Four Flush Island

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1935, Page 11

Four Flush Island

(by

CHAPTER XXII (continued.)

“But, for the love of Pete,” Tim protested, “there’s photographs of crooks coming in to headquarters by every mail. You can’t expect to turn your bean into a perambulatin’ picture gallery!”

“That’s just what a worth-while Mduntie should do,” Kit said shortly. “And what makes it worse is that from the first moment I saw Platt and Stagsden I had it at the back of my head I’d seeh them both before. The other one, Pearce, I haven’t seen yet.” And at the mention of . this last a sudden thought struck him. -'Go and fetch Johnnie Bill,” he instructed curtly. Without- a word Tim left the shack, and when he.returned five minutes later the Indian was with him. Kit thrust the folder into his hands. “Take a look at this,” he said. The Cree had been to one of the admirable schools provided by the Canadian Government for for Indian education. They watched him intently as he read, but at this moment more than ever was Johnnie Bill’s the ideal poker face. When he had finished, he handed the pamphlet back to Kit without speaking, who pointed to the portrait of Pearce. “Johnnie Bill,” he said curtly, “I. want to know what yOu did with-that'man.” \ Silent, inscrutable, Cree gazed straight to his front. Kit,, his lips compressed to a firm 1 hard line and his lean jaw outthi-ust, .waited-for n moment without speaking.; Then he, said: , .

“Come through, Johnnie Bill. . I .-want that man, I-.want him badly, and I want him quickly. 'Cough up with what you’ve done with him.” ; ’ ■

Still Johnnie -Bill : made ; no- sign; he, did not even move.hls eyes to face the policeman. It was the clashing of wills of two strong men,- and-.with painfully indrawn breath Natalie awaited the result. A moment, and Kit said: “Did ybu know that Pearce was one of that bunch of train bandits?” “I know—from the beginning,” Johnnie Bill said simply. The answer was both unexpected and, to judge frdrrf a momentary relaxation of Kit’s expression, not without a certain humour. .

“Like heck you did!” he exclaimed. And then, quickly: “Well, if you’re holdingrback from telling us for the sake of the reward,. you. can forget it. It isn’t the; money I’m after. Give me the than and you can have every cent there is jn'it. You know me, and that I shan’t go ‘back pn my promise. Now come through.. What- have you done with Pearce?”

The Indian slowly turned his head, spat deliberately, and symbolically on the floor, gave' what' in one less subject to his-emotions would have been a shrug of .the shoulders, and said: ’ ; "Reward—nothing!” . . , .

‘.‘You mean that what you did with Pearce had nothing to do with the reward?” Kit demanded. Johnnie Bill gave a slight nod. “I not want it,” he said. Kit had been half sitting, -half leaning on the table, but now he took a couple of quick strides that brought him with-in-three feet of the Cree, whom he'looked', very deliberately in the eyes. “Then—what—is—your—game?” he said levelly, with a pause between each word. It was noticeable that Johnnie Bill .shrank neither from the glance nor the question. . V “I take him—where he belong,” he said.

Kit said sharply: “You knew he was wanted for murder?”

Then,-and 1 for" the Ifirst time the Cree displayed emotion. For a fleeting instant the same light of hatred showed in his expression, as when he had slashed Bearce across the face “I know,” he said.

“Then,” said Kit sharply, “you are liable to arrest on a charge of helping a wanted man the law.” There was a momentary silence, and then Kit said: “Tell me this. Is Pearce at any place from where he’s liable to get back here 1 ?" Again, but more fleetingly, Johnnie Bill’s face showed emotion, this time in a half-smile; malignant, triumphant. , “No chance,” 'he said laconically.'Then: “You goin’ to arrest me?” It was not a challenge, it was the simple question of one desiring information. It is more than doubtful if in any case Kit would have carried out his threat. To have done so would have removed one of the principal supports for the determination he had come to. “No,” he said decidedly. “You’re needed too badly here.” Tim, who had been watching the course of events with a keenness second only to that of Kit himself, broke in. “What’s your scheme, Kit?” Kit reached for his tunic that hung from a peg on the wall . • “I’m going right after Platt and Stagsden,” he said. “And you’re coming with me." CHAPTER XXIII. “CRAWFISH ISLAND.” Natalie looked up with a smile, but not a very happy one. “I suppose that means our little game of hide and seek Is off,” she, said. “FOr the..present r I’m -afraid,” Kit said, with a' sHftig.' “Bui' there’s nothing to prevent ‘■ybtr'havihg another look-see for yourself.’’..-.i / ■■ : ■ ■ ■ “There’s no square iifeh Of the shack that Betty” and I haven’t covered-al-ready, thank you very much,” Natalie said. She turned to the latter, but without giving particulars-as to .-what-had Kd up to that belief, said, explanatorily: “Kit seems to think there’s something hidden here—something worth while.” “Then Kit can look for it, and clean up afterwards,” Betty said emphatically. “Me, myself, personally, I’m through with house-moving.”

