Adventure, August 1917 — page 60: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

58 Indians. But how did youefind out about the half-breed coming to kill me?” “Haven’t you known that there was op- position to your work?” countered Joan. “‘Yes,”’ he admitted slowly. “When did you first notice it?” “That night I first saw you at the falls.” Joan was busy for a moment drying Stanton’s puffed and lacerated face. ‘“‘And that was all you saw?” she finally asked. “No, something much worse happened. The water didn’t just happen to break through here. The high place in the gorge was blown out with dynamite.” “That needn’t worry you,” she answered calmly. ‘The man who did it went over the falls he himself made and won’t bother you any more. And as for Fleenor. Well, Fleenor won’t send any one else to do it.” “Fleenor!” cried Wallace. ‘“Fleenor did this! Against me!”’ “Fleenor wanted this country to himself so that he wouldn’t be discovered in his drug-selling. He didn’t want you or the men you would bring to install a plant, and he was even ready to put you out of the way to prevent your doing it.” “You're sure of this, Joan?” demanded Wallace excitedly. “Of course. Louis’s mother told Stan all about it this morning.” ‘And that’s all the opposition there is to my work?” ‘“‘What other could there be?” “TI didn’t know but that some one else wanted the falls, was bucking me. Frank found that dynamite had been used here and we have spent the forenoon trying to get a trace of who it was. Now it is all clear and the power-plant is assured. My real work is done, Joan. It’s as good as finished. You remember’’—and he took an eager step toward her—‘‘what I said that night? That I had something I wanted to tell you when it was done? I can now. Joan, I want to take you away from this place, away from a country where you are exposed to such danger. It’s too rough, too brutal, for you. Joan, I——” feed “WALLACE!” she commanded puget’ Sharply, springing back as he = reached his hands toward her. “Wait a minute. I want to ask you one question. Wasn’t there a girl, Wallace, a Adventure girl down in the States before you came up here?” He looked at her in amazement. How could she know? It was impossible that she could have heard. “Yes,” he answered simply, “there was, but I never knew then, Joan, what love meant.” “Oh, I’m so glad!” cried the girl. “I’m so glad there is one, Wallace,” and her face was alight with happiness. “TI just thought there might be, and I’m so glad because you must go back to her. You must go back, Wallace, and forget you ever saw me. I'll be only a memory in a short time, not a bright enough memory to spoil your happi- ness down there.” Joan!” protested the engineer in con- sternation. ‘Don’t you see I can’t r" “Wallace,” she interrupted, and her tone and face were more serious than he had ever known them to be, ‘‘don’t you see that I can’t, that I’ve just wakened from a dream, too? It’s impossible, Wallace. It never could be, only I didn’t see it that way at first.” “T don’t understand you, Joan.” “Fleenor couldn’t, and I couldn’t.” “Fleenor! What has Fleenor to do with us?” “Listen, Wallace, and I’ll try to explain. Fleenor wasn’t of the North country. He didn’t understand it and he never could. And the North got him. “T’m of the North. I’m a Northwoman. My father was a Northman, and his father, and my mother was born and died in the North country. For three years I have been in college, seeing the Southland and thinking I was hiking it. But it never could be, Wallace. I can never go there again, never live there. This is my home.” ‘But I would——” *“No, no,” and she shook her head gently. You couldn’t stay here, too, Wallace, and you have missed the point. You are of the Southland, thoroughly of it. Its ways are your ways, and they never could be mine.’ “That’s ridiculous, deans protested the engineer. ‘“‘No. Listen! You wanted me. You wanted to succeed so that you could have me. You wanted to take me out and put me in a house and give me everything you could think I might want. I know how you felt, how you planned. But you couldn’t see that it isn’t my way, that I never could CoOmiclsoo C© S|