THE MONEY STOKES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18706, 12 May 1924, Page 5

THE MONEY STOKES.

■■•■■> II 'iv '";'*■ ■»! ''" "■". BY JACK MoLABIN. > asther of "My Odyssey." "Fagaloa'a U*MK» fee.". "White Witch,'? rt fl*Tß«!enr, « ■■':■'«'.'Margaret;'-' Nestor/f - .''PeStierw "d Heaven," "Skipper of the Roaring Meg." "Red Mountain." "Th« Oil Seekers," etc.» ate, -" ;-■-.;, : -\ : - '-.,/ (Copyright.) ;.■/, ' ' '. CHAPTER XXXVI ' For a moment Peter thought he ha 3 hardly' heard aright. / /. ';;''.'./'./ ■■' v : Ruth in Norton's camp of her own free will! It seemed unbelievable! '/'/■,/ ' Travers' voice came to him again} offer- ~■■•:. ' ing sympathy; but he heard it only as something from afar, as .something unrelated to Che present state of things. - ; The thought that now he, feter, was a failure, Ruth had succumbed to ■ the | strange fascination the big man had for her took hold of him, robbing him of power of ordered thought. . A wave of indignation and jealousy swept over him, submerging his reason- . ing faculties, and, making 'of his mental processes mere jangles of emotion. Without another word ■-, to Travers be tore off into the jungle and up the valley's side, towards Norton's camp. What Tt was he was going to do when he reached there he had no clear idea. He was not in a fit state for ideas of any kind just Chen. " Travers' attitude towards women is the right one!" he thought bitterly aa he plunged along, taking no heed of thf* thorned vines which tore at his clothe;* and sought vainly to impede his progress. But he did not reach the camp. "When he . had covered, about half the distance a gleam of white showed ahead, and "a moment later he was standing face to face with Ruth herself. , "Oh, .it's you, Peter!" she cried, plainly taken aback at meeting him. "I thought you were down at the claim!" "No doubt!" he shot back at her. She seemed somewhat excited; the olive of her cheek was flushed with red, and in her eyes was an unwonted sparkle. " I was just going to the claim" she began, when he interrupted: // "/From Norton's „ camp, eh?" ■//'■.,,.■' She looked at him,, startled by his tone. " What's the matter, Peter ? You look all upset." ; v' " ■ " Have you been ■ in his camp ? Did you go there of your own accord?" 'if'] Peter put the questions with venomous . directness..': ./'-' ' , :"' ; S " Yea," she replied in a' puzzled tone. " I r went to-?" - // '-•':- y'-. "I wondered if you'd tell the truth about it/', said Peter.; - - '- "*\. V " Someone saw you go to Norton's // camp and enter J his. tent,'.'-he added. :■ The flush • went' suddenly from her . face, and the. light sparkle in her eyes ' died down. -; . ,• , , ' »- ■".'-' \ "■. ■■ , "What do yon * mean?" she asked, evenly..'.'. •• ?*■'-*• ; "' "W-- - :-,'.'",0h,, it's no use pretending! Yon know;; well enough whftfc..l mean !!* r/,i . ; Her face Was deathly pale j now, and she was trembling a little,., v The enpression on ; her face - was that of one ; who, hearing, hopes : she : has ; not heard,; aright.' ;" You think—"' Her tone was low and tense./*'.'/.- •;'v;*.r/ V:,<l ■'•.'■ v .:;/^'///" x .'■■'' :■■ " Yon were always talking about how, ? strong and determined he was," Peter . broke ! in, heedless ;of strict accuracy of statement, as men are when angered. Th* fact/that vit; was only occasionally that she" had referred to Norton's fine physical qualities and meant nothing to him just 'then. •■ " Only t yesterday you taunted me ■with giving up when he would have carried ;/. on!" he added. ~/>/. J .•-- ..-,". "Peter," said. Ruth iinn; pained? tone,'." "you're mad!'' You : don't); know /what you' .j are saying! *~The trouble at tho claim has; affected'your head /• ■•■'•; "I v understand > yen ' how;'.? =; Peter ran . on, ■ "though you've e puzzled i- me a lot at >timeslkYou've' been in love with him all While r you'; were 'running away, you were, deep down: hoping he }; would capture you. I 'don't believe you would x have \l minded so very much, after - all if he had succeeded; in getting -you' away in the motor-boat .that time down ■ the river. I know now why.you didn't feel v the time : dragging! This is '■ not the, first time you've been here—-" ; 'He paused for a breath. • "You're a cave woman! * A: cav« woman! You worship strength and sue* . cess! - The strongest roan is your : man! You can't bear a failure—like me!" % Exhausted Iby this outburst, 'he stopped. S Ruth was v standing perfectly.: still, he* gaze fixed upon him.