Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1917-07-05

| ' ~SN"u thV opVuihB hIots uhu Dill
slipped out into the starlight like 1
shadow. But she did not flee. Gu
In the open space she waited fol
knzan, and for moment the tw,
stood there, looking at the cabin. TheI
they set OF Into freedom, Gray Wolf,
shoulder at Kazan's flank.
In the swamp Knznn and Gray Wolf
found home under wlndfall. Il
WAS small, comfortable nest, shut IL
entirely from the snow and wind. Gray
Wolf took possession OF II Immediately
She fiattened herself out ON her belly
and painted TO show Kazan her con
tentment and satisfaction. Kazan kept
close at her side. A vision came tC
HIN, unreal and dreamllke, Of that
wonderful Eight under the stars-ages
aud ages ago, II seemed-when he had
fought the leader Of the wOlf-pack, and
young Gray Wolf had crept to his side
after his victory and had given her.
self to him FOR mate.
The hair had now begun Ia grow
over Gray VOLTS sightless eyes. She
had ceased 10 grleve. Ia rub her eyes
with her paws 10 whine for the sun
light. the golden moon and the stars.
Slowly she began To forget that She
had ever seen those things. She could
not run more swiftly nj kazan's flank.
Scent and hearing had become won
derfully keen. She could wind II carl.
bOu two miles distant. and the pres
ence of man she could pick up ut an
even greater distance. On Il still night
she had heard the splash Of II trout
half mile away. And rs these two
things-scent and hcarlng-became
more and more developed In her, those
ian.
He began to depend upon Gray Wolf.
She would point out the hiding place
Of partridge fifty yards from their
trail. In their hunts she became the
leader-until game was found. And
us KaZan learned Ia trust Ia her IN the
hunt. so he began just rs instinctively
TO heed her warnings. II Gray Wolf
reasoned, II was 10 the effect that
without KaZan she would die. She had
tried hard now and then To catch q
partridge or n rabbit, but she had al
ways failed KaZan meant life 10 her.
And-if she reasOned-lt was TO make
herself Indispensable to her mate.
1t was her habit, spring. summer
and winter, to Snuggle close to kazan
and lie with her beautiful head resting
on his neck ar back. If Kazan snarled
ut her she did not snap back, hut skunk
down as though struck blow. With
her warm tongue she would lick the
long hair between Kazan's toes. For
days after he had run silver In his
paw she nursed his foot. Blindness
had made KaZan absolutely necessary
to her existence-and now. in a differ
ent way, she became more and more
necessary to Kazan. They were happy
in their swamp home. There was
plenty If small game about them.
Rarely did they go beyond the limits
of the swamp 10 hunt.
One day they struck farther than
usual to the west. They left the swamp,
crossed II plain over which fire had
swept the preceding year. climbed n
ridge, and descended into second
plain. At the bottom Gray Wolf
stopped and shifted the air. At these
times Kazan always watched her, walt
Ing eagerly and nervously II the scent
was too faint for him to catch. But
today he caught the edge of 1t, and
he knew why Gray VOLTS ears fiat
tened, and her headquarters dropped.
The scent Of game would have made
her rigid and alert. But 1t was not the
game smell. 1t was human, and Gray
Wolf skunk behind Kazan and whined.
For several minutes they stood without
moving or making a sound, and then
Kazan led the way on.
Less than three hundred yards away
they came to thick clump OF scrub
spruce, and almost ran into a tepee.
It was abandoned. Life and fire had
not been there for long time. But
from the tepee had come the man-smell.
With legs rigid and his spine Qulvering,
Kazan approached the opening to the
tepee. lie looked In. In the middle or
the tepee, lying on the charred embers
Of a fire, lay ragged blanket-and In
the blanket was wrapped the body OF
q little Indian child. KaZan could see
the tiny moccasined feet. But so long
had death been there that he could
scarcely smell the presence of 1t. They
skunk away, their ears tiattened and
their tails dropping, and did not stop
until they reached their swamp home.
Even there Gray Wolf still shifted the
horror and her muscles twitched and
shivered as she lay close at Kazan's
Jide.
(To he eontinued)