Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1918-02-28

scrfption. "IF some more nh these boys
that have blazed trails through this
country would do the same thing
they'd be better off. A chunk of land
anywhere in this country is good
bet now. Well have rails here from
the coast in a year. Better freeze
onto a couple uh lots here in Halle
ton, while they're low. Be plumb to
the skies in ten years. Natural place
for a city, Bill. It's astonishin' how
the settlers is COMM"
There was ocular evidence of this
last, for they had followed in road
we'll rutted from loaded wagons. But
| Bill invested in no real estate, not
withstanding the positive assurance
that Hazleton was on the ragged edge
of q boom.
maybe, maybe" he admitted. But
I've got other fish to fry. That one
piece up by Pine river will do me for
a while"
! Here where folk talked only of gold
and pelts and railroads and settlement
and the coming boom that would make
them all rich, Bill Wagstaff added two
more ponies to his pack train. These
he loaded down with food, staples only,
flour, sugar, beans, salt, tea and .cof-
fee, and a sack of dried fruit. Also
he bestowed upon Niger a further
burden of six dozen steel traps.
/ And In the cool OF midsummer
morning, before Hazleton had rubbed
the sleep out of its collective eyes and
taken up the days work of discussing
| Its future greatness, Roaring Bill and
his wife draped the mosquito nets over
their heads and turned their faces
north.
They bore out upon a wagon road.
For brief distance only did this en-
dure, then dwindled to path. A turn
In this hid sight Of the clustered log
houses and tents, and the two steam
ers that lay up against the bank. The
river itself was soon lost in the far
stretches of forest. Once more they
rode alone in the wilderness. For the
first time Hazel felt quick shrinking
from the North, an awe of its huge,
silent spaces, which could so easily
engulf thousands such as they and still
remain land untamed.
On the second day they crossed the
Skeena, a risky and tedious piece of
business, for the river ran deep and
! strong.
Presently the way grew rougher. If
anything Roaring Bill increased his
pace. He himself no longer rode.
When the steepness of the hills and
canyons made the going hard the packs
were redivided a&d henceforth Satin
bore on his back q portion of the sup
plies. Bill led the way tirelessly.
Through flies, river crossings, camp
labor, and all the petty irritations of
the trail he kept an unruffied spirit, a
fine, enduring patience that Hazel mar
veled at and admired. Many a time,
Weakening 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 a great
spruce across a twenty-foot crevice. 1t
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
turned back in sight of the crest by
an impossible cliff, were forced to
back track and SWING a fifty-nile de-
tour. September was upon them. The
days dwindled in length, and the nights
grew to have frosty nip.
Early and late he pushed on. Two
camp necessities were fortunately
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
; 1OuSCk uONClCu OfCl LIE NChlutC.
| 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
gIld 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-
ION. 1t 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, it existed, and she resented its
existence trouble she could not
share. But she could not put her fin
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