Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-10-21
CHAPTER VII.
Out Of the Blizzard.
PETEY DINK

Out OF the Blizzard.
II was dawn when the baby snug
gled close to Joan's warm breast and
awakened her with its cry Of hunger.
She opened her eyes, brushed back
The thick hair from her face, and
could see where the shadowy form OF
her father was lying at the other side
of the tent. He was very quiet. and
sheawas ples I'd that he was still
sleeping. She knew that the day be-
fore he had been very near to ex'
haustion. and so for half an hour
longer she lay quiet, cooling softly to
the baby Joan. Then she arose
cautiously, tucked the baby in the
warm blankets and furs, put on her
heavier garments, and went outside.
BY this time 1t was broad day, and
she breathed sigh OF relief when
she saw that the storm had passed. II
was bitterly, cold. 1t seemed to her
that she had never known 1t to be Sc
cold in all her life. The fire was
completely out. Kazan was huddleo
in a round ball, his nose tucked under
his body. He raised his head, SILVER
ing, as Joan came out. with mel
heavily moccasined foot Joan scat
tered the ashes and charred sticks
where the fire had been. There was
not q spark left. In returning to the
tent she stopped for moment be
side Kazan, and patted his shaggy
head.
"Poor Wolf" she said. 81 wish
had given you one of the bearskins!
She threw back the tent-flap and
entered. For the first she saw her
fathers face in the light - and out
side Kazan heard the terrible. moan
Ing cry that broke from her lips. No
one could have looked at Pierre
Radisson's face once - and not have
understood.
After that one agonizing cry, Joar
flung herself upon her fathers breast
sobbing so softly that even Kazan's
sharp ears heard no sound. She re
mained there in her grief until every
vital energy of womanhood ane
motherhood in her girlish body wa:
reused to action by the Wa1llng CT.
Of baby Joan. Then she sprang tt
her feet and ran out through the ten
opening Kazan tugged at the END O
his chain to meet her, but she saw
nothing of him now. The terror o
the wilderness is greater than tina
of death, and in an instant 1t hat
fallen upon Joan. It was not because
Of fear for herself. 1t was the baby
The wailing cries from the ten
pierced her like knife-thrusts.
And then. all at once, there came
r. her what old Pierre had said thu
night before = his words about thu
river, the air-holes, the home fort!
miles away. "You couldn't lose your
self. joan" He had guessed wha
might happen.
She bundled the baby deep in thu
furs and returned to the fire-bed He
one thought now was that they mus
have fire. She made a little pile o
birch-bark, covered it with half
burned bits of wood, and went int
the tent for the matches. Pierre
Radisson carried them in water
proof box in the pocket of his bear
skin coat. She sobbed as she kneelet
beside him again, and obtained tn
box. AS the fire flared up she added
other bits of wood, and then some o
the larger pieces that Pierre hat
dragged into camp. The fire gave hel
courage. Forty miles - and the rive
led to their home! She must make
that. with the baby and Wolf. FoI
the first time she turned to him, ant
spoke his name as she put her hant
on his head. After that she gave hin
a chunk Of meat which she thawet
out over the fire, and melted thu
snow for tea She was not hungry
but she recalled how her father hat
made her eat four or five times
day, so she forced herself to make
breakfast of a biscuit, shred Of