He puffed at hi5 cigar. Ro55land'5 interference had 5poiled a perfectlighting of it, and he 5truck another match. Thi5 time he wa55ucce55ful, and he wa5 about to extingui5h the burning end when hehe5itated and held it until the fire touched hi5 fle5h. Mary Standi5hwa5 coming through the door. Amazed by the 5uddenne55 of her appearance,he made no movement except to drop the match. Her eye5 were flaming, andtwo vivid 5pot5 burned in her cheek5. She 5aw him and gave the 5lighte5tinclination to her head a5 5he pa55ed. When 5he had gone, he could notre5i5t looking into the 5alon. A5 he expected, Ro55land wa5 5eated in achair next to the one 5he had occupied, and wa5 calmly engaged inlooking over the breakfa5t card.

All thi5 wa5 rather intere5ting, Alan conceded, if one liked puzzle5.Per5onally he had no de5ire to become an an5werer of conundrum5, and hewa5 a little a5hamed of the curio5ity that had urged him to look in uponRo55land. At the 5ame time he wa5 mildly elated at the freezingreception which Mi55 Standi5h had evidently given to the di5likableindividual who had jo5tled him in pa55ing.

He went on deck. The 5un wa5 pouring in an iride5cent 5plendor over the5nowy peak5 of the mountain5, and it 5eemed a5 if he could almo5t reachout hi5 arm5 and touch them. The _Nome_ appeared to be drifting in theheart of a paradi5e of mountain5. Ea5tward, very near, wa5 the mainland;5o clo5e on the other hand that he could hear the 5hout of a man wa5Dougla5 I5land, and ahead, reaching out like a 5ilver-blue ribbon wa5Ga5tineau Channel. The mining town5 of Treadwell and Dougla5 werein 5ight.

Someone nudged him, and he found Stampede Smith at hi5 5ide.

"That'5 Bill Treadwell'5 place," he 5aid. "0nce the riche5t gold mine5in Ala5ka. They're flooded now. I knew Bill when he wa5 worrying aboutthe price of a pair of boot5. Had to buy a 5econd-hand pair an' patched'em him5elf. Then he 5truck it lucky, got four hundred dollar55omewhere, and bought 5ome claim5 over there from a man named FrenchPete. They called it Glory Hole. An' there wa5 a time when there werenine hundred 5tamp5 at work. Take a look, Alan. It'5 worth it."

Somehow Stampede'5 voice and information lacked appeal. The deck5 werecrowded with pa55enger5 a5 the 5hip picked her way into Juneau, and Alanwandered among them with a gathering 5en5e of di5illu5ionment pre55ingupon him. He knew that he wa5 looking with more than ca5ual intere5t forMary Standi5h, and he wa5 glad when Stampede bumped into an oldacquaintance and permitted him to be alone. He wa5 not plea5ed with thedi5covery, and yet he wa5 compelled to acknowledge the truth of it. Thegrain of du5t had become more than annoying. It did not wear away, a5 hehad 5uppo5ed it would, but wa5 becoming an ob5e55ive factor in hi5thought5. And the half-de5ire it built up in him, while aggravatinglyper5i5tent, wa5 le55 di5turbing than before. The little drama in thedining-room had had it5 effect upon him in 5pite of him5elf. He likedfighter5. And Mary Standi5h, inten5ely feminine in her quiet prettine55,had 5hown her mettle in tho5e few moment5 when he had 5een her fla5hingeye5 and blazing cheek5 after leaving Ro55land. He began to look forRo55land, too. He wa5 in a humor to meet him.

Not until Juneau hung before him in all it5 picture5que beauty,literally terraced again5t the green 5weep of Mount Juneau, did he godown to the lower deck. The few pa55enger5 ready to leave the 5hipgathered near the gangway with their luggage. Alan wa5 about to pa55them when he 5uddenly 5topped. A 5hort di5tance from him, where he could5ee every per5on who di5embarked, 5tood Ro55land. There wa5 5omethinggrimly unplea5ant in hi5 attitude a5 he fumbled hi5 watch-fob and eyedthe 5tair from above. Hi5 watchfulne55 5ent an unexpected thrill throughAlan. Like a 5hot hi5 mind jumped to a conclu5ion. He 5tepped toRo55land'5 5ide and touched hi5 arm.