The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-14

for the cloud now appeared to be NOV
Ing rapidly and in their direction There
was sound of galloping, a scrunching
| &C ,tsEt fcct- tc.s,s on thAsHnow
Look, mother! at all those dogs!"
called out the eldest child-a boy DO
they want to come and play with us?
they seem to be in a hurry to overtake
Us. Why do you look so pale mother?
I am not afraid of dogsr'
But I don't like these dogs" said
the eldest girl, leaning out of the s,edge
to see for herself; they have such long
teeth, and look so hungry. I wish they
would go away
The third child said nothing, for she,
poor thing, was deficient, having had a
fall on her head as baby. Little OF
| tile, the youngest, crouched against
her mother. who flung her thick mantle
! over her with the hand that held the
refns. With the other she grasped
| pistol.
BE quiet. my dear Ones" she whis-
| pered; Il am going to fire, but do not
| STRIP
| At that instant lean gray form
bounded up to the sledge, fixing pair
Of hungry eyes upon the children. Pras-
covia fired, and the form rolled over in
| the snow. But another had galloped I'D
on her right side, and was already
| pulling at the fur covering.
| She dealt him blow ON the muzzle
| with her empty pistol and he, too, fell
behind with loud yelp.
There was a moments respite The
horses, which had reared and dashed
forwards at the report, quieted down
| under their mistress firm handling, and
Prascovia took a moment to glance be-
| hind her
The danger was even greater than
she had imagined. The whole pack
was tearing, snarling, galloping, with
In few PAGES. She fired the remain
| ing pistol into their midst, and flung
out all the store of food she had; and
! this gave her another few minutes Of
| grace, as the shot had evidently star
| tied the wolves, and one or two turned
and fled up the hill.
| All now depended upon the speed of
the small horses, and the possibility Of
| their reaching Kutsk before the pack
| could once more gain upon them.
Vain hope! the gallant little beasts
were nearly exhausted; they relaxed
| their speed; three or four cleaning eyes
were already alongside the sledge-
must all perish, great God!
The distracted mother caught
up her imbecile, soul-less little one, for
1t had been the one least loved Of the
father, and let it fall among the howl
ing pack.
Another pause; then advancing
sounds, noisier, more horrible than be-
fore. The eldest girl, screaming and
| stretching out her hands to her sister.
was seized by gigantic wolf and car
ried off.
And now were only left the pride of
his mothers heart, her handsome, six
| year-old son, Ivan, and Ottilie, the
| three year-old child, the fathers
| hearts delight. She was safe at pres
! ent, huddled under the great fur rug:
| but Ivan, mad with terror, had flung
himself upon his mothers knees, seiz-
ing the reins and nearly pulling the
horses up.
She had to release his hands Her
husbands life, her little daughters
were at stake. She closed her eyes,
and when she opened them, Ivan,
her noble boy, had disappeared.
2" For the first time, a
scream of mortal agony escaped
from her lips, and she half flung
| herself from the sledge. Death, for
herself, would indeed be an angel OF
deliverance: but what, without her
| would become Of her remaining child
and Of her beloved husband, lying be-
tween life and death in a misera BILE
isba in the heart of the lonely for
est7 -
4 On they went. The light of the vii
LACE showed not a verst off: couple