The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-10-10

skies. Seated on the front of the
car, with the four men pumping
behind him, he drank in the wild
beauties of the forests and
swampps through which they
slipped, his eyes constantly on the
alert for signs of the big game
(which has companions told him
was on all sides of them.
! Everywhere about them la,
white winter. The rocks, the
trees, and the great ridges
which in this north country are
called mountains, were covered
with four feet of snow, and on il
the sun shone with dazzling bril-
liancy. But it was not until &
long grade brought them to the
top of one of these ridges ant
Rowland looked into the north
that he saw the wilderness in al
of its grandeur. AS the cal
stopped he sprang to his feet will
a joyous cry, his face aflame will
what he saw ahead of him
Stretching away under his eyes
mile after mile, was the vast
white desolation that reached tc
Hudson Bay. In speeches. won,
der he gazed down on the un.
blazed forests, saw plains and hills
unfold themselves as his vision
gained distance, followed a fro.
zen river until it was lost in the
bewildering picture, and let his
eyes rest here and there on the
glistening, snow-smothered Dos
oms of lakes, trimmed in by walls
of black forest. This was not the
wilderness as he had expected il
to be, nor as he had often read oil
1T in books. 1t was not the wild
erness that Gregson and Thornt
had described in their letters. II
was beautiful 1t was magnifi
cent! His heart throbbed with
pleasure as he gazed down on it
the flush grew deeper in his face
and he seemed hardly to breathe
in his tense interest.
One of the four on the car was
an old Indian, and it was he,
strangely enough, who broke the
silence. He had seen the look in
Howland's face, and he spoke soft
ly, close to his ear, Invent
lt'ousand moose down there
twent' t'ousand caribou-oo! Nc
man-no house-more twent
t'ousand miles,"
Rowland, even quivering in his
new emotion, looked into the ole
warriors eyes, filled with the cur.
ious, thrilling CLEAN of the spir.
it which was stirring within him
self. Then again he stared
straight out into the unendins
distance as though his vision
would penetrate far beyond the
last of that visible desolation-on
and on, even to the grim and ut
termost Businesses of Hudson Bay;
and as he looked he knew that
in these moments there had been
born in him a new spirit, new
being; that no longer was he the
old Jack Rowland whose world
had been confined by office walls
and into whose conception of life
there had seldom entered things
other than those which led direct
ly toward the achievement of his
ambitions.
The short northern day was
nearing an end when once more
they saw the broad Saskatchewan
twisting through a plain below
them, and on it's southern shore
the few log buildings of LIE Pas
hemmed in on three sides by the
black forests of balsam and
spruce. Lights were burning in
the cabins and in the Hudson Bay
Posts store when the car was
brought to half half a hundred
PAGES from a squat log-built struc-
ture, which was more brilliantly
Illuminated than any of the 9TH
ers.
That's the hotel" said one of
the men. "Gregson's there"
A tall, fur-clad figure hurried
forth to meet Rowland as he
walked briskly across the open.
1t was Gregson. AS the two men
gripped hands the young engi-
neer stared at the other in aston
ishment. This was not the Greg
son he had known in the Chicago
office, roundfaced, full of life, as
active as a cricket.
Never so glad to see any one
in my life, Howlandi" he cried
shaking the others hand again
and again. Another month and
I'd be dead. Isn't this a hell Of
a country"
I'm falling more in love with
1T at every breath, Gregson.
What's the matter? Have you
been sick?"
Gregson laughed as they turned
toward the lighted building. It'll
was a curious sidewise glance att
his companions face.
"Sick?-yes, sick of the job
If the old man hadn't sent us re-
lief Thorne and would have
thrown up the whole thing in an
other four weeks. I'll warrant
you'll get your everlasting fill oil
log shanties and half-breeds and
moose meat and this Internal
snow and ice before spring comes.
But / don't want to discourage
you."
Cant discourage mel" laughed |
Rowland cheerfully. You know
| never cared much for theaters
and gilrs," he added slyly, giving
Gregson a good-natured nudge. !
How about 'em up here?"