The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-12-10

class passenger newly landed from
one of the C-P. steamships, he walked
the streets Of Quebec-and dropped
out of sight between dark and dawn.
to turn up presently in the distant
Canadian hamlet of Bale st. Paul, ap.
parently very tenderfooted American
woods-traveler chaperoned by tact
turn Indian guide picked up heaven.
knows-where
Crossing the St. Lawrence by night
the two struck off quietly into the
.hinterland Of the Notre Dame range
then crossed the Maine border.
On the seQend noon thereafter
trail-worn and weary, as lean as their
depleted packs, the two paused on q
ridge-pole Of the wilderness up back
Of the Allagash country, and made
their midday meal in silence which
If normal in the Indian, was one Of
deep misgivings on Alan's part.
Continually his gaze questioned the
northern skies that lowered porten
tously, foul with smoke-a country
wide confagration that threatened all
northern Maine, bone.dry with
drought.
Only the south offered fair pros
pect. And the fires were making
southwark far faster than man might
hope to travel through that grim and
stubborn land
Even as he stared, Alan saw fresh
columns Of dun-colored smoke spring
up in the northwest.
Anxiously he consulted the impas
sive mask Of the Indian, from whom
his questions gained Alan little com
fort. Jacob recommended forced
marches to Spirit lake, where canoes
might be found to aid their flight;
and withdrew into sullen reserve.
They travelled far and fast by dim
forest trails before shutdown, then
again paused for food and rest. And
as Jacob sat deftly about preparing
the meal, Alan stumbled off to whip
the little trail-side stream for trout.
Perhaps hundred yards upstream,
the back-lash Of careless cast by his
weary hand hooked the state of Maine.
Too tired even to remember the ap.
propriate words, Alan scrambled
ashore: forced through the thick I'M
dergrowth that masked the trail,
found his fly, set the state of Maine
free-and swinging on his heel
brought up, nose to sapling, trans.
! fixed by rectangle of white paste
board fixed to its trunk, trey of
hearts, of which each pip had been
neatly punctured by a 22-caliber bull
let.
He carried 1t back to camp, mean.
ing to consult the guide, but on sec.
ond thought, held his tongue. It was
not likely that the Indian had over.
looked an object so conspicuous on
the trail:
So Alan waited for him to speak
and meantime determined to watch
Jacob more narrowly, though no other
suspicious circumstance had marked
the several days Of their association.
The first half of the night was, as
the day, devoted to relentless prog
ress southwark; thirty minutes Of
steady jogging, five minutes for rest
and repeat
No more question as to the need for
such urgent haste; overhead the north
wind muttered without ceasing. Thin
wells of smoke drifted through the for
est, hugging the ground, like some
weird acrid mist; and ever the cur
tanned heavens glared, livid with re-
! fected fires.
BY midnight Alan had come to the
bounds Of endurance; flesh, bone and
sinew could no longer stand the strain.
Though Jacob declared that Spirit
lake was now only six hours distant,
as far as concerned Alan he might
have said GOO. His blanket once I'M
rolled, Alan dropped upon it like one
drugged.
The sun was high when he awak-
ened and sat up, rubbing heavy eyes.
stretching aching limbs, wondering
what had come over the Indian to let
MIN steep SO ldte
OF a sudden he was assailed by sick
ening fears that needed only the brief
est investigation to confirm. Jacob
had absconded with every valuable
item Of their equipment.
Nor was his motive far to seek.
Overnight the fire had made ire
mendous gains. And ever and anon
the Sind you'd brinS down the roar
of the holocaust, dulled by distance
but not unlike the growing of wild
animals feeding on their kill.
Alan delayed long enough only to
swallow a few mouthfuls Of raw food,
gulped water from spring, and set
out at dog-trot or the trail to Spirit
Lake.
For hours he blundered blindly on,
holding to the trail mainly by instinct.
At length, painting, gasping, half.
blinded, h. staggered into little nat
ural clearing and plunged forward
headlong, so bewildered that he could
not have said whether he was tripped
or thrown; for even as he stumble q
heavy body landed on his back and
crushed him savagely to earth.