Gilpin observer. (Central City, Colo.) 1897-1921, 1918-01-31

become Gray VOLTS greatest enemy,
and she hated it. 1t took Kazan from
her. And wherever it went, Kazan
followed.
Night after night it robbed her of
her mate, and left her to wander alone
under the stars and the moon, keeping
faithfully to her loneliness, and never
once responding with her own tongue
to the hunt-calls of her wild brothers
and sisters in the forests and out on
the plains. Usually she would snarl at
the Voice, and sometimes nip Kazan
lightly to show her displeasure. But
today, as the Voice came third time,
she skunk back into the darkness of a
assure between two rocks, and Kazan
saw only the fiery glow Of her eyes.
Kazan ran nervOusly to the trail
their feet had worn up to the top of
the Sun rock, and stood undecided. All
day, and yesterday, he had been I'M
easy and disturbed. Whatever it was
that stirred him seemed to be in the
air, for he could not see it or hear it
or scent 1t. But he could feel it. He
u
Wolf. Usually she whined coaxingly.
But her response today was to draw
back her lips until he could see her
white fangs.
A fourth time the Voice came to
them family, and she snapped fiercely
ut some unseen thing in the darkness
between the two rocks. Kazan went
again to the trail, still hesitating. Then
he began to go down. 1t was a mar
row, winding trail, worn only by the
pads and claws of animals, for the Sun
rock was huge crag that rose almost
sheer up for hundred feet above the
tops Of the spruce and balsam, its bald
crest catching the first CLEANS of the
sun in the morning and the last glow
of 1t in the evening. Gray Wolf had
first led Kazan to the security of the
retreat at the top of the rock.
When he reached the bottom he no
longer hesitated, but darted swiftly in
the direction of the cabin. Because
of that instinct of the wild that was
still in him, he always approached the
cabin with caution. He never gave
warning, and for moment Joan was
startled when she looked up from her
baby and saw Kazan's shaggy head
and shoulders In the open door. The
baby struggled and kicked in her de-
light, and held out her two hands with
cooling cries to Kazan. Joan, too held
out n hand.
"Kazan!" she cried softly. "Come
in, KaZanw
Slowly the wild red light in Kazan's
eyes softened. He put forefoot on
the sill, and stood there, while the girl
urged him again. Suddenly his legs
seemed to sink little under him, his
tail dropped and he skunk in with that
doggish air of having committed
crime. The creatures he loved were
in the cabin, but the cabin itself he
hated. He hated all cabins, for they
all breathed of the club and the whip
bondage. Like all the sledge-dogs, he
preferred the open snow for bed, and
the spruce-tops for shelter.
Joan dropped her hand to his head,
and ut its touch there thrilled through
him that strange joy that was his re-
ward for leaving Gray Wolf and the
wild. Slowly he raised his head until
his black muzzle rested on her lap, and
he closed his eyes while that wonder
full little creature that mystified him
so-the baby-prodded him with her
tiny feet, and pulled his tawny hair.
He loved these baby-maulngs' even
more than the touch of Joan's hand.
Motionless, sphinxlike, undemonstra-
tive in every muscle of his body, Ka-
Fan stood, scarcely breathing. More
than once this lack of demonstration
had urged Joan's husband to warn her.
But the wolf that was in Kazan, his
| wild aloofness, even his mating with
| Gray Wolf had made her love him
more. She understood. and had faith
| In him.
In the days of the last snow Kazan
had proved himself. A nelghboring
trapper had run over with his team,
and the baby Joan had todded up to
one of the big huskies. There was a
fierce snap of jaws. scream of horror
from Joan, shout from the men as
they leaped toward the pack. But Ka-
Fan was ahead of tn m all. In gray
streak that Travelled with the speed OF
a bullet he was ut the big husky's
throat. When they pulled him Off, the
husky was dend. Joan thought Of that
now, as the baby kicked and tousled
KuZan's head.