fi£h. MCWL m SYNOPSIS: Ellen Mackay, on her way from school at Winnipeg, to join her father at Fort Edson, misses the boat by which she was to travel. Hearing that another boat was to start north in the morning, Ellen gues to the owner, John Benham, and begs him to give her a passage. To her surprise he flatly refuses. Angry and puzzled, Ellen tells Pat MeCiatohney, a kindly old storekeep er of h er difficulty, and Pat with the help of one of Benham's crew, suc ceeds in getting Ellen on board as a stowaway. When the vessel is well under way t'lien emerges from her hiding place and faces John Benham, who now cannot help taking her w ith him. Twice had her father called him a ‘Squaw’s whelp”—a “half-breed and somehow this thought was like a dagger thrust in Ellen’s heart. I seemed beyond all reason that such a thing could be so, for John Ben ham’s eyes were blue and clear and bis hair was richly brown. Yet . . • She thought of her father, broken and dLcouraged, and by his own words brought to such a “tateJ^ -h, evil machinations of this—this ‘ half-breed." And now Ellen had taken her stand by h(* :£at^tfe ^ht His battle was to be her battle, his Vie was her hate. ‘ It was long before she finally slept and when she did so there was the moistness of tears upon her cheeks. Mackav ' learned1'the reaso'n^foir^her thy^Xs^she^c^^studied^i destroyed Her thoughts were driven The shelves of the storehouse were r ied high With trade goods that had Sot been moved for over three yeat^ U,vas simple to see the season when the decline had started. Tnree J a ElienVprobed further. Three years before had been the peak of the sex en-veat- cvcle of the rabbits and all old' records showed tnat when rabbit tide was at its he-0ht. %vas the rich year in returns on lyn. . Yet the lvnx tally three years ago "Eilir^rtoXlur store room ed the fues disclosed. They were al tar below par, not a prime skin in .th^hppS 'trembled and tears came , -ain to her eyes. How deep the Sa^ie of it must cut her father, for tn Hte past Fort Edson had been the boast ofthe company. From there hart come the richest returns, the fmest tos. Rich in the pride ot achievement, Angus Mackay had (doFed in the reputation of his post. Ind now he must drink the bitterest ^Ellen went to the door of the uade r oom and looked out upon the open ground which surrounded the post bui'dings. A few Indians were there ■a very few. And she could rememb er when, at this time of the year, there would he hundreds. And what were camped there were of the poor est Dog-ribs and Yellow-knives and Hayeiver Indians, notoriously poor and unthrifty. Their tepees were ragged and filthy; their families plainly undernourished; their dogs mere perambulating skeletons. And in-1 scanty furs they brought in for trade would, in the older, better years ■hardly have been considered. An overpowering discouragement flooded Ellen, particularly harsh be cause 6he was at a loss to understand this terrible decline. John Benham was the cause, her father claimed; John Benham who, by nefarious free trading methods, had enticed the Indians from him, who had gleaned the richest and best furs and left to him only the tagged remnants. Ellen wondered if such a thing were reasonable that one lone man could move into a territory ana three short years overthrow the re putation and prestige of such a post as Fort Edson. She voiced this -wonder to her father just once, and his answering spasm of rage left her .trembling and disheartened. \ngus Mackay hated all free trad ers Violently and unswervingly. All hie life 1 ad been spent in the em ploy of the Hudson Bay Company. He was of the old school who though he knew full well that the Hudson Bay Company had parted wUh its old franchise in 1870 thought in his blind fervour and lawfulness, that any (free trader was still a tres passer a despoiler, and a schemer against the interests of the mother C °Therey were many others like him, scattered about in the numerous f07t3 of the north—stern, uncom promising men who had grown oW in the service, and to ybom Hudson Bav Company was both UK and -eli'gion. There was somethin^ "piling in this blind ^ and support, yet there was something tragic also. These men, men like Vu^us Mackay, were hurling then frail old bodies against the ponder <us, inexorable, titantic advance progress. It was hopeless