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Her gaze was drawn again to'
the terrible drama befow her!
Unconsciously she started for
ward. Whitlow's hand locked on
her arm and dragged her back.
"Walt!" he rasped. "Waitl"
Benham's hands, locked about
Deteroux's wrists until the backs
of them were bloodless and ridg
ed like steel, seemed to be drag
ging some of that awful pressure
from his tortured eyes. He seemed
to be gathering himself for super
human effort.
Abruptly one knee drove up
wards into Deteroux's body. A
gasp broke from the bigger man.
He cringed slightly, and Benham
tore himself free.
Benham's eyes were swollen, al
most shut. For a split second both
1 men seemed to pause and gather
themselves. Then Deteroux charg
ed again, snarling like a wolf to
kill.
With one lithe, twisting move
ment Benham bent sharply at the
waist and hurled himself forward
his right arm shooting out, a hard
driven, muscle-ridge piston.
Just below the arch of Deter
oux's lower ribs the blow landed
and the "thock" of it was awe
some. A hoarse, blubbering cry of
pain erupted from Deteroux, his
knees wobbled, and his head drop
ped forward. He retched violently,
and blood-stained saliva seeped
through his lips.
"He's got him—the boy's got
him now." was Whitlow's jubilant
cry.
Swiftly alive to his advantage.
Benham tore at his opponent, a
merciless, implacable, machine.
Setting himself he ripped sledge
hammer blows Into Deteroux's
sagging chin. Slowly, ponderously,
the big man seemed to crumple.
His eyes were rolling and glassy,
his mouth open and his lips peel
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|ed back In a grimace of fading
consciousness*.
Like an executioner before the
block, Benham cut Deteroux
down. Bit by bit he beat him low
er until Deteroux's body was be*t
in a crouch and '& his nerveless
arms swung helpless at his sides.
There was something almost
magnificent in the manner that
Deteroux called upon his great
strength and vitality to stave off
defeat. Out on his feet he refused
to fall, his muscles subconscious
ly holding his body from utter
collapse.
Abruptly Benham stopped his
attack. His bloody, tight-loteked
fists fell to his sides. With a
shrugging gesture he turned away
and without a look to right or left
pushed through the crowd and
was gone. And in that moment of
magnanimity John Benham was
also unconsciously magnificent.
By all rules of conflict he was
entitled to go on with his tri
umph until human resistance
could no longer exist and Deter
oux should lie supine at his feet.
But he, too, could appreciate
sheer, dogged courage, even in a
man like Deteroux, who had not
hesitated to take unfair advan
tage.
In that refusal to batter fur
ther a helpless man John Ben
ham left behind him a white glow
of sportsmanship which seemed
to dissioate the blood-red haze
of conflict.
Ellen saw Whitlow step forward
grip Deteroux by the arm and
force him to the ground. The mill
ing crowd of Indians closed about
them, and Ellen found herself
alone.
Drawn by what seemed a re
sistless force, she moved in the
direction John Benham had gone.
She peered into tepees as she went
but nowhere did she see him. Un
consciously she hurried her pace.
; I And" then, below the camp at the
edge of the lake, she found him.
! He was crouched low, and be
: side him was the same ancient
■ squaw, gently sponging his bat
; tered face and body with the icy
> lake water.
Timidly Ellen approached the
; pair. The old squaw looked at her
; in frank hostility. Then she turn
; ed again to her ministrations,
• crooning with pagan Kcntleness.
[ Finally Benham looked up. His
, eyes were terribly bloodshot and
• swollen. Ellen gasped with pity,
and her hands fluttered to hex
i throat, it was Benham who spoke.
I "Yes?" he queried, his voice
i slightly thick. He was still pant
r ing from his exertions.
; Many words trembled on Ellen's
[ lips, strange, hot, thrilling words
r —but somehow she could not ut
i ter them.
Yearning swayed her, yearning
i to crouch at his aide, to take his
. battered head in her arms and
; spread the healing balm of love
. on every bruise and cut. But there
. was a certain hardness in Ben
i ham's expression which fended
i her off.
; Now he laughed, harshly. "You
■ may have him," he muttered.
"He's paid to me, the dog."
"I may have him?" stammered
■ Ellen. "I don't, know what you
r mean."
1 "You should," wss Benham's
> curt reply. "When the fight was
coming my way you cried for me
I to stop. I did, and it gave him a
I chance to get the upper hand for
. a time." He pointed to his eyes,
t "He did his best to blind me
[ and nearly succeeded. But I beat
him—with these," and he lifted
. his two hard fists. "It was a sat
» isfaction long over-due, but it was
. worth the waiting. Yes l'm
b through with him. And he's
• yours."
