Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1918-02-28

a pair of moccasins after an Indian
pattern, and she grew wholly absorbed
in the task, drawing stitch after stitch
of sinew strongly and neatly into
place. When at length the soreness
of her fingers warned her that she had
been Mt work bong time, she looked
at her watch.
Goodness mel Bill's due home any
time, and / haven't thing ready 10
eat,r she exclaimed. "And here's nv
fi.c nearly out" +
She piled on wood, and stirring the
Goals under 1t. famed them with her
husbands old felt hat, forgetful of
sparks or aught but that she should
be cooking against his hungry arrival.
Outside the wind blew Justify, driving
the loose snow across the open In long,
wavering Ribbons. But she had for
gotten that it was In the dangerous
quarter, and she did not recall that Inn
portant fact even when she sat down
agnin to watch her moose steaks broil
on the glowing Goals raked apart from
the leaping blaze. The flames licked,
into the throat of the chimney with
the purr of giant eat
No sixth sense warned her of Inn
pending calamity. 1t burst upon her
with startling abruptness only when
she opened the door to throw out some
scraps of discarded meat, for the blaze
of the burning stack shot thirty feet
In the air, and the smoke rolled across,
the meadow In a sooty manner.
Bareheaded, In a thin pair of mecca
sins, without coat or mittens to fend
her from the lance-toothed FROST Hazel
ran to the stable. She could get the
horses out, perhaps before the log
walls became their crematory' But BIZ,
coming in from his traps, reached the
stable first, and there was nothing for
her to do but stand and watch with
sickening self-reproach. He united
and dubbed the reluctant horses out
side. Already the stable end against
the hay was shooting up tongues or
flame. As the blaze Tapped swiftly
over the roof and ate into the wallis.
the horses struggled through the deep
drift, lunging desperately to gain Few
yards, then turned to stand with ears
pricked up mt 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 Ii fixedIy. He kept ST.
lence until Hazel timldIy put her hand
on his arm.
'FYou watched that fire all right.
didn't your" he said then.
"Bin, Bill" she cried. But he
merely shrugged his shoulders, and
Kept his gaze fixed on the burning
stable. .a
To Hazel, shfvering with the cold,
even close as she was to the intense
heat, 1t seemed an incredibly short
time till glowing mound below the
snow level was all that remained; a
.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
j the smoldering heap.
give feet of caked snow on top of
every blade of grass" she heard him
mutter. "They can't browse on trees.
4 like DEER
He had stuck his rifle butt first In
the snow. He walked over to 1t; Hazel
followed. When he stood, with the
rife slung In the crook of his arm, she
tried again to break through this silent
laloofness which cut her more deeply
than any harshness of speech could
have done.
.Bill, Pm SO sorryl" she pleaded.