it wa. iragic. but splendid m its blind fer "Ellen turned back into the duskj trading room and read for thehun breath time it seemed, a brus<pue authoritative letter, written on h JenaEWt parchment used m offl «UionS. The message dij words. It contained than a dozen lines. Yet the T^era of it saemed to toll like a f bell. In effect it stated that 7a1™ Augus Mackay could, by the follow ing spring, bring back the produc tion of Fort Edson to something a® proximating its old-time volume, he wouid have to be replaced. Sudden, hot anger gripped Ellen. A year—they gave him—one short year to fight back and recuperate. One year! To this man who had giv en them a lifetime of faithful, trea sureful service. True, the letter hinted also of a pension, a pitiful dole that was more insulting than it was contorting. A pension! The mark of the old and useless. Charity! Pure vitriol on the open wounds of her 'father. Ellen lifted her head defiantly. A year! Very well, she would show them what a Mackay could do in a year. She would fight back, fight to the last ounce of strength and will she possessed. And if anyone j John Benham in particular opposed her, she -would bring back the meth ods o>f open battle the very earliest days of the fur trade had known. ■She was in a corner, her -back to the wall. Her father’s reputation; his life; his welfare were at stake. To win there would be nothing she would not dare. At that moment Ellen Mackay turned savage. Her face settled into hard, cold lines. The youthfulness, of her fled, somehow, She put away the books and re cords, locked the storerooms ’and strode off to the home cabin. As she went she became aware of shouts down upon the beach. From the doorway of the cabin she surveyed the scene below. Several scows and! a York boat or two were grounded1 on the shingle. A crowd of Indians and rivermen were grouped on the shore. Ellen saw her father talking to one of them, a big burly figure who towered above the rest like a 'giant among pigmies. Presently these two advanced up the slope towards the post. Angus Mackay with a toiling effort that ‘‘This is Bernard Deteroux, lass," said the factor. brought a catch to Ellen’s throat and momentary dimnesB to her eyes; the stranger with a lithe ease which belied the itm^pssion Of clumsiness his huge bpd^gave. Once, when the old .factor ^ronbled, his companion steadied him with one powerful hand and after that helped the old man over the steepest part of the trail. This gesture, slight as it was, brought a warm glow to Ellen, and when the two finally reached the cabin Ellen’s eyes were bright and she was smil ing. While they were still some yards away. Ellen felt the impact of the newcomer’s gaze. She returned the scrutiny curiously. She saw one of the biggest men she had ever looked upon. His shoulders were tremen dously broad, his chest arched like a barrel. His flanks were lean, his legs long and slightly bowed as though protesting under the weight of his huge torso. His arms, hared half-way to the shoulders, were bulg ed and knotted with muscle. His features were heroic, yet lean and cleanly cut, and dark with the com bined effect of exposure and heri tage. His eyes were deep and black and, to Ellen’s slight discomfiture, curiously hard and inscrutable. There seemed no depth to them. They were all surface. Unconsciously Ellen re coiled slightly at their cold, almost arrogant survey. Yet the man was smiling, disclosing two rows of even, white teeth. ‘■This is Bernard Deteroux, lass,” panted the factor. “Bernard-—my uauig tea, julixsu. Deteroux bowed slightly. “I am honored, mam’selle.” Ellen murmured a reply and led the way into the living room. When they had seated themselves old An gus went on with further explana tions. “Bernard is one of our men, lass. He is our roving source of supply. His duties are to keep an [erven balance in the trade goods at our various posts. Tell me, lass is there anything we are in need I of?” “We have enough of everythimg, father,” said Ellen slowly. “Except [perhaps of blankets.” | will be pleased to oblige, mam’ Iselle,” broke in Deteroux quickly, j “A hundred pairs, perhaps, would be enough?” . That would be enough, Mr. De [teroux,” nodded Ellen, j “Good. You shall have them im mediately.” He stepped to the open door and in a. deep resonant voice j shouted an order down the slope. Then he turned back. “The blanket; !rwill be at your storeroom in five .minutes, mam’selle.’’ (, A moment later Ellen left the rooir I [to assist Gitchie in preparation oJ L the midday meal. She founnd th< r old Chippewyan squaw working ir , the kitchen in a strangely silen kmood, and despite Ellen’s curiou; > questioning, Gitchie would utter n( -[word. And later, when the meal wa: - over with she went out to the store - room with her father and Deteroux Ellen saw old Moosac bend a look upon Deteroux of frank, savage hos tility. Thjis, reasoned Ellen, was. very strange, for her father was plainly overjoyed at the presence of Deteroux, and she knew that both Moosac and Gitchie were very faith ful to her father. For herselif, Ellen found it hard to define just how Deteroux affected her. There was an undeniable magnetism about the man. His very size, his .ppling strength, and the lithe, easy swiftness of his movements and the gleam of his white teeth were attrac tive. And he was not unhandsome. Yet his eyes were repelling, and whenever Ellen ifelt them upon her, which was disconcertingly often, she was hard put to it to keep from shivering openly. The man was at once attractive and repulsive. When the blankets had been prop erly checked in and receipted for, Deteroux and Angus Mackay left again, but Ellen stayed at the trading room, once more immersed in the study of her father’s predicament, and trying to plan a course of action that might avert the threatened cal amity of the following spring. Here, an hour later, Bernard Dete roux came to her alone. “You will pardon me, mam’selle,” tie began swiftly. ‘'But I have a great affection for your father, and it would be well perhaps, if you and ) should talk of a certain injustice which the future portends.’’ Ellen knew immediately what De tecoux meant. Someway, doubtless through the channels of gossip, or be cause Angus Mackay had confided in him, this gigantic riverman knew of the threat which hung over the old factor. Though she would not acknowledge it, Ellen realized that the task of rehabilitation she had set herself loomed as well nigh im possible. Therefore she seized upon Deteroux’s suggestion with uncon scious eagerness. FIFTH INSTALMENT '<1 have thought of little else, since earning about it,” she said wearily. I refuse to give up without a bat ie. but it seems almost beyond hope o think of averting it.” Deteroux’s cold eyes gleamed in open admiration. VTou are very courageous, mam'selle. And Bernard Deteroux will be most happy to help you in any way possible. Now, be cause I have been much through all this country and you have but lately come back to it, it may be that I could give you information of many kinds, should you desire it. Ask me what you will. I promise that your confidence will not be abused.” Ellen looked at him seriously for a moment. She sensed breeding be hind Deteroux somewhere. The man did not talk like the usual run of river-men. His brain was plainly alert, his tongue fluent. "Very well,” said Ellen presently. "In a case of this sort it is well to know one's enemies in their true light. My father feels that John Benham, the free trader, is to blame for all his woes. Is it possible that one man can come into this district and in three years upset the reputa tion of an old, established post like Fort Edson?” Deteroux shrugged. "It would seem so, mam’selle. I know of no other free trader in your territory hut John Benham.” “But how can he do it?” persisted Eilen. <‘He cannot afford to offer more in trade than can the Hudson Bay Company." “True,” noded Deteroux. “Yet, perhaps, it is not how much he offers for his furs, but what he offers.” Ellen stared at him for a moment. ‘I do not understand,” she said slowly. “I forget, mam'selle,” went on Deteroux swiftly. “I forget that when you left this post four years |Sgo, the old order still existed. But do four years many things may change, as you know. In many ways our Indian is a child. He has ideals [that are strange, mam’selle, and iwhich we cannot grasp. Also he has jweaknesses upon which the unscru pulous may trade. An Indian values giany things, mam'selle, but most oi jail he values_whiskey.” ! Ellen’s eyes widened. At last she saw. “Whiskey,” she murmured. | "John Benham trades whiskey foi jfurs? But that is against the law The