Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-07-07

beArsY" b asked.
In his answering laugh she heard
the ring Of rising excitement. II won't
deny" he said, that II I had my way
about 1t, I'd have you safely shut up
inside the hut there before ! tried
conclusions with him. Give M tho
revolver, and take care to keep out Of
the line Of fire. II you zee Q chance
to slip inside the hut, do II. And
don't assume that he's dead until I
tell o 70. These polar bears have
nc nerves at all. You can't shock
them. They don't stop until you have
put their locomotor facilities complete
ly out of business"
She was smiling when she handed
him the revolver. Here's LUCK" she
said. Don't be afraid for me-"
Cayley smiled, too. Keep behind
me. but not SO far that you're in m
danger Of getting cut of in case I
have to dance around him a little.
There he's winded us already"
Cayley turned for a last look at her.
He had slipped his bundled wings
from his back and laid them on the
Ice. He was still smiling, but some-
what ironically. I'm half afraid he'll
run away" he said. land half afraid
he won't"
The next instant all doubt on that
head was set at rest. The monster
Kissed and came numbering toward
them, pretty rapidly, across the ice.
Cayley advanced slowly to meet
him, but not In q direct line. Instead,
he bore off in a curve to the left. The
girl understood the instant
ly, and, herself, set out landward at q
brisk pace, moving in the arc Of a cir
Gle, parallel to his but larger, in
such q way as to keep the bear, Philip
and herself, as all three moved in diff
ferent directions. in a straight line.
They quartered round In this way,
the year swerving in well toward
Philip, until all three were in a line,
about equidistant from the hut. Philip
and the bear, were, perhaps, q dozen
PAGES apart. Without turning, he call
cd over his shoulder to her, Nov run
for it-for the hut. I'll keep him
amused out here"
At the sound of his voice the boar
him. The girl had " in
her life found anything SO hard to do
as to obey orders now. But she did
obey and was running at top speed
the open door Of the hut when
she heard Cayley fire for the first
time. Just as she reached 1t, she
heard his second shot. When she
about, painting, to observe the
result Of 1t, the two seemed to her
10 be at horribly close quarters. The
bear, reared up on his hind legs, had
lust lunged forward.
He spranK back clear Of the flashing,
cut of those terrible claws.
A little to the girls surprise and con-
,iderably to her alarm, he turned and
vent sprinting up the beach toward
he talus, at full speed, the bear
wounded, but not in the least disabled,
umbering after him.
It takes a fast unner to outrun q
,ear, but Cayley did it. When he
the foot of the talus, the bear
20 PAGES behind him. She saw
i'm stop short, whirl round again and
ace his pursuer with q shout.
The bear also checked his speed
nd reared up once more, towering,
his hind legs. Then Cayley
lred twice, the shots coming so close
= together as to be hardly distinguish
bile. One or both of them took in
effect. The great yellow
.h-white mass tottered forward, and
elapsed in a heap only a pace or two
rom where Philip was standing.
He waved his hand at the girl, and
walked back for his wings. When
he met him, half way up the beach,
10 was carefully taking the spent
ihells out Of his revolver, one at a
lime, and depositing them in his peck
It. mo telling how they may prove
he commented; then, with q
quick look into her face, IT hope you
frightened when you saw me
'un."
II suppose l shouldn't have been,
,ut I'll have to confess that I was.
You weren't trying to get away from
him, or you wouldn't have run in that
direction. But 1t looked rather dread.
Just the same. Why did you
10 it?'
I'VE were too far down tho beach,
loo near the waters edge before. It
was too late to skin him and cut him
up tonight, and I was afraid II q storm
to come up before morning, .
really big storm. We might lose him.
It raj q lot easier to get him up the
beach before / nred those last two
shots than 1t would have been after.
| thought at first OF running toward
the hut. It occurred to me. only Just
IN time, that there was no use in ma
king an abattoir Of our front yard"
They had reached the hut, and as he
finished speaking, they entered it. |
Even Philip caught his breath rather
suddenly with hat frst glance about
Its transformed interior. The drift
wood fire. which glowed upon the
filled the whole room with
light, and bathed the walls and rafters
with warm colors.
Here was their fortress-aEainst the
cold and the dark; . fortress, too,
against despair. That rude hearth
which he had built today was to b
their altar Of hope.
The girl stood looking at It . mo
in silence. her lips prssssd tight
together, one outstretched hand crop
lng for the door-jamb behind her, -
II she wanted the support Of some
thing. Even in this warm nrelight
Ihe looked a little pale. BY m evt
dent effort Of will she va breathing
very deep and steadily. She did mot
try to speak.