The Spanish American. [volume], September 02, 1922, Image 2

About The Spanish American. [volume] (Roy, Mora Co., N.M.) 19??-19??

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THE SPANISH-AMERICAN,
(fe . ; Z&e F3á
575) o" -TV T T - y
VICTORROUSSEAU
V
"MOLLY, DEARI"
SYNOPSIS. - Looking over Big
1 Muskeg, a seemingly Impassable
swamp In the path of the Mlssa
tlbl railroad, Joe Bostock, builder
ot the line, and Wilton Carruthers,
chief of engineers, are considering
the difficulties. A rifle shot instant
ly kills Bostock and breaks Car
ruthers' arm. Handicapped as he
Is, Carruthers determines to carry
the body to a station ot the Hud
ion's Bay company, where McDon
ald Is the factor. McDonald's
daughter, Molly, sees Carruthers
struggling In the muskeg and drags
hlra from the swamp, with his bur
den . Unaccountably, 'her father
objects to her saving Carruthers.
Weakened by his wound and exer
tions, Carruthers Is disturbed by
the appearance of Tom Bowyer,.
Bostock's business rival and per
sonal enemy. Bowyer Insults Mol
ly, and Carruthers strikes him.'
After Bowyer leaves, Carruthers
declares his love for Molly. She
promises to be his wife.1 '
CHAPTER II Continued.
His eyes were suffused with red and
bis face twisted with passion. It was
evident that he had seen the rescue
from his window above and had known
what Molly was doing.
Be dragged himself past her with
out a word and looked In at Wilton,
lying unconscious on, the bed.
"I saw ye bring him in, Molly," he
mumbled thickly. "Ye can't fool me
with tricks like that. It's a trick that
ye've thocht of between ye. Ye'll cast
him out again, aye" his voice vi
brated with fury "ye'll cast him out
Into the snaw, or ye're no longer daugh
ter of mine."
Molly caught at her father's arm.
"You don't know what you are say
ing I"' she cried. "He has been shot.
And Joe Bostock Is dead. He's lying
dead without. There's blood on his
breast. There has been a dreadful ac
cident" He grasped her fiercely by the wrist
"Joe Bostock dead I" he shouted.
"Who killed him?"
"I don't know. Mr. Carruthers was
carrying his body and got trapped in
the muskeg. I saved him."
"Aye, one can see that," answered
McDonald with slow malice. "Ye've
brought more trouble ou me. The
body shall not lie In this house, nor
Will Carruthers' neither. Mark me,
lass I Ye'll put him out in the snaw
to keep Joe Bostock company, or ye're
DO daughter of mine."
"You're mad!" flashed Molly Indig
nantly. With a swift Impulse she tail
to the door and opened it. A gust of
wind blew a whirl of snow into the
store. To Molly's excited brain it
seemed to assume the momentary
form of a fantasmal figure as it
wreathed Itself about the factor, lie
Uttered a cry and staggered back,
clutching at the edge of the counter.
"Will you let a dead man lie there,
cut in the snow?" cried Molly fiercely,
Stretching out her hand toward Joe's
frozen body. "Do you think Will Car
ruthers shall be flung out there to
freeze to death beside him? Why, It
would be murder and on your head I"
Perhaps it was the remembrance of
the past that checked the factor in his
fury and brought back sanity to his
mind. For a moment he stared at
Joe's dead face, then raised his eyes
to Molly's. And then, mumbling and
clutching at the counter edge, he
turned and began to drag himself up
stairs. CHAPTER III
Bowyer Comes and Goes.-
Wilton ; would not remain in bed
longer than two days. His hands had
not suffered much, but his feet were
badly inflamed and swollen, and his
arm would take weeks to mend. But
be could not rest, and Insisted that he
must return, although It was clearly
evident that he was In no condition to
travel.
Molly almost crio? with vexation
and alarm as she . (hat his deter
mination was unshakable. By the
strongest persuasion she Induced him
to remain over the Sunday.
As for McDonald, he sulkiv. in his
bed and said nothing.
Wilton had recovered consciousness
iate on the afternoon of his rescue.
