The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1918-01-04

ara IildC on Il DcIIeu track.
And of al heart breaking labors that
f breaking trail is worst At every
step the great webbed shoe sinks till
the snow is level with the knee. Then
! Up, straight up, the deviation of frac-
ton Of an inch being certain pre-
cursor OF disaster, the Snowshoe must
he lifted till the surface is cleared;
! then forward. down, and the other foot
IS raised pcrpendicularly for the mat
| ter of half a yard. He who tries this
for the trst time, if haply he avoids
bringing his shoes in dangerous pro-
rinqUi5y and measures not his length
on the treaclcr0uS footing, will give
mp exhausted at the end Of a hundred
!aTds. He who can keep out Of the
way Of the DOGS for 4 whole day may
wei crawl mo his sleeping bag with
"a clear conscience and 4 pride which
IaSseth all understanding, and lie who
/ travels twenty sleeps OH the long trail
! IS 4 man whom the gods may envy.
! The afternoon wore on, and with the
awe born of tie white silence the
voiceless travellers bent to their work.
Nature has many tricks wherewith
she convinces man Of his finity-the
+ clase!oSS TOW of the tides, the fury of
the storm, the shock of the earth
Quake, the long roll of heavens avfil-
ie~y-hut the most tremendous. tee
{ most supplying OF all is the passive
phase Q. he white silence. Al! move
" :Gcnt ceases: the sky clears; the heav-
= "nS are as brass. The slightest whiS-
. per seems sacrilcGe, and man becomes
tirlid, &Iri@lI.cd NJ the sound OF his
! OWN voice. sole spcck of life Journey
/ IN: across the ghos-ly wastes of n dead
. word. re t"cE.HIcS at his audacity,
+ realizes that MS IS maggots life.
nothing more. Strange thoughts arise
. unSunmuaed. and the mystery of all
things strives for pttcrancc. And the
fear of death. 81 Goa. of the universe,
comes Over him-the hope of the res
urTc"ti0H ana t,le life, the ycarning for
immortality. tGe vain striving Of the
imprisoned essence It is then, if eve,
man walks alone vii: God.
So wore the day away. The river
took great bend. and Mason hCad"i
MS team frr the cutoff across IL,
marrow neck Of land. But the dog
baked at tie H,s-h bank. Again and
! a-.ain. though Ruth and MaIcmUic N;d
were showing Cn the Sled. they SLIPPED
lack. Then came the concerted effort.
The miserable creatures. weak from
hunger, cyoTtod their last strength
In. up. the sled poised IA the top g.
rhu bank. iut the header swung the
string Of dogs behind him to the right.
f0ug.ug MaSon's sT0wSLoeS. The re-
suit was cr;cvouS. Aja.Um was whip
ned off his feet. OGc Of the dogs fell
n the traces. and the sled TOPPED
Lack. dragging everything to the bot
3om again.
Slash. The whip fell amoEg the
dogs savagely, especially upon the one
which had fallen.
Don't Mason" entreated Malcmute
Kid. THE poor DEVILS on It's last
les. Wait and we'll put my team on
Mason deliberately withheld the whip
til tie last word had fallen, then out
flashed the long lash. completely curl
i1g about the offending creature s body.
Carmcn-tor 1t WIS CaTmcn-coWcreh
in the snow, cried pitc0Usly. then roll
Cd over en- her size.
1t was tragic moment, pitlful in
cidcnt 81 the trail-a dying dog. two
comrades i'll anger. Ruth glanced So
ijcitOUsly from MN to man, but Nal"
l.Ute Kid restrained himself. Though
thrre was Il world of reproach in his
eyes. and. bending oy"r the dog. cut
7 Tie traces. NJ word WAS spoken. tn"
teams ware double spanned and the
difficulty overcome; the Sleds We're W.
der way again. the dying dog dragging
herself along IL the rear. AS long as
an animal can travel it is not shot,
and this last chance is accorded it
tie crawling INTO camp, if it can, i'll
the hope % = moose being killed.
Already pen.t.ut for his angry az
ton. hut too stubborn 10 make amends,
Mason tUiitd al II the head Of the
cay,,l.ade, little dreaming that danger
lowered Z lie air. The timber ciU>-
.rr,l thicl, in thc sheltered bottom,
ana through this they threaded their
way. Fifty feet or more from the trail
lowered Lofty pine. Fer generations
il lad stood there. and for generations
dcSl my had had this one end i'll view
/ Perhaps the same had been dc@recd OF
. NIsou.
He stopped 10 fasteI the locsened
thong cf his moccaSin. The Sleds came
- = bait. and the dogs lay down in the
snow without Il whimrar. The still
ness was weird. Not Il breath rustled
! tiC frost cncrusted forest. The cold
and silence Of outer space had chilled
s The heart ana sm0te the trembling
lins of nature. \ sigh pulsed throuCi
the air. They did not seem 10 actually
hear il. hut. rather, felt it. like tho
pre- mQIi,i0u Of movement in motion
less void Eacn the great tree bur
, ,ouoG with lis weight Of years an'
/ snow. played its lass part in the trag
cay Of lie Mason heard the warnin.
crash and ATTEMPTED 10 spring up, but
almost erect. caught the blow squared!
J IN The shoulder.