Ellen's thoughts were chaotic.
tor brutality of it all. And—and
Benham thought she had tit-ted
out to save Deteroux,
Again Benham looked at her,
"Was there, anything else?" he
asked curtly. "Despite your scorn
and pride you have not hesitated
to accept favors from a a half
breed. Remember that all your
life, will you? That even a half
breed can be generous.
"You you don't know what
you are saying," El?en sobbed.
*'l ought to." He laughed grim
ly. "I'm giving you back your own
words."
He stood erect now, his splendid
chest and shoulders gleaming
wetly. "Come, mother," he said to
the old squaw. And the two of
them walked away.
When Ellen Mackay finally
went back to the scene of the
fight she was again weary and
apathetic. Her face was pale, and
her eyes were lack-lustre and
dull. She moved slowly.
Deteroux was sitting with his
back to a tree. His hands were
clasped between his knees, and El
len could see the gleam of polish
ed metal encircling his wrists.
He flashed a quick glance at
her, and then his gaze bent to the
ground again. His face was sullen
and defiant. Old Moosac was
crouched near him, his beady eyes
inscrutable.
Ellen looked around for Whit
low. and discovered the trooper
In animated conversation with
several sullen, frightened Indians.
His pencil and notebook were at
work again.
Whitlow, spied her, put his
notebook away, and came hurry
ing up. His fare was glowing with
satisfaction. "My lucky day," he
announced triumphantly. "I've
got Deteroux where I want him
now, and no mistake. Where is
Benham?"
"In one of the tepees, I imag
ine." she answered dispiritedly.
"When can we leave for Ed son?"
"In an hour or two. I want to
get Benham's evidence also to
A great bitterness gnawed at
ment. She was not angry at John
Benham. She knew no shame
over the fact that he had virtual
ly dismissed her."
She had gone to him in all hon
esty. intending to apologize fully
for the wrong she had done him,
and he, in equal honesty, had re
pulsed her. She knew it, and ad
mitted it fully.
In some ways triumph also was
hers. Her father's future and rep
utation were assured. The facts
were clear in that respect. She
had the satisfaction of knowing
that her efforts had indirectly
moved to this culmination.
That these same efforts had
moved to render her the possessor
of unrequited love, merely prov
ed the irony of life. And there lay
the great hurt.
Ellen went back in memory to
her first meeting with Benham.
How arrogant and sure of herself
she had been in approaching the
free-trader with her request to be
taken along on the trip north.
And how hurt and humiliated she
felt when Benham curtly refused.
It was hurt pride as much as any
thing that had caused her to seek
old Pat McClatchney's help in
stowing away on the Benham
boats. Ellen, for whose favor men
had vied with one another in
jumping to her bidding, now had
to plead for the favor of this man
and was compelled to force her
self upon his care when the fa
vor was refused.
She remembered her tremen
dous fear when they had passed
the cascades and she had brazen
ly revealed herself, certain in the
knowledge that Benham could not
return her to Athabasca Landing
without serious delay and loss to
himself.
Benham had been very kind
and a gentleman when he discov
ered how she had thwarted him
through the help of Pat McClat
chney and Pierre Buschard. He
ruptly refused, She remembered
now that certain -flint of triumph
I that shone in his eyes as he told
! her, " My payment Is assured, I'll
exact my pound of flesh.
Ellen had not understood then
but she did now, Benhara's pound
of flesh tod been paid by the
flare of anger and the deep hu
miliation of her father when the
old factor learned of his indebt
edness to the mauu he hated most,
in all the world—John Benham,
the free-trader. That had been
the payment Benham expected,
his revenge for her impertinence
in stowing away on his boats, but
the payment had been far heav
ier than that since she had dis
covered in her heart the deep re
gard she held for him. It was love
. . . love almost at first sight, she
now realized.
Benham had leaped ashore to
secure birch boughs and fashion
a small enclosure on the boat to
give her shelter and privacy. She
had been touched by his consider
ation and thoughtfulness then,
and again when they had stopped
for the night and she had caie
•. ... ~ . - . -• .
I PAUL GWYN I
PHONE 258
Ail Lines of
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■
[ W; ' _
I KIDNAPERS OP 170
1 CHILDREN ARE JAILED
j Calcutta.—With sentences rang -
- tag from two years' imprisonment
to transportation for life, the ?.a
--; hore ease in which 31 people were
■ tried on charges of kidnaping
i children has ended.
Eighteen men and six women
1 were sentenced in this, the first
; step in the government's drive
I against a gang of kidnapers who
. have been terrorizing the Punjab
. and United provinces.
Police have restored to their
3 parents about 170 children, some
- of whom were kidnaped 10 years
ago.
' Forty more people, including
j women, are still awaiting trial
a ■
I The diamond is the hardest
, substance In nature, says an au
i thority. They are also hard to
- pay for on the installment plan.