The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-08-31

uguIu, ana mis- SHOUTS echoed IN futile
inquiry In its weird depths. At noon
Jan stopped and ate bis lunch; then he
went on, carrying his rife alwass upon
his right shoulder, so that the steps OF
his right leg would be shortened and he
would travel in circle. as he believed
Dixon had done.
The storm thickened with the falling
of night, and he hurrowed himself a
great hole In the soft snow and filed
It with balsam boughs for bed
When he awakened. hours later. he
stood up and thrust ont his head and
found himself buried to the armpits.
With the aid of his broad snowshoes
he drew himself out until he stood
knee deep I'm the surface.
He lifted his pack AS he swung II
before him, one arm thrust through
strap, he gave a startled cry Half Of
one side of the pack was eaten away!
A thin trickle of flour ran through his
fingers upon the snow. He pulled out
gnawed pound Of bacon, little tea
and that was ALL
Frantically he ripped the rent wider
In his search, and when he stood up his
wild face staring into the chaos about
him, he held only the bit of bacon in
his hand. In 1t were the imprints of
tiny teeth-sharp little razor edged
teeth that told him what had happen
ed. While he had slept mink had
robbed him of his food!
With one of his shoes he began dig
ging furiously in the snow. He tore
his balsam bed to pieces. Somewhere
somewhere not very far away--the
little animal must have cached its
theft. He dug down until he came to
| the frozen earth. For an hour he
worked and found nothing.
Then he stopped Over small fire
he melted snow for tea and broiled a
slice Of the bacon, which he ate with
the few biscuit crumbs he found in
the pack. Every particle of -four that
he could find he scraped up with his
knife and put into one of the deep
pockets of his caribou coat. After that
he set out In the direction In which he
thought he would find Lac Balm.
| Still he shouted for Dixon and fired
an occasional shot from his rifle. BY
noon he should have struck the lake.
Noon came and passed.; the gloom OF
second night fell upon him. He
built himself n fire and ate two-thirds
of what remained of the bacon. The
handful of -four in his pocket he did
not disturb.
1t was still night when he broke his
rest and struggled on. His first fears
were gone. In place of them there
filed him now grim sort of pleasure
A second time he was battling with
death for Melissa. And this, after all
was not very hard fight for him.
When he ate the last bit of his bacon
he made up his mind what he would
do when the end came. In the stock
of his rifle he would scratch a few
last words to Melissa. He even ar
ranged the words in his brain-four OF
them-"Mclisse, | love you" He re-
peated them to himself rs he stagger
ed on, and that night beside the fire
he built he hogan by carving her name
Tomorrow" he said softly, ~ will
do the rest
He WIS growing very hungry, but he
did not touch the -four. For six hours
he slept aad tier drank his fill of hot
tea.
I'VE will truvc, rnti! day, Jan Tho
reau," he Informed himself, land then
IL nothing turns up. we will build oul
last camp and eat tac -four. 1t will be
the las, OF MS, FOR there will be NJ
meat above this snow for days"
Ills snowGhocS were nm impeachment
now, and he lcr, them behind alonl
with one OF lis Two blankets. which
had grown 10 nc like lead upon his
shoulders. lie counted his cartridges
ten of them. one of these he lret
into the mir.
Was that I'M echo he heard?
A sudden ,hrlE sh { through him
He strained his ears tc catch n repctl
ton of the sound. In moment 1
came aGain-clcar.y no echo this time
The shot came from inst over tn,