Nelson, seemed to indicate that he did not
fear pursuit. He had traded his heavier
rifle for a light one, a comparatively short
range weapon when matched with the 30-40.
By this action it looked as though he had
finished with bush work and was going
to stay more or less in the open. It was
hard to say where he would next appear
but it was certain that the killer had
dispensed with flight now. He felt secure
in a strange country. He was never more
mistaken in his life. He had made the
fatal mistake of underestimating the police
procedure in Canada. He had made a
bigger one by not considering the temper
of Canadians and their reaction to killers

PATRICIA
HOTEL

JACK ZUZIC, Proprietor

e
LICENSED PARLOUR
e

Nanaimo, British Columbia

Eagle Building Telephone 464

CHRIS. WRIGHT & CO.

PREFERRED RISK INSURANCE
REAL ESTATE

Agents for Canadian National Railways
Transatlantic Steamship Lines
and All Air Lines
135 Bastion Street P.O. Drawer 23
NANAIMO, B.C.

LOTUS HOTEL

Mrs. |. Smith, Proprietress
Licensed Premises

NANAIMO, B. C.

Phones: 8 and 158 Office: Gibson Block
City Taxi & Transfer Co.
William Plummer
FURNITURE MOVING

TAXIS and AUTOMOBILES
For Hire Day and Night
COAL and WOOD Our Rates Are Reasonable
NANAIMO, B.C.

QUEEN’S HOTEL

Bury and Loukes, Proprietors
LICENSED PREMISES
e

Nanaimo, B. C.

Page Twenty-six

of any kind. Like many others he thought
that space meant safety. It was to prove
his undoing.

Van left the ranger’s cabin and sauntered
off along the railroad tracks. In a little
while he came to the town of Crows’ Nest
high in the Rockies. Perhaps he saw that
the railroad tracks almost filled the narrow
pass. However, it was a town, and he
needed supplies.

Just seven days after the shooting, J. M.
McCool, proprietor of Crows’ Nest only
store, was busy with his clerk, Joe Sedrovich.
There was a rush of business for the mo-
ment and they glanced up as the door of
the store swung open to admit a short man
whose arms seemed extraordinarily long.
The man looked as though he had done
some hard travelling. His clothing was
torn to tatters. His beard covered his face.
But his eyes gleamed like diamond drills.
The man went to a corner of the store and
dumped the contents of his packsack on
the floor. The storekeeper saw that it con-
tained only a short-barrelled rifle. The man
had moved away from the sack and was
now surveying the people in the store. His
eyes seemed to take in everyone with a
quick, nervous glance. Mr. McCool thought
little of this. It was obvious that the man
had suffered great hardships. His face was
heavily seamed and he was covered in track
dust from head to foot. Probably had
dropped off a freight, Mr. McCool thought.

The storekeeper paid little attention to
the new arrival. He was used to dealing
with strangers. They usually came into
the store and acted just like this one. They
didn’t walk up to the counter and ask for
service at once but stood- back until they
had become used to the store. They examined
the stock on the shelves and then, after
locating what they needed, asked for it.

THE FuGItTivE RECOGNIZED

Joe Sedrovitch, however, found himself
studying the stranger. He didn’t know
why but there was something about the
fellow that was familiar. The clerk tried
to think where he had seen that face before.
Try as he might he couldn’t place it. There
was a slight chance that the man had called
at the store sometime during the past,
but Sedrovitch couldn’t rid himself of the
feeling that it wasn’t a revived memory.
It was as if he had seen a photo. Suddenly
the clerk tensed. He felt his pulse tingle.
Now he knew! The stranger wasn’t a
stranger to Sedrovitch any longer. He had
memorized that face too often during the
past few days. He signalled to McCool
and motioned him to the back of the store.

“That man out there; the one with the
pack. Do you know who he is?”

“Why no,” Mr. McCool said somewhat
surprised. “Who is he?”

Sedrovitch produced a handbill given
to him by Constable Nelson only a day or
two ago. There, staring from the printed
slip of paper, was the likeness of the man
now in the store, George Van.

There was no doubt about it. McCool
felt alarmed. There was no telling what
a man like Van would do if he suspected
that his real identity was known. He might

open up with that rifle and kill a half dozen
people before being taken. It was a situr
tion requiring careful handling. Sedrovitch
too, was feeling squeamish. He, like his
employer, knew the gravity of the
emergency.

The two men talked in low tones. If
either of them exhibited increased interest
in the stranger he would become suspicious,
They must continue their dealings in the
store as if nothing was amiss. There wasnt
the slightest hope of them getting out an
alarm to Constable Nelson before Van
left the store. There was no telephone at

WELLINGTON HOTEL

JOE BOUDOT, Proprietor

Six Miles North of Nanaimo
on Island Highway

FULLY LICENSED
WELLINGTON, B.C.

LANTZVILLE HOTEL

and Garage
A. D. CAILLET, Proprietor

Meals and Modern Rooms
LICENSED PREMISES
LANTZVILLE, B.C.

RUSHTON'S
GARAGE
Established 26 Years
Phone 30
PARKSVILLE, B.C.

THE BEVAN HOTEL

JAMES MURRAY, Proprietor
BEVAN, B.C.

EXCELLENT MEALS
Fully Licensed

ROYSTON
GENERAL STORE

The RED & WHITE Stores _
L. BALL, Proprietor

GROCERIES, ETC.
ROYSTON, B.C.

BOWSER GENERAL STORE

A. L. DOMEY, Proprietor

GROCERIES, DRY GOODS and
HARDWARE

BOWSER, B.C.

THE SHOULDER STRAP