The newspaper., 1908-01-24

him the forest was people by weird,
uncanny race, sometimes visible and
sometimes not-"spites," he called
them, and they were the souls of both
man and beast; sometimes good, some
times evil. according as they had been
in life, and all good or i'll luck was due
to their ghostly influences. They FOL
lowed the hunter and trapper day and
night, Turing him into safety or danger,
as they chose. They were everywhere,
and in countless numbers, ready and
sure to avenge all wrongs and reward
all virtues. They had Chieftain also.
great white spectre who came forth
from the north in winter, and swept
across the wilderness, spreading death
and terror.
To Chip, educated only in the fan
tastic lore of Old Tomah. these terrors
now became insanity breeding. She
could not turn back-better death
among the spites than Shaving to the
half-breed: and so. faint from awful
fear. gasping from miles of running,
she stumbled on. And now a little
hope came, for the road bent down be-
side the river. and its low voice seemed
a word of cheer. Into its cool depths
she could at least plunge and die, as a
last resort.
Soon an opening showed ahead. and
a bridge appeared. Here. for the first
time. on this vantage point. she halted.
How thrice blessed those knotted logs
now seemed, She hugged and patted
them in abject gratitude. She crawled
to the edge and looked over into the
dark, gurgling water. Up above lay
faint ripple of silver. Here. also. she
could see the moon almost at the
zenith. and few pickering stars.
A trifie of courage and renewal of
hope now came. Her face and hands
were scratched and bleeding. clothing
torn, feet and legs black with mud.
But these things she neither noticed
nor felt-only that blessed bridge of
moon that bade her hope.
Then she began to count her
chances. This landmark told her that
five miles of her desperate journey
had been covered and she was still
alive. She began to calculate. How
soon would her escape be discovered.
and who would pursue her? Only
Pete. her purchaser, she felt sure. and
there was a possible chance that he
might return to his cabin before doing
SO. Or perhaps he might sleep late.
and thus give her one or two hours
more of time.
And now cheered by this trifiing
hope and lessening sense of danger.
her past life came back Her child
hood In a far-on settlement: the home
always in a turmoil from the strange
men and women ever coming and GO
ing: the drinking. swearing. singing.
at all hours OF the night. her constant
fear Of them and wonder who they
were and why they came. There were
other features of this disturbed life.
frequent quarrels between her father
and mother: curses. tears. and some
times blows. until at last after a night
more hideous than any other her
mother had taken her and fed. Then
came long journey TO another village
and a new life of peace and quietness.
Here IL was all so different-no red
shirted men to be afraid OF. no loud
voiced women drinking with them
She became acquainted with other
children of her own age. was sent to
school and taken to church. Here.
also. her mother began to smile once
more, and look content. For two years.
and the only ones Chip cared to recall.
she had been a happy schoolgirl. and
then came a sudden, tragic end to IL
all. OF that she never wished to think.
1t was all so horrible. and yet SO merci-
fully brief.
The one friend life held, her mother.
had been brought home. wounded to
death amid the whirring wheels of the
mill where she worked: there were a
few hours of agonized dread as her
life ebbed away. a whisper or two OF
love and longing. and then the sad
farewell made doubly awful by her
fathers frowning face and harsh voice.
At its ending. and in spite OF her fears
and tears, she was now borne away by
him. For days they journeyed deeper
and deeper into a vast wilderness. to
halt at last at Tins Place.
Like a dread dream 1t all came back
now. as she lay there on this one Hat
spot Of security-the bridge-and lis
tened to the rivers low murmur.
All through her mad flight the wilder
ness had been ghostly and spectral in
the moonlight: now II had become lost
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