The Mena weekly star., 1911-04-06

At the sound of bis voice the bear
rushed him, The girl had never in
her life found anything So hard to do
as to obey orders new But she did
obey and was running at top speed
toward the open door OF the hut when
she heard Cayley FIRE for the first
time. Just as she reached It, she
heard his second skst When she
turned about. painting. to observe the
result OF 1t, the tive seemed to her
to be at horribly closs STARTERS. The
bear. reared UP on his hind legs, had
Just lunged forward.
He sprang back clear Of the flashing
scythelike cut OF those terrible claws.
A little to the girls SURPRISE and con
siderably-to her alarm, be turned ans
went sprintlng up the beach toward
the talus. at full speed, the bear
wounded, but not In the least disabled,
numbering after him.
II takes a fast runner to outrun a
bear, but Cayley did II. When he
reached the foot OF the talus, the bear
was 20 PAGES behind him. She saw
him stag short, whirl round again ana
race his pursuer win shout.
The bear also checked his speed
and reared up once more, towering,
upon his hind legs. Then Cayiey
fred twice. the shsts csxins SO clsse-
ly together az to be hardly dlstinguish-
able. One or both Vt tAem took In
stantareous effect The great yellswl
ish-white mass tottsre1 forward. and
collapsed in heap snly pace or TIVE
from where Philip was standing.
He waved his haxd a. the girl. ana
walked back for his wiags. When
she met aim, half way up the teach,
he was carefully tAkiAx the spent
shells cut OF his revolver. one ut
time. and depositing sAsm In his Peek
ct. me telling how tho may yrevs
ussfsl." he commsnAsd; thsn, with q
quick lsok into her lace, II hope ysu
weren't frightened whAa you saw ~
run"
Il suppose I shouldn't have been.
but I'll have to confess that was.
You weren't trying to get away from
him. or you wouldn't have run in that
direction. But 1t looked rather dread
full, just the same. Why did you
do it?"
We were too far down. the beach.
too near the waters edge before. It
was too late to skin him and cut him
up tonight, and | was afraid II storm
were to come UP before morning. q
really big storm, we might lose him.
It was lot easier to set him up the
beach before 1 fred those last two,
shots than it would have been after.
thought at first Of running toward
the hut 1t occurred to me, only Just
In time. that there was no use In ma
king an ahattoir of our front yard"
f. They had reached the hut, and as be
finished speaking. they entered It.
Even Philip caught his breath rather
suddenly with that first glance about
Its transformed interior. The drift
wood fire, which glowed upon the
hearth, filled the whole room with
light, and bathed the walls and rafters
with warm colors
Here was their fortress against the
cold and the dark; q fortress. too.
against despair That rude hearth
which he had built today was TO be
their altar OF hope
The girl stood looking at 1t mo
ment in silence, her lips pressed tight
together, one outstretched hand crop
ing fer the door-jamb behind her, as
If she wanted the support of some
thing. Even in this warm freight
she looked q little pale y by an evil
dent effort Of will she was breathing
very deep and steadily. She did not
try to speak.
1t meant. This place that they had
come back to for the night was home
now, probably the last hens she would
ever have in the world, IL enc were to
balance the chances fairly It's warmth
and light and comparative comfort
did. mere to enforce = realization of
their tragic plight than anything be-
fore had done. Tho thing she was
fighting with was . sudden wave OF
plain terror
Cayley went out into the little YES
tibule and closed aud bolted the outer
door. He contrived to waste minute
or TIVE ever the trininE task, in order
to give her that msment by herself.
When he came back, closing the I'M
ner door behind him as he did SO. he
found that she had taken of her cap
and the heavy cur coat which had en-
numbered her shoulders all day, and
hung them upon q convenient wooden
peg in the wall. She was standing
near the fireplace now. warming her
cold fngers at the blaze
Cayley started a little at sight Of
her, for now she was transformed,
too Standing there. silhouctted
against the blaze. in her gray csrsi.
gan jacket and moleskins. she looked
like young boy. He had discovered
before this that there was not grain
OF false modesty about her: nevcrthe-
less, 1t pleased him when, with q GER
tain charming frank simplicity, she
called his attention to hsr costume.
Its q lucky thins." she observed.
that I dressed for a scramble over
the ice before coming ashore with
Uncle Jerry and Mr.. Scales. And
lucky, toe, that didn't change back
when we returned to the Aurora
left II the second time with no other
idea than OF pulling about for awhile
in the dinghy. I'D have done that Just
the same II had dressed for dinner
that night, as usually tid."
YES" he said "A skirt would
have been =, pretty serious matter to