Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-04-10
By ROY ''NoRroN'
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(Copyright.) 4

oSA~SAs
Hunger walked with them and lent
staggers to their steps as the squeak
ings of their snow shoes blended to.
gether at their meeting place. Below
them for indefinite miles stretched the
canyon up which they had come, its
only relief from snowy wilderness be-
ing the darker copses of green where
pine boughs protruded.
The tall man stood questioningly for
what seemed a long time, and then, as
If his every nerve had weakened, he
stumbled forward beseeching: Grub,
for Gods sake, grub!> have eaten
nothing for the last two days."
There was pause, but no throb Of
weakness in the voice that YEARLY an
swered: Nor I for three days.
1t was like blow to the tall man.
He squatted on his heels, twisted his
fingers and moaned, while tears
dripped UNDECIDED down his bearded
face. Tom remained immovable" and
brooding. Here before him was the
object of his years, of search-the 9th
er man and his revenge.
thought that when this man was found
the end would come without delay.
He had pictured to himself the savage
Joy and satisfaction of the kill. God!
How he wanted to kill!
It was this starved and weakened
and sobbing thing that in those far
away years had stepped in between
fh4
an who had commanded all his hearts
homage-and with cunning lies, clever
insinuations and heartless malign.
ments had estranged her. Yes, worse
than that, had taken her for his own
and then instead of cherishing her
had made her life such a hell on earth
that she had been glad to pass from
had been glad to rest-to sleep-to
find the great quiet.
And never until she lay dying in
his arms had he known all this. And
never until then had he realized that
life could hold as its sole object and
ambition desire to kill another man.
The few minutes that had slipped
away since they met seemed ages.
Suddenly the terrors of their position
smote upon them, and together they
turned and faced that terrific and for
bidding wall that lowered above them,
a plane Of snow whose crusted sur
face glistened coldly repellent.
mo other chance" said the stocky
one, more to the mountainside than to
his hearer.
NO." was admitted. ITO go around
any other way takes 20 days. That
means He shrugged in hopeless.
ness.
AS If by common thought and single
impulse, they loosened their packs of
blankets which must be abandoned
and dropped them upon the snow
their smaller camp impedimenta jang-
ling as it fell. Eying each other to
see whether the true was to be in fall
they discarded their rifles. They
frightened their belts around their
torn and worn garments. Their snow
shoes were unthonged and dashed fan
tastically across their backs. They
were ready.
And thus with but pick and shovel
they assaulted the mountain range,
cutting foothold in its CLASSY face and
climbing upward. like doggedly per.
sistent insects, toward the ridges high
above them.
And SO they reached the crest Of the
divide, wind-swept ridge where little
swirls of cutting, binding. biting snow
smote them in their faces and drove
chill teeth into their starved bodies.
They rested, lying on their arms
and gathering strength for the trav-
easement Of the ridge which stretched
away before them like narrow path
on the backbone Of the world. Chilled
with their respite they arose to their
feet and staggeringly made their way
along this pathway to shelter and
food. The tall one took the lead Be-
hind him, with steadier step, grim face
and clinched fingers. strobe the
smaller one.
With the shock of the unexpected
the feet Of the man in front slipped.
His ice-incrusted moccasins gave forth
rasping sound as he vainly fought
for firmer footing; his arms, holding
the burden of the shovel, wrenched
wildly to and fro, and with strange
sprawlings Of awkwardness he fell OF