Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-06-08

violent coughing At and knew It was
Mccain who huddled against them a.
he wrapped his robe about him
Their own lung strangling began. and
they were racked and torn by a dry
cough. spasmodic and uncomfortable.
Smoke noted bis temperature rising In
q fever. and Labiskwee suffered simi.
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 Labiskwee's
arms, his head pillowed on her breast
Her voice was cheerful and usual. The
mufled sound of 1t had vanished.
1T is day." she said. lifting the edge
Of the robes a trifie. "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"
II do not hear McCan." Smoke said
sAnd what has become Of the young
men that they have not found usT'
He threw back the robes and saw a
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. McCan lay on his back, his un-
washed face. swarthy from camp
smoke, frozen hard as marble. The
sight did not affect Labiskwee.
"Look!" she cried "A snowbird! 1t
Is q good sign"
There was no evidence Of the young
men. Either they had died on the 9TH
or side of the divide or had turned
back.
There was 30 little food that they
dared not eat 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
cd. and the wandering merged half
into q dream. Smoke would become
abruptly conscious to find himself star
ing at the never ending hated snow
peaks, bis senseless babble still ringing
In bis ears. And the next he would
know, after seeming centuries. was
that again he was reused to the sound
Of his own maunderings. Labiskwee.
too, was light headed most Of the time.
! Came a day when it turned cold and
q 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 it crusted un-
der the spring sun. 30 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 Labiskwee. delirious, mad
dened by the s'taste Of her tiny portion.
sobbing and mumbling. fell upon the
next days portion and crammed 1t into
her mouth.
Then II was given to Smoke to see a
wonderful thing. The food between
her teeth reused her to consciousness.
She spat It out and with great anger
struck herself with her clinched fist on
the offending mouth.
It was given to Smoke to see many
wonderful things in the days yet to
come. After the long snowfall came
on a great wind that drove the dry
and tiny frost particles as sand is drtv
Ell In a sandstorm. All through the
night the sand frost drove by. and In
the full light Of clear and wind
blown day Smoke looked with swim
ming eyes and reeling brain upon what
p. he took to be the vision Of dream.
All about lowered great peaks. and
from the tip Of every peak. swaying.
undulating. faring out broadly against
the azure sky. streamed gigantic snow
banners. miles in length, milky and
nebulous, ever waving lights and shad-
ows and flashing silver from the sun.
LAbiskwee sat up among the furs.
II dream. Labiskwee," he said.
"Look. Do you. too, dream within my
dreamT
TT h no dream" she replied. This
have the old men told me. And after
this will blow the warm winds. and
we shall live and win west"
Smoke shot a snowbird. and they
divided 1t. Once. In a valley where
willows budded standing in the snow,
be shot a snowshoe rabbit Another
time he got lean white weasel.
1T is summer in the lower valleys"
said Labiskwee. "Soon will It be sum-
mer here"
The days heightened. and the snow
began to sink. Each day the crust
thawed. each night It froze again, and
they were afoot early and late, being
compelled to camp and rest during the
midday hours of thaw when the crust
could not bear their weight. When
Smoke grew snow blind Labiskwee
towed him on q thong tied to bel
waist. And when she was so blinded
she was towed by thong to bis waist
And, starving, in deeper dream. they
struggled on through an awakening
land bare Of any life save their own.
The time came when the last food
was gone. The high peaks receded'
the divides became lower. and the way
opened promisingly to the west But
their reserves Of strength were gone
and, without food. the time quickly FOL
lowed when they lay down at night
and In the morning did not arise
Smoke weakly gained his feet col
lapsed and on hands and knees crawl
ed about the building Of fire. But
try as she would. Labiskwee sank bacs
each time In an extremity OF weak
ness. And Smoke sank down beside
her, q wan sneer on his face for the
automatism that had made him strug
gle for an unneeded fire. There wal
nothing to cook. and the day wai
warm.