Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-12
CHAPTER VII
A NInhA a rnii

| "A OF the wiliow-up into which etsrn
/ had fairly nung her. and where he had
himself clambered with ths beasts ravenins
az his lcEs-tho two cole survivors OF the
human race watched tho glowerinE eyes that
dotted the velvet gloom.
~ estimate n couple OF hundred. all told, =
Judged Allan "Odd we never ran across
any OF thcm before tonight Must be some
kind of migration under way--maybe eorna
big shift ~ game, OF deer. or buffalo. or
what-not but then In that case, they
wouldn't he so starved, 10 dead-set-on,yvhite
meat az they seem 20 be"
Bcta shifted her place on a horizontal
limb
"Its awruly hard fora soft wood.-,sr rhs
remarked. "Do YOU think wen have tostny
here long. dear7"
"That depends don't SEQ that the fir-
teen wc'vo killed since roosting hero havs
served as any terrible examples 10 the
others. And we're about twenty cartridges
90 tho bad. They're not worth u, these
devils We've got 60 rave our ammunition
for something edible tlll I can yet my shop
10 running aud begin making my own pow
der. MOI must bo there's somo other and
better way"
but what2" asked tho girl ''we'ro.safe
enough here. but we'ro not getting any
nearer homo--and I'm so hungryw
Same here Stern colnclded. 'And the
lunch was all In the boat worse luck Who
tho dcucc could have cut her loosef I
thought we'd pretty crcctuaily cleared out
those tIlnkmatlnlis or whatever the Horde
consisted or But evidently something, or
somebody II still left alive with n terrific
grudgo against us or an awful longing for
navigation"
Was tho cord broken or cutT-
"t'll see"
stern clamhercd TO lower branch with
the trigger guard Of his rino he was able 20
catch tho cord All about tho trunk. mean-
while tho wolves lepped snarling. The
fctid animal smell OF them was strong upon
the air-that, and tho scent OF blood and
raw meat whore they had feasted on tho
slain
with tho severed cord Allan climbed back
TO where Beatrice sat,
Hold tho rife will you7t asked no A
and by tho quick showers of sparks
that issued from HIS flint and steel no was
examining the leather thong,
"Cut! :"
"Cut? But thon. then"
NO lido or wind to blame. Some Intefli-
at work herc-is at worlS--opposed TO uA"
"Rut whRt2"
mo telling There may bo more things
In this world vet than either OF us dream.
Perhaps wo committed very grave error
TO leave tho apparently peaceful little nook
wc'No got mp there ON the Hudson. and
taClSlo this place again. But who could
ever have thought OF anything like this after
that terrible Slaughter"
They kept silence few minutes Tho
wolves now had sunk to n plane of COM
pnratiyo insignlncance. At tho very worst
Stern could nnnihIlate them ono by ono with
n lavish expenditure of his ammunition. Tn.
noticed now they yclpcd and scratched and
howlcd about the tree. sat on their launches,
waiting In the gloom, or sneahed-vaguO
the deeper dusks OF the
forest
And onco again the east began to glow,
even as when no and she had watched tho
moon rise over the hills beyond the Hud-
son; and their hearts beat with Joy for
even that relief from the dark mystery Of
solitude and night.
After n while tho man spoke.
Its this way" snid he. Whoever cut
that cord and either let tho bancA float
away or else stole Il, evidently doesn't
want TO como to close quarters for tho
present, so long as these wolves are maxi
ng themselves friendly,
Perhaps, In n way. tho wolves are q
actor In our favor: perhaps, without them,
We might have had a poisoned arrow stick
Ing into us. or a spear or two before now ,
My guess tx that well get wide berth so
ong as tho wolves stay in tho neghbor-
lood. / think the anthropoids. or who
iver they We're, must have been calculating
IN ambushlng us as wo came back. and ex-
'ccted TO get us while We were hunting for
he boat.
IHel ulun 7 reckon on tniS little diver
ion When they heard Il they probably
departed for other regions. They won't
10 coming around just yet, that's a safe
wager. Mighty lucky, chr Think what Al
argcts we'd make. up hero in this willow.
" moonlight" !"
You're right, Allan. But when II comes
aylight Wen make better ones. And I
ont know that I enjoy sitting up here and
tarNing to death, with "a body-guard OF
'olvea TO keep away tho Horde very much
loro than l would taking chance with
he arrows, It's two slxes either way, and
ot bit nice, is it?"
Hang the whole businessl There must
q some other way--some way out OF this
1fernal Pickle Hold On-wait-I-I al
lost see II now I"
What's your plan, dear?'
Wait Let me think minute |"
She kept silence. Together they sat
mong the spreading branches In the grow
lg moonlight a bat reeled overhead.
hipperng weakly Ear away whlppoor-
.lll began It's iiuty. inslstent strain A
lstant cry Of some hunting beast echoed.
weird, among tho dead. de-
'rted streets buried In oblivion The brush
.ackled and snapped with the movements
the wolf-pack: the continued snArllnK,
mining, yapplng, stilled the chorus OF the
ogS along the sedgy banks.
~ could only snare good, lfely one i'
iddenly broke out Stern.
what fOTy'
why don't you see?" And with sud
m inspiration he eNpounded, Together,
yer aa children they planned. Beatrios
apped her hands with sheer delight.
but" she added pensyey, "it'll be q
tle hard on the wolf. won't it?"
Stern had TO laugh
"Nes,H he assented; but think how much
~ learn about the new kind OF game he
led 10 hunt
lialf an hour later a grim old warrior
the pack, deity and securely caught bv
le hind Lex with tho slip-noosed leather
rd, dangled Inverted from a limb. high
Il or reach Of the others.
CONTINUED TOMORROW