Judsonia weekly advance., 1918-04-17


 walls became their crematory But Bill, coming in from his traps, reached the stable first, and there was nothing for her 10 do but stand and watch with a sickering self-reproach. He united and clubbed the reluctant horses out side. Already the stable end against the hay was shooting up tongues of flame. As the blaze Tapped swiftly over the roof and ate into the walls, the horses struggled through the deep drift. lunging desperately to gain few yards, then turned to stand with ears pricked up at the strange sight, shiv- ering in the bitter northwest wind that assailed their bare, unprotected bodies.
 Bill himself drew back from the fire and stared at 1t fixedly. He kept si- fence until Hazel timidly put her hand on his arm.
 You watched that fire all right, didn't you?" he said then. "Bill, Bill !" she cried. But he merely shrugged his shoulders, and kept his gaze fixed on the burning stable.
 To Hazel, shivering with the cold, even ClOSc dS Sile WdS IO Inc lHteIiSo heat, it seemed an incredibly short time till q glowing mound below the snow level was all that remained; black-edged pit that belched smoke and sparks. That and five horses bumped tail to the driving wind, ,stol- idly enduring. She shuddered with something besides the cold. And then Bill spoke absently, his eyes still on the smoldering heap.
 Five feet of caked snow on top of every blade of grass" she heard him mutter. "They can't browse on trees, like deer"
 He had stuck his rifle butt first in the snow. He walked over to it Hazel followed. When he stood, with the rife slung in the crook of his arm, she tried again to break through this silent aloofness which cut her more deeply than any harshness Of speech could have done.
 "Bill, I'm so sorry!" she pleaded. "It's terrible, I know. What can we doY
 DO? Huh !" he snorted. eff ever have to die before my time, hope it will be with a full belly and my head in the air-and mercifully swift"
 Even then she had no clear idea of his intention. She looked up at him pleadingly but he was staring at the horses, his teeth biting nervously at his under lip. Suddenly he blinked, and she saw his eyes moisten. In the same instant he threw up his rife. At the thin, vicious crack of 1t, Silk col lapsed.
 She understood then. With her hand pressed hard over her mouth to keep back the hysterical scream that threat ened. she fled to the house. Behind her the rifle spat forth its staccato message of death. For few seconds the mountains flung whiplike echoes back and forth in a volley.
 Numbed with the cold. terrified at the elemental ruthlessness of it all, she threw herself on the bed, denied even the relief of tears. Dry-eyed and heavy hearted, she waited for her husbands coming, and dreaded it-for the first time she had seen her Bill look on her with cold, critical anger. For an h. terminable time she lay listening for the click of the latch, every nerve strung tight.
 He came at last, and the thump of his rifle as he stood it against the wall had no more than sounded before he was bending over her.
 "Never mind. little person." he whis- pered. "It's done and over. Pm sorry slashed at you the way did. That's fool mans way-if he's hurt and sore he always has to jump on some- body else."
 "D-don't, Bill !'' she cried foriornly. "T know it's my fault. I let the fire almost go out and then built 1t up big without thinking. And kDow being sorry doesn't make a1y djffdr- ence. But please-I dop't want to be miserable over it. nj never be care less again"
 "All right; I won't talk about 1t, hon." he said. 'T don't think you will ever be careless about such things again. The North won't let us get away with it. The wilderness is big ger than we are, and it's merciless if we make mistakes"
 "I see that" She shuddered invol- untarily. 'Tt's grim country. It frightens me-"
 Don't let it," he said tenderly. "So long as we have our health and strength we can win out, and be stronger for the experience."x
 "How can you prospect in the spring without horses to pack the outfltr' she asked, after a little. "How can we get ont of here with all the stuff we'll