Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-04-18


ness on the top of'the peaks. 1t was
one of those sudden squalls of wind
and Snow which rage with terrific
force while they last, but whose rage
was limited, and whose violent dura-
ton would be short.
A less determined man than he
would have bowed to the inevitable |
and sought some shelter behind
rock until the fury Of the tempest
was spent, but there was no storm
that blew that could stop this man
so long as he had strength to drive
against it. So he bent his head to the
fierce blast and struggled on. There
was something titanic and magnificent
about this iron determination and per-
sistence of Armstrong. The two most
powerful passions which move human
ity were at his service; love led him
and hate drove him. And the two
were SO intermingled that it was diff
ficult to say which predominated now
one and now the other. The resultant
of the two forces, however, was an
onSArd move that would not be de-
MED.
His fur coat was soon covered with
snow and ice, the sharp needles Of the
storm cut his f9ne wherever it was ex-
posed. The wind forced its way
through his garments and chilled him
m
since the night before, and his vital
ity was not at Its food, but he pressed
on, and there was something grand
in his indomitable progress. Excel
sior!
Back in the hut Kirkby and Maitland
sat around the fire waiting most impa-
tlently for the wind to blow itself out
and for that snow to stop falling
through which Armstrong struggled
forward. AS ne followed the windings
OF the canon, not daring to ascend to
the summit on either wall and seek
short cuts across the range, he was
sensible that he was constantly rising
There were many indications to his
experienced mind; the decrease in the
height Of the surrounding pines, the
increasing rarity Of the Icy air, the
growing difficulty in breathing under
the sustained exertion he was making
the quick throbbing of his accelerated
heart, all told him he was approaching
his journeys end.
He judged that he must now be
drawing near the source Of the stream
and that he would presently come
upon the shelter. He had no means Of
ascertaining the time. He would no
have dared to intuition his coat tC
glance at his watch, and it is difficult
to measure the flying minutes in suct
scenes as those through which he pass
ed, but he thought he must have gonC
at least seven miles in perhaps tire,
hours, which he fancled had elapsed
his progress in the last two having
been frightfully slow. Every foot o
advance he had had to fight for.
Suddenly a quick turn in the canon
a passage through narrow entranc
between lofty cliffs, and he found him
self in pocket or circular amph
I theater which he could see was close
, on the farther side. The bottom of thi
enclosure or valley was covered wit
, pines, now dropping under tremendou
burdens of snow. In the midst Of tn
pines lakelet was frozen solid; tn
, ice was covered with the same da,
[ cling carpet of white.
He gould have seen nothing Of thl
I had not the sudden storm now stoppe
e as precipitately almost as 1t had b.
' gun. Indeed, accustomed to the gra,
Q ness of the snow fall, his eyes wer
e fairly dazzled by the bright light {
e the sun, now quite high over tn
I range, which struck him full in tn
face.
). He stopped, painting, exhausted, an
q leaned against the rocky wall Of Ii
9 canon's mouth which here rose sheC
h over his head. This certainly was Ii
$ end of the trail, the lake was Ii
q source Of the frozen rivulet alon
a whose rocky and torn banks he ha
A tramped since dawn. Here, IL an
Q where, he would find the object of h
n quest.
v Refreshed by a brief pause, ar
v encouraged by the sudden sitting
!. the storm, he stepped out of the cane
/. and assembled little knoll whence |
If had a full view Of the pocket over Il
IS tops of the pines. Shading his ey,
n from the light with his hand as best |
could, he slowly swept the circumfe
ia ence with his eager glance, seeir
4 nothing until his eye fell upon a hu,
a broken trail of rocks projecting fro
a the snow, indicating the ascent to
- broad shelf of the mountains aero
n the lake to the right. Following III
he saw a huge block of snow viii,
a suggested dimly the outlines Of
=. hut! 49,
10 Was that the place? Was she Their
n. He stared fascinated and as he did
70 a thin curl of smoke rose above 1
v. snow heap and wavered up in the co
i. quiet air! That was human habit
10 ton, then. 1t could be none 9th
o than the hut referred 10 in the no
Enid Maitland must be there; a
n Newbold!
n. The lake lay directly in front of h
10 beyond the trees at the foot of I
Vi knoll, and between him and the slo
81 that led up to the hut. If II had be
4 summer, he would have been compt
ps ed to follow the waters edge to I
II. right or to the left; both journe
no would have led over difficult trai
N with little to choose between the
IA but tho lake was now frozen hard q
. covered with snow. He had no dol
10. that the snow would bear him, but
,d make sure he drew his snow she
from his shoulder, slipped his feet
he the straps, and sped straight
u through the trees and across II like