- - "When you '- navo •' calms 1 down per* haps = you will apologise/' shs^said;;very ; coldly. ■ , . . Then/ with -more than: a suggestion of : * hauteur* in- her bearing, she turned* and went through the -jungle/towards the house. / Peter remained , till '- she was % out of sight. Then he went;back to the claim. - He ; was glad to r note - that 'Travers j had . g»nej he was in no J mood 'for. company, e wanted to be alone, to think./-; - -How quickly the aspsct of things .had , changed, he thought.-, Only a day or / two tjetore everything had .been /going •* along smoothly, and the """future was Bright v and rosy.; Then'thereVs.was : every chance that he . would reach - the gold-bearing reef, and his,mind was filled with picture? of the happy ; days to come when Ruth would-be his wife.'.-'. - - And now, entirely without labour, he *.' was ' bound to lose ': his •:claim./. And- as forßuth-. '■;>:sHe began to grow calmer regarding her. He wondered if he had not/been a little too harsh' with her. "After all, I ; suppose she is :at 'liberty v to: go .where . she / pleases," ;' he said .to himself. i ~ -. . > - . . ■/7 He determined i\ to'J apologise!; for *th rough way in which he had« addressed / , her/;/ It' would only be common; courtesy on his part.' would.be no harm in ; : politeness, evac if all' was over between them land his dreams of the future; were shattered. , > He stayed in ' his loneliness till dark; ■ then he went Up to the house. Hig meal was on ? the ? table ready for him, 'but J Ruth 3 was I not ; present. // That she was in her room he' ; knew from - the ■ light coming /through' the partly open doorway. ' * " * "1 He t barely : touched the food, for/his emotional " upset had driven > his appetite away. /;Then, after : -_ waiting a,l while :■ on /;, the verandah in; case ■ Ruth should come -" from i her room,;= he went to bed.' "^/ :; But he' did not go to sleep immediately. For hours and hours he lay, kissing restlessly, with the silence of the night punctuated bv ! a sound which puzzled 'him at first, and which he finally,recognised as the half-stifled; sobbing of Ruth, in her ; room. ;' //■?" - , » c~ " It was after sunrise when Be -rose, dressed, and went out on to the verandah. Ruth j-had already risen and gone to the kitchen, whence came the odour of cook- ; lllig. • It was one ~of /those:; still, .glistening mornings, so common to; the tropics. Wondering what he 'would say to her, and she to him when' they met, he stepped to the rail and stared meditatively down the valley. '. - / And then he became aware that there were natives at or near, the tunnel. In the stillness the sound of their voices i came distinctly to his astonished ears. "Up to some mischief, I'll be bound,'' he said to himself, and at once descended the steps and went down the path to the /;/ tunnel."" m . . , I v "Perhaps the village is going to damage the ' tunnel in revenge," he thought .as he went along. "I wouldn't put it past' Iko to egg them on to something of the - kind." ' ;•' , v t But it was his labourers who were gathered there, the fourteen who had originally deserted, the other four, ' and one or two others / "What's ail this?" Peter demanded roughly. I "What do you want here!", Rua stepped out from; the group. "Why, master, we i come to work!*' he' said, an expression, of-surprise on. his :■// face. ' ' '■".'■■..... ."' r ' : ' " Peter's heart leapt.J "To work!" He almost sheeted the words. f "You; come back!" f . "And brought two others to mak<y up/ / fnr the 7 one who was killed, and the,one who is-injured,", widrßua, indicating theV v • newcomers. - - — -,/- $&$J| : (To be continued daily.) '" '"iHTHiii, -'*