The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-08-28

10 the waist and barefooted, with hi.
blanket reaching the ground like 3
workman's gown of NEUROLOGICAL days
and with his long, dark beard stream
ing around his manly face.
With slow and muff1ed football he
stepped to the dark blue blanket which
served as hanging between the two
rooms The chimneys of the two com.
partments of the hut were built back tc
back. and cherry wood fire was burn.
ing in the inner ROOM AS he dropped
the hanging blanket and paused for q
moment in the half gloom Harry could
barely distinguish his surroundings by
the aid of the smeary, yellow, Pickering
flames of the logs. At the farther enc
stood rough, low couch covered with
buffalo skins, and upon its rich, deer
brown shone the white face Of a woman
who had been beautiful before the agony
OF hunger had dragged the rounded
cheeks into lined and angular forms and
had sucked the blood from the cherry
red lips. The big gray blue eyes looked
nearly black in the dim light, and they
stared vacantly. The fingers, white and
worn to the bone, lay upon the bearskin
which covered her, like wax models OF
dead hands.
The young man approached the bed
as a repentant pilgrim of old might
have drawn nigh to the shrine of the
enskied saint whose intercession he
craved. He looked at her, and his
brawny limbs trembled and shook as in
palsy while he pictured to himself the
lovely, loving and lovable girl whom he
had hoped to call his own and whom
the hand Of heaven had thus sorely
stricken. She moved not on her couch,
nor whispered word, nor drew a
breath. But for the slight movement of
the bosom and for the barely perceptible
tremor of the lips she might have been
dead already. The big eyes stared, and
Harry thought they stared at him and
chided him softly, not harshly. The
gaze cut through his heartstrings like
red hot dagger, and he rushed from
the room.
"She is dyinp he cried in his agony.
"Ain't thar nuthin at all to eat in the
piace-nuthin-nor drink of whisky
nuthin, nuthin?"
His searching glance travelled around
the room unavailingly. The shelves
were bare
Thar amt a morsel nor drop,
and thar hasn't bin these two DAYS, {"
answered the old man, with choking
voice.
"An she'll die," Harry cried, "if
she'll get no food?''
Eyes, die" echoed tie pioneer
"die. like Joe an Bill an Dick-an yew
an will follow her..
The young man flew at the cupboard
and flung the dishes and plates and
bottles and cups and jugs it contain
ed on the floor in gathering confu-
sion. He dived into every nook; he ran
sacked every corner; he swept the
boards for possible crumbs and turned
the bottles for any nourishing drops
they might contain. Not mite, not
an atom of food, not drop of liquor,
was there.
Then he took down the rifle which
hung on peg on the wall, and, half
naked as ne was, he opened the door
and walked out into the slush and the
snow. The wind, even in its weakened
forces, was icy and cut him like a thou
sand whips. He walked all round the
house. but no living thing, no bird or
game of any kind, was to be seen,
nothing anywhere but the great white
pail OF snow and the dark brown of the
rocks and trees below aud the endless
gray sky above.
Shivering and trembling, he returned
to the hut and closed the door against
the glacial blast.
1t amt no use," he said bitterly.
Il knowed it warn't no use, but
thought I'd try"
He sat down for few minutes in a
silent tremor, with his elbows upon the
table and his head upon his hands.
On a sudden he jumped up like one
mad. His eyes glowed as with an in
spiration that might have been holy.
" BY the livin God," he cried, "yew
shall not die, my Nell, my darlin
Nell! Yew shall not die of hunger while
Panther Harry is alive-no-no-nol
Thank God an his mercy that I've
thought of it afore it warn't too late"
"What do yew mean? What are yew
goin to do?" Hays demanded, looking
at him with feverish eyes.
Don't ask" Harry replied. He
gasped for breath between each SEN
tence. "I'll save her, but don't ask.
Let me-and say nuthin."
But I'm dyin, too" whined the old
man. "I'm goin blind, an-I'm-help,
helpl"
The voice became fainter, and the pi-
oneer's wasted form slid from his seat
and rolled sideways on the floor.
Harry bent over him and looked into
the starving mans face
Then he rose slowly and haggardly.
His lids were tightly closed, and he bit
them.
'She first," he said after slight
pause. My darlin first. I'll save him
He went to the table and opened the
drawer.
As he felt about there for knife his
left hand touched the little piles of
golden ore that lay ON the table.
With furious sweep Of the hand he
sent them flying on the floor.
"Goldp' he cried. "Gold! All the
gold in the world amt worth crust Of
bread. "
CHAPTER II.
Panther Harry selected the sharpest
and the most pointed of the knives he
found in the table drawer and took from
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