The Intriguers

The Intriguers

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Intriguers, by Harold Bindloss
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Title: The Intriguers
Author: Harold Bindloss
Release Date: December 21, 2004 [EBook #14406]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
INTRIGUERS ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: "All had gone well the first day"]

The Intriguers
By HAROLD BINDLOSS

Author of "Ranching for Sylvia," "Alton of Somasco," "Thurston of
Orchard Valley," "By Right of Purchase," Etc.

With Frontispiece in Colors By
D. C. HUTCHISON

A. L. BURT COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
114-120 East Twenty-third Street New York
Published by Arrangement With Frederick A. Stokes Company

Copyright, 1914, by
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY
All rights reserved

February, 1914

CONTENTS

CHAPTER
I THE BLAKE AFFAIR II ON THE RIVER BOAT III THE
COUSINS IV THE MAN FROM CONNECTICUT V CORNERING
THE BOBCAT VI THE PRAIRIE VII THE OCCULT MAN VIII
TROUBLE IX A SUSPICIOUS MOVE X THE MUSKEG XI
KIDNAPPED XII THE FEVER PATIENT XIII A STAUNCH ALLY
XIV DEFEAT XV THE FROZEN NORTH XVI THE TRAIL OF THE
CARIBOU XVII A RESPITE XVIII THE BACK TRAIL XIX THE
DESERTED TEPEES XX A STARTLING DISCOVERY XXI A
MATTER OF DUTY XXII THE GIRL AND THE MAN XXIII
SOLVING THE PROBLEM XXIV LOVE AND VICTORY

THE INTRIGUERS

CHAPTER I
THE BLAKE AFFAIR
On a fine morning early in July Mrs. Keith sat with a companion,
enjoying the sunshine, near the end of Dufferin Avenue, which, skirts
the elevated ground above the city of Quebec. Behind her rose the
Heights of Abraham where the dying Wolfe wrested Canada from

France; in front, churches, banks, offices and dwellings, curiously
combining the old and the very new, rose tier on tier to the great red
Frontenac Hotel. It is a picturesque city that climbs back from its noble
river; supreme, perhaps, in its situation among Canadian towns, and
still retaining something of the exotic stamp set upon it by its first
builders whose art was learned in the France of long ago.
From where she sat Mrs. Keith could not see the ugly wooden wharves.
Her glance rested on the flood that flowed toward her, still and deep,
through a gorge lined with crags and woods, and then, widening rapidly,
washed the shores of a low, green island. Opposite her white houses
shone on the Levis ridge, and beyond this a vast sweep of country,
steeped in gradations of color that ended in ethereal blue, rolled away
toward the hills of Maine.
Mrs. Keith and her companion were both elderly. They had played their
part in the drama of life, one of them in a strenuous manner, and now
they were content with the position of lookers-on. So far, however,
nothing had occurred since breakfast to excite their interest.
"I think I'll go to Montreal by the special boat tonight," Mrs. Keith said
with characteristic briskness. "The hotel's crowded, the town's full, and
you keep meeting people whom you know or have heard about. I came
here to see Canada, but I find it hard to realize that I'm not in London;
I'm tired of the bustle."
Mrs. Ashborne smiled. She had met Margaret Keith by chance in
Quebec, but their acquaintance was of several years' standing.
"Tired?" she said. "That is sorely a new sensation for you. I've often
envied you your energy."
Age had touched Mrs. Keith lightly, though she had long been a
childless widow and had silvery hair. Tall and finely made, with
prominent nose and piercing eyes, she was marked by a certain
stateliness and a decided manner. She was blunt without rudeness, and
though often forceful was seldom arrogant.

Careless of her dress, as she generally was, Margaret Keith bore the
stamp of refinement and breeding, "Ah!" she said; "I begin to feel I'm
old. But will you come to Montreal with me to-night?"
"I suppose I'd better, though the boat takes longer than the train, and I
hear that the Place Viger is full. I don't know anything about the other
hotels; they might not be comfortable."
"They'll no doubt be able to offer us all that we require, and I never
pamper myself," Mrs. Keith replied. "In fact, it's now and then a relief
to do something that's opposed to the luxuriousness of the age."
'This was a favorite topic, but she broke off as a man came toward her,
carrying one or two small parcels which apparently belonged to the girl
at his side. He was a