The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Barrier, by Rex Beach

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Title: The Barrier

Author: Rex Beach

Posting Date: July 4, 2009 [EBook #4082]
Release Date: May, 2003
First Posted: November 12, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BARRIER ***

Produced by Charles Franks and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team. HTML version by Al Haines.

THE BARRIER

BY

REX BEACH

AUTHOR OF "THE SPOILERS"

ILLUSTRATED BY DENMAN FINK

CONTENTS

I. THE LAST FRONTIER
II. POLEON DORET'S HAND IS QUICKER THAN HIS TONGUE
III. WITHOUT BENEFIT OF CLERGY
IV. THE SOLDIER FINDS AN UNTRODDEN VALLEY
V. A STORY IS BEGUN
VI. THE BURRELL CODE
VII. THE MAGIC OF BEN STARK
VIII. THE KNIFE
IX. THE AWAKENING
X. MEADE BURRELL FINDS A PATH IN THE MOONLIGHT
XI. WHERE THE PATH LED
XII. A TANGLED SKEIN
XIII. STARK TAKES A HAND IN THE GAME
XIV. A MYSTERY IS UNRAVELLED
XV. AND A KNOT TIGHTENED
XVI. JOHN GALE'S HOUR
XVII. THE LOVE OF POLEON DORET
XVIII. RUNNION FINDS THE SINGING PEOPLE
XIX. THE CALL OF THE OREADS

ILLUSTRATIONS

"GREAT LOVELY DOVE!" EJACULATED BURRELL, FERVENTLY ... WONDERING IF
THIS GLORIOUS THING COULD BE THE QUAINT HALF-BREED GIRL OF YESTERDAY

"I MISSED YOU DREADFULLY, DADDY," SAID NECIA. "THERE WASN'T ANY FUN IN
THINGS WITHOUT YOU"

POLEON FOLLOWED HER WITH HIS EYES. "AN' DAT'S DE END OF IT ALL," HE
MUSED. "FIVE YEAR I'VE WAIT--AN' JUS' FOR DIS"

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" THE GIRL DEMANDED, IMPERIOUSLY

THE COMBATANTS WERE DRAGGED APART ... "I GOT YOU, BENNETT!" CRIED THE
TRADER, HOARSELY. "YOUR MAGIC IS NO GOOD"

NECIA SAW RUNNION RAISE HIS GUN, AND WITHOUT THOUGHT OF HER OWN SAFETY,
THREW HERSELF UPON HIM

THE BARRIER

CHAPTER I

THE LAST FRONTIER

Many men were in debt to the trader at Flambeau, and many counted him
as a friend. The latter never reasoned why, except that he had done
them favors, and in the North that counts for much. Perhaps they built
likewise upon the fact that he was ever the same to all, and that, in
days of plent