North-west Mounted Police wit | not permit trading whisky to the Sindians.” ’I Deteroux laughed softly. ‘‘You for. iget, mam’selle. You forget tha . though they are a great organiza. . tion, the red-coats are, after all, bu • men. They are few and the nortl i country is measured in millions o t square miles. They cannot he in al ■ places at once. And if Benham it . cunning, as we know he is, he cal do much that the law cannot prove. And the law must have proof.” Deteroux A, e vent to another of his expressj^Ejfcrug's. “What can we do witljjBffie law? And then also-—what Jplwe prove? We know, hut we canrtof prove—yet. Perhaps, later, this weapon may lie in our hands. And then—there is another thing.” “What is that?” Ellen Mackay was crouched in the bow of a slender birch-bark canoe. Deteroux looked at Ellen steadily. You must understand, mam’selle, that I do not like gossip. But in my desire to help your father—and you —I will speak it. John Benham trades well with the Indians, not only because he gives them whisky —but because he is of their blood. He is one of them.” For some strange, inexplicable rea son. Ellen flared almost angrily at this accusation. The reaction was unconscious, yet none the lees hon est. “Is this also something you know, but cannot prove?” she asked, and h >r manner was cold. Deteroux looked at her with in scrutable eyes. ‘‘Does it matter?” he asked answering question with question. Ellen felt the hot blood rushing ihrough her cheeks. Shame gripped her. Why had she .flared so quickly in defense of a man towards whom all rhings pointed as being the cause of her father’s misfortune; a man who stooped to that most dastardly of all tricks, bestialising and robbing the Indians through the medium of orbidden whiskey? "I -wish merely to be fair,” she tammered. “You are admirable, mam’selle. You would be a gallant enemy in any battle. But this thing I know— and if necessary—can furnish proof.” n< it*a s iruari; impulse aiea nara. ‘‘Is it reasonable that he, being of th ur blood, wTould deliberately bru talise them and rob them for his own selfish gain?’ “Reasonable?” said Deteroux with short, barking laugh. “Not to us, perhaps. But what is that which is aid about the half-breed? He has 11 the vices and none of the virtues of either side of his heritage. Per haps in John Benham this is also true. The Indian in him schemes to atisfy the greed of his white ances try. If you had known men as I have known them, mam’selle, you would not wonder at anything they do.” Ellen was silent for a long time. She knew' Deteroux was watching her closely. Grudgingly she gave in. ‘ You must be right, Mr. Deteroux. There is no other way in which he could hove stolen the trade from us in so short a time.” “You reason correctly, mam’selle,” said Deteroux, and it seemed as though there was an unconscious note of triumph in his voice. “I hope you will not think me now' as just a gabbling old woman, but one who sincerely wishes to help your father and you. Facts, though unpleasant, are best faced squarely and uncom promisingly. And if at any time 1 can be of further help to you, you have but to command.” ‘ Thank you. You have already shown me a wray out of my dilem ma.” “May I presume to ask what that 3S?” ‘‘Of course. It is to furnish proof to the lawr that John Benham is trading whiskv to the tribes. He will then be removed quickly and for good.” Deteroux seemed to hesitate. Something flashed in his eyes, which tion for the first time. Then he caught, uip his guard again. ‘T hesi tate to warn you. mam'selle. But you must always remember that John Benham is figuring for high stakes. In a pinch he might become quite ruthless.” “T am not afraid.” said Ellen quietly. "I, too, can be ruthless.” ‘‘That is true,” nodded Deteroux thoughtfully. "Well duty calls, and the river trails are long. 1 will see you again, mam’selle—when I re turn.” ; Ellen suffered him to how over her hand, though at the contact of his hand, calloused palm she could hardly repress a shiver. Strangesl of all, perhaps, was the .fact that she could not analyse that flurry of feel ing. It might have been repugnance or then again it might have beer something else. There was no deny ing the magnetism and virility oi this man. Then another strangr thing happened. As Deteroux swung his huge bulk through the doorway ■Ellen caught a glimpse of old Moos ■ac's wrinkled face just beyond, ant Moceac was openly snarling. | At sight of the Indian, Deterouj i eemed to hesitate, then, with a swift old laugh he elbowed the old Chin >ewyan aside and swung off on hi: iwav. Ellen darted to the door. A I iight of her Moosac slunk away also and when she called to him he dii not answer. 