Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-07-13

ever present that CORY, grizzly spec
-acle of a human form, the red blood
yelling from its breast, redder still
from the white snow with which he
was surrounded. That awful figure
beckoned him on. He was younger,
finer, better, than she. He was more
fool than knave; she was all knave.
Her thoughts went forward to what
was before her; but his went back
ward to what was behind.
After long time it seemed to them
that the fierceness of the storm was
somewhat abated. The wind was GER
tainly falling; but the drifts were
steadily rising, and their progress
was more difficult every moment for
that cause. Their very souls were
numb with the awful cold. Still they
went forward, slower now, and more
slowly ever.
How far they had come, what time
it was, where they were, neither he
nor she could tell. 1t seemed to them
both that they had been hours on the
! way. The woman was sure that they
must have comprised the greater part
of the journey, when her horse sud
denly stumbled and fell. Her bron-
chO's matchless endurance had at last
been exhausted by the terrible strug
gle of their journey. He lay dying
where he fell, and nothing she could
! do could get him up again. The boy
had stopped, of course, when her horse
! had fallen. He had dismounted and
| helped her to rise. He had assisted
| her vain efforts to get her own played
out horse on it's feet. The two now
! stood staring at each other in dismay
You must take my horse" said the
boy at last
The woman nodded. With his as
sistance she climbed slowly and pain
/ fully into the saddle, took the reins
| from the boy, and started on Her
companion caught hold of the stirrup
/ leather and staggered forward by her
side. The going was now infinitely
harder for the remaining horse. The
woman Immediately realized that with
this almost dead weight plunging
through the deep drifts and dragging
heavily at the stirrup leather, the
remaining bronco would soon be ex-
hausted.
She had meant to play fair with
him but it could not be. And so for
a long time the trio plodded on in this
way, the woman nerving herself to a
| frightful action as best she could She
! hesitated to do it. She was reluc-
tant-
But no horse that ever lived could
stand such a strain. She knew that it
would be a matter of minutes now
when the animal she rode on would
also fall, and lie when he had fallen
like his dead brother back on the
trail, and then she and the boy would
inevitably perish.
Well, it was his life or hers, The
decision was forced upon her And
perhaps after all it was just as well
to get rid of them both and have done
with it. She reached over, and be-
fore the boy realized what was hap
pening she caught his hand, tore his
fingers from the saddle strap, and
thrust him violently backward I'm
prepared, unsuspecting, half-dazed, he
could offer no adequate resistance. He
reeled and fell supine in a deep and
overwhelming drift. She struck the
horse heavily with the whip that hung
from the saddle bow, and the animal
plunged forward wildly. She knew
that she was safe unless he should
try to shoot her; for he was too weak
and too exhausted to catch her.
The boys senses were quickened in
to instant action by her conduct Aft.
er the first moment of surprise. he
knew at once that she was deliberate,
ly abandoning him to die in the snow.
A hot rush of blood, in spite of the
sold. swept over him. He thrust his
nand within his coat and dragged out
a weapon. He raised it and trained
! it on the woman's back, and for the