That same evening his own sleigh had
appeared at the portnge, with the two
balfbreeds. Weak as he was, Wilton
Insisted on seeing them.
, He was convinced that one of the
men bad fired the shot by accident,
and had expected bofh of them to take
fright and vanish with the sleigh into
the wilds. He was startled by their
protestations of Ignorance. They
swore that neither of them had left
the camp until the afternoon, and per
sisted in their statement that they had
not heard the discharge of the rifle.
Following up their employers, they
Bad discovered bloodstains on the un
derbrush, according to their story.
They had picked or Wilton's tracks
ft A I
i i it . tu i
COPYRIGHT BY STEWART KlUD COMPANyI
from the lower slopes of the ridge to
the edge of Big Muskeg, and had fol
lowed them across the portage to the
factor's store, where they had learned
for the first time what had happened.
Their story staggered Wilton. On
the face of it, It seemed an lmpossl:
blllty, for no one else could have fired
the shot Yet, had either of the men
done so, It was the least likely thing
that he would have returned to brazen
out a concocted tale.
. Wilton was too wealrX to cross-question
them ; he resolved, however, that
the matter should be probed to the
bottom, and meanwhile decided to ab
stain from arousing their suspicions of
his doubts.
It was on the Sunday afternoon
that, lying on his bed, on which Molly
had insisted, he saw through the win
dow a sleigh approaching the store.
He recognized the two men who
walked with the driver as Tom Bow
yer and Lee Chambers, the latter a
constructional engineer who had once
been employed by Joe Bostock, but
had left him for the New Northern.
He wondered what Tom Bowyer's er
rand was. He suspected that, learn
ing of their Journey, Bowyer had come
to spy out the progress of the Mis
satibl. ..
He was in no mood to welcome
either him or Chambers. Chambers
was suspected of having betrayed a
good many of the Mlssatibi secrets to
the New Northern.
He decided to stay; where he was,
unless Bowyer showed signs of re
maining. ' But suddenly an exclama
tion of anger from Molly brought him
sharply to his feet and Into the store.
Bowyer had his arih round her and
was trying to draw her toward him.
Chambers, at his side, a small man
with a sharp, mink-like face, was
sniggering at the scene. Wilton's ad
vent was like a thunderclap1 to the
pair.
In his flannel shirt and trousers, with
his left arm slung to his neck, Wilton
yet looked so menacing that Bowyer
released Molly at once and put him
self Into an instinctive attitude Of self-,
deefnse.
He was a man of about five and
forty, red-faced, with red, thinning
huir, gray over the temples, and the
l old, staling gnze that falsely passes
for candor, which soine rogues acquire
In place of tht furtlveness of weaker
souls such as Lee Chambers.
Bowyer stared, and suddenly he rec
ognized hln man.
"Why. It's Will Cnrnithersl" he ex
claimed wltn an affectation of jovial
ty. "llmv'o you hurt ynur arm. Will?"
Molly came quickly between the
two men.
"You'll you'll perhnps realize that
this Isn't Winnipeg!" stuttered Wilton
Inaptly enough. He wits quicker with
his fists tli mi witii his tongue.
"I'.y Cenrge. It Isn't!" cried Bowyer
In cordial agreement. "I seem to have
put my foot In It iim usual. Your par
don, Jlisx Molly. That'll meet the bill,
Will?" lie cniitlimed, keepii.g Hp His
pretense of Jollines.
Wilton gulped. Tom's oyes tnnvrd
swiftly from his race o the girl's.
"We're just In to have a look
around," continued liuwyer. "Not
much construction being dune ilil.
weather. I suppose you mlsrht think
I've come to spy nut (lie Mlsntill
land. Well, you'd he right If ymi did.
Will. What's this story ulmiit cual le-.
posits on your property? lint peiiiaps
that's what the lawyers call a leuding
question, eh?"
All the while that he joked he fixed
Wilton with his staring gnze. And
Wilton found himself wondering Imw
much Tom Bowyer knew.
The man was as sly as n fox, for nil
his effrontery, and that was his
strength. IIei gave the Impression of
being one kind of rogue, whereas he
was quite another, as many had dis
covered to their cost. There were few
more resourceful and cold-blooded
men, even In the Prairie city. '
"I heard you and Joe had come up,"
continued Bowyer. "So I dropped In
to have a chat with him, though it's
taken me fifteen miles off my road.
