on, so that
he was careful to give it a wide berth. He referred to the pleasant
evening he had spent with her father and the way in which he had found
out that she was both Miss Cristy Lawson and Miss Margaret Williams and
how he had backed Stiles into a corner and questioned him.

In her turn she told him how she had taken up her newspaper work in the
hope of unearthing, under the guidance of her editor, evidence that
would help to restore her father to his place at the head of the
Interprovincial Loan & Savings Company. McAllister, editor of the
_Recorder_, suspected a political deal in regard to some government
bids and thought that Nickleby and--and some others were mixed up in a
bold attempt at graft. If the _Recorder's_ plans did not miscarry
there would be a sensational exposure one of these days which would
shock the whole country.

She went on to speak of President Wade, of the Canadian Lake Shores
Railway, in the warmest terms. She had known him all her life as a
close friend of her father and he was a frequent visitor at the Lawson
home.

She stumbled on a cross-tie and would have fallen but for the strength
of his supporting arm. She winced a little.

"Here, Miss Lawson, try putting your arm across my back and your hand
on my left shoulder for a while. That's it."

With a thrill he slipped his arm about her waist, but she smiled up at
him without protest. They made better progress after that. The steel
rails streaked away in the moonlight endlessly before them, endlessly
behind with uncompromising sameness.

"I suppose I deserve a good scolding for jumping off the train so far
from this Thorlakson place; but the sleeping-car conductor told me the
train would not stop on any account, short of a damaged track, until it
reached--Indian Creek, I think he said it was. My best plan, he said,
was to get off there and ride back to Thorlakson on a handcar. I was
warned not to try any moving-picture stunts; but when I found out we'd
have to slow up on the grade near the siding, I made up my mind to risk
it. So when we slowed up back there, I thought it was the place, and
sneaked to the back platform without being seen by anyone but you."

Kendrick shook his head at her, marvelling at her nerve and the
foolishness of the whole thing. Not many girls would have dared it.
Lucky for her he had seen her or she might have been in a pretty bad
plight along these lonely reaches of track before any section h