Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-02
There's a boy fer youl

God heard you. There's a boy fer you'll
He knows me, too"
The silence that fell upon them was long and
terrible. The guide arose at last, and, without
speaking, made some broth from the last Of the
canned beef and forced it between the sick
mans lips When he came back to the fire,
Darnell took silver dollar out Of his pocket.
Boys" he said, brokenly, "I don't want to
be the one to settle this, and I guess none of
you do. 1t is an awful thing to decide. | shall
throw this dollar high into the air. II it falls
heads up we go! tails-we stay"
The men had lifted their heads and were
watching him. They were all very white; they
were all trembling.
care you all willing to decide it in this way?"
Each answered, Eyes"
II swear" said Darne slowly and solemnly,
"that | will abide by this decision. Do you all
swear the same%'
EACH in turn, took the oath Trembling now
perceptibly, Darnell lifted his hand slowly and
cast the piece of silver into the air Their eyes
followed it's shining course. For a second it
disappeared; then it came singing to the earth
Like drunken men they staggered to the spot
where it had fallen, and fell upon their knees,
staring with straining eyes and bloodess lips
ut is heads" said Darnell. He wiped the
cold perspiration from his brow.
At that moment the dog lifted his head and
sent long, mournful howl to die in faint echoes
in the mountains across the river
AT daylight they ready to start. Snow
lay on the ground to depth of six inches. But
terrible surprise awaited them. At the last
moment they discovered that the cook was con-
scious
you're not going-to leave me?' he said, in
whisper. His eyes seemed to be leaping out
of their hollow sockets with terror.
"Only for few hours" said Brotherton,
huskily. "Only to find way out of this-to
make path over which we can carry you"
"Oh." he said, fainty "I thought you
wouldn't. In the name O. God, don't leave me
to die alonel"
They assured him that they would soon re-
turn Then, making him as comfortable pos
sble, they went-without hesitation, without
one backward look. There was no noise. The
snow fell softly and silently through the frs;
the river flowed swiftly through its wild banks.
The sick man lay with closed eyes, trustfully.
But the dog knew. For the first time he left
his master. He after them, and threw him
self before them, moaning. His lifted eyes had
soul in them. He leaped before them, and
upon them, licking their hands and clothing; he
cast himself prone upon their feet, like one
praying. No human being ever entreated for
his life so passionately, patheticaly, that
dog pleaded for his masters. m
At last half desperate as they were, they
kicked him savagely and flung him off. With
look in his eyes that haunted them as long as
they lived he retreated then to his masterk
side and lay down in heavy huddle of despairSS
still watching them. AS they disappeared, he
lifted his head, and for the last time they heard
that long, heart.breaking howl.
It was answered by coyote in the canon
above.
A week later the Associated Press sent out
the following dispatch: "The Darne party,
who were supposed to have persisted in the Bit
ter Root Mountains, returned last night Their
hardships and sufferings were terrible. There
is great rejoicing over their safe return They
were compelled to leave the cook who had been
sick the entire time, to die in the mountains.
But for their determined efforts to bring him
out alive, they would certainly have returned a
month earlier"
The world read the dispatch and rejoiced with
those rejoicing. But one woman, reading it, fell,
as one dead, beside her laughing boy