The Winds of Chance

ishly busy camp on the entire thirty-mile Dyea trail, but, unlike the coast towns, there was no merrymaking, no gaiety, no gambling here. Linderman's fever came from overw

e was the Boundary, and a few miles below that again was the customs station with its hateful red-jacketed police. Beyond were uncharted waters, quite as perilous, because quite as unknown, as those traversed by

t. The weak and the irresolute had disappeared long since; these fellows who labored so mightily to fore

ragged his feet, he stumbled without reason, the lines in his face were deeply

aid, finally, and his ton

avelly beach where vast supplies of provisions were cached. All about, in various stages of construction, we

ed; then, after an incr

smoke coming fr

y,

the tent in question arose the plain evid

eathed the elder man. "Som

s your

zement, produced a large-calibered revolver, which he mechanically cocked and uncocked several times, the while his eyes remained hypnotically fixed upon the telltale str

the deuce-

ed them upon his fellow-packer, were even smokier than usual. "Somebody's up to a little

-harness, then said, simply, "If th

m; of a sudden he had become surprisingly alert and forceful. He stole forward, making as little noise as possible, and Phi

suddenly and with his free han

ation, a movement; then the fl

come in!" c

" The old man's

wait a minute.

, as did the other man; t

" Pierce

es slowly, reluctantly sheathed

ontralto voice. "I was wet and nobody offered to let me dry out, s

heir loads the speaker went on, irritably. "She's got her nerve! I s'pose she's one of these actresses. There's a bu

hought was that this woman possessed the fairest, the whitest, skin he had ever seen; it was like milk. But his first impressions were confused, for embarrassment followed quickly upon his entrance and he felt an impulse to withdraw. The trespasser was not at all the sort of person he had expected to find, and her complete self-possession at the intrusion, her dignified greeting, left him not a little chagrined at his rudeness. She eyed both men coolly from a pair of ic

't swim-none of them can, you know-so I had hard work to save them. I've already explained how I happened to select this particular refuge. Your neighbors-" her lip curled disdainfully, then she

ike tone, the owner of the tent had managed to overcome his f

ment lately over some dear, departed grub. I thought you were a thief and I looked forward to

man eyed her interrogator less disdainfully. "Yes, by poling-boat

e-all

tow me away for the night? Y

't some more women here at Linderman, but-there a

er at La

ty. This young man is Mr.-" The speaker turned questioningly upon Phillips, who made himself known. "I'm a family man. Mr. Phillips is a-well, he's a good packer. That's all I know abou

, exchanging a grip as firm and as strong as t

. Linton querie

heap in his country. He was a poor sort of count, and I'm a poor sort of countess. But I'm a good cook-a v

ty and I don't know as I'd like their diet, for a steady thing, b

e diners held their plates in their laps and either harpooned their food from the frying-pan or ladled it from tin cans, but even so it had a flavor to-night so unaccust

here, ma'am, our young friend has been watching you like he was afraid you'd disappear before he gets an eyeful, and it's plain to be seen that he's devoured by curiosity. As for me, I'm totally lacking in that miserable trait, and I abhor it

und on the flats, and connections at St. Michael's are uncertain at best. Naturally I came up against the stream. I've been working 'up-stream' all my lif

r husband

the faintest trace of embarrassment. "He has been out of the picture for years." She

this way. Going back it is no

ll take it I'll pay you the regular p

a rush," Mr. Lint

t mind I'll turn in, for I mu

al; his acquaintance with the sex was extremely limited. Those he had known in his home town were one kind, a familiar kind; those he had encountered since leaving home were, for the most part, of a totally different class and of a type that awoke his disapproval. To a youth of his training and of his worldly experience the genus woman is divided into two species-old women and young women. The former are interesting only in a motherly way, and

loss to decide. For instance, she accepted her present situation with a sang-froid equaling that of a camp harpy, a few of whom Pierce had seen; then, too, she was, or had been, married to a no-account foreigner to whom she referred with a calloused and most unwifely flippancy; moreover, she bore herself with a freedom, a boldness, quite irreconcilable to the modesty of so-called "good women." Those facts were enough to classify her definitely, and