Planned to ask him to sell out his
valuable holdings, maybe."
Molly, who was standing behind
Bowyer, looked earnestly at Wilton.
He dared not signal to her, but he
caught the answering message in her
eyes, as if telepathlcally conveyed.
"I won't tell him," she meant to say.
Wilton's heart went out In intense
gratitude. It would have been un
bearable to have had to tell Bowyer
that Joe was lying behind that thin
partition of pine. It would have been
blasphemy to have let Bowyer's gloat
ing eyes fix themselves upon poor
Joe's body.
"You've had a long drive for noth
ing, then," said Wilton curtly. "Mr.
Bostock Isn't here."
"I'll say good-morning to the fac
tor, anyway."
"No, you won't," answered Wilton.
"Mr. McDonald is too ill to be seen."
"My father has bad a stroke," said
Molly, taking Wilton's cue.
Bowyer stared at her and, as she
spoke, they heard the factor's voice
above, raised in irritable inquiry.
"Mr. McDonald's mind is affected,"
said Wilton. "He cannot see you. I
am sorry, Mr. Bowyer.- I am speak
ing for Miss McDonald."
Bowyer 1 grinned viciously. "Well,
Lee, I guess we'd better have the dogs
harnessed," he said.
Lee Chambers went out Wilton
wondered whether the two suspected
Joe's presence In the building. A mo
ment later Bowyer turned to him.
"You're next to Joe Bostock, Will,"
he said In his smooth voice. "So, as
Joe isn't here, apparently, I'd like to
have a word or two with you. You'll
pass It on to him, eh?"
Without waiting for Wilton's reply,
he walked toward the room at the
back of the store.
"I want the Missatibi, Carruthers,"
be began, entering, and turning round
and facing Wilton. "I guess I made
a mistake in letting that bill through
the legislature. I'm looking ahead.
Pome day not in our time, maybe, but
some day these brapch lines will
have a value. I always meant to have
It
"It hurts my reputation to have this
dinky concern cf Joe's hanging on to
mine. But I guessed Joe couldn't
raise the money, and that I'd get It
cheap some day.
"Well, I was right You can't cross
Big Muskeg, and you haven't the
money to loop It Tell Joe I'm open
to terms. And say I'm going to have
them. Tell him he won't live forever
heaps of men forget that and ask
him who in thunder will go ahead on
the Missatibi when Joe Bostock's
gone I"
He could not have flicked Wilton on
the raw more surely if he had known
Joe was dead. The reference was like
a new stab in his wound. And Wilton
had the momentary Impression that
Bowyer did know of Joe's death and
was playing with him.
"You be d d I" he shouted, unleash
ing his suppressed anger. "That's my
message to you, and that's Joe Bos
tock's. You'll never get your fingers
in the Missatibi. Nol That's all
just that no!"
An ugly sneer flitted across Bow
yer's face. "Seems to me you're speak
ing for a good many people today,
Carruthers !" he shouted angrily, shak
ing his' fist In Wilton's face. "First
it was for Miss McDonald, and now
It's for Joe Bostock. Though, maybe,
you have the right to speak for both
of them, judging from appearances."
And he added a foul Insult, half vi
ciously, half jocosely.
He got no further, for Wilton's
fist shot out and landed fairly on
He Cot No Further, for Wilton's Fist
Shot Out and Landed Fairly on
Cowyer's Mouth,
Bowyer's mouth, ' Wilton put all the
strength he ' could muster Into the
blow. Tmn Bowyer, taken by surprise,
stumbled and fell. For a moment he
sut upon the floor, looking up at Wil
ton In stupefaction. Then he leaped
lo his feet and ran at hlra, his fists
whirling. But before he could strike
Itlm Molly came running In, followed
hy l.ee .Chambers. ;, She sprang be
tween them.
"You coward !" she cried. "Are you
going to strike Mr. Carruthers In that
condition? You coward, Tom Bow
yer !' :
"He struck me," yelled Bowyer in
f'iry. "He's the coward, not L Walt
till lie gets well I Just waltl I'll fix
y oh, Carruthers!"
