The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-10-25
.QUIQUERN,

lcopgighL lSoll
CHAPTER III.
The doe, az you will remember, had
been battered aud tnrmentel by the
autumn galestjll twas ono frozen earth
quake, There were gullos and rayInesi
and holes like gravel pits cut out Of icei
Jumps aud scattered pieces frozen down
to the original door Of the aooi bloIChel
Of old black leo that had been thrust
undor tho foo in some gale, aud hOavad
upasaini Tuundish bOWdord OF 100; saw
like edges Of Ice carved by the snow that
iliOa before tho wind, aud sunk pits
whore thirty or forty acres lay five or
six feet below the loyal ol the rest OF tho
lleId. From little distance YOU might
have taken tho Jumps lor seal, or wal
rus, overturned aleighi Of men on u
hunting expedition, or even the great
ton,legeel white Spirit bear himself, but
in spite OF all these fantastic shapes, all
on the very oigO OF starting into lltc'
thorI WAS neither sound nor tho least
iain. echp OF sound. And through THIS
silence aud through this wa,lo wherO
lha sudden lights Tapped aud went out
again, the slclgh aud the two that pulled
il crawled liks things IN q nightmare
nightmare OF the end Of ;ho world.
When they worS tired kotukO would
mako what tho hunters called hall
housa"-l vary sma,t snow hat INTO
which lhOy would huddiO with tia
travelling lamp and try TO lhaw out tho
frozen zeal muNl. WGen they had
alopI the march began agdln-thlriY
miles day 20 gNt ton m'lui norlhWard'
Tho girl wn always very slloul but
Koluko mutierei 10 himself aud broke
out into song, hn hal learned in tbs
singing hou,5-3ummor songs ami rom
deer and salmon anngi-all horribly out
OF place at that season. lie would do
clare that he heard the ,ornuq growl'
ing to hun aud would run wildly IN a
hummocE tossing his arna and speak
ing to soma one IN loud threatening
tones. To tell tho truth kotukT WAS
very nearly crazy Tor tho TINA being;
but the girl was sure that no was being
guided by his guardian spirlt aud that
everything would come right. Slo WAS
not surprised. therefore, when, a. tho
end OF tho fourth march, kutuko,who,s
eyea were burning Ike fire. balls IN his
head, told her that his tornaq was IoI'
lowing them across tho snow IN the
shape OF iwo.hcadoi dog. Tho eifl
looked whore hotuso poluI0i anisome'
thing seemed TO slip into ravine. u
was certainly not human, but oY0ty'
body knew that the tornaQ prclerrgd TO
appear in tho shape ot bear aud seal
and such like
1t might lave been tho teu'legyod
white Spirit bnar himself, or IL might
have been anything. for HoiukO aud tho
Girl wer0 20 starved that their OyOS be-
trayed them. They had trapped moth
ing and seen no trace Of game since they
had lett tho village; their food would not
hold out for another week aud tlIOTr was
gale coming. polar storm will some
times blow Tor ten days without break,
aud all that time IL is certain death TO
DO abroad. kotuko laid up a snow.
hone large enough TO take in the hand
sleigh-it is never wise to be separated
from your meat-and while ha was
shaping tho last irregular block oil ice
that makes the Keystone OF the roof lle
saw thing loOkln. at him from little
riu Of leo hall mile away. The air
was haky, aud the thing seemed Ia be
forty feet long aud ten loot high, and
shape that quiversd all along the out.
lines. Tho girl saw II too, but instead OF
crying aloud with terror said quietly:
THAT is Quiduern. What comes alter"
ale will speak to me" said koluko,
but the snOw.knlio troubled In his
hand rs hO spoke, because however
much man may believe that he IL a
friend Of strange aud ugly spirits, he
seldom likes to 10 taken at his word.
Tho Ququern, too, is tue phantom Of
gigantic loolhiess dog without any hair,
who is supposed to live in the far north
and to Wander abOut thU coutry Just be.
forO things are going to happen. They
may be y .casant or unpleasant things,
hut not even the Rngedok care to speak
about Quiqunfn, lie makes the dogs 20
mad. Like Splrt bear, he hasseyeral OK
ira pairs OF iugs-siN or oigiit-and this
thing jumping up and down tho haze
had moro legs than any real dog needs.
Kotuko anl the girl huddled into
their int quickly. vi course, II Qii.
qnern had wanted them he could haze
torn 1t to pieces above their heads, but
tue sense OF fpul.ihiuk snOw.wall be-
tween Lhumsulyu' and tho wicked dark
wa, n great comfort. The gllo broke
with utrtcs ut wind cHH:tt TT tho
Jagged les. ltgc the shrek OF q tram,
aud for three day3 nnd three nights It
hold, nevor varying ono puinG aud never
luiIlug even for q minute. They 10
tho stone lamp between their knees and
nibblcl at tire hall.Earmol seals meat,
and watched tuu black SCOT gather on
tho rooi Tor sevOnty.lwo lon; hours.
The girl counted NJ the food In tho
ainirh; there was NOT mora than three
days supply, aud ko,uko looked over
tue lrOn heads aud tho dooralnOw fast.
onng7 Of his HARMON AMI his soal.hook
aud liB bird.larl. There was nothing
else to DO
$50 shill 20 to Sidna soOn--vCry
goou," tho girl Whispered. "ln four
days We shall l,o down anl 40. VIII
Your tornaq do nothing? Sin, her an
anvekok's song t. make horcome hero"
lilo began to 5Ing ~ tho liigh.piiUiIBd
howl OF the magic suug3, ani tho gale
wen down slowly. In the middle ol his
song tho girl started, laid hor miltnnol
hand and thOn her bead to tho leo floor
nj tho hut. kutuko followed her OK.
ample and tho two knoplcl starring into
each others ryc, and Listening with
every nDryo. He fipp,i thin oliver Of
WlnlrbonOfr0m the rim ot a bird snare
that lay on tho sleigh andnltor straight.
cuing satii uptI4Nt In alil'lo hole In
tho icn, trming 10 down with ll,amiltOn,
II was almOHL As dgl.cnlsly adjusted ~