Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-05-30

not realizing that these NoFthmen
were offering her the truest evidence
of camaraderie.
The frontier is capable of no finer
compliment than this utter disregard
of ones folded pages. 1t betokens that
highest faith in ones fellowman, the
belief that he should be measured by
his present deeds, not by his past. 1t
says, translated: ''This Is Gods free
country where man Is 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; IL
not, leave behind the taints Of arti-
fical things and start again on the
level that's ALL"
1t had happened, therefore that
since the men had asked her no ques-
lions, she had allowed the hours to
pass and still hesitated to explain
further 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
she was at liberty to tell them.
In the short time since meeting
them, the girl had grown to like Dex-
try. with his blunt chivalry and boyish
whimsical philosophy, but she avoided
Glenister. feeling shrinking, hidden
terror of him, ever since her caves
dropping 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 unconsci-
GUS of It, she acknowledged, and had
she met him in her accustomed circle
of friends CARRIED in the conventional
tiles. she would perhaps have thought
of him as striking man, vigorous and
intelligent; but here he seemed natur-
ally to take on the attributes of his
surroundings, acquiring a picturesque
negligee of dress and morals, and sug-
costing rugged, elemental, chilling
potentialities. While with him and
he had sought her repeatedly that day
she was uneasily aware of his strong
personally Juggling at her; aware of
the unbridled passionate flood Of a
nature unbrooking Of delay and heed
less Of denial. This it was that antag-
onized 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.
IT am wishing for sight of the mid
night sun or the aurora borea,is," she
replied.
"Too late for one an too fur south
for the other" Dextry interposed.
well see the sun further north,
though"
"Have you ever heard the real orr
gin of the Northern Lights?" the
young man inquired
Naturally, never have" she in
swered.
"well, here it is. have 1t from the
lips of great hunter of the Tananas.
He told 1t to me when was sick, once
in his cabin, and inasmuch as he Is
wise Indi3n and has reputation
for truth, have no doubt that it is
scrupulously correct.
I'm 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 bravest
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, in
habited by the spirits of 'Yabla-men,
or devils.
zone winter terrible famine set
tied over the Tanana Valley The
moose departed from the gluches and
the caribou melted from the hills like
mist The dogs grew gaunt and howl
ed all night, the babies cried, the
women became hollow-eyed and peev-
ish.
Then it was that Itika decided to
go hunting over the saw-tooth range
which formed the edge of the world.
They tried to dissuade him, saying It
was certain death because pack Of
monstrous white wolves. taller than
the moose and swifter than the eagle,
was known to range these mountains
running madly in chase. Always, on
clear, cold nights, could be seen the
flashing of the muonbeams from their
cleaning hungry sides, and although
I
many hunters had crossed the passes
in other years, they never returned,
for the pack slew them.
Nothing could deter Itfka, how
ever, SO he threaded his way up
through the range and, night coming
burrowed into drift to sleep in his
caribou-shin. Peering out into the dark
ness, he saw the flashing lights a
Thousand times brighter than ever be.
| fore. The whole heavens were ablaze,
with shifting steamers that raced and
writhed back and forth in wild revel.
Listening, he heard the hiss and whine
Of dry snow under the feet of the
pack, and distant noise as of rush
ing winds, although the air was death
| ly still
with daylight, he proceeded
through the range. till he came out
above magnificent valley. Descend
ing the slope, he entered forest OF
towering spruce. while on all sides
the snow was trampled with tracks
as wide as snow-shoe There came
to him noise which, as he proceeded,