The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-04-23

In upon them LII they tCrs1 auc tossed
shivertns. Twice they essayed to
crawl out, but were driven back to
cover for endless, hopeless hours.
1t ID In such black. aimless times
that thought becomes distorted. vii.
lard felt bis mind wandering through
bleak dreams and tortured fancies, al.
ways to find himself barping on bis
early argument With Pierre, tits the
mind that counts" Later he reused
to the fact that bis knees, where they
pressed against the bag, were frozen;
also bis feet we're numb and senseless
In bis acquired consciousness he knew
that along the course of bis previous
mental vagary lay madness. aud the
need Of action bore upon him tmpera.
lively.
He shouted to his mete, but wild"
Pierre seemed strangely apathetic.
"We've got to run for 1t at daylight.
We're freezing. Here; hold on! What
are you doing7 Wait for daylight!'
Pierre had scrambled stif1y out Of biz
cover, and bis gabblings reached VII.
lard. He raised a clinched fist into
the darkness Of the streaming night,
cursing horribly with words that ap-
palled the other.
"Man, man! Don't curse your God!
This il bad enough ~ 1t is. Cover
up. Quick!
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 geld only an apa-
thetic Indifference to food, with a
cringing dread of the cold and a stub
born sense Of their extreme necessity.
They fell many times, but gradually
drew themselves more under control,
, the exercise suscitating them as they
! staggered downward, blinded and buf-
feted. their only hope the roadhouse.
Willard marveled duly at the
change in Pierre. His face had shriv-
veled to blackened freezes stretched
upon a bony substructure and lighted
by feverish. glittering. black, black
eyes. 1t seemed to him that his own
tagging body had long since failed
and that his aching, naked soul wan
dered stiffly through the endless day.
As night approached Pierre stopped
frequently. propping himself with legs
far apart: sometimes he laughed. In
variably this horrible sound shocked
Willard into keener sense OF the
surroundings. and 1t grew to irritate
him. for the Frenchman's mental
wanderings increased with the dark
ness. What made him rouse one with
his awful laughter? These spells Of
walking insensibility were pleasanter
far. At last the big man fell. 10
Wizards mechanical endeavors to
help he spoke sleepily. but with the
sanity Of a man under great stress.
Dat no good. I'm going freeze
right 'ere-freeze stif as ell. Au re
voir." ... ....
Get up!'' Willard kicked him weak
~, then sat upon the PROSTATE mar
as bis own faculties went wandering
Eventually be reused and. digging
into the snow, buried the other, frs,
covering bis face with the ample
parka hood. Then be struck down thu
valley. In one lucid spell he found
be had followed sled trail which wa.
blown clear and distinct by the WIND
that had now almost died away.
Occasionally bis mind grew clear
and bis pains beat IN upon him till b,
grew furious at the life in him which
refused to end. which forced him eve
through this gantlet Of misery. Nor,
often he was conscious only Of vagu,
and terrible extremity outside Of him
self that goaded him forever forward
Anon he strained to recollect bis des
tination. His features had set in al
implacable grimace Of physical torture
like runner In the fury Of finish
till the frost hardened them 80. A
times he fell heavily. face downward
and at length upon the trail, lying y
till that omnipresent coercion that hat
frozen in bis brain drove him forward
he heard his own voice maunderins
J through lifeless lips like that Of q
stranger, THE man that can eat biz
soul will win. Pierre"
Sometimes he cried like a child and
SLAYER ran from his open mouth. freez
ing at his breast One of bis hands
was going dead. He stripped the LEI,
mitten OF and drew it laboriously over
the right. One be would save at least,
even though he lost the other. he
looked at the bare member duly, and
be could not tell that the cold had
eased till the bitterness was nearly out
Of the air. he Iabored with the ftfu
spurts Of machine run down.
Ten men and many dogs lay togeth.
er in the Crooked River Roadhouse
through the storm. At late bedtime of
the last night came a scratching on
the door.
somebody's left dog outside" said
a teamster and rose to let him In. he
opened the door only to retreat af-
frightedly.
my God!'' he said. my God!" And
the miners crowded forward.
A figure tottered over the portal,
swaying drunkenly. They shuddered
at the sight of its face as it crossed
toward the Ire. It did not walk; 1t
shuft]ed haltingly. with 6exed knees
and hanging shoulders. the strides
measuring inches only, a grisly bur-
lesque upon senility.
Pausing in the circle. It mumbled
thickly, with great effort. as though