"He said he'd replace my lost outfit if I'd put you out of the way some
time day after to-morrow!"
"Kill me?"
"Yes."
For a few moments there was a silence broken only by their tense breathing.
Aldous had found the packer's hand. He was gripping it hard.
"Thank you, old man," he said. "And he believes you will do it?"
"I told him I would--day after to-morrow--an' throw your body in the
Athabasca."
"Splendid, Stevens! You've got Sherlock Holmes beat by a mile! And does he
want you to do this pretty job because I gave him a crack on the jaw?"
"Not a bit of it!" exclaimed Stevens quickly. "He knows the girl is a
stranger and alone. You've taken an interest in her. With you out of the
way, she won't be missed. Dammit, man, don't you know his system? And, if
he ever wanted anything in his life he wants her. She's turned that
poison-blood of his into fire. He raved about her here. He'll go the limit.
He'll do anything to get her. He's so crazy I believe he'd give every
dollar he's got. There's just one thing for you to do. Send the girl back
where she come from. Then you get out. As for myself--I'm goin' to
emigrate.
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