Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-04-12
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ALASKAN \.
LOUe Story
Copyright, William Macleod Raine. 6

''Six o'clock, Mr.. Macdonald. Your
breakfast is ready. Jim is looking out
for the huskies."
Half an hour later the Scotsman
gave the order, "Mush!" He was off
again, this time on the back trail as
| far as the Narrows, from which point
| he meant to strike across to interSect
the fork of the road leading to the di-
vide.
The storm had passed and when the
late sun rose it was in blue sky. Fine
enough the day was overhead, but the
slushy snow, where 1t was worn thin
on the river by the sweep of the wind,
donald was glad enough to reach the
Narrows, where he could turn from the
river and cut across to hit the trail of
| the men he was following. He had
about five miles to go before he would
reach the Smith Crossing road and
every foot of it he would have to
break trail for the dogs. This was slow
| the gee-pole. Back and forth. back
and forth hestrudged, beating down the
loose snow for the runners. It was
hill trail, and the drifts were in most
places not very deep. But the Scots
man was doing the work Of two, and
at a killing pace.
Over ridge the team plunged down
into little park where the snow was
deeper. Macdonald breaking trail
across the mountain valley, found his
feet weighted with packed ice slush so
that he could hardly move them. When
| at last he had beaten down q path for
his dogs he stood breathing deep at the
| summit of the slope. Before them lay
the main road to Smiths Crossing,
scarce fifty yards away. He gave a
| deep whoop of triumph, for along it
ran the wavering tracks left by a sled.
He was on the heels of his enemy at
last.
AS he turned back to his Siberian
hounds, the eyes of Macdonald came
to abrupt attention. On the hillside,
not ten yards from him, something
stuck out of the snow like signpost.
1t was the foot of a man.
! Slowly Macdonald moved toward 1t.
F, He knew we'll enough what he had
| stumbled acroSS-one of the tragedies
| that in the North are likely to be found
in the wake of every widespread biz
| zard. Some unfortunate traveller, blind
ed by the white swirl, had wandered
from the trail and had staggered up a
draw to his death.
With a little digging the Alaskan
uncovered leg. The man had died
where he had fallen, face down. Mac
donald scooped away the snow and
found pack strapped to the back Of
| the buried man. He cut the thongs
| and tried to ease it away. But the
gunnysack had frozen to the parka.
When he pulled, the rotten sacking
gave way under the strain. The con-
tents of the pack spilled out.
The eyes in the grim face Of Mac
donald grew hard and steely. He had
found, by some strange freak of
chance, much more than he had ex-
pected to find. Using his snOwshoe as
shovel, he dug the body free and
turned it over. At sight of the face he
gave a cry of establishment.
Gordon oversight. His plan had been
to reach Kusiak at the end of a long
days travel, but That had meant get
| ting on the treil with the first CLEAN Of
light. When he opened his eyes Mrs.
Olson vas calling him to rise.
I'll ;,,4o hn
, cold, crisp morning. From the hill
crotch the sun was already pouring
down a great, fanlike shaft of light
across the snow vista. saltwater
Pete passed behind him on his way to
| the stable and called a cheerful good
morning in his direction.
Mrs. Olson had put the stove outside
the tent and Gordon lifted it to the
spot where they did the cooking.
"Good morning, neighbor," he called
| to Sheba. "Sleep wellP
The little rustling sounds within the
tent ceased. A face appeared in the
doorway, the flaps drawn discreetly
close beneath the chin
"Never better. Is my breakfast
ready yet?"
''Come and help me make 1t. Mrs.
Olson is waiting on Holt"
when I'm dressed" The smiling
face disappeared. Dublin Bay" sound
ed In her fresh young voice from the
tent. Gordon joined in the song as he
lit the fire and sliced bacon from
frozen slab of II.
The bowling of the huskies inter-
rupted the song. They had evidently
heard something that excited them.
Gordon listened. Was it in his fancy
only that the breeze carried TO him the
faint jingle of seigh-bells? The sound.
If it was one, died away. The cook
turned to his job.
He stopped saving at the meat, knife
and bacon both suspended in the air.
On the hard snow there had come to
him the crunch of a foot behind him.
Whose? Sheba was in the tent, Swift
water at the stable, Mrs. Olson In the
house. Slowly pc turned his head
What Ellio. saw sent the starch
through his body. He did not move an
inch. still sat crouched by the fire, but
every nerve vas at tension, every
,,uScla taut For he was looking af a