Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-12-19
you-1l spenu IT,"

youH spenu IT,"
They chuckled over this conceit, and
as the dusk closed in slowly they fell
to planning the details. Hazel lit tina
lamp, and in it's yellow glow pored
over maps while Bill idly sketched
their route on a sheet Of paper. His
objective lay east of the head of the,
Mas proper, where amid a wild tangie
Of mountains and mountain torrents
three turbulent rivers, the Stiline, the;
Skeena and the Mas, took their rise.
A God-forsaken region, he told her,
where few White men had penetrated.
The peaks flirted with the clouds, and
their sides We're Scared with glaciers.
A lonesome, brooding land, the home
Of a vast and seldom-broken silence.
"But there's all kinds of gam and
fur in there" Bill remarked Thoughts
fully. "And: gold. Still, it's a fierce
country for Il man to take his best girl
into. l don't know whether | ought
to tackle it,"
eve couldn't be more Isolated than
we are here" Hazel argued, eff We
were in the Arctic. Lock at that poor
woman at Pelt House. Three babies.
born since she saw a doctor or another
woma of her own color! What's a.
winter by ourselves compared to that.
And She didn't think it so great q
hardship. Don't you, worry about me-
Mr. Bill. l think it will be fun. I'm
a real pioneer at heart, The Wild
places look good to me-when you're
along"
She received her due, reward fog
that, and then, the long twilight hay
Ing brought the hour to a lateness that
manifested itself by sundry yawns OF
their part, they went to bed.
With breakfast over, Bill put 8 O
pass in his pocket, after having ground
his AK blade to a keen edge.
"Come on" said he, then;"I'm going
to transact some important business"
"What is it," she promptly demand
ed with much curiosity.
"This domicile Of ours, girl he told
her, while he led the way through the
surrounding timber, sis ours only by
grace Of the wilderness. It's built on
NihSNA Su SofVli lllSuL litlu AdHu
that I have no more legal claim to-
than any passing trapper. But I'm
going to remedy that. I'm going to
formally stake a hundred and sixty
acres Of this and apply Cor it's pur-
chase. Then We'll have a cinch on
home. Well always have a refuge to:
fly to, 20 matter where we 60"
She nodded appreciation of this. The
cabin in the clearing stood for some
of those moments that always loom
large and u~nforgettable in every. wom-
ans experience. She had come, there
once in hot, shamed anger, and she
had come again as a bride. It was the
handiWork Of q man she loved with q
passion that sometimes startled her
by Its Intensity. Just the mere pos
sibil1ty of that place being given over
to others reused in her a pang of re-
sentiment. 1t was theirs, hers and.
Bills, and, being a woman, she, viewed
Its possession jealousy.
So she watched with keen, Interest
what he did. Which,. in, truth, was
simple enough. He worked his way
to a point southeast Of the. clearing
till they gained. a little rise, whence;
through the treetops< they couItl look
back and see the cabin roof. There
Bill cut off an eight-inclt' j,e4s pine,
leaving the stump approximately four
feet high. This he hewed square, the
four fiat sides of, the post facing re-
spectively the cardinal points of the:
compass. On one smoothed surface
Bill set to work, with his poeketkntfes
Hazel sat down and watched while he
busted himself at: this. And when he
had finished: SHE, read. in deep-carved.
letters:
w: WAGSTAEF'S S. q. CORNER.
Then he. nenned. on q sheet Of let,
~terrpaper. q: brief notice to the effect
that he. William, Wagstaff, intended to,
} apply forrthe. purchase of the land EN-
braced in, an, area, d half mile square.
of. which. the, post was the southeast
corner mark. This notice he fastened,
tecthe> stump, with a. few tacks, and sat
down, to: rest from his labors.
Show long do! YOU suppose that Will
= st ay.there, and who is there to read IL
i⁢ doesY" Hazel observed.
SEARCH me. The moose and the
deer and the timber wolves, I guess"
Bill grlnned. 1.-THE chances are thee
:. paper. WON'T last long, with winds and
y rains. But 1t doesn't matter. It's sins
ply a form prescribed by the land ace
of British Columbia. and, so long as 7
60, through the legal motions, that lefa
me. out. Matter Of form, you knows
= ~Then what else do you have to dog
"Nothfng but furnish the moaaI
when the land department gets aroaR&4
to accept my application" he saia y
CEN get an agent to attend to. all Mal
details. Well, let's take a look at eur
estate from another corner"
This, roughly ascertained by sight
ing a line with the compass and steps
ping off $50 yards, brought them uu5
on a knoll that commanded the small
has,n Of which the c1esrsne vas nraes