Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-05-11
CopHssht. 1914. By the Wbsssss
Syndicate


cupine creek to the middle reaches of
Milk river. Higher up Milk river, II
was fairly rumored, were deposits of
copper. And this was their goal-a
hill Of pure copper half a mile to the
right and up the first creek after Milk
river issued from a deep gorge to flow
ACROSS a heavily timbered stretch Of
bottom.
Smoke was In the lead. and the small
scattered spruce trees were becoming
scarcer and smaller when he saw one,
dead and bone dry, that stood in their
path. There was no need for speech.
his glance to Shorty was acknowl-
edged by a stentorian whoa" The
dogs stood In the traces till they saw
Shorty begin to undo the sled lashings
ind Smoke attack the dead spruce with
IN az, whereupon the animals dropped
IN the SNOW and curled into balls, the
bush Of each tail curved to cover four
padded feet and an ice rimmed muzzla
In twenty minutes from the time they
halted the meal was ready to eat
about forty below" Shorty mumbled
through q mouthful Of beans. "Hope
4 don't get colder-oe warmer neither.
Its Just right for trail breakin'."
Smoke did not answer. His own
mouth full Of beans, he had CHANGED to
glance at the lead dog lying half a
dozen feet away. That gray, frosty
wolf was gazing at him with the In
finite wistfulness and yearning that
glimmer and haze 30 often in the eyes
Of northland dogs. Smoke knew 1t
well. but never got over the unfathom-
able wonder Of It
Az Il to shake of the hypnotism he
set down his plate and coffee cup, went
to the sled and began opening the dried
nsh sack.
.Heyr' Shorty expostulated "What
T you doin'r
Breaking all law. custom, precedent
and trail usage" Smoke replied I'm
going to feed the dogs In the middle OF
the day-just this once. Bright there
has been talking to me, telling me all
UNRELIABLE things with those eyes OF
him"
Shorty laughed skeptically. "Oh, If
it's q hunch, go to 1t. A mans. always
got to follow his lunches"
ut isn't hunch, Shorty. Bright just
sort Of got on my Imagination for
couple Of twists. He told me more In
one minute with those eyes Of bis than
I could read In the books In thousand
years. His eyes were a-crawl with the
secrets Of life. They were just sQuirm-
ing and wriggling there. The trouble
Is I almost got them, and then I didn't
I'm no wiser than l was before. but l
was near them"
Boiled down into simple American.
you got q hunch." Shorty insisted.
"Somethin's goin' to happen before
the day is out You'll see. An them
dried flsh'll have a bearin'."
you've got to show me-" said
Smoke.
mo, I amt. The day'll take care OF
itself an show you. Now. listen to
what I'm tellin' you. got hunch
myself out Of your hunch. I'll bet
eleven ounces against three ornery
toothpicks I'm right"
"You bet the toothpicks. and III bet
the ounces" Smoke returned
s<AJ,-o nK,ox,I ho pIofp rOihhopV L
win. know hunch when 1t tickies
me. Before the days out somethin' II
happen, an them fishn have a mean
In" :
An hour later they cleared the divide,
dipped down past the Bald buttes
through a sharp elbow canyon and
took the steep, open slope that drop
ped into Porcupine creek Shorty, In
the lead, stopped abruptly, and Smoke
whoaed the dogs. Beneath them, COM
Ing up, was a procession Of humans,
scattered and draggled, q quarter OF
mile long.
"SThey move like It was a funeral"
Shorty noted.
They've no dogs" said Smoke.
"Yep; there's a couple Of men pullin'
on a sled"
"see that fellow fall down! There's
something the matter, Shorty, and
there must be 200 of them"
"Look at 'em stagger as II they was
soused. There goes another"
"Its q whole tribe. There, are chill
dren there"
"Smoke. 1 win," Shorty proclaimed
"a hunch Is a hunch, an you can't
beat It There she comes. Look at
her-surgin' up like a lot Of corpees."
The mass Of Indians at sight of the
two men had raised a weird cry OF JOY
and accelerated its pace.
They're sure tolerable woozy," COM
mented Shorty. "See 'em fallin' down
In Jumps an bunches." -,
"Look at the face Of that first one'
Smoke said. Its starvation-thats
what's the matter with them. They've
eaten their dogs"
"What'n we do? Run for'ttr"
"And leave the sled and dogsf
Smoke demanded reproachfully.
They'll sure eat us II we don't
They look hungry enough for it Hello.
old skeeziksl What's wrong with you'
Don't look at that dog that way. No
cookin' pot for him-savvyr
The forerunners were arriving anu
crowding about them, moaning and
planting In an unfamiliar jargon.. 10