The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-11-08

VerS, winch ne uuu uOLc ITCely. Ele
was frankly curious about them, and
she wondered at their apparent lack Of
interest in her own identity and her
secret mission. She even construed
their silence as Indifference, not rcsIiz-
Ing that these mortimer were Offering
her the truest evidence OF cGmaraGerie
The frontier is capable Of no finer
compliment than this utter disregard
ST ones folded pages. 1t Eetokens that
highest faith in ones fellow man. the
belief that he should be measured bv
his present deeds, not by his past. II
says, translated: This is Gods free
country, where a man is a man. moth.
ing more. Our land is new and pure
our faces are TO the front. If you have
been square, so much the better: If
not leave behind the taints Of artificial
things and start again on the level
That's ALL"
1t had happened, therefore, that
since the men had asked her no ones.
tons, she had allowed the hours to
pass and still hesitated to explain fur-
ther than she had explained to Captain
Stephens. 1t was much easier to let
things continue as they were. and
there was, after all, so little that sba
was at liberty to tell them.
In the short time since meeting them
the girl had grown to like Dextry. with
his blunt chivalry and boyish, whimsj-
cal philosophy, but she avoided Glen
lister, feeling a shrinking, hidden teIA.>
ror Of him, ever since her eavesdron-
ping of the previous night. AT the
memory of that scene she grew hot
then cold-hot with anger icy at the
sinister power and sureness which
had vibrated in his voice What kind
OF life was she entering where men
spoke of strange women with this as
surance and limited thus of ownership?
That he was handsome and uncon-
scious Of it she acknowledged. and
had she met him in her accustomed
circle of friends, CARRIED in the con-
ventionalities, she would perhaps have
thought of him as striking man. Wig
orous and intelligent, but here he SEEM
ed naturally to take on the attributes
of his surroundings, acquiring a pic
turesQue negligee of dress and morals
and suggesting rugged elemental,
chilling potentialities. While with
him-and he had sought her repeat
eddy that day-she was uneasily aware
of his strong personality tugging at
her; aware of the unbridled passion
ate food of nature unbrooking of
delay and needless of denial. This it
was that antagonized her and set her
every mental sinew in rigid resistance.
During Dextry's garrulous ramblings
Glenister emerged from the darkness
and silently took his place beside her
against the rail.
What portent do you see that makes
you stare into the night so anxiously"
he inquired.
81 am wishing for sight of the
midnight sun or the aurora borealis,"
she replied.
TOO late for one an too fur south
for the other" Dextry interposed.
wen see the sun further north,
though"
"Have you ever heard the real origin
of the northern lights?" the young man
inquired.
Naturally, never have" she an
swered
"Well, here it is. / have 1t from
the lips of a great hunter of the
Tananas. He told 1t to me when was
sick once in his cabin, and inasmuch
as he is wise Indian and has a
reputation for truth / have no doubt
that it is scrupulously correct.
"In the very old days, before the
white man or corned beef had invaded
this land, the greatest tribe in all the
north was the Tananas. The brayest
hunter Of these was Itika, the second
chief. He could follow a moose till it
fell exhausted in the snow, and he had
many belts made from the claws of the
brown bear, which is deadly wicked
and, as every one knows, inhabited by
the spirits of 'yabla men, or devils.
Zone winter terrible famine settled
over the Tanana valley. The moose
departed from the gulches, and the car
ibou melted from the hills like mist
The dogs grew gaunt and howled all
night, the babies cried, the women be-
came hollow eyed and peevish.
"Then it was that Itika decided to
20 hunting over the saw tooth range
which formed the edge Of the world.
They tried to dissuade him, saying 1t
was certain death because a pack Of
nonstrous white wolves taller than the
moose and swifter than the eagle was
Known to range these mountains, run
hing madly in chase. Always on clear,
odd nights could be seen the flashing
If the moonbeams from their gleam-
ng, hungry sides, and, although many
hunters had crossed the passes in other
ears, they never returned, for the pack
lew them.
Nothing could deter Itika, however,
10 he threaded his way up through the
ange and, night coming. burrowed into
drift to sleep in his caribou skin.
'eerng out into the darkness, he saw
he flashing lights thousand times
brighter than ever before. The whole
heavens were ablaze with shifting
treamers that raced and writhed back
nd forth In wild revel. Listening, he
eard the hiss and whine of dry snow
lnder the feet of the pack and dis
ant noise as of rushing winds, al
hough the air was deathly still.