THE STORY SO FAR: Janice Treat
runt ??iy from wedding Ned Pi* ton.
rich, bat a tav blade. Disguised as a
tubercular youth, the become* camp sec
retary la Alaska where Ilruce Harcourt
bad been made cblef. replacing Joe Hale
who bad been going down bill. Janice
keeps out of sight of Bruce, who knows
her. But one day. while visiting the
cabia of the Samp sisters, who run the
Waffle Shop, he sees her asleep In a
chair. Jimmy Belevan. the secretary.
Is the very J?5ir? whom be had on
his last visit to New York Impulsively
advised not to marry Paxton. He de
cides camp Is no place for a woman,
but Tubby Grant, his assistant. Insists
to cet a rood secretary In the
wilderness. Janice tells Bruce her story.
Mrs. Hale is attracted to Bruce. Hale
treats her badly. Hale suffers a stroke
and they can't leave as scheduled. Hale
calls Janice to take some dictation.
Now continue with the story.
CHAPTER VI
Janice wondered what Tubby and
ti'oiilH any about her going.
She had a sense of breathlessness
as she pushed open the door of the
Hale cabin. Joe Hale was
in a wheei-chair near a window, ne
would have been good-looking had
he *ived decently, Janice told her- (
vol# in thst 5r?t omrw'M
"Good of you to come. Miss Trent,
particularly as I now have no
claim on your time. Feel like a
boob not to bring up a chair for
you. but the doctors won't let me
take a step. Tyrants Mrs. Hale
ran over to see the Samp girls
fifteen minutes ago. Seized this
chance to get an outline made for
a codicil to my will. Not that I
have the least intention of passing
out, but, I've had a tap on the j
shoulder."
Curious that his explanation left
her with the same sense of uneasi
ness which had seized her as she
entered the cabin, Janice thought.
Was smoke coming from that pipe
laid on the mantel? Had Mrs. Hale
been gone fifteen minutes? Would
tobacco keep hot that long? If she
were away and Hale himself
couldn't move, who had put it there?
He selected a paper. "Here is the
memorandum of what I want to dic
tate. You look as though you could
keep a secret, Miss Trent. Beauti
ful women as a rule are dumb; I'll
bet my gold nuggets you're an
exception. I kiss your hands in
spirit."
She hid heard that caressing in
flection before too, she told herself,
with a bitter little twist of her lips.
If he wanted to impress her with a
sense of friendliness, not in the man
ner of Ned Paxton should he ap
proach her. She responded in her
crispest voice.
"A secretary is supposed to be a
machine, not a person when taking
dictation, Mr. Hale. Ready."
She tried to remain indiflerent to
the meaning of the codicil she was
transcribing, but it was startling.
Plop! Plop! Plop! Plop! Plop!
Plop! The sounds came from be
hind the screen. Small revelatory
crashes that meant but one thing.
A broken string of beads. So, Mrs.
Hale was at home. Listening. What
was the big idea?
"What was that?"
Was it imagination or did Hale
relax?
?'Buttons. That nitwit dog of M:l
licent's has upset her work-basket
again."
A brilliant blue bead rolled sound
lessly across the rug and stopped
behind his chair. Janice brought
her teeth sharply into her lip to
keep back an exclamation. Tatima!
Tatima was behind the screen.
Hale's suave voice broke into her
reflections. "So, you ran away from
marriage. Kiss and run type, yes?"
Janice's blood sang in her ears
from fury. She managed to keep
her voice steady.
"Go on with your dictation, Mr.
Hale. I have left important work
at the office."
"Where were wo? I remember.
That's all." He pulled a thick roll
from his coat pocket. Peeled off a
ten-dollar bill. "Take this. I've no
right to your time."
Janice rose. "Thank you, no. I
will type the material at once and
send it for you to look over."
"Efficient, aren't you? I'd thought
of letting the deserted bridegroom
know where you were, but, we need
you here."
She looked steadily back at him as
she snapped the rubber band on her
note-bcok.
"May I suggest that you mind
your own business?"
The force with which she closed
the door behind her relieved her
overcharged spirit. In her dash
from the cabin she collided with
*immy Chester.
"Someone told me that you were
bete. What do you mean by com
ing when Millicent is at the
6amp?">"
For an Instant Janice stared in
creduliuoly . Then (he twisted her
self free. She vented the remainder
of her fury on him.
"What business is it of yours why
I went there?"
??I'll make it my business," he
answered savagely and pulled open
the cabin door.
? ? ?
Millicent Hale stood in the door
way. Under one arm was her toy
Pekinese.