He glared about him In an evil rage,
and then, without a word, pushed past
Molly and strode from the store, with
Chambers tit his heels. A few minutes
later the sleigh was , whirling back
along the southward road toward
Cold Junction, the nearest point of the
New Northern.
Wilton groaned with pain in his
broken arm, caused by the twist of
his body as he delivered the blow. For
an Instant the room swam about him.
Then the scene cleared, and Molly
was holding him.
Her eyes, fixed on his, were filled
with pity, and a maternal yearning
over him that touched him unspeak
ably. Her face was very near his own.
Wilton realized of a sudden what he
had known in a dim way even before
his fourth arrival at the portage
that Molly McDonald was the one girl
In the world for him.
He drew her to him and bent his
lips to bers. Then, because he was
not very well versed In many things
oi the world, In spite of his tbirtj
years, he looked as If he hat commit'
ted an unpardonable insult But Mol
ly opened her shut lids, and the eyes
that smiled into Wilton's did not show
signs of anger, nor even of surprise.
"This isn't Winnipeg, Will," she
said, with a little happy catch In her
voice.
The marvel of their love transflg
ured them in each other's sight They
were hardly aware of Bowyer's depar
ture. It was not until Molly realized
that there was the supper to prepara
that she became practical once more
"Why must you go tomorrow?" she
asked, wistfully. "A message could be
sent to Kitty"
"It's more than that, Molly," said
Wilton. "It's the line Itself Joe'a
work that is at stake, and I've got
to be at the shareholders' meeting on
Monday morning. You see, It's this
way,", he went ou to explain.
"We laid out our route to cross Big
Muskeg at this point and miles have
beea completed. But our surveyors
were either too optimistic or had been
bought by Bowyer. We found, when
it was too late to change our plans.
that Big Muskeg was a harder propo
sition than anyone bad suspected.
There's forty feet and more of quick-
mud where we believed bed-rock to
exist a few feet down. The records
lied. And you can't lay a permanent
way upon mud.
"The shareholders are frightened,
and Phayre, of the Bank of New
North Manitoba, who is an influential
one, and represents Bowyer, has had
the tip from him to make trouble.
Bowyer didn't want the line till the
transcontinental route was shifted
northward. Now he does, partly be
cause we shall ultimately link up wltn
it and become a valuable property.
And I think he suspects that there's
something in our territory worth the
developing.
"The plan Is to refer the situation
to a commission of engineers who, of
course, would be largely in Bowyer's
pay, and who would report that the
present route Is not feasible. That
would mean increasing our capital,
and the issue of new stock would give
Bowyer and Phayre the controlling
Interest. As things stand, Joe con
trols the company, although he hasn't
actually a majority of the shares.
"Joe would take most chances, but
he wouldn't gamble with the fortunes
of those who trusted him,- even to
fight Bowyer. He wanted to have rea
sonable hopes that the ' line could be
pushed through. He gave me his
power of attorney to vote for him, In
case of accident. And I have it here.
That's why I must be at the meeting,
Molly. Otherwise that motion for an
engineers' commission goes through.
And Bowyer told me that he means
to have the line. But Kltty'll fight
him. Joe made no mistake when he
took her for a partner."
"She was as true as steel to Joe,"
Eald Molly. "Kitty and Joe were very
good to me when I was In Winnipeg
last winter. But what do you think
Mr. Bowyer meant by his suggestion
about coal on your lands?"
"There is no coal," said Wilton.
"Molly, dear, I'll tell you what our se
cret is. I was pledged to Joe but
the secret's mine now, and I can tell
you. It Isn't coal it's clay."
"Clay, Wilton?"
"Clay. It's more valuable than coal
or gold. It's clay land that the wheat
grows on, or rather in the rich topsoil
of loam, with the clay subsoil to seal
and preserve the rainfall, yet easily
drained with a little labor.
"I discovered it when I was pros
pecting up this way four years ago.
