emselves, a narrow
path felt its way.

The two Policemen were not the sole occupants of Mile 127, as the
village had been known in its day. Murphy's train crew, less
particular than the Mounted Police, had satisfied themselves with minor
repairs to the most reputable of the shacks. Murphy himself, and his
foreman friend 'Uggins, more exclusive even than the Police, had drawn
their skirts aside from anything savouring of the swift but gay life of
the days of grade construction, and erected for themselves a tent where
the only real comfort was the opportunity it gave to sneer at their
more lowly companions, and a fond but scarce justified hope that they
were immune from the torments of formerly inhabited buildings. Murphy
openly scored anything "any damned bohunk ever scratched himself in,"
and, after days of quarreling with 'Uggins about a site, during which
they struggled miserably along beneath separate ground-sheets, a common
tent was decided upon far from the former selection of each and close
to the new siding where "Mollie," the engine, slept at nights.

Helen Mahon was smiling back into her husband's eyes, shyly but
happily, for she was proud of him--proud, too, of the loving little
trick she had played on him by riding up to the barracks only a couple
of hours ago, when he thought her still in Medicine Hat. Having been
married to him only a few months, she was still a little shy with her
happiness.

"Helen," he exclaimed for the tenth time, "I don't believe it's true.
Williams is going to dig his heel into me and tell me I'm snoring. I
always do when I dream."

"And you don't like dreaming?" she asked slyly.

"As a dream," he corrected, "it's a ripper. At the same time I'd like
to have some help to realise it. How did you manage it? Of course
every one knows you have Inspector Barker in the hollow of your hand,
but there were others to win over."

She gurgled joyously and seized his hand to press it against her cheek
and nibble lovingly at the finger tips.

"Inspector Barker did it all. He's got a way with him, and I just made
him pull the wires right up to the Commissioner, I guess. Anyway, here
I am, and there's nobody defied by it. I suppose they reckoned that
any wife who thinks enough of her husband to travel two days by train,
then two more on horseback, is worth encouraging for the salvation of
his soul. To sum up: I'm here for a month, if you'll let me stay."

The laugh with which he