Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-12

/ ,.rrApTTR Nll-CuiiNil'Sus
-, ssme night, in the cold light
~ 49, -. moon. Kazan and Gray Wolf
~ o. u's ,sword into the country Of the
wv nis they followed the days ana
h,w rbjoh marked the winter OIL @ islv ss
Wy, ,he most terrible IN an tne Ius'0
/ M Northland-a singie Ino'I
vhsn A.,once. and when cold, starvation
D t.-,,e the vs,' wrote a chapter In the lives or
snd ps.s pi.ss neople which will not be forgot-
rt ~ Generations to come
W swomn Kazan and Gray Wolf
N so,,e under n windfall. IL was
f0una ao,,fortable nest. shut In entirely
NHah snow and wind She fattened
ron W e,,, on her belly, and painted to
leren, ,,oso, her contentment and salts
show xature again kept Kazan close at
heuon vision came to him, unreal
ner 49, sr, like. of that wonderful night
az ,ho stars-ages and ages ago it
unas. when he had fought the leader
n ~ wolf pack and young cray Wot
y srent TO his side after MS victory
" Nod given herself to him Tor mate.
"a, thIs mating season there was no
~. r,.s after the doe or the caribou, or
pn.,Ie pu,,ss with the wild pack They lived
nlns'e '.ss On rabbit and spruce partridge,
grw g,o NJ GRAY VOLTS blindness. Ka2an
- hunt those alone. The hair had
"o' ~ron,n over Gray VOLTS sightless
~ She had ceased to grieve, to rub
y. ovss with her paws, to whine Tor
~ ssoI,oht. the golden moon and the
y SLOWLY she began to forget that
t'hsd ever seen those things. She
"a row run more swiftly at Kazan's
~ Scent and hearing had become won
s'sn,llv keen. She could wind n caribou
,sn miles distant, and the presence OF
,ssn she could pick UP at an even greater
dlstance. On still night she had heard
~. snash Of a trout half a mile away.
"a ss these two things-scent and hear
a.. ~ became more and more developed in
~ thoe same senses became less active
Ii Kasan.
ID. beran TO depend upon Gray Wolf.
ens would point out the hiding place of
! nsrirldge 50 yards from their trail. In
,ssir hunts she became the leader-until
e.ra was found And as Kazan learned
a trust her In the hunt, so he began just
:. InstInctively to heed her warnings. II
ryav wolf reasoned. II was to the effect
Aaf without Kazan she would die. She
ssa tried hard now and then to catch
rartridre. or rabbit. but she had always
mIled. Knzan meant life her. And-if
,he reasoned-it was to make herself In
dspensable to her mate. Blindness had
made her different than she would other
wise have been. Again nature promised
motherhood to her But she did not-as
fhe would have done In the open, and
xith slght-hold more and more aloof
nom Kazan as the days passed. 1t was
hsr habit spring. summer and winter to
snucge close TO EaZan and lie with her
beautiful head resting on his neck or
hack II Kazan snarled at her she did
not snap back. but skunk down as though
struck a blow. With her warm tongCs she
would lick away the ice that froze to the
long hair between Kazan's toes. For
days after he had run silver in his paw
she nursed his foot. Blindness had made !
gazan absolutely necessary to her exist
snce-and now. in a different way, she be-
came more and more necessary to Kazan.
They we're happy in their swamp home. |
There was plenty of small game about |
hem, and II was warm under the wind |
fall Rarely did they go beyond the limits |
u the swamp to hunt. out on the more |
listant plains and the barren ridges they |
heard the cry of the wolf |
'ack on the trail Of meat but IL no longer |
hrilled them with desire to join In the |
hase
One night the big white moon had |
,round Its edge a crimson rim. 1t meant |
,old-intense cold. Always the plague
anne In the days of greatest cold-the
over the temperature the more terrible
Is havoc. 1t grew steadily colder that
lsht, and the increased chill penetrated
3 the heart of the windfall, and drew
iaSan and Gray Wolf together. With
lawn, which came at about o'clock.
nd In IND % tal oath
rto the day It was 80 degrees below
zero. About them the trees cracked with
tports like pistol shots. In the thick
st spruce the partridges were bumped
rto round balls OF feathers. The snow
hoe rabbits had burrowed deep under the
now or to the heart of the heaviest
indfalls
Kazan and Gray Wolf found few fresh
rails and after an hour of frultless
uniting they returned to their lair.
sasan, dog-like, had buried the half of
rabbit two or three days before. and
ihey dug this out of the snow and ate
ne frozen flesh.
Az that day II grew enthusiastically
oder The night that followed was
,oudiess, with white moon and brilliant
.I !Is The temperature had fallen an
Mer 10 degrees, and nothing was mov-
" Traps were never sprung on such
,snu, FOR even the furred things-the
llnk. and the ermine, and the lynx-lay
lus IN the holes and the nests they had
.ana tor themselves. An increasing
unser was not strong enough to drive
.azan =, and Gray Wolf from their wind
~. me next day there was no break in
y y terrible cold, and toward noon Kazan
y y IVY on hunt for meat, leaving Gray
~ IN the windfall. Being three-quar-
~ uos. FOOD was more necessary to
.4.sn tnan to his mate. Nature has
s,sa .s the wolf-breed for famine, and in
.snsfy temperature Gray Wolf could
~ lVed for fortnight without food.
= ,.'1 degrees below zero she could exist a
I ~, perhaps 10 days. Only 80 hours had
.'eu ~ since they had devoured the last
me ,ne frozen rabbit, and she was quite
1ssaea n,. 10 remain in their snug retreat.
~ Aazan was hungry. He began TO |
~ ~ the race OF the wind travelling |
sraiu the burned plain. He nosed about
~ ~ hindfall that he came to, and in
issued the thickets. A thin shot-llke
y nad fallen, and In this-from the |
rs,n 20 the burn-he found but a
mir usii, and that was the trail of an
! 's'ns. Under a windfall he caught the
ss scent OF a rabbit, but the rabbit
-..a ~ safe from him there as were the
s,Iriases alses In the trees, and after an hour
I 'sss aigging and gnawing he gave up
1 M hs'l. 10 reach IL. For three hours
,ols su nanted when he returned to Gray
lole ne was exhausted. While Gray
va rln the instinct of the wild, had
s,s, ner own strength and energy
' ,es. nad been burning up his reserve
~ ana was hungrier than ever.
NJ moon rose clear and brilliant in the
'es -sain San that night, and Kazan set out
81 more on the hunt.
aininr :, nIay Wolf to accompany him.