The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1918-03-08

any water In your veins, little person
Lord I'm afraid to let 20 of you for
fear you'll vanish into nothing. like
Hindu fakir stunt
"No fear" Hazel laughed. "rve got
pony tied to n tree out there. and
four Siwashes and a camp outfit over
by Crooked lake. If should vanish
I'd leave Il plain trail for you TO fol-
low"
swell" Bill said, after short 81
lcnce. ITS a hundred and forty miles
to a Hudson's Bay post where there's
IA mission and preacher, Let's be on
our way and get married. Then Wen
come back here and speid our honey
moon, eh?"
She nodded assent.
"Arc you game to stlyt In hair an
hour?" he asked, holdi'.g her Off at
arms length admlrlnglS
I'm game for anything, or wouldn't
he here" she retorted.
"All right You just watch an ex-
hibition of speedy packing" BIZ de-
clared-and straightwaI fell to work.
Hazel followed him about. helping to
get the kyaks packed with food. Ihey
caught the three horses, and BIZ
stripped the pony of HaZefs riding
gear and placed pack on him. Then
he put her saddle on Silk.
Hes your private mount hence
forth" Bill told her laughingly. "fouli
ride him with more pleasure than you
did the first time, won't you?"
Presently they were ready to start,
planning to ride past Limping Georges
camp and tell him whittier they were
bound. Hazel was already mounted.
Roaring Bill paused, with his toe In
the stirrup, and smiled whimsically ar
her over his horses back.
II forgot something" said he, and
went back into the cabin-whence he
shortly emerged, bearing in his hand
sheet of paper upon which some
thing was written in bold, angular
characters. This he pinned on the
door. Hazel rode Silk close TO see
what it might be, and laughed amused
ly, for Bill had written:
"Mr. and Mrs. William Wagstaff Will
be at home to their friends on and
after June the twentieth"
He swung up into his saddle. and
they logged across the open. In the
edge of the first timber they pulled
up and looked backward at the cabin
browsing silently under its sentinel
tree. Roaring Bill reached out one
arm and laid it across HaZel's shoN-
ders.
Little person." he said soberly,
here's the end Of one trail, and the
| beginning of another-the longest trail
either of us has ever faced. How does
it look to you"
She caught his fingers with quick,
! hard pressure.
"All trails look alike to me-" she
said with shining eyes, 'just so we
hit them together"
"What day Of the month is this,
BillY" Hazel asked.
Haven't the least idea," he an
swered lazly. "Time is of no cOnse-
quence 10 me at the present moment y
They were sitting on the warm earth
before their cabin, their backs propped
comfortably against log, watching
the sun sink behind a distant skyline
all notched with purple mountains
upon which snow still fingered. Beside
them a smudge dribbled a wisp Of
smoke sufficient to ward off a pesti-
lentlal swarm of mosquitoes and black
flies. In the clear, thin air of that
altitude the occasional voices of what
bird and animal life was abroad in the
wild broke into the evening hush with
astonishing distinctnesS-a lone goose
winged above in wide circles, uttering
his harsh and solitary cry. He had
lost his mate, Bill told her. Far off in
the bush fox barked. The evening
flight of the wild ducks from Crooked
lake to q chain Of swamps passed In
termittently over the clearing with a
sibilant whistle of wings. To all the
wild things, no less than to the two
who watched and listened to the forest
traffic, it was land of peace and
plenty.
eve ought to go up to the swamps
tomorrow and rustic some duck eggs
Bill observed irrelevantly--his eyes fol.
lowing the arrow flight of mallard
flock. But his wife was counting au.
dibly. checking the days off on heE
fingers.