The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1911-11-24
CHAPTER u.-Continued.

"Of course he'll make It," Kearns
whispered In Beetles ear. AN
there's five hundred Daylight's back
in sixty days" he added aloud.
Billy Rawlins closed with the wager.
n BEETLES Rugged Kearns ecstatical-
iy.
by Jupiter. I ban take hat bet"
Ola Henderson said. dragging Day
light away from BEETLES and Kearns.
winner paysi" Daylight shouted.
closing the wager. And In sure &c
ing to win. and sixty days is a long
time between drinks. so l pay now.
Name our brand. O hochinoos!
Name -our brandt"
Somebody opened the outer door. A
vague gray light filtered in.
Burning Daylight. Burning Day
light" ome n called warningly.
Daylight paused for nothing. head
ing for the door and pulling down his
ear-f1aps. Kama stood outside by the
sled. a long. narrow affair. sixteen
inches wide and sever and a half feet
In length. its Slated bottom raised six
inches above the steel-shod n
On 1t. dashed with thongs of moose
hide. were the light canvas bags that
contained the mail. and the food and
gear for dogs and men In front OF
1t. In a single line. lay curled five
frost-rimmed dogs. They were husk-
les. matched in size and color. all un-
usually large and all gray. From their
cruel jaws to their bushy tails they
were as like as peas in their likeness
to timber wolves. Wolves they were.
domesticated. 1t was true. but wolves
in appearance n in all their charac-
teristics. IN top the sled load. thrust
under the iashings and ready for I'M
mediate use. were two pairs of snow
shoes. Daylight was saying good-by
to those who clustered around him.
The Virgin wanted to kiss him. and.
frddled slightly though he was with
the whisky. he saw his way out with
out compromising with the apron
string. He kissed the Virgin. but he
kissed the other three women with
equal Partially. He pulled on his
Long mittens IEonsed the dogs to tRshr,
thing in the country for marriages to
feet.> and took his place at inc gee
pole.
"Mush, you beauties!" he cried.
The animals threw their weights
against their breastbands on the in
stant. crouching low to the snow and
digging In their claws. They whined
eagerly, and before the sled had gone
half a dozen lengths both Daylight
and Kama Tin the rear) were running
to keep up. And SO. running, man and
dogs dipped over the bank and down
to the frozen bed of the Yukon, and In
the gray light were gone. On the
river. where was a packed trail and
where snowshoes were unnecessary
the dogs averaged six miles an hour.
To keep up with them. the two men
we're compelled to run. Daylight and
Kama relieved each other regularly
at the gee-pole. for here was the r
work of steering the flying sled and
of keeping In advance of it. The mar
relieved dropped behind III sled. oc
%casionally leaping upon 1t and resting
As Ii through a wall, Daylight hac
nassed from the hum and roar OF thu
Tfycli into another world-a world o
silence and immobility. NOTHING
stirred. The Yukon slept under a Goa
of ice three eet thick.
The cold snap continued. Only me-
of iron kept the trail at such low
temperatures, and Kama n Day
light were picked men OF their races
But Kama knew the other was the bel
ter man, and thus. at the start. he wa
himself foredoomed to defeat. Nc
that he slackened his effort or willing
ness by the slightest degree. but tina
he was beaten by the burden he ca
ried In his mind. His attitude 1--WE
Daylight was worshipful. Stoical. tai
turn. proud of his physical proves
he found all these qualities incarnate
in his white companion