im with clenched hands and
compressed lips, and then, without another word, turned and left, as
he had silently ordered.

As Joe trudged through the darkness and rain in the direction of
Shuter's store, he repeated several times, "It was pretty small to
treat her like that; I never felt such a mean cuss before; but what in
the world was I to do?"

As he finally entered Shuter's tent, which bore the dignified title of
store, a scene that would have appeared strangely fantastic to
dwellers in cities, presented itself. Congregated together were about
fifty sunburnt laborers, arrayed in coarse woollen shirts. To their
despondent-looking trousers the blue tenacious prairie mud clung like
glue. Several nationalities were represented in the motley assembly,
for it was the time of the great North-West boom, and men had been
drawn from far and near.

In one corner of the tent was a quaint table or counter, constructed
of three old boards and two trestles, upon which were deposited a lot
of rolled Canadian smoking and chewing tobacco, clay pipes, and
several long-necked bottles. Pinned to the tent, behind the counter,
was a card, on which was scrawled, in characters which scorned all
laws of proportion, "Mild Drinks." It was owing to the abhorred
fashion of the North-West Mounted Police, of confiscating drinks that
were not mild, that Shuter was led to display this prevaricating sign.

Behind the counter stood Nellie Shuter, a dashing, good-looking young
woman of about twenty-three, while seated at a number of rude tables
were laborers throwing dice and playing poker. Leaning nonchalantly on
the counter were two or three young men, who were making themselves
agreeable to the fair attendant behind it.

Joe quietly edged his way through the tent till he came to a table
near the counter, at which were seated his mate, Harry Langdon, and
Bill Shuter. Shuter was a tall, spare man, with a somewhat receding
chin and small, very light-colored blue eyes, which had a habit of
looking past one while their owner was speaking. A glance at Harry's
face was sufficient to show that he had been drinking heavily.
Although Shuter had drunk sparingly, there was a strange irritable
expression about his face.

Seating himself some little distance from the two men, Joe covertly
watched the play. He soon perceived that Harry was paying little or no
attention to the game--although it was poker--his attention being
almost entirely fixed on Nellie,