New-York tribune., 1908-07-19

Ouaf1- Davic put together. He was quite 'lnreason-
ably glad when the plans for concerted campaign
against the marauder so suddenly tell through
That so individual beast should have its career cut
short by an angry settlers bullet, to avenge few
ordinary pigs sheep was a thing ne could ha1dly
contemplate with patience. 10 scatter the pack
would be to rob the Quah-Davlc sol1tudes OF halt
their romance. He determined to devote himself to
a study of the great wolf personality and charac-
teristics and foil as far this could be done with
out making himself unpopular, such plots as m1sht
be laid for the beast S undOng.
Recognizing however that this friendly interest
might not be reciprocated Kane chose his rifle rather
than his camera weapon, on those Singing, piue
white nights when he went forth to seek knowledge
of the qrav VOLTS ways His rifle well tired
repeater, and he carried light, short handed ak
in his belt, besides the regulation KNIFE; so ne mad
no serious msgvings as he trod the cracking, moon
lit snow beneath the moosehde webbing OF his
snowshoes But not being utterly toolhardy, he
kept to the open stretches OF meadow, or rlVer
bed or snow buried lake, rather than IN the close
shadows of the forest.
PUT now, when he was so expectant the wolf PACK
- seemed to find business elsewhere For nights
not a howl had been heard, not fresh track round
within miles of Burnt-Brook Crossroads Then, re
membering that watched pot takes long TO poa
Kane took fishing lines and bait, and went up tfe
WIDE white brook bed the deep lake IN the NILS
whence it launches its shallow flood toward the
Quah-Davic. He took with him also for companion
ship since this time he was not wolf hunting, d
neighbors dog that forever alter him. use
less yellow lump of mongrel dogf1esh but friendly
and silent. After building hasty shelter OF spruce
boughs distance out from shore IN the flooding
light he chopped holes through the and tell to fish
ing for the big lake trout that inhabited those deep
waters. He had luck. And soon absorbed IN the new
excitement, he had forgotten all about the gray wolf
1t was late for Kane had slept the early part OF
the night, waiting for mOOnr1se before starting on
his expedition The air was tlngl1ng with w1ndless
cold and ghosty white with the light of a crooked
waning moon. Suddenly, without a sound the
dog crept close against Kane's legs Kane felt him
tremble. Looking up sharply, his eyes fell on a tan
gray form, sitting erect on the tip OF naked point
not hundred yards away, and staring, not at him,
but at the moon.
In spite of himself, Kane felt pricking in his
cheeks, a creeping of the skin under his hair,-tle
apparition sudden, and above all the cool
ignoring of his presence so d1scOncertng. More
over, through that half sinister light his long muZzk
upstretched toward the moon, and raised as he
little above the level on which Kane standing,
the wolf looked unnaturally and 1mpOSSbly tail.
Kane had never heard of d wolf acting in this cool.
self possessed arroganty confident fashion, and his
mind reverted obstinately to the outworn super
stitions of his hdbftdtS friends But, after ALL 1t
this wolf not ordinary, brush fence wolf that he
was so anxious to study; and the unexpected was
just what he had most reason to expect. He was
getting what he for.
Kane knew that the way to study the wild Great
to keep still and make no noise. So he
stifened into instant nmobity, and regretted that
he had brought the dog with him. But he need not
have worried about the dog for that intelligent ami
NAL shared no desire to attract the Gray Masters s
notice. He crouched behind kane's legs, and
motionless except for his shuddering.
For several minutes one stIrred-nOthlng
stirred, in all that frozen world. Then, feeling the
cold begin to creep him in the stiffness, Kane
had to lift his thick gloved hands to chafe his
He did it cautiously; but the caution super
luous. The great wolf apparently had no objection
to his moving much as he liked. Once, indeed,
those green, lambent eyes famed over him, but
casually, in making swift circuit of the shores OF
the lake and the black fringe of the frs but for all
the interest that their owner vouchsafed him, Kane
might well have been juniper bush.
49,. IL. II