om a long tramp. But Farwell knew full well that by high
noon his guard would have sensed danger and be uncommonly active, so he
pushed the march to Priscilla's utmost limit.

At four o'clock they reached the deserted hut near the old factory. A
fire was made upon the hearth and a broken-down settle drawn close.

"I'd rest until early morning," advised Farwell in a hard, constrained
voice. "Good Lord, Priscilla, it's a cruel place to leave you--alone!"

"I shall not mind, Master Farwell." All that was brave and unselfish in
the girl rose now to the fore. She recognized that Farwell, even more
than she, needed comfort.

"I shall never forget you," she said, holding her hands out to him;
"never forget you or cease to--love you!"

The last words made him wince.

"Good-bye, Priscilla."

"Good-bye, Master Farwell."

When the door closed upon the man, for a moment Priscilla stood with
horrified glance following him. The sense of high adventure perished at
his going. Alone in the woods, in the ghostly hut, the night to face, and
the blank future stretching beyond! It was more than she could bear, and
a cry escaped her parted lips. But Farwell did not hear, and the paroxysm
passed.

Priscilla slept that night, slept well and safely, and the early light of
Sunday morning found her refreshed and full of courage. She never knew
that two hours after leaving her Farwell met Pine and found in him--a
friend!

They had come face to face on a side trail.

"Here I am!" said Farwell cheerfully; then he took his place in front of
the guide. That had always been the unspoken understanding.

"See here, Pine, we've never said much to each other about what--all this
means, but I want to say something now. I won't give you much trouble in
the future. I shall not go often for my mail, or necessaries. In return,
forget _this_ journey. I went to let a--a poor little devil of a creature
out of a trap. That is all. I just couldn't--leave it to suffer--and I
hadn't time to call you up after our long tramp of yesterday."

"Ugh!" came from behind.

"Pine, can you trust me?"

"Ugh!" But the grunt was affirmative.

"Smoke on it, Tough?"

And they smoked while they plodded wearily back into bondage.

CHAPTER XIII

Little corners, lying on the borderland of Canada and the States,
stretched like a hand, the thumb and small finger of which belonged to
the Dominion, the three digits, in between, to the sister country. Of
cours