Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-14

travelled through the forest he did not
potice the stars or the friendly shad.
bws.
"A year." he repeated to himself
ngain and again. and once when Ka.
tan rubbed against his leg and looked
np into his face he said: "Ah, Kazan.
bur Melissa went away with the Eng.
lishman May the great God give
Them happinessl''
The forest claimed him more than
sver after this. He did not go back
20 Oxford House In the spring. but
bold his furs to a passing halfbreed
and wandered through all Of that
spring and summer In the country to
the west. It was January when he
returned to his cabin, when the SHOWS
we're deepest. and three days later he
set out to outfit at the Hudson's bay
post on Gods lake instead of at OK.
ford House. 1t was while they we're
rrossing a part Of the lake that Kazan
enped aside for an instant In his
traces ana snapped at something In
the snow.
Jan saw the movement, but gave no
attention to 1t until little later when
Kaznn stopped and fell upon his belly.
biting at the harness and whining In
pain. The thought Of Kazan's sudden
snap at the snow came to him then
like q knife thruse, and with a low cry
Of horror and fear he fell upon his
knees beside the dog Kazan whim-
pered, and his bushy tall swept the
snow as Jan lifted his great wolfish
head between his two hands. No other
sound came from JAMS lips now, and
slowly he drew the dog up to him until
he held him In his arms as he might
have held a child. Kazan stiled the
whimpering sounds in his throat. His
one eye rested on his masters face.
faithful. watching for some sign. for
some language there. even as the burn.
Ing 6res of strange torture gnawed
at his life, and in that eye Jan saw the
deepening reddish film which he had
seen "A hundred times before in the eyes
Of foxes and wolves killed by poison
bait.
A moan Of anguish burst from JAMS
lips, and he held his face close down
against Kazan's head and sobbed now
like a child. while Kazan rubbed his
hot muzzle against his cheek and his
muscles hardened in a last desire to
give battle to whatever was giving his
master grief. 1t was a long time be-
fore Jan lifted his face from the shag.
gy head, and when he did he knew
that the last Of all love, of all compan-
ionshlp. Of all that bound him to flesh
and blood In his lonely world. was
gone. Kazan was dead.
From the sledge he took blanket
and wrapped Kazan in 1t and carried
him a hundred yards back from the
trail With bowed head he came be-
hind his four dogs into Gods House.
Half an hour later he turned back into
the wilderness with his supplies. 1t
was dark when he returned to where
he had left Kazan. He placed him
upon the sledge. and the four huskies
whined as they dragged on their bur-
den, from which the smell of death
came to them. They stopped In the
deep forests beyond the lake, and Jan
built FIRE.
This night. as on all nights In his
lonely life. Jan drew KaZan close to
him, and he shlvered as the other dogs
SUNK back from him suspiciously and
the fire and the spruce tops broke the
stiffness Of the forest. He looked at
the cracking flames, at the ftfu shad-
ows which they set dancing and grimac
Ing about him. and 1t seemed to him
now that they were no longer friends
but were haunting him-gloating In Ka'
zan's death and telling him that he
was alone. alone. alone. He let the
fire die down, stirring it into life only
when the cold stiffened him. and wher
at last he fell into an unquiet slumbel
It was still to hear the spruce tops
whispering to him that Kazan was
dead and that in dying he had broker
the last fragile link between Jan Tho
reau and Melissa.