Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 13, 1923 — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREE TRADER. ounce of energy, all his ingenuity and de- termination, to the task of saving her from the disaster which threatened. His anger died as suddenly as it had come. “As you say,” he answered quietly, “neither my history nor my ability is of any interest to the Great North. You'll want to take over the post at once. But, with your permission, [ am going to stay here a while, long enough to prove that Mears is innocent.’ “Prove his innocence!’’ Macleod ex- claimed. ‘“ There isn’t a bite of evidence that doesn’t condemn him.” ‘“‘T know it,” Alan answered stubbornly, * but I don’t believe he did it. ‘Allardyce from the moment I heard he had disappeared.”” “You can hardly prove he killed himself, crushed his own skull.”’ ‘“ There’s a mystery at the bottom of. this and I’m going to run it down,” Alan in- sisted. Macleod arose. ‘“No one wishes you more success than I do,” he said. ‘“ But I must go back. Pll have what fur was saved moved over to your trading shop.”’ For a long time after Macleod’s depar- ture Alan sat alone, studying the problem love had given to him. He went over each detail of the past week’s happenings, searching, considering, discarding and revis- ing. He heard the men bringing the fur from the Great North. It marked the end of his dreams in fur land, mocked him with the futility of his winter’s fight. And yet he knew it had not been futile. He had won Helen. For she-had come to him, the real Helen who loved him and de- pended ch him, and, hopeless as her cause might be, he knew that now he must not fail her. The need of seeing her again, of having her faith recharge him with belief in her father’s innocence, carried him to his feet and across to the Great North. And on the way he suddenly thought that Mears had never given the details of that last inter- view with Allardyce. He met Macleod at the door of the dwelling house and asked to see Mears. At once the district manager was on his guard. I suspected: 6 617 ‘““ Come: with me,” Alan said. want to ask hint some questions.” ““T merely Together they went across the hall to the | bedroom. Mears was seated on the side of the bed. For the first time that winter he did not resent Alan’s presence. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him. Alan explained to the old man that his story had not been exactly coherent and asked him to: relate in. detail what had happened. “You heard us in the morning when. we had read the mail,” Mears answered dully.. ‘You know what I said to him then, that I wouldn’t give up the post. I didn’t see him again until just at dark, when I was locking» up the trading shop. He came in and said he wished to. talk to me. He led the way back to the.office, insisted that I talk there. He seemed. to: be very nervous. He asked me if I would not reconsider what I had said. ‘J lost my temper. I told him I would not, and L.told him to get out.” “Did you tell him you would kill him if he didn’t, as Bicknell says?” ‘“t may have. I don’t remember. But he: did threaten to go to Fort Bruce and see Macleod and I told him to do so.” 4 ** What else did he say?” “Nothing. He was too scared. I walked away. He followed me. I thought he’d gone out to: headquarters post and I didn’t: care how he got there. I never saw him again.” “Was any one else there to see him leave?” ‘No; and it was dark.” “You didn’t go back to the trading shop that night?”’ *° No.” ‘“ Did Allardyce have a key to the door?” ‘““No.. There. was only one, which I car- ried on my ring.”’ Alan was-silent for a moment and then turned and went. out. Macleod followed him into the living room. ““Don’t you see what you’re doing?” the district manager protested. ‘‘ You’re only making him condemn himself. The door, the only door, was: locked with a padlock, a cylinder lock. The only key was in Mears’s pocket. But Allardyce was in the Gomichboo <S a Ce Lae « ar (E(0) we © Ee nl