While the girls packed a parcel of food

L. C. Douthwaite)

•the two policemen began to collect their jgear. When all was ready Kit called, for Johnnie Bill, who, hanging about outside the shack with a suggestion of uneasiness, seemed relieved at the summons.

“I don’t quite get on to the game your playing,” Kit said gravely. “You won’t let on, and I can’t, make you. But one' result of that tight mouth of yours has 1 been to make me pretty uneasy at leavI'ing the two ladies.” I Johnnie Bill’s only indication of how ’ far the suggestion reached him was to move his weight from one foot to the 'other. ' . . .

"I look after them,” he said curtly. He would have moved away, but Kil checked him.

“If it was anyone but you, Krispamsis,” he said, and there was a subtle compliment in the use of the name, for Johnnie Bill was son of the Chief of his tribe—“l’d either leave Constable Saville in charge here, or else hike you along with uS.” He paused for his words to sink in, and a darker flush appeared slowly beneath the Indian’s- dusky face. “But I happen to believe that-whatever you’ve done with Pearce isn’t because you’re double-crossing us, but because of some private stunt of your own,” the policeman added.

Johnnie Bill’s foot ceased its. movement jHis eyes shone as he faced the policeiman.

[ “Pearce—finished,” he said with such ! a gesture of finality that Kit started. ’ “You don’t mean you’ve killed him!” Ihe exclaimed., i . “No,” he' replied simply. “But—he

'■ don’t corrie back here.” ■ Involuntarily Natalie gave a sigh of re* (lief. One of her three persecutors was jout of the way, anyhow. It did not ! occur Jo .her to question that Johnnie Bill spoke what he believed to be the truthr -That Kit shared her confidence was apparent when he said: “That’s one thing to the good,. anyway.” He tapped the Cree’s broad chest with his forefinger. “But remember—if any harm comes to these ladies it’ll only be after you are out of business.” Without speaking the Cree turned away, but his manner of doing so was sufficient reply. “We’ll be back just as soon as we’ve got those thugs in irons,” Kit said to Natalie as they walked down to the beach. He hesitated a moment, and then said earnestly: *Td give everything I possess not to leave you. Only—well I know that of the two things—looking after you. and going after two of the most desperate criminals of recent years, the latter’s my job. And—and—after all, if I succeed in rounding ’em up I shall have killed any threat of .danger to 'you as well. In the 'meanwhile ‘you’ve Johnnie Bill to ilbdk after you I //.You do see, dear, ’don’t, you?” ’he asked anxiously. '//.', ' ‘ . She did, andj&id so.' She knew, too, as every woman, would,-,that she'was; his world, and was £>roud .that even fbr her/he refused to be'false to his>duty as he saw it. Also',.’this was the first time he had used any expression of endearment, and from him that was no light tribute. “You don’t think Stagsden will come back here?” she inquired. “With Pearce still absent 'it will be different from his usual 'method if he .does,” Kit replied. “That’s why-he’s !got: away j with_it .up to: now—knowing (exactly when, to, call it a day.” Nevertheless the world seemed very empty as she stood looking after the quickly disappearing canoe. Just as the unexpectedness of Blit’s arrival had emphasised the place which, from the first, ; he made for/himself, so the few days they had been together had established his original attraction to the dominant factor in her • life. , For that she had .loved him from the first she. admitted now with customary lack of self-de-ception.

: Betty was equally disconsolate. Natalie learnt that apart from Tim’s patrol duty this stay on the island was the first time the two had been separated since their engagement had been formally acknowledged; Now-her depression at his leaving was in direct ratio to the joy she had known w®n fie arrived. : “It ‘isn’t often I feel-kind o£ mean about the crooks Tim goes after,” she tof- ! plained with a vicious snap of small white teeth, “but 1 sure do hope that ; couple of hellions get it handed to ’em good and plenty. They’re killers, those two, and killers didn’t ought to be allowed to live, anyway . . . And I sure am curious to know what that crazy Indian did with Peai-ce,” she added after a pause.

The question was one which, since the Indian’s return rarely had been out of Natalie's mind. And though by this time she understood Johnnie Bill sufficiently to recognise how useless crossexamination of him would be, and knew also that had he been willing to confide in anyone it would have been in herself it did not strike her to suspect that anything he had done to Pearce might be to her disadvantage. She knew that it was not, and secure in his protection was content 'to leave it.

That Betty shared her sense of security was evident when, a week dr ten days later, she said: “If I don’t see some view other than this clearing arid that bunch of trees across the mainland I’ll go stark crazy. And' what, about a change' of diet?” “What 'is if you waint'to do?” Natalie asked. . ’ ’ .'

' “There’s an island ’ about ten-twelve miles away,” Betty explained, “where there’s more crawfish than ydu can shake a Stick at. You can just gather ’em up in heaps. What about collecting a few pounds? It’ll be a trip anyway, and those'crawfish are just the dandiest eating ever you put your teeth in.” Natalie looked dubious. It was one thing to feel a renewed confidence in their safety, but another altogether to take unnecessary charities by leaving the island.. 'TO be continued.)