Judsonia weekly advance., 1918-04-17
fcopyrisSf by Little, Scown a Co,)
CHAPTER x-Co1tinued,

SkeeDa, risky and tedious piece of business, for the river run deep and strohSe
 PreseAf'y the way grew rougher. If anything, Roaring Bill increased his pace. He Himself no longer rode. When the ste,se,ess of the hills and canyons made the going hard the packs were redivided, ant henceforth Satin bore on his back a portion of the SUD- plies. Bill led the wav tirelessly. Through flies, river crossings, camp labor, and all the petty irritations of the trail he kept an unruff1ed spirit, fine, enduring patience that Hazel Nar- veled at and admired. Many a time, wakening at some slight stir she would find him cooking breakfast. In every way within his power he saved her.
 Many a strange shift were they put to. Once Bill had to fell great spruce across a twenty-foot crevice. It took him two days to hew 1t fiat so that his horses could be led over. The depth was bottomless to the eye, but from far below rose the cavernous growl of rushing water, and Hazel held her breath as each animal stepped gingerly over the narrow bridge. One misstep-
 Once they climbed three weary days up a precipitous mountain range. and, turned back In sight of the crest by an impossible cliff, were forced to back track and swing fifty-mile de tour. September was upon them. The do dx1rinH o6 in Ot tllo iulf grew to have frosty nip.
 Early and late he pushed on. Two camp necessities were fortunately abundant, grass and water. Even so, the stress of the trail told on the horses. They lost flesh. The extreme steepness of succeeding hills bred gals under the heavy packs. They grew leg weary, no longer following each other with sprightly step and heads high. Hazel pitied them, for she her self was trail weary beyond words. The vagabond instinct had fallen asleep. The fine aura of romance no longer lowered over the venture.
 Sometimes when dusk ended the days journey and she swung her stiff fened limbs out of the saddle, she would cheerfully have foregone all the gold In the North to be at her ease before the fireplace in their distant cabin, with her mans head nesting in her lap, and no toll of weary miles looming sternly on the morrow's hori- zon. It was all work trying work, the more trying because she sensed a latent uneasiness on her husbands part, an uneasiness she could never in- duce him to embody in words. Never theless, 1t existed, and she resented its existence-a trouble she could not share. But she could not put her fin ger on the cause, for Bill merely smiled denial when she mentioned it.
 Nor did she fathom the cause until upon a certain day which fell upon the end of weeks wearisome traverse of the hardest country yet encountered.
 They broke out of canyon up which they had struggled all day onto level plot where the pine stood In somber ranks. A spring creek split the flat in two. Beside this tiny stream Bill unlashed his packs. It still lacked two hours of dark. But he made no comment, and Hazel forbore to Trouble him with questions. Once the packs were off and the horses at liberty, Bill caught up his rife.
 "Come on, Hazel" he said. Lets take little hike"
 The flat was small, and once clear of 1t the pines thinned out on steep, rocky slope so that westward they could overlook vast network of can- yons and mountain spurs. But ahead of them the mountain rose to an up- standing backbone of jumbled granite, and on this backbone Bill Wagstaff bent an anxious eye. Presently they sat down on a powder to take a breathing spell after a stiff stretch of climbing. Hazel slipped her hand in his and whispered:
 "What is 1t, Billy-boy?"
 'Tm afraid we can't get over here with the horses" he answered slowly. "And if we can't find pass of some kind-well. come onl It isn't more thnn quarter of miie to the top"
 Just short of the top Bill halted, and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. And as he stood his gaze suddenly became fixed. a concentrated stare at point northward. He raised his glasses.
 "By thunderr he exclaimed. "I be- lieve-it's me for the top"