University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1915-08-15
SYNOPSIS

Kazan-three- quarters dog, one-quartel
VOLTS a giant and fearless team-leadei
of the Northern wilds. who mas saved ms
master, Thorpe. from death and who has
been taken by this same master Dack 10
! civilization. when Thorpe returns to claim
| his Wife Isobel. KaZan, who has suffered
no man TO touch him with naked HANDS
surprises Thorpe by displaying Il great
| affection and loyalty for Isobel.
Having returned to the North. Thorpe
and Isobel prepare for n cross country
| trip to the scene of Thorpe's railroad
work taking kaZan with them as the
| leader OF their team. McCready. the guide,
Joins them for the trip and, with hatred
! recognizes Kazan, who In return Hereby
manifests his distrust and memory OF Me
| Cready. Mistaking kazan's leap at Me-
ECready as an attack on Isobel, Thorpe
beats the dog numerically. lsobel Inter
| feres and explains.
| Never had he felt so miserable as
through the long hard hours of the
day that followed, when he broke the
trail for his teammates into the
| North One of his eyes was closed
and filled with stinging fire, and his
body was sore from the blows of the
caribou lash. But it was not physical
pain that gave the sullen droop to his
head and robbed his body of that keen
quick alertness of the lead-dog-the
commander of his mates 1t was his
spirit For the first time in his life,
it was broken. McCready had beaten
him-long ago; his master had beaten
him; and during all this day their
voices were fierce and vengeful il his
ears. But it was his mistress who hurt
him most. She held aloof from him,
always beyond the reach of his leash;
and when they stopped to rest. and
again in camp, she looked at him with
strange and wondering eyes, and did
not speak. She, too. was ready to
beat him. He believed that. and so
skunk away from her and crOuchei on
his belly in the snow. With him,
broken spirit meant a broken heart,
and that night he lurked in one of the
deepest shadows about the campfire
and grieved alone. None knew that it
was grief-unless it was the girl. She
did not move toward him. She did
not speak to him. But she watched
him closely-and studied him hardest
when he was looking at McCready.
Later, after Thorpe and his wife had
gone into their tent, it began to snow.
and the effect of the snow upon Nc
Craod dy pu11lad Ko1op The MON u,o,
restless, and he drank frequently from
the flask that he had used the night
before. In the freight his face grew
redder and redder, and Kazan could
see the strange gleam of his teeth
as he gaZed at the tent in which his
mistress was sleeping. Again and
again he went close to that tent, and
listened. Twice he heard movement.
The last time, it was the sound of
Thorpe's deep breathing. McCready
hurried back to the fire and turned
his face straight up to the sky. The
snow was falling so thickly that when
he lowered his face he blinked and
wiped his eyes. Then he went out
into the gloom and bent low over the
trail they had made few hours be-
fore. 1t was almost obliterated by the
falling snow. Another hour and there
would be no trail-nothing the next
day to tell whoever might pass that
they had come this way By morning
it would cover everything, even the
fire, if he allowed it to die down. Nc
Cready drank again, out in the dark
ness. Low words of an insane joy
burst from his lips. His head was
hot with a drunken fire. His heart
beat madly, but scarcely more furi-
ously than did Kazan's when the dog
saw that McCready was returning
with a club. The club he placed on
end against a tree. Then he took a
lantern from the sledge and lighted it.
He approached Thorpe's tent-fiap, the
lantern in his hand.
"Ho, Thorpe-Thorpe!" he called.
There was no answer He could
hear Thorpe breathing. He drew the
flap aside little. and raised his voice
''Thorpe,"
Still there was no movement inside,
and he united the flap strings and
thrust in his lantern. The light fash
ed on Isobel's golded head, and Nc
Cready stared at it, his eyes burning
like red Goals. until he saw that
Thorpe was awakening. Quickly he
dropped the flap and rustled it from
the outside.
"Ho, Thorpe!-Thorpe." he called
again.
This time Thorpe replied.
Hello. McCready-is tlat your"
McCready drew the flap back a lit
tie, and spoke in low voice.
"Yes. Can you come out minute?
Something's happening out in the
woods. Don't wake up your wife."
He drew hack and waited A min