Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1915-05-20
NO.. 10.

IL,
but Riggs was not aware Of that, nor
that the muzzle described wide cir
cles round him-he was too broken In
spirit He covered, shivering and
stamping his feet upon the frozen
ground.
Here's a box of matches, Riggs"
said Haynes drawing one from his
overcoat pocket and tossing it to him.
you'll be able to light few fires
Don't waste them. l don't know just
exactly where We are," he added in
mock apology. I'm afraid I've taken
you too far to the north-we're al
most beyond the timber belt. How.
ever, you'll strike river if you look
round, for the lan6 is we'll watered-
you must add that to your prospec-
tus. Remember that all streams flow
into Hudson bay, and SO follow them
toward the source southwark You
may fall in with some Indians. You
really, Riggs, l ought not to be
instructing you in your own business.
I'll have to say goodby anyway, now;
I must be back at Newark by morn
ing"
He retired backward toward the
machine. keeping the revolver by an
effort between his frozen fiagers,
which had no more sensation than
sticks of wood, and watching Riggs
warily He expected a hostile rush,
and the rush came-but it was not
hostile. Riggs flung himself upon him
and slid to the ground, holding his
knees.
Let me come back" he shrieked.
MY God, man, you've had all the
revenge that you can need. You've
turned my hair white by this nights
work. I'll give you everything l have
my property, all my money-Tll be
your dog and follow you wherever
you go--I'll-Tll-"
Haynes thrust the wretched man
from him and entered the machine.
He felt an intense disgust arising in
him at this abjectness. This was the
stuff OF which all his enemies
seemed made! The thought that such
dogs had been able to rob and i'm
prison him, to tear him from his wife
and daughter, was intolerable at that
moment. However, seeing that Riggs
made no further attempt to rise, and
that he was liable to freeze to death
In the bitter cold, he gathered some
fallen twigs and little branches of
dead wood, and, with a strip Of brick
bark from nearby tree, kindled a
fire. Then he re.entered the machine.
Once more Riggs rushed toward him
and tried to enter. Haynes thrust
his fist into his face. Riggs did not
release his hold. Haynes pressed the
pistol nLzZle against the others
throat.
"Tll fire at three" he shouted.
"One-two-"
Riggs dropped to the ground with
despairing groan and, a moment
later the monoplane was beating sky
ward.
Once started on his homeward
fight Haynes tapped his frozen
hands against his breast, rubbed
them with little snow which he had
scooped up from the ground; and
then, when he felt the blood tingle In
them, he suddenly began to laugh
Rocking with uncomfortable mirth, he
hardly held the monoplane against
the countering winds. The humor of
this revenge-the most self-satisfying
Of all, dulled the sense of his insati-
able wrongs.
But Riggs, covering over big fire
Of wood shivered In the desolation of
his despair. He did not know where
he should turn. To face the solitude
Of those dreadful forests. to find
stream and follow 1t, seemed like the
promptings Of madman's brain. He
might as we'll have flung his enemy
out of the machine and followed him.
to find his end speedily-better that
than to be condemned to die of hum
ger and thirst and cold in this far
northern. frozen wilderness.
Presently day broke and, in the
gathering light, he counted the
matches In the box There were six
teen Of them-sixteen fires at most If
he should choose to start on that i'm
possible journey. Why not rather
wait where he had been left until the
end should come? There, at least,
there would be warmth. There he
need not fear that gripping frost.
Wrapped in his furs he could lie
down among the encircling fires and
sleep his life away.
Then he must gather wood; he
must find and stack cords Of 1t so
that the end should not find him fire.
less. Fire was all to him now, more
than food, almost more than his life.
1t was his father and mother too:
he loved it with the intensity Of q
maniac Almost insane from terror,
filled only with this thought that pos
sessed his mind, he began plunging
through the underground, gathering
sticks and twigs. Again and again
he staggered back, bearing each time
a huge armful Of dead brush, which
he flung upon the blaze, and at last
he covered beside 1t again, mumbling
and muttering while the suns rays
touched him with blaze Of gold.
Then shouts echoed among the
trees. At first he did not turn his
head, thinking them but the fragment
OF dream. When he was sure he
heard them he did not dare to answer
from fear they would cease. He
crouched beside his blaze and did
not stir nor look up until a man in
overalls broke into the circle of the
blaze and began tossing the sticks
aside and stamping on them. Then.
realizing at last that life had been
restored to him, Riggs fell on his
knees before his rescuer and wept
like a child.