The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-03-02

mainly. taking on th, appearance Of WI"
/ boasts. hunted and desperate. Tier
/ cheeks and noses. as an aftermath u!
the freezing. has turned black Ihci:
frozen toes had h"gun - drop away ~
the first and second joints. Every move
ment brought pain. but th:. tr, box was
! unsuitable. wrInEInE 4 ransom OF torture
from their miscra biz bodies. Day i'll
day out II demanded lts fuod.--a v"riiH-
BILE pound OF flcsh.--and they drAESrd
! themselves into the forest Ia chop WOOD
on their knees. Once. craw ing mus
, in search If dry sticks. unknown I"
each o,hey they entered 4 :hick"t from
. oppoSitc sides. Suddenly. without warn
Ing. two pering death S-hcads confront
I ed each other. Suffering mad :" trans
! formed them that recognition "aS
impossible. They s3raHg 1" their te:,:
! shriekinx with terror. ard dashed away
On their mingled SturpS: and tallinE
al the cabin door. they rlawcG and
scratched like demons til they dtsc"v-
cred thsir mistake.
Occasionally they lapsed normal. and
during one of these sane Intervals ne
chief bone of contention. ihr sugar. had
been divided equally h"i" th""l
They guarded their separate. sacks. %inr-
ed up in the cache with jealous eyes
for there were hu, few 'nptnLs rtt.
and they were totally devoid Of ;IitE
in each other But one la% Cuthtcrt
made 4 mistake. Hardly able {" move
sick with paia. with his h"Asu swim
ming and eyes blinded. he crcpt INFO inc
cache. sugar. canister in hand. ana MIS-
took Weatherbcc'S sack for his own.
January had n.en bora HI, Il !Hw days
when this occurred. The sun had some
time since passed it's lowest southern
defamation. and Il: meridian n"% threw
Haunting s,rcaks OF yellow light upon
tbs. northern sky on the day t"!i"wihG
his mistake with theSuSarhaE. tuth: crt
found himself Feeling better. h"th IN
body and in spirit: AS n"ontImc drew
near and the day Frightened. he drag
ged himself outside to feast on the cr-
ancSceat glow, which was to him an ear
rest OF the suns future Intentions.
W.atherhee was also feeling somewhat
better and crawlcd out beside hiW.
The propred themselves. in the snow
beneath III" movelcSs wind-Vane' ana
waited.
Thestil!ness Of death was about them
In other ClimeS. when nature fails mo
such moods. there Is n suGdued air or
expectancy. Il waiting for some small
So.ce TO take up the broken strain. Not
So IN the North. The two mon mad rived
seeming ac4rS In this EhoStly rcarc.
Thev could reniemher no song OF The
u;.S;: ,hry could ronJure no song nf the
future This ,iurar,hiy calm had alwaE3
heen.--th" tranquil silence OF ETERNITY
Their ey.S were fixed upon thu north.
Unseen behind their backs. behind the
towering mountains 20 the south. IN"
sun swept toward the zenith OF another
sky than theirs Sol" spectators OF th''
mighty canvas. thrN Wa'cneH tne 'a'N'e
dawn slowly grow \ faint flame began
to glow and shoulder. 1t G"epen"u IN IN
teuSity. ringing III" changes OF reddish
yellow. purple. and saffron. so hriSi
did II become thai ',uthtert thought 'ii''
sun must surely be behind !t.--a miroc!'
the sun rising in the north. Suddenly
without warning and without FADING.
the CANVAS was swept clean: mere was
no color in thH sky TIC light End , T"nE
hreathss inhalf-Sobs. But 10! theair was
;a-glint with Particles Of scintfllatins
frost. and there to the north. the wind
vane lny. in vague outline on the snow.
J. 4 shallow: y shadow. X was exactly
midday. They jerkcd their heads hrrrid-
liz 20 thasouth a golden rim ncsped ovcr
ithe mountains snowy shoulder Sni'!cd
upon them an instant. then dipped from
sight again
There were tears in their eyes as they
sought each other. strang sottoninS
came over them. They felt irreSisttbly
drawn toward e;'>h other Tne sun wa
coming back again. II would be with
them tomorrow. and the next day, and
the next. And It would stay longer
every visit, and time would come When
It would ride their heaven day ana
night, never once dropping below the
skyline Their. would be no night. The
] ice-lockcd winter would be broken; the
wind would blow and the forests an
swcr: the land would battle In the
blessed sunshine. ard life renew. Hand
lin hand they would quit this horrid
Edream and journey hack to the South.
land. They lurched hl!ndly forward and
| ,hcir hands met--the'r poor manned
hands. swollen and distorted beneath
thnir nlittcnS.
But the promise was destined to re-
main unfutfilled. The Northland Is the
| Northland, and men work out their
souls by strange rules. which other men
lwho havs not journeyed Into far coun-
tries cannot come to understand.
| An hour later, tuthtert put Il pan ot
bread into the oven. and fell 70 specu-
lating on what the surgeons coul4 40
with his feet when he got back. Home
, did not seem SO very FAR away now.
/ Heatherbee was rummagiug In HI"
cache. or sudden. he raised whirl.
; wind Of blasphcmy. which in turn ccas-
! cd with startling abruDtneSS. The other
! man had robbed hts SuEar-sack. Still.
things might have happened differently
had not the two dead men com" out
from under the stones and huShcd the