1 For a long time Ellen stood there puzzled furrows wrinkling her smoot] ' brow. Distinctly she sensed som ominous undercurrent of stark con : flict and hate swirling about her. I :|was inexplicable, but it was there i The more she tried to draw strange ends together and make some true (picture of it, the more confusing it all was. Finally she sighed and ,drew her. thoughts back into more direct chan-; onels. Here at least she had a clear, j damning trace to follow. The secret of John Benham’e exploitation of the Fort Edson territory was plain. Her mode of attack was simple and dir ect. Proof of his trickery to offer to he law. And she must act now, while the trading season was at its height. Immediately a load seemed shifted rom her mind. She could think clearly at last, for ahead lay action. .True, there was some strange, crush ing weight in her breast which made her curiously cold and unfeeling. The John Benham she had known had seemed so clean and fine, yet she was now possessor of knowledge which made him that meanest and lowest of all mortals: a man who traded upon the weakness of the ig norant and primitive. And he was a half-breed! j i Feverishly she began her prepara-1 iions. Her father objected strenu- j ousty to what she had in mind, but [ she overrode his objections with j firm determination. And that even-j ng -when the hush of the short night j settled down over river and fores:, j Ellen Mackay was crouched in the j bow of a slencer birch-bark canoe, her face turned towards the north, j In the center of the canoe was a! heap of baggage. In the rear was: wrinkled, hunched old Moosac, wield-! mg a dripping paddle. Lightly the canoe slipped away! into the darkness. The dim lights of; Fort Edson paled and faded from| view. Twelve days after leaving Fort) Edson. Ellen found her first evidence j of John Ber.ham’s nefarious trading; activities. She came upon a small camp of Laird Indians, and saw there the influence of “firewater” in all its theilishness. Less than a dozen fam ines made up the camp. Their pov erty was heartrending. The bucks were bleareyed and besotted, sullen and stupid. Gaunt, stony-faced squaws stared at Ellen in silence as she picked her way through the fil hy jumble of the camp. It was the plight of the children, of apathetic, half-starved papooses which parti cularly tore at Ellen’s heart-strings.) Enable to understand the brutishnese I f their elders, the look in their little eyes begging mutely for food and till more food, their plight was piti ful in the extreme. And if they were ^starving now, in the midst of spring and plenty, what would their future be when the cold, merciless hand of A-inter shut down again? A quick survey and a question or wo, to which she received hardly more than a grunt in answer, show d Ellen that their winter’s eaten of ure were gone. These furs had gone i o purchase “firewater,” when they hould have been used to trade for ood and blankets, clothes, ammuni ion, and other supplies to carry the amp through another winter. There was nothing Ellen could do. he left presently, with the whole i awdry picture’ etched upon her brain ,evond all forgetting. There was no n is taking this evidence. It lay all 1 bout the camp in the form of dozens f empty whisky bottles. Ellen travelled ceaselessly. Bend I ng her strong young body to the I ask of paddling, she drove Moosac ■ o his labours until the old Chippew- j yan was hunched with weariness.) Phe found camps of Yellowknives! j nd Dogribs, of Rae and Simpson and I ; la’, River Indians in which condi tions approximated to those of that first camp. Everyhere lay the evi dence of the white man’s murderous I rmon d o w d tVin Tnrli'in’t! c- f n.Tvi "tiro Q LT- ) j ness. She shivered whenever she j thought of what would happen when jwinter shut down again. Everywhere ! he looked, instead of seeing the riot | ng splendour of the spring the dread i peetre of famine and wholesale death seemed to loom. It was there jefore her eyes