The End of the Line

  Other books by Stephen Legault

  Carry Tiger to Mountain: The Tao of Activism and Leadership (2006)

  THE COLE BLACKWATER SERIES

  The Cardinal Divide (2008)

  The Darkening Archipelago (2010)

  For information on new books in the Cole Blackwater series, the Durrant Wallace series, or other books by Stephen Legault, visit stephenlegault.com/writing

  Copyright © 2011 Stephen Legault

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (ACCESS Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca.

  LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

  Legault, Stephen, 1971–

  End of the line [electronic resource] / Stephen Legault.

  Type of computer file: Electronic monograph in HTML format.

  Issued also in print format.

  ISBN 978-1-926971-06-3

  I. Title.

  PS8623.E46633E53 2011b C813'.6 C2011-903360-7

  Editor: Frances Thorsen

  Copyeditor: Lenore Hietkamp

  Design and cover illustration: Pete Kohut

  Author photo: Dan Anthon

  We gratefully acknowledge the financial support for our publishing activities from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and the province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

  The End of the Line is a work of fiction set in what is known today as Lake Louise, Alberta, but in 1884 was the end of steel for the Canadian Pacific mainline, and was also known as Holt City, The Summit, and later Laggan. While it is based in a real place, and set amid real events in Canada’s history, the characters and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real characters or events is coincidental.

  TouchWood Editions

  www.touchwoodeditions.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  The Third Riel Conspiracy

  About the Author

  Copyright