The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1917-10-04
CHAPTER xll-contlnued.

casn under one % the closed win
dows. Il was old, and worn out. nuD
bIaestued by snow and rain bu, n
iny down beside IT, and remained thcr
for long tlme. while the baby Joan
, d thousand miles away wns playu,
win The strange toys Of civilization
Then he returned 10 Gray Wolf amOni
The spruce and balsam.
The cabin was the one place q
which Gray Wolf would not follow
him. Al All other times she was at bib
side Now that she had become ac
custOmod 10 blindness she even nc
compnuied him on his HINTS, until he
struck game, and began the chase
Then she would wait for him Kazan
usually hunted the big snow-shoe rab-
bits. But one night he ran down ana
I killed young doe. The Kill was too
heavy 10 drag TO Gray Wolf, so he re-
turned TO where she was waiting for
him and guided her to the feast. In
many why's they became more and
more inseparable as the summer
heightened, until nt last, through all
the wilderness, their footprints were
always two by two and never one by
one,
Then came the great fire.
Gray Wolf caught the scent of II
when Il was stlll two days to the west.
The moon, drifting into the west, be-
came blood red. When II dropped be-
hind the wilderness in this manner
the Indians called It the bleeding moon,
and the air was filed with omons.
All The next day Gray Wolf was
nervous. and toward noon Kuzan
caught in the aIr the warning that she
hud senscd mnuy hours ahead Of him
Steadily the scent grew stronger and
by the middle OF the afternoon the sun
was yelled by Blm OF smoke.
The flight Of the Wild things from the
triangle OF forest between the juno
tions Of the PipcstOne aud Cree rivers
would have begun then, but the wind
shifted. II WIS fatal shift, The fire
was raging from the west and south.
Then the wind swept straight east
ward carrying the smoke with it, and
during this breathing spell all the wild
creatures in the triangle between the
two rivers waited This gave the tire
time 20 sweep completely across the
base Of the forest triangle, cutting on
the last trails of escape
Then the wind shifted again, and the
FIRE swept north The head of the tri-
angle became deuth-trap All through
the night the southern sky was filled F..
with Il mrId glow, and by morning the /
heat ana smoke and ash were suttocut- /
ing
PnniC-stricken, Ea2un searched vain .
~ for Il means OF escape. Not for an .
instant did he leave Gray Wolf Il T
would have been easy for him 10 swim
across either OF the two streams, for
he was thrcc,quartcrs dog But at the
first touch of water on her paws. Gray
Wolf drew bnck, shrinking. Like an
her breed. she would face lire and
death before water Eazan urged. 4
dozen times he leuped In. and SWAIN
out into the stream, But Gray Wolf
would come no farther than she could
wade.
They could hear the distant murmur.
ne roar OF The fire now. Ahcud of II
anne the Wild things Moose. caribou
md deer plunged into the water of the
streams and swan to the safety Of the
opposite side. ont upon white finger
II sand numbered big black bear with
wa cubs and even the cubs tool; to
he water, and swan across easily. Ia. .
an watched them. and whlncd 10 Gray J
Volt
And then out upon that white finger G
I sand came other things that dreaded Il
be- water ms Gray Wolf dreaded Il. a
* fnt p0rCuplue, sleek little marten. Il
iishcrcat That shifted the ulr aud u
allied like II child. Those things that h
Duld not or would not swim uutnum. 70
erred the others three To one. Hun :,
reds OF little ermiue scurried along d
De- shore like rats. their Squcaking lit. Il
e voices sounding necessarily: foxes C
10 swiftly along the buuSs seeking d
Tree or wIndfuli that might bridge "a
,e water for them; the lynx snurled ID
avs AN''A 'i' NANr NhA gray W OH Z w
SD tIbp--thc woIyps-dured take 40 G,
'rprr step than she OF
Dripping and painting. and half rl
lubrd by hrar aud smoke Eazun came in
Gray W0lrs side. There was buf I'll
ie refuge lelt near them. and that
as the sand bar Ir reached OUT for fr
ty feet into jhe strram Quickly he. II
D his blind mate toward ir. As they q,
me through the low brush To the %,
ser-bed something stopped then, Iy
a. To their n0strus had come the GO
ent Of a dgadI.cr enemy than fire. A
TX had taken possession Of the sand If,
r.. and was crOuehing 81 the end NJ ",
Three pOrcupiues had dragged ve
euseIves into the edge Of the water r,.
d lay there like balls. their qnfIs I'm
art and quiyering A fsher-cat was W
arllHg at the lynx. And the lynx IN
"a ears laid back, watched Kazar II,
d Gray Wolf as they began the inya- wi
N Of the sand bar. an
Cray Wolf was full OF fight W,
d she sprang shoulder to shoulder
tn Kazan, her fangs barred. With an w
CRY snap, Kazan drove her back, and In