The Bail Jumper Part 11

"You let me know it."

"You divined it. You found it out yourself. That saves me. If I had told you I would be a shameless woman, but if you find it out my honour is unscathed. Such are the decrees of convention."

"At any rate, now you have admitted it. Will you answer my question. Why are you in Plainville?"

"Do you admit as much? You are interested in me. Do yourself the justice to believe that I am interested in you."

"Admit that I love you? Yes, I believe I do."

The sun was down. Dusk was settling over the plain. The water ran black before them. They sat for some time, gazing into its smooth depths. At last she broke the silence.

"Do you know, Mr. Burton, you are rather undemonstrative in your declaration of love." There was a sly, fascinating banter in her voice.

Burton made no answer. He saw a figure in white, and heard a voice saying, "I have sometimes thought I could, perhaps, love a man, if I found one who was not a liar." And he was wondering, weighing these two women, each so powerful in her personality, although differing so much in manner of expressing it. Miss Vane he understood, or at least thought he did, but this girl was something so altogether different. He knew that most men, and all women, would question her motives; he would be sincere with her. At least he would not be a liar, active or pa.s.sive.

"Perhaps I admitted more than I really meant," he ventured, at length.

"More than was true?"

"Yes, more than was quite true."

"Then you love another. It is that love that has made you honest with me. I congratulate her. Tell me about her."

"You take rejection easily."

"Silly boy! A woman is never rejected while she lives. Is she pretty?"

"Yes, as pretty as you."

"How nice! And good?"

"Yes, better than you."

"Now I _am_ interested. How quickly you learn to be honest! I am hunting the world for a man who isn't a liar."

The similarity of the expression was not lost on Burton, but his companion continued:

"And you are going to be--"

"No."

"No? Why?"

"You know my trouble, don't you-Polly?"

"I have heard of it. But I believe nothing. Does she?"

"No, I am convinced she is as true as steel. But while this cloud is over me I can say nothing-I can do nothing."

"But it will soon be gone. Your trial will come in the fall. All the boarders say you can't be convicted. You will be free."

"Yes, free, with this stain of infamy upon me. Free to go West, to lose myself in the great new country, to forget my past-if I can. But free to marry her-never!"

"You mean that the real culprit must be found. There must be a positive verdict, not a negative one?"

"That's it. The criminal must be run to earth. The money must be discovered, if possible."

It was quite dark. Night blanketted the prairies, and night on the prairies is always cold. Miss Lester shivered. Silently her form nestled into the arms of Burton. A hand fell against his, and he shook as though struck by an electric current. She raised her face to his, her warm breath flooded his cheeks and eyes and stole into his nostrils and his lungs.

"Raymond dear," she whispered. "You are carrying too much alone. You will break down. I can help you. Will you let me? Will you-do you trust me?"

And in a voice so low that she caught it by instinct rather than hearing he answered, "I do."

"Then tell me-all."

"All?"

"Yes, tell me who took the money, and why, and where to find it, and I pledge you my word-my honour-that you shall walk out of court not only free, but justified. Remember, you trust me. You say you trust me-you do trust me." She raised her hand and held the spread fingers, pointed, towards his temples, her eyes were within a palm's width of his.

"Remember, you trust me, Raymond, you trust me. This log shall rise in witness against you before I do. You trust me-tell me-ALL."

With a curse he threw her from him. "This, then, is your love, your honour, your-your perfidy. G.o.d judge between me and you this night!"

CHAPTER IX-A FUGITIVE

"Ever the sun sets in the west; Yellow and gold; Ever a face to a window prest; Can it behold, Large in the lens of the dying light, Wandering boy, in joy or plight, Trudging st.u.r.dily into the night, Fearless and bold?"

_The Empire Builders._

Dominion Day was the big day of the year at Plainville. Then the baseball teams from all the towns around gathered in the Agricultural Grounds for the final contest of the season, as the approach of haying time would soon give the young men other outlets for their energy.

Baseball was the great game of the district, but in order to afford some variety of attraction there would also be a football match between the English and Canadian born-an event usually marked with much friendly enthusiasm. The Englishmen had been schooled in the rudiments of the game on the playgrounds of the motherland, but years behind the plough or in the harvest field had left the flesh strangely unequal to the spirit. The Canadians, on the other hand, knew less of the game but trusted more to the pioneer qualities of force and endurance, although George Grant said his chief difficulty was in dodging the h's dropped by his opponents. Then there were pony races, usually won by some unheralded farm plug, to the disgust of the "sports"; a tug-of-war, married men against single, in which the benedicts, thanks to avoirdupois, were invariably victorious, while the Plainville bra.s.s band discoursed uncertain music to the appreciative throng.

But it is not with the celebration of Dominion Day that you and I are concerned, much as we should enjoy an afternoon with the husky young athletes of the prairie. Other events, essential to the progress of our story, were under way, and demand our attention.

By common consent the Plainville stores remained open on Dominion Day until eleven in the forenoon, when they closed to enable the proprietors and their staffs to enjoy the day's celebration. It had been a busy forenoon, and Burton was hurriedly sweeping up behind the grocery counter after the blinds had been drawn, when Graves approached and leaned over the counter, watching him. Burton was conscious of the eyes upon him, and at length looked up. It was evident his fellow employee had something on his mind.

"I want to say that I have a rather disagreeable piece of information for you, Burton," said Graves, after a moment's hesitation. "Did you ever wonder why I came out here and took this job with Gardiner?"

"No, I can't say that I did," the other replied. "I supposed you were looking for employment and this was the first thing to turn up. But there has been nothing disagreeable to me about it."

"Unfortunately there will be, shortly, and I a.s.sure you the whole thing, as it is turning out, is little to my liking. Burton, you're not suspicious enough for a criminal career. Do I look like a store clerk?"

There was a touch of sarcasm in the last two words which did not escape his hearer, but the reference to a criminal career had cut much deeper.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. "What right have you to speak to me in this way?"