Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

THE SNOW PATROL. 1 glanced from him to Sheila. Her face looked unusually white against the pillow. The faintest of pinks tinged her slightly parted lips. Ledoux opened his eyes the next instant and stared at me with surprise and frank hostility. His eyes lost some of their bale- ful glare as he recognized me. He put his fingers to his lips, cautioning me to be si- lent. His manner filled me with fear. “Ts she sick?” I demanded tensely. He shook his head and got up and led the way to the kitchen. When he had closed the door he said: ‘““ A good rest is all she need; she do too much. When the snow begin, she break down all at once. She sure you get los’. She say it her fault you go.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “ And you're all right again?” I asked. ‘Pretty good,” he answered laconically, shrugging his shoulders. “You came back sooner than I thought you would,” I said to him. “ You were a sick man when I left.” He laughed mirthlessly. “ T tol’ you I was a strong man,” he mut- tered, busy with the fire. “Ym a little bit surprised to see you still here,” I admitted frankly. “Tl not forget what you have done when we go south.” “We never go south, Deveraux,” he an- swered without hesitation. “If you ever tak’ me, you tak’ a dead man.” The suddenness of this made me raise my eyes searchingly. I felt that his answer had been ready and waiting for me long be- fore it had been voiced. ‘You seem pretty certain of that,” I said. ‘‘ What makes you so sure?” He grunted without looking up. It was his only answer. He reached for his coat and put it on as I brushed the snow off my clothes. “You didn’t find him, eh?” he asked without warning. His eyes were on me now, and I felt his close scrutiny. “No, I didn’t,” I replied slowly. didn’t find a sign.” “Humph!” His tone was skeptical, “7 -you, eh?” he muttered. 135 even contemptuous. He paused for a mo- ment and then asked pointedly: “How far you go?” I told him where I had been. He shook his head thoughtfully. - “T guess he is dead all right?” he haz arded. I recognized the fact that he put the ob- servation as a question. ‘““J—I’m afraid he is,” I answered; “I hate to tell her.” | I started to tum away, but Ledoux’s impudent grin stopped me short. ‘‘ What is it?” I snapped, thoroughly irritated. — “Oh, not’ing — not’ing,” he exclaimed, raising his hand impatiently, and with a sly, mocking laugh he walked to the door, ‘* What’s so damn funny about it?” I ex- claimed angrily. “Oh, not’ing — jes’ pretty fonny t’ing, dat’s all.” . Infuriated, I went up to him and grabbed his arm. “See here, Ledoux, if you’ve got any- thing to say to me, say it! What are you driving at?” He wheeled on me of a sudden and stood searching my eyes. He chuckled to himself at last. I was aware all at once that I understood perfectly the thing he was in- timating. I felt my cheeks burning. I didn’t want to hear what he was about to say. I wanted to stop him, but I was help- less. “Ev’ryt’ing works out pretty. good for ““ Me, I steal her away from Simpson. I don’ know she is got husban’—course dat mak’ no difference —but husban’ go look for me and now he is dead. You love her, and now you get her. Huh! Mebbe white man call that luck; Eskimo call it somet’ing else. Mebbe I’m jus’ savage beas’ lak you say; but it seem lak pretty fonny t’ing to me.” “Good God!” I cried, “do you mean that I didn’t try to find him?” “Well,” with an exasperating shrug, “I guess you look, all right—” “What is it then? If you had gone I suppose there’d be a different story to tell!” “'No-o-0! Mebbe not. Of course I’m pretty good man on the trail; I find him if anybody find him. He can be dead, meb- comicbooks y . ange \ } was ; ‘ he > ; , s ait ie OVS ast { a ts BS BD radar bt Ap com