Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1917-05-17

q looH WulunB howl, ulleo WIN pluin'
dive sadness II was Kazan's farewell
to the woman.
Altar that CRY KaSan sat for long
time on his Launches, smiling the new
freedom Of the air, and watching the
deep black pits In the forest about him,
a. they faded away before dawn. Now
and than, since the day the traders had
nrst bought him and put him into
IledgStraces away over on the Macken-
Eis. he had often thought Of his free
dom longingly, the wolf blood In him
urging him 70 take It. But no had
never quite dared. It thrilled him now.
There were no clubs here, no whips,
none Of the man.beasts whom he had
nrst learned to dlstrust, and then to
hate. Il was his misfortune-that
quarterstrain Of wolf; and the clubs,
instead Of Subdulng him, had added to
the Savagery that was born in him.
Men had been his worst enemies. They
had beaten him time and again until he
was almost dead. They called him
bad" and stepped wide Of him, and
never missed the chance to snap q
whip over his back. His body was Gov
cred with scars they had given him.
He had never felt kindness, or love,
until the first night the woman had put
her warm little hand on his head, and
had snuggled her face close down to
his, while Thorpe-her husband-had
cried out in horror. he had almost
buried his fangs In her white flesh, but
In an instant her gentle touch, and her
sweet voice. had sent through him that
wonderful thrill that was his first
knowledge Of love. And now It was a
man who was driving him from her,
away from the hand that had never
held club or a whip, and he growled
% be trotted deeper into the forest. !
He came to the edge of q swamp az
day broke. For a time he had been
filled with a strange uneaslness, and
Light did not quite dlspel 1t. At last
he was free Of men. he could detect
nothing that reminded him Of their
hated presence In the air. But neither
could he smell the presence Of other
dogs, Of the sledge, the fire. Of compass
ionship and food, and SO far back as he
could remember they had always been
q part Of his life.
Here II was very quiet. The swamp
lay In a hollow between two ridge
and the spruce and cedar
grew low and thlck-so thick that
there was almost no snow under them,
and the day was like twilight. Two
things he began to miss more than all
others-food and company. Both the
wolf and the dog that was In him do
manded the first, and that part of him
that was dog longed for the latter. To
both desires the wolf blood that was !
strong in him rose responsibility. 1t told
him that somewhere in this silent .
world between the two ridges there |
was companlonshIp, and that oil he
had to do to find 1t was to sit back on
his launches, and cry out his lOneli-
ness. More than once something trem-
bled In his deep chest, rose In his
throat, and ended there in whine. 1t |
was the wolf howl, not yet quite born.
Food came more easily than voice. |
Toward midday he cornered q big |
white rabbit under a log, and killed It.
The warm flesh and blood was better
than frozen fish, or tallOw and bran,
and the feast he had gave him conf
dence. That afternoon he chased many
rabbits, and killed two more. Until
now. he had never known the delight Of |
pursuing and killing at will, even
though he did not eat all he killed.
But there was no fight In the rab-
bits. They-dled too easily. They were |
very sweet and tender to eat, when he
was hungry, but the first thrill Of kill
Ing them passed away after time. He
wanted something bigger. He no long
er skunk along as II he were afraid, or
II, II he wanted to remain hidden. He
held his head up. His back bristled.
His tall swung free and bushy, like q
VOLTS. Every hair in his body Quiv-
eTed with the electric energy Of life
and action. He Travelled north and
west, II was the call Of early days
the days away up on the Mackenzie.
The Mackenzie was q thousand miles
away.
BE came upon many trails In the
snow that day. and shifted the scents
left BY the hoofs Of moose and caribou,
and the fur-padded feet Of lynx. He
a fox, and the trail led him to
4 place shut In by tall spruce, where
the snow was beaten down and red
dened with blood. There was an owls
head feathers, wings and entralls lying
here, and he knew that there were
other hunters abroad besides himself.
Toward evening he came upon tracks
IN the snow that were very much like
bis own. They were quite fresh, and
there was q warm scent about them
that made him whine, and filed him
again with that desire to fall back up
On his launches and send forth the
wolf-cry. This desire grew stronger
ln him as the shadows Of night deep
ened In the forest. he had Travelled
all day, but he was not tired. There