d the sheet-iron stove was glowing when her companions roused themselve

be awful sore at missin

ring the meal. "He's a

ry

I shall m

es him, except me, and I hate him." Linton si

you send

is muzzle and bay at the very idea until some stranger termin

ess inquired, as she and Pierc

tampeder, like the

who'll go through and make good. I d

oke his sincere admiration. She did not trouble to talk much and she dispensed with small talk in others; she appeared to be absorbed in her own affairs, and only when they rested did she engage in conversation. The more Phillips studied her and the better acquainted he became with her the la

ey nevertheless got to know each other quite well, and when they reached the Summit

ged garments. Up and out of this fog came the interminable procession of burden-bearers. The Coun

so many were c

ly," Pierce told her. "

trails are al

o you think

fty thousand, perhaps. About half of th

ad. It's a hard country; not o

descent to the Scales, then breasted th

n the wall of the log building which served as restau

. We're having quite a time with cache-r

Right! They deserve it

nside.' Now, then, I'l

hand to him. "Thank yo

in Dyea

again," he said,

ly smiles. "I hope so, too. You're a nice boy. I like

ld-he'd show her he was more than a boy. He experienced a keen desire to appear well in her eyes, to appear mature and forceful. He asked himself what kind of man Count Courteau could

confidence-man who had first initiated him into the subtleties of the three-shell game. Mr. Broad had climbed upon a raised tent platform and was p

e its course, inasmuch as there is

h a covey of crooks is

er man agreed.

cache-robbers?" Philli

The crooks hang together and we don't. If I had my way that's just what t

e McCaskeys were not the closest of friends, in spite of the fact that they had done him a favor-a favor, by the way, for which he had paid many times over-nevertheless, they

tent his greeting fell

ed him sharply, a

bout time yo

as stretched out in his blankets and that his head was b

d. "That money of yours is to blame

illips was both mys

d, irritably: "After this you can run your

ut. What

n't it? They bent a six-gun over his head and grabbed you

d slowly. "My money! R

How could yo

ed a feeble gesture at his brother. "Joe'll t

t's all he remembers. When he came to he found he'd been frisked. He was still dippy when he got ho

d!" he exclaimed, weakly. "Broke-again! Gee! That

pon the youth. "Thinking about nothing except your coin, eh? Why do

mean to appear selfish. I don't blame you, Jim. I'll get a doctor for you, then y

led his head in negatio

t. I don't wa

natural enough. Your money's gone clean, kid, and a yelp won't get you anything. The crooks are organized an

premises. He was an elderly man; he possessed a quick, shrewd eye; he had poked the tent flap aside with the barrel of a Colt's revolver. Through the door-opening could be se

igure on." The stranger's gray mustache lif

es-?" Joe McCa

On your toes and reach high. You there, get up!" He addressed himself to Jim, who rose from his bed and thrust his hands over his bandaged head. "That's nice!" the stranger nodded a

appeared to be substantial men, me

y to indignation. "What is this, a

rom somewhere in the far Southwest. "We're in quest of a bag of rice-a bag with a rip in it and 'W. K.' on the s

y complained. "I'm just getting o

furiously. "You're a pack of

've got to say something, tell us how there happens to be a trail of rice from

lances. Phillips turned a

a trail, but it's

hile the search of the tent went on. When Pie

oys packed this grub from Dyea

artners?" som

ion. "No. He landed broke. We fe

aid the man. He had unearthed a bulging canvas sack which he flung down for insp

f the posse turned to his prisoners, w

' meeting. It's waitin' to welcome you. We'll put a guard over this plunder till the r

ing told him he would have to fight to clear himself; nevertheless, he was not seriously concerned over the outcome. Public feeling was high, to be sure; the men of Sheep Camp were in a dangerous frame of mind and their actions were liable to be

a boy. This wasn't a boy's business

this has been!" h