Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-09-08

setting sun, and the great, red path in
the ice, along which I was skating to-
wards home.
And / skated fast, not breathlessly,
but with long, swinging roll that l
could have kept up for hours. The
banks seemed to fly past-poplar and
birch, brush and brambles, cabins and
rail fences. Here and there [ passed
little creeks and could hear the water
from them trickling into the river un-
derneath the ice, but save for that
sound and the creaking of my skates
all was silent.
Lights were burning in the farm
house windows, but no noise came
from them; the men were sitting
around the fires with their wives and
children, and work was over for the
day.
After little l passed beyond these
signs of civilization, between lands
which were wild or far from the own
erss houses, and | saw no more lights.
The last of the day was gone, and the
moon was high-cold, round and
white. 1t lighted up the ice like an
arc light at first. Then some clouds
came up and dimmed it, and presently
1 shot in between the walls of for
est, where the shores were swampy, and
the trees, black and tall, made the
river almost like dark room.
But the ice cleaned Whitley and
showed the way, and the blood was
dancing through my veins with the
Joy of swift motion, so I didn't care
for little gloom, but made the pace
faster and whistled tune for COM
pany's sake.
Now, 1 was always an absent-minded
boy, and SO by and by, thinking of
things, 1 forgot where 1 was, and
skated on like o machine, scarcely
hearing my own movements or the
trees cracking with the frost in the
forest; and so when another sound
broke on my ear I didn't stop to
figure on it, but it fell in and became
part of the tune I was whistling and
part of the creaking OF my skates
against the thaw ice.
Wolves?
Why, of course it was wolves. crash
ing along through the swamp beside
river, with low growing and some
times bark above the undertone of
growls.
And there ] was skating along and
whistling like the moonstruck school
boy that 1 was.
Suddenly, like fash of gllnpowder,
l woke to the reality of my position.
Fifteen miles of river before me. Fifty
starving wolves behind me. Good ak
in hand, good skates on feet. Youth
and strength and 1000 yards in my
favor That wasn't so bad after all.
was opposite an opening III the
forest just then, and, looking at my
watch ! saw that it was $50. l had
come eight miles in little over an
hour, andI reckoned that the wolves
had been behind me for two miles. I
increased my pace to about twelve
miles an hour, and listened to hear if
they still gained.
Yes, there was no doubt of it; they
were coming closer.
/ increased the pace to about four
teen miles an hour and listened again.
The sound of the galloping did not in
crease in volume for q few minutes,
but after that they slowly began to
draw up again.
1t was evident that was their game,
and it was race for life and death. l
had covered about two miles since first
realizing my danger. The wolves must
have gained 500 yards and now they
we're coming forward at top speed,
overhauling me at tevery bound. There
WAS no more time for calculations.
threw the throttle down among the
oil cans, as the engineers say, and
started off at my best racing speed.
The moon was out highly again, and
I was clear of the forest. [ had de-
veioped almost the speed of on express
train; my skates scarcely seemed to
touch the ice. was flying in the air
rather than skating. Trees, brush
and stumps went by like birds, and
the low fields and woods took on the
revolving aspect which every child has
seen while looking from the window
of moving car. was almost dizzy
with the motion, and bent my body
low to avoid the rush of air against my
ewes, as we'll as to gain the utmost