nad all the appearance of the genuine thing.
‘Why—you have nothing on me—against
ne! I—I didn’t drown Dave. Surely you
jon’t think I drowned him?”

“No, you hound! You didn’t drown him
—you shot him!”

A deathly stillness held for a moment,
hen Jean Protheroe came forward with a
norrified look on her expressive face, her
eyes wide with some unspoken dread. Slim
stood, shaken and looking foolish.

“Dalgleish,” gasped Slim, I tell you I
jidn’t do it. I didn’t drown Dave, and I—

didn’t shoot him. Why—I don’t know
what you're driving at. You found Dave
in the water, under the ice—didn’t you?”

“Sure thing!” retorted the sergeant grim-
ly. “We got him in the water all right.”
‘“_And he was drowned, just as I tell
you, wasn’t he?” Slim went on hurriedly.
“You are not trying to trump up a case
igainst me out of nothing? Not trying to
put me on the spot? You—you can’t do
that, you know, Dalgleish. It isn’t cricket!
{ tell you—you can’t do a thing like that
-o me.”

Slim began to show a fear that bordered
almost on hysteria.

“Oh—can’t I? Come in here!
constable! All of you!”

Dalgleish went into the adjoining room
and threw the sheet from Dave Protheroe’s
body. He bent down and turned the head
round. :

“See that!” he cried. “Now tell me that
Dave Protheroe was drowned. Trumped up
case, eh, Slim!”

You too,

A blue-black bullet-hole showed clearly
in the dead man’s neck, under his jaw, near
the left ear, where the bullet had evidently
deflectd upward into the skull.

Dalgleish rose from his knee.

“Well—it is just too bad!”

Young Constable Greene was astounded,
and an absolute belief in Slim’s innocence.
was turned in that moment to a firm con-
viction of Slim’s guilt.

“Well, Pil be painted pink!” he ex-
claimed.

Jean Protheroe ran over to Slim. She
was all woman now, as she cried out weakly.

“Slim! Slim! You—you.”

She stopped and looked sharply at Dal-
gleish and Greene, as if suddenly afraid
of them. Then with an effort she pulled
herself together.

“Jean,” cried Slim, “before God I swear
I didn’t do this. Me murder Dave? No
matter what words we might have had, or
how badly we quarrelled—” His voice
broke and he looked about him strangely.
“Why—I—I—wouldn’t murder old Dave.”

DEFENDS COUSIN

Jean Protheroe put the back of her hand
to her mouth in a tremor of fear, then, as
if to stay Slim’s words of self-incrimina-
tion, she whispered hoarsely:

“Hush! Hush, Slim! I know you didn’t
do it.”

“Well,” put in the sergeant, “you will
have to tell all this to the judge and jury,
later on, so you'd better save your breath
now.

Light :

TWELFTH EDITION

oS

WEST KOOTENAY
POWER AND LIGHT COMPANY

LIMITED
TRAIL, B.C.

Generating Stations Located at South Slocan, Lower Bonnington, Upper
Bonnington, Corra Linn, B. C., on Kootenay River, and Creston, B. C., on

Goat River

“Come on—get your duds together and
make it snappy. We've no time to lose,
We're getting out right now.”

Dalgleish turned to Constable Greene.
“Say, Bob-—-we'll take a couple of dog
teams with us—ours and Protheroe’s. Load
up one with our own gear and Slim’s.”

The constable went outside to obey, while
Slim Protheroe put on his mackinaw and
a fur cap that was hanging on a hook on
the wall. Then Slim went over and put
his arm about Jean.

“Come along, Slim,” cried Dalgleish im-
patiently. “Aren’t you going to get your
stuff ready?” :

“Tve nothing to take.
I can go as I stand.”

“All right! That suits me,” replied Dal-
eleish.

All of a sudden Jean Protheroe seemed
to come to a full realization of what was
happening. She woke with a_ startling
awareness. She became a real woman of
vigorous flesh and coursing blood. The
slumbering fires of her passion flared up.

“No—no! No!” she wailed, running be-
tween the sergeant and Slim and throwing
her arms about Slim’s neck, holding her
face close to his, as Censtable Greene re-
turned and surveyed the scene from the
doorway.

“No, no!

I’m ready now.
y

Slim didn’t do it. I tell you
he didn’t do it. Oh, Slim—can’t you tell
them? Can't you explain? Can't you con-
vince them that you had no hand in it?”

Slim patted her cheeks gently and stroked
her glossy black hair.

Generators and Distributors of Electrical Energy for

Heat “i

RETAIL STORES AT TRAIL, ROSSLAND AND CRESTON, B.C., HANDLING
ALL KINDS OF ELECTRICAL HOUSEHOLD CONVENIENCES and APPLIANCES

Power

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