"I know that I'm breaking rules,
your rules, coming to the office,
Bruce, but I'm desperate. I? I ? "
she bit her lips, clenched her frail
Knntia nc thmiffK V/iiSt ? I! hif
she were holding back a flood of
emotion. "Tubby Grant told me
that you and he were to air-trot
tomorrow, were to scout out a place
on the river from which to start
the road toward the new bridge.
That after that you would fly to the
city. Take me. I'm fed-up on my
self. on everything in this terrible
wilderness. I haven't left our cabin
for mcr? BP Kmir vinrp Joe's
break-down, my nerves are on edge.
If I go I can get some things he
needs. Mary Samp promised to look
after him. Why not take Miss Trent,
that is if Argus of the Hundred
Eyet> will let her go."
"If Mia* Tr??>? wilt Care
to go air-trotting. Miss Trent?"
Fly! Janice throttled her imagina
tion. attested fervently:
"I'd love it."
"Then it's a date. Be sure you're
ready on time. The plane starts the |
Hale said: "So you ran away from
marriage. Kiss and run type, yes?"
minute the sun pokes its rim above
the horizon, passengers or no pas
sengers."
With eager assurance of a prompt
appearance Millicent Hale departed.
"And by the way," said Bruce,
"I'll suggest that you go slow with
Jimmy Chester."
A little demon of contrariness took
possession of her.
Janice indulged in a delicately
regretful sigh. "He is fascinating
even if his eyes are tragically old."
Harcourt left his desk, loomed
over her. "Attractive! Jimmy's a
corking engineer, but he's pulp
where girls are concerned. The war
left his eyes old and his tempera
ment slightly twisted. You might
as safely play with high explosives.
He's the type who would do some
thing desperate if he got the wrong
slant."
? ? ?
Squatted cobbler-fashion on the
cot bed in her cabin Janice regarded
herself in the roughly framed mir
rur above a dressing-table fashioned
from a packing-box.
She barely breathed as she met
the mirrored eyes. Who was that
girl roally? What was she?
Dishes were rattling in the Waffle
Shop. That meant that supper prep
arations were going forward. She'd
better slip into her gown. Miss
Martha would be sending a tray in
to the living-room shortly. The
Samp sisters would not permit her
to step foot in the Shop when the
men were eating th?re.
Kadyama was filling the wood-box
in the living-room, she could hear
him shuffling back and forth. Regu
lar as clock-work. One could tell
the time by his coming and going.
A curious character. Sardonic.
Taciturn. She avoided him when
she could.
What was that sound? Coat half
off, she listened. Something run
ning round and round like mad. Blot
having a fit?
She thrust her arm back into the
satin sleeve, dashed through the
passage, stopped on the threshold of
the living-room. Overturned chairs
waved legs in air as though in ex
ercise of their Daily Dozen. Spools
rolled on the floor from the over
lurnea work-basket. A slammed
door cut a terrified "Meowl" in
ha if.
Blot! Blot had been kidnaped! By
. Kadyama? Hadn't Bruce said that
the natives feared the cat as they
did the Evil Spirit? It would break
the Samp girls' heart if anything
happened to their pet. Could she
rescue it?
She jerked open the door, ran in
pursuit of a bent, scurrying figure
hooded in a brilliant Yakutat blan
ket The tip of a lashing black tail
hung below it. Where was the In
dian taking the cat?
Janice's breath came unevenly,
the wide, full trousers swished about
her feet, the strap of one parch
ment-kid sandal snapped. He had
passed the Waffle Shop without be
ing noticed. To the kennels? They
were back of the office. Surely
someone there would see him. What
was the kidnaper's idea? He didn't
intend? he did! He did!
Her shout of Drotest cracked in
her dry throat ? for all the world as
though she were shrieking for help
in a nightmare ? as a struggling,
kicking, spilling black ball was flung
with terrific force into the yard
where a dozen or more slant-eyed,
ruby-tongued huskies were yipping
and yelping and rollicking. Tney
stiffened to rigidity as they regard
ed the motionless black heap. A
trimly built Siberian broke the spell
with a joyous yelp. He nosed the
stunned cat, tossed it. A husky
with baleful yellow eyes caught it,
sent it whirling back. Like a shut
tlecock it flew from dog to dog to an
ac -ompaniment of barks and
growls.
For a split second Janice hesitat
ed as imagination projected a pic
ture of herself being torn to rib
bons. The kidnaper had vanished.
Then she fumbled frantically at the
gate. They would kill Blot. Where
was the trick latch? She had it. She
dashed into the midst of the excited
tormentors, caught the black cat
in the air, held it high as the dogs
sprang for her. Gleeful yelps deep
ened to menacing growls. She
backed toward the gate. Two or
three huskies, she couldn't tell how
many, sneaked behind her. Her
heart pounded in her throat. She
didn't know much about d"g psy
chology, but she knew enough not
to run.
