Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-08-26

ways to had himself harping on his
early argument with PisErs. "It's tho
mind that counts" Later he roused
to the fact that his knees, where they,
pressed against the bag. were frozen:
also his fest were numb and ssnselsss.
In his acquired consciousness he knew
that along the course Of his previous
mental vagary. lay madness, and the
need Of action bore upon him 1mpsra-
lively.
He shouted to his mate, but wild"
Pierre seemed strangely apathetic.
'we've got to run for 1t ct daylight.
We're freezing. Here: hold on! What
are you doing? Wait for Daylight
Pierre had scrambled stimy out Of his
cover. and his gabblings reached VII
lard. He raised q clinched flst into
the darkness Of the streaming night.
cursing horribly with words that ap-
palled the other.
"Man, mani Don't curse your God!
This Is bad enough rs It u. Cover
up. Quickr'
Although apparently unmindful Of
his presence. the other crawled back
muttering.
AS the dim morning grayed the
smother they rose and fought their
way downward toward the valley.
Long since they had lost their gripping
hunger and now held only an apa-
,thetic Indifference TO food, with .
cr1nging dread Of the cold and . stub
born sense Of their extreme necessity.
They fell many times. but gradually
drew themselves more under control,
the exercise suscitating them ~ they
staggered downward, blinded and buf-
feted, their only hope the roadhouse.
Willard marveleds duly at the
change In Pierre. His face had shriv-
veled to blaekened freezes stretched
upon q bony, substructure and lighted
by feverish, siittering. black. black
eyes. It seemed to him that his own
Tagging body had long since failed
and that. his aching. naked soul wan
dered stidy through the endless day.
AZ night approached. Pierre stopped
frequently. propping himself with legs
far apart; sometimes. be laughed. In
variably this horrible sound shocked
Willard into . keener sense of tho
surroundings, and It grew to irritnte
him, for the Frenchman's mental
wanderings increased with the dark
ness. What made him rouse one with
his awful laughter? These spells Of
waking tnsensihility were pleasanter
far. At last the big man fell. To
Willard's mechanical endeavors %
help he spoke sleepily, but With the
sanity Of q man under great stress.
"Dat no good. I'm going freeze
right 'ere-freeze stin as ell. Au re-
voir."
Get up!,,.Willard kicked him weak
~. then sat upon the PROSTATE man
as his own faculties went wandering.
Eventually he reused and, digging
into the snow, buried the other. first
covering his face with the ample
parka hood. Then he struck down the
valley. In one lucid spell he found
he had followed a sled trail which was
blown clear and distinct by the wind
that had now almost died away.
Occasionally his mind grew clear,
and his pains beat In upon him till he
grew furious at the life In him which
refused to end, which forced him ever
through this gantlet Of misery. More
often he was conscious only Of vague
and terrible extremity outside Of him.
self that goaded him forever forward.
Anon he strained to recollect his des-
tination. His features had set In on
implacable grimace Of physical torture,
like runner in the fury of a finish.
till the frost hardened them 50. At
times he fell heavily, face downward,
and at length upon the trail. lying 20
till that omnipresent coercion that had
frozen in his brain drove him forward.
He heard his own voice Numbering
through lfeless lips like that Of a
stranger, 1.-The man that Gun eat his
soul will win, Pierre"
Sometimes be cried like child and
SLAYER ran from his open mouth. freez-
ing at his breast. One Of his hands
was going dead. He stripped the left
mitten of and drew It laboriously over
the right. One he would save at least,
even though he lost the other. He
looked at the bare member duly, and
he could not tell that the cold had
eased till the bitterness was nearly out
Of the air. He labored with the fitful
spurts Of a machine run down.
Ten men and many dogs lay togeth-
er in the Crooked River Roadhouse
through the storm. At late bedtime Of