The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-08-15
ten An Ideal Summer Romance of the Bio Outdoors =
By James Oliver Curwood

told kaxan that to that first call
there would DO no answer, and now
he struck out swiftly. galloplns mile
after mile. as "A dog follows the
trail Of It's master home.
He did not turn back to tho lake,
nor was his direction toward Red
Gold City. As straight as he might
have followed road blaxod by the
hand OF man he cut across the forty
miles Of plain and swamp and forest
and rocky ridge that lay between
him and the McFarlans.
All that night he did not call again
for Gray Wolf. With him reasoning
was q process brought about by habit
by precedent-and as Gray Wolf
had waited for him many timsS be-
fore he knew that she would be
waiting for him now near the sand
bar.
BY dawn he had reached the river.
within three miles of the sand bar.
Scarcely was the sun up when he
stood on the white strip OF sand
where no and Gray Wolf had come
down to drink. Expectantly ana
Gray Wolf. whining softly. and wag-
cling his tall.
He began to search for her scent.
but rains had washed even her foot
prints from tho clean sand. All that
day he searched for her along the
river and out on tho plain. He went
to where they had killed their last
rabbit.
He snifsed at IN bushes whore the
poison baits had hung. Again and
again he sat back on his haunches
and sent out his mating cry TO her.
And slowly. ~ he did these thlngs.
&c.. -. -.U.xtvs In h0sv, that vvxir.
acle OF the Wild which the Crsss had
named the spirit call" A. II had
worked in Gray Wolf. 90 now u
stirred the blood Of kaaan. with
the going Of the sun. and the sweep
Ing about him Of shadowy night he
turned more and moro to the south
and east. His whole world wa
made up Of the trails over which hs
Beyond those places he did moi
know that there was such . thins
a. existence. And In that worio
small In his understanding OF things
her. That world, In his comprshen-
sion OF IL ran from tho McFarians
In q narrow trail through the forests
and over tho plains to the little val
ley from which the beavers had
driven them. II Gray Wolf was not
here-she was there. and tirslsssly
he resumed his quest OF her.
Not until the stare were fading "ul
Of the sky again. and gray day wal
giving place to night. did sxhaustt ~
and hunger stop him. He killed :
rabbit. and for hours after he hst
Toasted no lay close to his Kill. Ane
slept. Then he went on.
The fourth night he came 70 TN
little valley between the two ridges
and under the stars, more brill-An
now In the chill clsarnsss OF the earl,
autumn nights, no followed tho creei
down into their old swamp homo. j
was broad day when he reached IN
edge Of . great beaver pond that nov
completely surrounded the wipdfal
under which Gray Wolfe secoad
born had come Into the world.
The beavers had wrought . bl
change In what had once been HI
homo and Gray Wolrs, and for man
minutes kasan stood silent ana mo
snifiins ths air heavy With the Nm
pleasant odor OF the usurpers.
Until now his spirit had rema'ne'
unbroken. Footsore. with thlnns'
sides and gaunt head. he clrcleS
slowly through the swamp. All tina
day he searched. And his crest Ia!
nat now. and there was hunts'
look In the droop Of his shoulder
and In the shifting look Of his eye
Gray Wolf was gone.
Slowly nature was impinginG tina
fact upon him. She had passed GU
he was niled with Q Loneliness and {
grief so great that tho forest SCENE,
strange. and tho stiffness Of the VIII
a thing that now oppressed AM
frightened him. Once moro the dol
In him was mastering the wolf. Wit
Gray Wolf no had possessed tn
world of freedom. without her. thu
world was 20 big and strange an,
empty that It appalled, him.
Late in the afternoon no came up
ON . little pile Of crushed olamshsll
on the shore OF She stream. HI
shifted at them--turned away-wsn
where Gray Wolf had made . las
feast In tho swamp before coutinu
Ing south. But the scent che Ia,
left behind was not strong enough 4
tell Kazan. and for q second time b
turned away. That night be slunl
under . log. and cried himself 4
sleep.
Deep in the night no grisvsd In hi
uneasy slumber. like child. An,
day after day. and night after might
Kaxan remained Q sinking creatur
OF the big swamp. mourning for tn
one creature that had brought hin
out Of chaos into light. who had nile
his world for him. and who. In goin
from him. had taken from this worl
even the things that Gray Wolf Ia
lost In her blindness.
CHAPTER Xxx.