It's probably an extension of the New
Ontario clay belt, and, If so, it runs
for hundreds of miles through this
part of northern Manitoba. It means
that the wheat area of Canada will
be Increased by thousands of square
miles. It means homes and prosper
lty for thousands who are now strug
gling for a bare living in our cities.
. "That appealed to Joe. He was a
man, if ever there was one. He saw
the money In It, and the value of the
line, but he saw further than that. He
was looking ahead, years after he was
gone. He wanted to do good in his
own way. t He'd had a hard time when
he was a young man. And because peo
ple believed in Joe, though he dared
not tell them his secret, they lent him
the capital, and took up his shares.
That was Joe's dream and it's mine,
Molly."
She listened breathlessly as he re
vealed his dream to her, and yet, per
haps, womanlike, she was happy rath
er in the revelation of himself than
in the altruism of the dead man.
"That's what the Missatibi meant to
Joe," said Wilton. "That's why we
mean to fight to keep it out of Bow
yer's hands. Molly, dear, when I
realized that Joe was dead everything
seemed ended for the line. I couldn't
see how we were going to carry on
without him. It's only now now that
I have found something as well as lost
everything that I can begin to pick
up my courage."
She laughed and put her face down
on his shoulder.
"Evening, Mr. Carruthers," said
the sergeant briskly. "I'm Ser-'
geant Peters and this is Con
stable Myers."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
American Architects.
The Roman found among the Greeks
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alized foreigners, or men of foreign
birth or descent "The Condition of
Modern Architecture," by Leslie W.
Devereauz, In Architecture) for February,
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PRIDE IN SCHOOLS
Dominant Feeling Among Settlers
in Western Canada.
bespite "Newness" of the Country,
There Are No Better Institutions
of Learning Anywhere.
There Is frequently hesitation ex
pressed by those whose minds are
almost made up to move to the agri
cultural lands of Western Canada,
that the children will not enjoy the
school privileges afforded them In
their present surroundings. This Is a
reasonable doubt. The country Is new.
It is within the memory of many who
will read this that the bison roamed
these prairies at will, that there were
no railroads, no settlements beyond
that of some of the Hudson Bay posts,
a few courageous ranchmen and In
dians. It was a country of unknown
quantity. It Is different today, and It
has been made different In that short
time because of the latent stores of
wealth hidden in the land, which has
been made to yield bountifully through
the daring enterprise of the pioneer
and the railways that had the courage
to extend their enterprising lines of
steel throughout Its length and a great
portion of Its breadth. Villages and
hamlets have developed Into towns and
towns into cities, supported and main
tained by those who, coming practi
cally from all parts of the world, and
many, yes, thousands, from the neigh
boring states to the south, have taken
up land that cost them but a trifle as
compared with what they were able
to dispose of the holdings upon which
they had been living for years. These
people brought with them a method
in life that electrified and changed the
entire Canadian West. Today things
are different, and a trip tó Western
Canada will shdw a country new but
old. New because changes have been
wrought that give to the newcomer
the opportunity to become part of a
growing and developing country It
gives the chance to say what shall be
made of It; old because there has been
brought into its life those things
that have proven useful in older coun
tries, while there has been eliminated
everything that would tend to a back
ward stage. A writer, dealing with
social matters, treats of the schools,
und says:
"Everywhere the school follows the
plow. Cities which a few years ago
were represented by scattered shacks
are proud today of their school build
ings. The web of education Is being
spread over the prairie. Lately,
however, a new policy has been adopt
ed. Instead of many rural schools,
big central schools are being estab-llshed-T-each
serving an area of fifty
square miles or so, and children who
live a mile and a half away are con
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cars. In the summer, of course, they
come on "bikes" or ponies.
"And the young idea is taught to
shoot in many directions. The instruc
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visitor to one such school deep In the
country says she will never forget the
pride with which a little lad showed
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Thrift is also taught In the schools
by means of the dime bank.
"Following the primary schools there
are secondary schools, where training
Is free. This includes classics, modern
languages, science, mathematics, ad
vanced English, and often agricultural,
commercial, and technical subjects,
and but this concerns the girls
household economies. For three years
this lasts, and then conies matricula
tion into the university, a matricula
tion which admits direct to the arts
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