Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1918-03-01

" stepping over this rock and around
that as il it were the tsimplest thing in
the world to find sure footing and car
~ his lady smoothly up that trail. He
threw up his head SO suddenly that
Billy Louise was startled out of her
aimless dreamings and pointed nose
and ears toward the little creek bot
tom above, where Marthy had lighted
her campfire long and long ago.
A few steps farther and Blue STOP
ped short in the trail to look and lis
ten. Billy Louise could see the nerv-
Gus twitchings Of his muscles under
the skin of neck and shoulders, and she
smiled to herself. Nothing could ever
come upon her unaware when she rode
alone so long as she rode Blue. A
hunting dog was not more keenly alive
to his surroundings.
''Go on, Blue" she commanded after
a minute. IF it's bear or anything
like that you can make run for it;
If it's wolf I'll shoot it. You needn't
stand here all night, anyway"
Blue went on, out from behind the
willow growth that hid the open. He
returned to his calm, picking smooth
trail through the scattered rocks and
tiny washouts. 1t was the girls turn
to stare and speculate. She did not
know this horseman who sat negligent
! " in the saddle and looked up at the
cedar grown bluff beyond while his
horse stood knee deep in the little
stream She did not know him, and
| there were not SO many travellers in
the land that strangers were matter
of Indifference.
| Blue welcomed the horse with dem
ocratic nicker and went forward brisk
| ly. And the rider turned his head,
eyed the girl sharply as. she came up
| and nodded cursory greeting. His
horse lifted it's head to look, decided
that it wanted another swallow or two
| and lowered its muzzle again to the
| water.
Billy Louise could not form any opin-
| ion Of the mans age or personality, for
| he was encased in a wolfskin coat
which covered him completely from
! hat brim to ankles. She got an impress
sion Of a thin, dark face and a sharp
| glance from eyes that seemed dark
also. There was thin, high nose, and
| beyond that Billy Louise did not look.
II she had the mouth must certainly
have treasured her somewhat.
Blue stepped nOnchalantly down into
the stream beside the strange horse
and went across without stopping to
drink. The strange horse moved on
also, as if that were the natural thing
to do-which it was, since chance sent
them travelling the same trail Billy
Louise set her teeth together with the
queer little vicious click that had al
ways been her habit when she felt
| thwarted and constrained to yield to
circumstances and Strengthened herself
in the saddle.
| "Looks like storm" the fur coated
one observed, with perfectly trans
parent attempt to tighten the aWk-
wardness.
Billy Louise tilted her chin upward
and gazed at the gray sweep of clouds
moving sullenly toward the mountains
at her back. She glanced at the man
and caught him looking intently at her
face.
He did not look away Immediately;
as he should have done, and Billy Lou
Use felt little heat wave of embar-
rassment, emphasized by resentment.
Are you going far?" he queried in
the same tone he had employed before.
"Six miles," she answered shortly,
though she tried to be decently civil.
i've about eighteen" he said.
'Looks like we'll both get caught out
in a blizzard"
Certainly he had a pleasant enough
voice, and, after all, it was not his
fault that he happened to be at the
crossing when she rode out of the
gorge. Billy Louise, in common JUS
tice, laid aside her resentment and
| looked at him with hint of smile
at the corners of her lips.
''That's what we have to expect when
we travel in this country in the win
ter" she replied. Eighteen miles will
take you long after dark"
well, was sort of figuring on put
ting up at some ranch if it got too bad.
| Il hCA . a AOANh SO1uCWAClO dAC1U On
the Wolverine, isn't therew
EYES," Billy Louise bit her lip, but
hospitality is an unwritten law Of the
West, law not to be lightly broken.
That's where live. Well be glad to
have you stop there Of course
The stranger must have felt and adj
mired the unconscious dignity of her
tons and words, for he thanked her
simply and refrained from looking too
| intently at her face.
Fine siftings Of snow, like meal flung
down from gigantic sieve, swept into
| their faces as they rode on. The man
| turned his face toward her after long
silence. She was riding with bowed
head and face half turned from him
and the wind alike.
you'd better ride on ahead and get
in out OF this" he said CURLY. "Your
horse is fresh. It's going to be worse
and more Of 1t before long. This
cayuse Of mine has had thirty miles
or SO of rough going"