Ulaws ripped at her dahlia jacket,
at her satin trousers. She lost a
parchment sandal. The slim gray
Siberian carried it off, worrying it
as he went. She backed cautious
ly, saying over and over, soothing.
ly:
"Nice boys! Down! Down!"
Her lips were too stifE to voice
command. The husky with the bale
lul glare stalked toward her in a
sullen wolf-walk, lips lifting in spas
modic snarls. Suddenly he reared.
His gold-fleckad eyes were on a
level with hers, his wrinkled nose
bared yellowed fangs. Sneering at
her, was he? Would she ever get out
side that fence? Miss Martha would
say, "There's a gate in every wall,
my dear." There was in this one if
she could only make it. The wolf
dog was leaping ?
"Drop the cat! Good God! Drop
the cat! At him, Tong!"
Janice was conscious of a tawny |
shape flashing by her, of the impact
of bodies, of a yelp of pain, before i
an arm was flung about her shoul- <
dors. She looked up into eyes blaz- ' i
ing in a face, livid, lined. Bruce I j
Of course. Hadn't he appeared at
the exact psychical moment to pick ,
up her black slipper? She still
clutched the cat as he drew her J
outside the gate. >J
She looked over her shoulder, fl
Tong, his brush hanging straight,
fangs bared, beautiful head lowered, j'h
glared at the dogs cringing away I i
from him. She controlled a shiver.;:
"Come on." * '
She looked up at Bruf" Harcourt .
whose Angers bit into her arm.
"I'm going as fast as I can with
one sandal. This ground isn't a trot- <
ting-park." i 1
She glanced down at her silk
stockinged foot, regarded incredu
lously her shredded pajamas. She ^
laughed, sobbed, laughed again.
"Stop it! You'll have hysterics in
a moment."
Her voice caught treacherously in
the midst of indignant denial. With
out warning, Harcourt picked her up
in his arms. She tried to free her
self.
"Stop wriggling. You're heavy
enough as it is."
"1 can walk. It's absurd to carry
me."
Breathing h-rd, he set her on her
feet in the living-room of the Samp
cabin. He closed the door and
backed up against it. His face was
darkly red as he demanded:
"Don't you know better than to
run round this camp dressed in
those things? I saw you from the
office window. Couldn't believe my
eyes. Look at yourself."
(TO BE CONTiy.'JES}
A Utile honey in fruit cake helps
to keep the cake moist.
? ? *
Save your scraps of soap, melt
them together and use for wash
ing clothes.
? ? ?
It's better to wash soiled woolen
garments through several sudsy
waters instead of just one. It is
easier on the garment.
? ? ?
Cook carrots in just a little wa
ter so you won't have to drain ofl
any of the minerals and vitamins
before serving.
Winter Sports Set
In Simple Crochet
One teaspoon of onion juice or
half a sliced raw onion added to
mashed potatoes gives them a dif
ferent flavor.
? ? ?
Wash your dish towels daily and
dry them in the sun to keep them
white and free from odor.
? ? ?
When setting the table for
guests, allow from 24 to 30 inches
of space to a person. This makes
for comfortable seating and serv
ing. A crowded table is uncom
fortable and somewhat confusing
to both hostess and guests.
Pattern 2993.
DIGTAILS of woo! are the chief
* lure to this crocheted cap that
does for all winter sports including
that of being decorative. Mit
tens and a scarf complete the set.
Pattern 2SJ93 contains directions for mak
lng the set in 12-16 year sizes; illustra*
\lons of it and stitches; materials required.
Send your order to:
Sewing Circle Needlecraft Dept.
82 Eighth Ave. New York
Enclose 15 cents in coins for Pat
tern No
Name
Address
Small Obligations
Life is made up, not of great
sacrifices, or duties, but of little
things, in which smiles and kind
nesses, and small obligations giv
en habitually are what win and
preserve the heart and secure
comfort. ? Sir Humphrey Davy. 1
Better Product
Anybody can cut prices, but it
takes brains to make a better ar
ticle. ? Philip D. Armour.
AND, JANE, REMEMBER, IF YOU BAKE AT HOME, THE ONLY
YEAST WITH ALL THESE* VITAMINS IS FLEISCHMANN'S
YOU
ARE AN
INFLUENTIAL
PERSON
The merchant who advertises must treat
you better than the merchant who does
not. He must treat you as though you
were the most influential person in town.
As a matter of cold fact you are. You
hold the destiny of his business in your
hands. He knows it. He shows it. And you
benefit by good service, by courteous treat
ment, by good value ? and by tourer prices.