Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-01-23

along the dim bride trail. fourteen
miles ny the sides Of frowniuS ellis
and over the tops of halSam crowned
peaks to the summit Of Mount
Mitchell
Nam led the way, mounted ON a sure
footed youuG stallion, ana Stuart tol
lowed her en- little black mule he
had selected FROM the barn for his
exact ikeurSS to one tie had raised
as Il pet when hoy The youngsters
came struggling after them. mounted
ON an assortment of shaggy, Scruhhy
looking animals that knew the moan.
tain path as n rabbit knows his trail
in the jungle.
At O'Clock they passed through the
first series Of clouds and out into the
sunlight beyond, The next line of
clouds was dark aud threatening and
suddenly poured rain SLOWLY but
surely the horses picked their way up
the mountain side through the storm
and suddenly walked ont into the
sunlight again; they looked down ON
the smooth dat surface Of the clouds
through which they had passed.
1t was dusk when the party reached
the summit, The horses were looScned
10 Craze in the Omen field and the
guides hurried to build Il fire in front
of the cave made 10y n projecting ledge
of rock beneath which the party was to
sleep,
The bed of halSam hOughS was toe
sharp II contrast to Mans million dollar
room 10 permit Stuart much sleep. he
sides, the Youngsters were gigclng
aud lauGhiuG and joking most Of the
might Only big log marked the par
tition wall between the mems and
women'S part of the cave, The space
was SO limited il was necessary to sleep
close together The girls and boys uev
er grew tired cracking silly Jokes about
the magnihvcnCe Of their sleeping quar-
tiers. In vain Nan begged for quiet II
was o'clock before they were still at
last and she fell into deep sleep
Stuart rose, sat before the log fire and
watched the regular rise aud fall OF her
bosom as she slept like child On n
/ distant mountain side he heard the
howl of a lonely wolf, sixteen years
ago the mountains We're full of them
and they came quite close He was re-
minded of the narrowing strip of the
savage world, fast disappearing before
the march of civilization Somewhere
inside of him he heard The lonely cry
of another wolf
I "She'S mine mine, Nature gave her
to me in the morning Of lifc-l was
fool, ] should have taken her by force.
! If need he. aud she would have thank
ed me III after years She has complied
with the conventions of society and
| trampled the highest law of life, Why
not smash convention now at the call
of that law"
( Again the wolf howled In the distant
darkness, and II seemed the echo OF his
own mad cry. lie walked from his rev
erie with all angry start He shud
dered that he could have harbored the
thought for Il moment
+ The eastern horizon was beginning
to glow with the dawn He rose
walked to the summit and sat down on
the pile Of stones that marked the
grave of Professor Mitchell. He watch
| Gu III SlltlCt ulitlI ne SuW Tue sun =
red rim suddenly leap above the blue
black peaks OF the east and drive the
last shadow of the night from the val
leys below. With their fading mists he
felt the darkness lift from his own
heart and the sunlight OF reason stream
in new JOY wellcd up from the
depths of his spirit He was alive to
his finger tips, and his Imagination
| glowed with the consciousness that life
was strong and clean and worth while
with the help OF God III keep 1t So
too he cried I'm ready for the fight
now. Let II come"
He knew instinctively that 1t was
coming He felt it in every word that
had fallen from Mans lips since they
| left on this trip He felt 1t most keenly
of all when she was silent. read It In
the tremor OF her mouth. the shadowy
tenderness of her eyes. the low. deep
| tones of her voice