Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-10-07
The Argus Daily Short Story
An Arctic Knight-By Edwin B. Erhart
Copyrighted. 1870 by Associated Literary Press.

provisions. Wisely we decided not to
pursue.
Fate must have planned our expedi-
ton with an eye for the melodra-
matte. At any rate. when we found
the fur clad maid explorer she was
alone. seemingly deserted by every
body and half crazed and sick. She
had food. but in order TO make this
last she had been slowly starving her
self TO death. She was moving toward
the pole. fell In love with her
straightway. and guess Arters did.
Ruth Proctor was a witching thing
despite her ugly. shape destroying
skins, and the hunger and snow fever
had made her dainty face but that
much more patheticRlly beautiful. De
spite her stern resolve to end the pole
and the self reliance of her, she was
a most feminine person.
We turned back. The girl. now that
the Incentive for keeping up was par
hally removed, grew seriously Ill, ana
after nine days on the back track we
came across a deserted sharty that
had been vantage point on our pole
ward trip and prepared to stay there
until she was some recovered. We
knew nothing of her struggle nor why
we had found her alone. Her mind
was gone temporarily.
/ was worried, and had been for
some time. about ATters. His gRunt
face had metamorphosed into a
pinched, weird caricature OF its for
mer Ieanness. and If | spoke to him
suddenly he started curiously nor
deigned an answer. Occasionally he
broke out into a babble of meaning
less sounds apropos of nothing what
ever in our arctic world. He would
sometimes catch himself at this and
flush shamefacedly.
Arters was now again back IN the
rickety chair across the table from me,
mumbling incoherently and with his
great knotted hands clinching and IN
clinching restlessly.
This deserted shack. erected by some
forgotten vOyager who. Providence
knows how. had got timber enough
together for that same purpose, was
the point of our first food cache. We
had now eaten down to almost the
ldSI VI our 4OuOETOW we
would dig up our treasure. enough to
last US until we reached not too dis
tant civilization.
Arters suddenly ceased his mad jun
BILE of words. He pillowed his head on
his arms and slept. 1 yawned, and.
despite my resolve to stay awake and
guard my mad comrade, the rhythmic
breathing of the two sleepers luIled
me to an unconscious condition
was awakened by a gentle shake
Of the arm. The frightened eyes of
Ruth Proctor stared into mine. All Ill
ness seemed to have vanished from her.
HE is dead" she gasped and point
ed an eloquent finger at the still form
! opposite me.
An investigative hand touching the
! iced flesh Of him testified to the truth
of this.
With infinite tact Miss Proctor came
forward and placed a soft little hand
in my own. at will be little bother to
you" she said simply. 1.-THE snow
sickness has left me. What-what
shall we do with The tears sprang
from the black depths of her eyes. and
she turned her head away, unable TO
complete the sentence.
I'VE must leave him here" I an
swered 1--WE have only one sled, you
know. Later 1 will return for him"
ITO think" came brokenly from the
lips of the maid explorer, that he gave
up his life in his effort to save mine. "
| Woman-like. she Graded her pretty
face in her arms and abandoned her
self to her grief.
1t devolved upon me to still the wall
in my own heart and be practical
DON'T / whispered, so close to her
that 1 felt her fragrant breath brush
my cheek as she raised pathetic eyes
to me. What is done cannot be un-
done"
In what would be the morning in
the United States 1 went forth and
dug for our reserve food supply and
dug In vainl Some vandal had pirated
it during our absence.
With heavy heart 1 returned 70 the
shack. The girl stared interrogativeiy
at my empty hands.
Looted" I ventured briefly. What
good for me to put of the truth
Eventually she would have 10 know.
81 am sorry for your sake" she an
sxared- and again an inexnhcatle look