The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1916-03-02

EOuSEC W6St.
curiosity that made him pull the draw
string. he opened it. Out poured :,
tiny TODD Of food. There waS 10 par
ticle of it that be did not recognize, MI
stolen by I.Abiskwea from Lahi;k Wee
bread fragments saved far back; strips
and strings of caribou meat. partly
gnawed; crumbles of suet: Il hind leg
Of the snowshoe rabbit. untouched;
hind leg and part of Il fore leg of the
white weasel: wing. denied still by
her reluctant teeth, and i, leg of the
SnowEild-pitifuI remnants. tragic re
nunciationS. cruciiiXionS OF life, NOR
sells stolen from her terrible hunger by
her incredible love.
With maniacal laughter Smoke flung
it all out OH the hardening snow crust
and went back into the blackness.
He dreamed The Yukon ran dry.
In its bed. among muddy pools of wa
ter and ice secured rocks. he wandered.
picking up fat nugget gold. The
weight Of it grew to be burden to
him till he discovered that it was good
to eat And grecdily he ate. After
all. of what worth was gold that men
should prize it so. save that it was
good to eat?
He awoke to another sun. His brain
was strangely clear No longer did his
eyesight blur. The familiar paIpita-
ton that had veXed him through al his
frame was gone. The juices of his
body seemed to sing as if the spring
had entered it. Blessed well being had
| come to him. He turned to awaken
Labiskwee and saw and remembered.
| He looked for the food flung out on the
| snow 1t was gone. And he knew that
| in delirium and dream it had been the
Yukon nugget gold. In delirium and
dream he had taken heart of life from
| the life sacrifice of Labiskwee. who
had put her heart i'll his hand and
opened his eyes to woman and wonder.
He was surprised at the ease of his
| movements, astounded that he was
| able to drag her fur wrapped body to
the exposed thawed gravel bank. which
| he undermined and caved upon her.
Three days, with no further food, he
| fought west. In the mid third day he
fell beneath Il lone spruce beside 4
wide stream that ran open aud that
he knew must be the Klondike. Ere
biackness conquered him he unl;lshcd
his pack. said gOodby to the bright
world and rolled himself in the robes.
| Chipping, sleepy noises awoke him.
The long twilight was on. Above him
among the spruce bows were ptarmi-
gan. Hunger bit him into instant ac-
ton. though the action was infinitely
slow. Five minutes passed before he
was able TO get his rifle to his shou-
der. and a second five minutes passed
ere he dared, lying on his back and
aiming straight upward. to pull til"
trigger. 1t was Il clean miss. No bird
fell, but 10 bird few They ru!fled
and rustled stupidity and drowSily His
shoulder panied him. 4 second shot
was spoiled by the involuntary vince
he made rs he pulled trigger.
The ptarmigan had not flown He
| doubled and redoubled the robe that
| l.tltl SoN Citu IT'LL stuG IL Ill tlit
hollow between his right arm and his
side. Resting the butt of the rifle OF.
the fur. he fired again. and Il bird fell.
He clutched it greedily and found That
he had shot most of the meat from it,
The large caiiber bullet had left little
else than mess Of mangled feathers
Still the ptarmigan did not fly. ;nt!
lie decided that it was heads or moth
ing. He fired only at heads He re.
loaded and reloaded the magazine. He
missed: he hit. and the stupid ptarmi-
isan, that We're loath to fly. fell upon
him in a rain of food-lives disrupted
that his life might feed and live.
The first he ate raw. Then he rested
and slept. while his life assimiIated thu
life of it. In the darkness he aNoke,
hungry. with strength to build fire.