Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-09-18
copyrIaht, t014. By ths WhesIsr sxndloats.

a fever, and Lablskwee suffered sim-
larly. Hour after hour the coughing
spells increased in frequency and vio-
lence, and not till late afternoon was
the worst reached. After that the
mend came slowly, and between spells
they dozed in exhaustion.
Smoke awoke with lips touching his
lips. He lay partly in Lablskwee's
arms his head plllowed on her breast
Her voice was cheerful and usual The
mufIled sound Of 1t had vanished
ut Is day." she said, lifting the edge
Of the robes trlhe. "See, oh, my
lover, It is day! We have lived through,
and we no longer cough Let us look
at the world, though could stay here
thus forever and always"
~ do not hear McCan," Smoke said.
"And what has become Of the young
men that they hsve not found us2'
He threw back the robes and saw
normal and solitary sun In the sky A
gentle breeze was blowing. crisp with
frost and limiting of warmer days to
come All the world was natural
again. McCsn lay on his back, his un,
washed face, swarthy from camp
smoke, frozen hard as marble. The
sight did not affect Lablskwee.
"Lookw she cried. "A snowblrd! 1t
is good sign"
There was no evidence Of the young
men. Either they had died on the 9th
er side OF the divide or had turned
back. ..a
There was 40 little food that they
dared not eat a 1.-THE Of what they
needed, and In the days that followed,
wandering through the lone mountain
land, the sharp sting Of life grew blunt.
ed, and the wandering merged half
into dream Smoke would become
abruptly conscious to find himself star.
Ing at the never ending hated snow
peaks, his senseless babble still ringing
in his ears. And the next he would
know, after seeming centuries, was
that again he was reused to the sound
Of his own maunderlngs. Labiskwee,
too, was light headed most Of the time.
Came day when II turned cold and
a thick snow, that was not snow, but
frost crystals of the size of grains OF
sand, began to fall For three days
and nights It continued to fall. 1t was
impossible TO travel until Il crusted un-
der the spring sun, so they lay In their
furs and rested and ate less because
they rested. So small was the ration
they permitted that 1t gave no appease.
ment TO the hunger pang that was
much OF the stomach, but more OF the
brain. And Lablskwee. deirlous, mad
dened by the taste Of her tiny portion,
sobblng and mumbling, fell upon the
next days portion and crammed 1t into
| her mouth
Then II was given to Smoke to see n
wonderful thug The food between
her teeth reused her to consciousness
She spat II out and with great anger
struck herself with her cllnched list ON
the offending mouth
II was given TO Smoke to see many
wonderful things In the days vet TO
come, After the long snowfall came
on n great wind that drove the dry
aud tiny frost particles as sand is drlv
en- In Il sandstorm All through the
night the sand frost drove by. aud In
the full light of clear aud wind
blown day Smoke looked with swim,
ming eyes and rcellng brain upon what
he took to be the vision Of Il dream.
All about lowered great peaks. and
from the Zip OF every peak, swaying,
mdul0ting, ilarlng out broadly against
the azure sky streamed gigantic snow
banners, miles IN length, milky and
nehulous, ever waving lights and shad
ows and nashlng silver from the sun.
Lablskwoe sat up among the furs.
II dream, I.abskwee," he said.
Look. Do you, too, dream within my
dreamy"
ut Is no dream she replied "Thls
have the old men told me. And after
this win blow the warm winds, and
We shall live aud win west"
Smoke shot a snowbird. and they
divided H. Once, Ia Il valley where
willows buddcd standing in the snow.
he shot snowshoe rabbit Another
time he got lean white weasel
III is summer In the lower valleys"
said iablskwee. Soon will II bo sum.
mer here"
The days lengthcncd, aud the snow
began 10 sink, Zach day the crust
thawed, each nlght Ii froRe again. ana
they were afoot early aud late. being
compelled to camp aud reSt during the
midday hours OF thaw when the crust
could not boar their weight When
Smoke grew snow bllnd Lablskwee
towed him on thong tied to her
waist Aud when she was SO blinded
she was ,owed by Il thong to his waist
And, starving In a deeper dream, they
struggled ON through m awakening
land bare OF any life save thcir. own.
The time came when the lad food
was gone. Tho high peaks rcccded.
the divides became lower aud the way
opened promlslngly to the west hut
their reserves OF strength were gone
aud. without food, the tlmc quickly FOL.
lowed when they lay down at night
and ln the morning dld not arise
smoke weakly gaiucd his feet cOl