The Ravalli Republican., 1898-08-03

never even gong outside to saw
wood. He had enough cut for "a
hours: perhaps the weather would
moderate then He shuddered at the
thought Of what moderate weather
might bring for him. and drew
closer still to the small, miserable
! stove The clock on the wall seemed
to him to tick monotonously on:
"Whut then? What then? What
thenI' He closed his ears to shut
it out, but still he could hear it's d.
abolical insinuation eating into his
very soul
I Toward night the storm reached
! its height It had already ragged 3G
hours, and the old man smiled 70
himself as he reflected that more
than "a hours had already gone
since the threat had been made He
| passed another restless night, and
with break Of dawn looked out The
storm was evidently moderating,
+, but the cold was becoming more in
tense. Through that morning he
walked up and down incessantly, as
if ilresolute from some great and
terrible inward struggle. At last,
seizing q bag, he hastily threw into
it lot Of flour and 4 hunch Of pork,
tied it around his body with rope,
then wrapping his blankets round
him he strapped them firmly on, in
cased his hands in his we'll worn
buckskin mitts and as though not
daring to weaken his resolve by
waiting swiftly opened and closed his
door and vanished in the gradually
abating storm.
It was in the afternoon During
all this time Edscn and Wade had
waited in vain for Serge's return
from Grand Forks. Either he had
not started, fearing the storm, or if
he had started he was by this time
assuredly lost. Their flour had been
out now two days, they had not
even pinch Of tobacco, and the
cold, from insufficient banking out
side, penetrated tho unovenly laid
floor.
Selfish as Edsen's nature was, his
one redeeming trait was his affec
ton for Jim, and when he saw him
now lying on the bed, abandoning
all hope with the burning cold and
want Of food, his distress was great
Stealing quietly to a shelf, he took
down q large crust, his own share
of their final meal. which he had
kept as last resource, stinting
himself if happily he might savo
his friend. He moistened this now
in snow water and held it to Jim S
lips, trying to force him to take it
and encouraging him in every way
to keep up his pluck, as the storm
was clearing off and help would
come
Glancing at the clock he saw it
was close on 9 AS no turned to sup
port jim, who was becoming uncon-
scious, he thought he heard q
crunching sound outside the door as
OF a heavy body on the snow He
listened. The same sound again, and
this time low moan Eric tore
open the door, only to see, not five
yards off, a huddled form crawling
on hands and feet. It was not ten
seconds and Eric had the form in
side and the door closed He shook
the powdered snow from the blank
eted figure, Which lay silent and
quite still He looked into the face
and an awful cry broke from his
lips which brought jim to his feet.
Gently now Eric loosened the sack
from the body and chafed the help
less hands with snow They were
frozen hard as stones The figure
muttered something, and Eric, stoop-
ing down, heard these words, Not
far - now - warmer - warmer. "
The words died on the trembling
lips, the true brown eyes opened
wide in q vacant stare, the head fell
back He was dead, and nothing
was now heard but the vain sob
bing Of the two land grabbers in the
shack and over it the vail of the
dying blizzard chanting the hero s
dirge,-St. Louis Globe Democrat.