of his long-delayed vengeance For more than three years, Donald had been in the present district He was convinced that during all this ti the archives of his father's past in an endeavor to unearth soht use The search had been unsuccessful until late in the su Indians had produced Maria and her claiava

Since then, the machinery had worked smoothly under Fitzpatrick's direction, and now the stroke had fallen But though his own suffering must be the lance from him full into the face of his father

For the elder McTavish had no higher dream in this world than that his only son should rise to honor and distinction in the traditional family profession

”If I am chief commissioner,” he reasoned, ”there is every opportunity for overnor, achieve a baronetcy, and found an English line” This was the dream of his life, and he had inti, two years before

It was the foundation of this dream that Fitzpatrick was now prepared to sweep away Already, the flood of ru at the base of it For a tiot his own misery in the realization of what it would all mean to his father More clearly, now, he saw the careful plans, the perfect details, the inevitable conclusion

”If onlyhis fingers together until they cracked

And, then, there came to him the one possible solution to the whole difficulty He could sweep everything away by his own sacrifice

Now, in fifteenback to Fitzpatrick and accepting the old ain and to be transferred to the far West

Never to coain! Never to touch her hand or her hair! Never to hear her voice! To go on thus for a week, for a month, for endless weeks and months and years--forever!

heaven! He could not do it! Had he no rights? Was he to be the helplessof evil circumstance and voice of ill?

Yet, what other as there? He could not wantonly haul the figure of his father down from its pedestal of blameless life And his htful position

No, there was no other way out

What explanation of his desertion would ever be vouchsafed to Jean, he did not know He would try to communicate with her before he went It would be hard on her, this separation, particularly if reasons could not be given She would never understand She would go through life bla him, perhaps, in the depths of her heart

As for hi that concerned hiain, he supposed, and work up oncemattered much, now

Resolved to have another iot slowly to his feet, and began to retrace his steps to the caone a dozen yards when a sharp voice called out, ”Halt!”

McTavish swung around, and found hi into the muzzle of a rifle that projected from behind a tree-trunk

But he had no sooner turned than a joyful cry rang out, and a nized Peter Rainy Glad beyond words to see a friendly face, Donald put his ar to his to its mother

”Master, htened

But the young man did not reply for a while Then, he sat doith his comrade of many trails

”Tell ive you the queerest half-hour you ever had,” he said

And Rainy told his story: The night Maria struck down Donald, she did as much for Peter, but with a different purpose No sooner had he been rendered helpless than he had been bound to one of the sledges Then, both dog-trains had been harnessed, and a one, for days Rainy did not know, and his co when it was snowing heavily, the Indians did a characteristic thing They tied him securely to a tree with ropes, the ends of which were in the campfire A little poas sprinkled here and there to aid the flames that slowly crawled toward the captive Beside hi with a s-trains The idea was that, when the ropes had been eaten away by fire the falling snoould have covered the tracks of the flying pair, so that Rainy could not pursue them