The Lamar register., 1917-07-18

his veins, and searched his very heart
to still Il.
Encouraging the Lady with kind
words, and caressing her In her crop
ing efforts as she turned head and tall
from the binding sheets Of snow and
Ice, De Spain let her drift, hoping she
might bring them through, what he
confessed in his heart to be, the mar
rowest of chances.
He bent low In his saddle under the
unending blasts. He bufteted his legs
and arms to fight Off the fatal cold. He
slipped more than once from his seat,
and with a hand on the pomnel
tramped beside the horse TO revive his
failing circulation, there would come
a time, he realized, when he could no
longer climb up again, but he STAYED
that issue OF to the last possible mo-
ment of endurance, because the Lady
made better time when he was on her
back. When the struggle to remount
had been repeated until nature could
no longer by any staggering effort be
made TO respond to his Will. until his
legs were no longer a part of his be
numbed being-until below his hips he
had no body answerable to his com
mands, but only two insensible masses
Of lead that anchored him to the
ground-he still forced the frozen feet
to carry him. in a feeble, monstrous
gait beside the Lady, while he dragged
with his hands on the saddle for her
patient aid.
One by one every thought, as If CON
sealed in their brain cells, deserted his
mind-save the thought that he must
not freeze to death. More than once
he had hoped the insensate fury Of the
blizzard might nbute. The Lady had
long since ceased to try to face 1t
ike stripped vessel before a hurri-
cane. she vas drifting under 1t. De
Spain realized that his helpless legs
would not carry him farther. His
hands, freezing TO the pommel, no
longer supported him. They finally
slipped from It and he fell prostrate in
the snow beside his horse. When he
would cry out to her his frozen lips
could humble no words 1t was the
fight no longer Of man against ma
ture, but only Of an lndomitable soul
against cruel, hateful death. He
struggled to his feet only to fall again
more heavily. He pulled himself up
this time by the stlrrup strap. got his
hands and arms up 10 the pommel. and
clung to it for few PAGES more. But
he fell at last, and could no longer rise
from the ground. The storm swept un-
ceasingly on.
The Lady. checked by the lines
wrapped on his arm, stopped. De
Spain lay a moment, then backed her
up step. pulled her head down by
the bride, clasped his wooden arms
around her neck, spoke to her, and,
lifting her heals the mare dragged him
to his feet Clumsily and helplessly
he loosened the tugs and the whiflle-
tree, beat his hands together with idi-
otic effort, hooked the middle point
of the whlfletree into the elbow of his
left arm. brought the forearm and
hand against his shoulder. and with
the hitching strap lashed his forearm
and upper arm tightly together around
the whinletree.
He drew the tugs stifiiy over the
Lady's back, unloosed the cinches OF
the saddle, pushed it or the horse and
sinking into the snow behind her
struck with his free arm at her feet
Relieved of the saddle, the Lady once
more started, dragging slowly beninC
her through the snow a still breathing
J human being. Less than an hour be
fore 1t had been a man. 1t was hardly
more now, as the Lady plodded on
than an insensate log. But not ever
death could part 1t again from th'
horse to which De Spain, alive, hat
fastened 1t.
Th~ ssA-fI main from tho t"-t"rs'