Johnstone of the Border   By: Harold Bindloss (1866-1945)

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

ALTON OF SOMASCO LORIMER OF THE NORTHWEST THURSTON OF ORCHARD VALLEY WINSTON OF THE PRAIRIE THE GOLD TRAIL SYDNEY CARTERET, RANCHER A PRAIRIE COURTSHIP VANE OF THE TIMBERLANDS THE LONG PORTAGE RANCHING FOR SYLVIA PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN THE DUST OF CONFLICT THE GREATER POWER MASTERS OF THE WHEATLANDS DELILAH OF THE SNOWS BY RIGHT OF PURCHASE THE CATTLE BARON'S DAUGHTER THRICE ARMED FOR JACINTA THE INTRIGUERS THE LEAGUE OF THE LEOPARD FOR THE ALLINSON HONOR THE SECRET OF THE REEF HARDING OF ALLENWOOD THE COAST OF ADVENTURE

[Illustration: "An occasional word or phrase reached her: '. . . submarine . . . coast of . . . this line marks. . . .'" Page 220]

JOHNSTONE OF THE BORDER

BY HAROLD BINDLOSS

Author of "PRESCOTT OF SASKATCHEWAN," "RANCHING FOR SYLVIA," "FOR THE ALLINSON HONOR," "THE SECRET OF THE REEF," ETC.

WITH FRONTISPIECE IN COLOR

[Illustration]

NEW YORK

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS

COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY RODERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHED IN ENGLAND UNDER THE TITLE "THE BORDERER"

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE I THE SUMMONS 1 II A PAINFUL MEMORY 12 III THE SOLWAY SHORE 19 IV APPLEYARD 29 V SWEETHEART ABBEY 42 VI ON CRIFFELL HILL 53 VII THE GRAY CAR 60 VIII THE "ROWAN'S" LIGHT 71 IX IN THE DARK 81 X THE YOUNG OFFICER 92 XI THE SIGNAL 103 XII A FALSE ALARM 114 XIII THE WRECK 127 XIV A FAIR ALLY 140 XV A BARGAIN 148 XVI TRAILING THE MOTORCYCLE 160 XVII THE MATCHBOX 172 XVIII A CONFERENCE AT SEA 183 XIX A WARNING 195 XX THE WHAMMEL BOAT 205 XXI THE LOST PAPER 216 XXII STAFFER'S MESSENGER 226 XXIII AN EVENING AT APPLEYARD 235 XXIV THE BUOYED CHANNEL 247 XXV A CLUE 259 XXVI TIGHTENING THE MESHES 272 XXVII THE RECKONING DAY 283 XXVIII A WILD RIDE 293 XXIX WHEN THE TIDE TURNED 305 XXX THE NET 317 XXXI UNEXPECTED HAPPINESS 327

JOHNSTONE OF THE BORDER

CHAPTER I

THE SUMMONS

Sable Lake shone like a mirror among the ragged pines, as it ran back between the rocks, smooth as oil except where a puff of wind streaked its flashing surface with faint blue wrinkles. Behind it the lonely woods rolled on, south to Lake Superior and north to Hudson Bay. At one place a new transcontinental railroad cut its way through the forest; hammers rang and noisy gravel plows emptied the ballast cars along the half graded track; but these sounds of human activity were quickly lost and in a mile or two only the splash of water and the elfin sighing in the pine tops broke the deep silence of the woods. This belt of tangled forest, where the trees are stunted and the soil is sterile, offers no attraction to homesteader or lumberman. In consequence, it has lain desolate since the half breed voyageurs , who crossed it with canoe and dog team, abandoned the northwest trail when the Canadian Pacific locomotives began to pant through the rock cuts by Lake Superior.