The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-08-23

'AAAA 'iii "hAANA "a Wv iNAPA hhtb
away. and was followed 10y deep night.
kazan stopped in the trail. He came
back then and sat down upon his
launches beside her. waiting for her
To move and speak. But She was very
Still. He thrust his uuSc into her loose
hair. 4 whine rose in his throat. ana
suddenly he raised his head and
shifted in the face Of the wind. Some
thing came to him with that wind. He
muzzlcd Joan again. hut She did not
stir. Then he went forward. and stood
In his traces. ready for the pun, AMI
looked back at her. still She did not
or speak, and kaZan's whine
gave place 10 a sharp, excited bark.
The strange thing in the wind came
10 him stronger for a moment. He
began TO pun. The sled-e runner
had frozen 10 the snow. and il ooh
every ounce Of his strength to free
them. Twice during the next five min
utes ne stopped and shifted the air.
The third time that he halted, in IA
drift If Snow, he returned to Joan's
side again, and Whined 10 awaken her.
Then he tugSed again at the END of
his traces, and foot hy foot he dragged
the sledSe through the drift. Beyond
the drift there was a stretch Of clear
ice, and here kazau rested. During a
lull IN the wind The scent came to him
stronger than before.
Al the end OF the clear ice was a
narrow break in the shore, where a
creek ran into the mqin stream. If
Joan had been conscious she would
have urged him straight ahead. But
kazan turned into the break. and for
ten minutes he struggled through the
show without Il rest, whining more
AMI more frequently, until at last the
whine broke into "A joyous bark. Ahead
of him, close TO the creek. was Il small
cabin. Smoke was rising out of the
chimney. 1t was the scent Of smoke
that had come 10 him in the wind. A
hard, level slope reached 10 the cabin
door, and with the last strength that
was in him. kazan dragged his bur
den up that. Then be settled himself
back beside Joan, lifted his shaggy
head to the dark sky ana howlei.
A moment later the door opened. A
man came out. kazan'S redeemed,
Snow-shot eyes followed him watch
fully as he ran to the sledge. He
heard his startled exclamation as he
bent over Joan. In another lull of the
wind there came from out of the mass
of furs on the sledge the wailing, half
s~rpothered voice of baby Joan.
A deep sigh Of relief heaved up from
Kazan's chest. He vas exhausted.
His strength was gone. His feet were
torn and bleeding. But the voice OF
baby Joan filed him with a range
happiness, and he lay down in his
traces, while the man carried Joan and
the baby into the life and warmth OF
the cabin.
A few minutes later the man reap
peared. He was not old, like Pierre
Radisson. He came close to Kazan,
and looked down at him.
MY God" he said. And you did
that-alone!"
He bent down fearlessly, unfastened
him from the traces, and led him
toward the cabin door. Kazan hesi.
tated but ~once-almost on the thresh.
old. He turned his head, swift and
alert. From put Of the moaning and
wailing OF the storm 1t seemed to him
that for a moment he had heard the
voice OF Gray Wolf.
Then the cabin door closed behind
him.
Back In a shadowy corner Of the
cabin he lay, while the man prepared
something over a hot stove for Joan.
1t was a long time before Joan rose
from the cot on which the man had
placed her. After that kazan heard
her sobbing; and then the man made
her eat, and for a time they talked
Then the stranger hung up a big blan.
ket In front Of the bunk, and sat down
close to the stove. Quietly kazan
slipped along the wall, and crept I'm.
der the bunk. For a long time he
could hear the sobbing breath of the
girl. Then all was still.
The next morning he slipped out
through the door when the man opened
1t, and sped swiftly into the forest,
Half a mile away he found the trail
Of Gray Wolf, and called to her. From
the frozen river came her reply, and
he went to her.
vainly Gray Wolf tried TO lure him
back into their old haunts-away
from the cabin and the scent Of man.
Late that morning the man h~arnessed
his dogs. and from the fringe of the
forest KaZan saw him tuck Joan and
the baby among the furs on the sledge,
as old Pierre had done. All that day
he followed In the trail Of the team,
with Gray Wolf sinking behind him.
They travelled until dark and then,
under the stars and the moon that had
followed the storm. the man still urged
On his team. 1t was deep In the night
when they came to another cabin. and
the "a beat Upon the door. A light,
the opening of the door. the joyous
welcome Of a mans voice, JOan's Sob
bling cry-Kazan heard these from the