The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-09-07

moon was high-cold, round ana
white. II lighted mp the ice ike an
arc light at first. Then some clouds
came up and dimmed it, and presently
l 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 | didn't care
for little gloom, but l made the pace
faster and whistled tune for COM
pany's sake.
Now, | was always an absent-minded
boy. aud so by and by, thinking of
things, / forgot where 1 was, and
skated on like 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 1 didn't stop to
figure on il. but it fell in and became
part OF the time / was whistling and
pare of the creaking of my skates
against the tbaw ice.
Wolves?
Why. of course il 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 was
Suddenly, like flash of gunpowder,
I woke to the reality of my position.
Fifteen miles of river before me. Fifty
starving wolves behind me. Good ax
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 in the
forest just then, and, looking at my
watch ] saw that it was $50. i had
come eight miles in little over an
hour. and ! reckoned that the wolves
had been behind me for two miles. |
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 few minutes,
hut after that they slowly began to
/ draw up again.
1t was evident that Twas their game,
and it was race for life and death |
had covered about two miles since fret
realizing my danger. The wolves must /
/ have gained 800 yards and now they
were coming forward Mt top speed,
overhauling me mt every bound. There
/ was no more time for calculations. |
| threw the throttle down among the
oil cans, as the engineers say, AMI
started oil at my best racing speed
The moon was out highly again, and
J was clear of the forest. had de-
veloped almost the speed of an express
/ train my skates scarcely seemed 20
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
!. 4v95rtals aspect. -vh1engSsi -Jihla,'ha'
seen while looking from the window
of moving car. / was almost dizzy
with the motion, and / bent my body
low 10 avoid the rush of mir against my
eyes, ns well us to gain the utmos
speed possible.
And as | looked bacl. now | conlC
see the wolves chasing along tn,
margin, straining every nerve to over
come me, and they were succeeding
and every bound brought them closer
! had gone four miles more, and les
than 100 yards separated us. At th'
same rate of progress | could go fiv,
miles further, and then the wolve
would pull mc down, still seven mile
from home.
! began to gasp out some prayers
and then something III my heart tolC
: me to skate faster. Iut out anothe
effort, and when my body Responded
to the impulse Of the mind | fel
! nstonished. My pace had increased
10 an extent which | would never hav
{ believed possible. To-day it seem
p like miracle to me, and, strange t.
/ say, | never tired. My wind, tha
l was weakening, came back pains tina
: were growing i'll my side and stomach
, had disappeared, and my legs gre,
j like bars and springs of steel
Still the wolves gained, but thei
: gain WAS not so rapid. l had mad
: the eight miles, | had come to the spo
! where had thought TO die, and wa
still 200 yards ahead of my pursuers
{ In the next mile they gained abou
r lj0 yards, and then fifty yards seq
= arated Ills.
, Then the pack took to the ice, whic
9 was smoother than glass, and With
4 two minutes they had lost fifty yards
Y ! thought saw chance for salvs
Y tion there, but in moment they wer
ON shore again, barking with fury
/ and racing with even increased speed
could see their red tongues in tn
$ moonlight and the white foam hyin
v from their jaws. Soon they recovere
e their ground, and the foremost wo