as she dropped to ieep at might, and was still with ler when she awakened at dawn. Continued next week. | --- ; Don’t put up with useless PAIN Get rid of it When functional pains o' menstruation are severe, take CARDUI. If it doesn’t bene fit you, consult a physician. Don’t neglect such pains. They depress the tone of the nerves, . cause sleeplessness, loss of ap j petite, wear out your resist ance. Get a bottle of Cardu 1 and see whether it will hel; you, as thousands of wome* j have said it helped them, i Besides easing certain pains, Car - dui aids in building up the who t system by helping women to g more strength from their food. ^HEADLINES <%= ms Will Sell Life lo Help Parents—John Anderson Jr. of Boston, Mass., a seaman by trade, has offered to sell his life for $1,500. He is 25 years old. The money will go to his parents whom he hasn't seen .oral years. ||j Winter Sports PI Queen — Wav 11 ing the flag M which starts the §fp first jumper on the Master Ski Hill, pretty Frances Gil •* more smiles the 'M 11th Annual yp Winter Sports Carnival to a Hf flying start at ■H’ Big Pines, Cal. Science and the Sun—D. H. Loc'ce, American Radiator manufacturing head, explains to Clarence M. Woolley, his chairman of the board, the air conditioner that operates with the solar radiator to provide sun rays in the home at its introduction in Buffalo. Ball Park Becomes! a Lake — In the Cincinnati Nation i al League Bail ParK, home of the Reds, the recent floods came almost up to the second grandstands. Everyday Cooking Miracles BY VIRGINIA FRANCIS Director Hot point Electric Cookery Institute Things might have been different for Peter, the famed pumpkin eater, who locked up his wandering wife in a pumpkin shell, had he only known about pumpkin spice cake! Mrs. Peter probably would have been a voluntary “stay-at-home” if some of this delicious cake v "e al ways to be found in her .arder. This 7ii J' v? Jack Horner can’t be blamed for ivanting an advc::ce teste of this delicious pumpkin spice cake, And, too, the easy-to-makeness of this cake might have been another drawing card, as good results, eas ily accomplished, can make any homemaker li'-o h^-r ^-n't you agree? Pumpkin spice cak. . t it sound unusual? We never heard of it before, either, until—do you want to know how we got the idea? If you’ve made apple sauce cake you know that thick apple sauce acts as the major liquid ingredient. Well, if apple sauce can, why can’t cooked pumpkin? So we tried it, using a delightful blend of sr'-—, and it worked! Electric .. Perhaps we can’t entirely give the success of this cake recipe to the combination of ingredients used. It looks like the modern electric range deserves an even fifty per cent of the honors; because, with out baking (an electric oven bak ing at that) even - ’-in cake batter would-': eat ing! And the c...i -..he matic electric ran^j u— wa oi i a mighty fine cake. Cold oven cr one-step baking is the reason. The cake is placed in the unpreheated electric oven after which the tem perature control is set. Then the baking goes merrily on its way un til a tall, feathery-light cake emerges. No wonder young Junior wants to pull the Jack Homer act with those tender, flaky crumbs and puffy fat raisins! Once we all swallowed the story about the magic wand which trans formed a pumpkin into a liveried shining coach; however, unless \.e know about the accurate tempera ture and moisture control of the electric range, it might be hard to believe that a panful of pumpkin cake batter could, after a cold oven treatment, ever become a cake. Here is the recipe. You can be original as to the finishing process; however, you can’t go wrong by using an icing, whipped cream or “saucy” topping. Pumpkin Z ;,i_e Cake (Makes 1 loaf cake) V.i cup short- 2 tsp. baking ening powder 1 cup sugar 14 tsp. salt 1 egg (beaten) 1 tsp. cinna 3A cup canned or mon cooked pump- % tsp. cloves kin 1 tsp. mace ZA cup milk 1' 1 •’ 2 cups cake flour Cream shot 1 sugar slowly, and beat Vic . -idd beaten egg. Combine pump. 1 and milk and add alternately with the dry in gredients, sifted together. Add rai sins and mix thoroughly. Pour in greased loaf pan and place in cold : electric oven. Set Temperature Control to 350°. Turn switch to . Bake. Bake approximately 1 hour.

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