The Dolores star., 1918-06-21

II SeDS INV - 0AM8O W. -
them a. DrogAeda.
Like many roash fro0tisesnen
Swiftwatsr Pete was dlamoad u tn
raw. 30 far ~ could BE- he made Z
hopeless and impossible atuation com.
Portable. His Judgment told him thai
they were caught In trap from which
there was no escape. but for the saka
Of the women he put Q cheerful faco on
things.
Lucky We found this cabin he
growled amiably. by this time we'd
a been up Salt creek II We hadn't.
Seeing ~ our luck has stood up % far.
I reckon wen be all right. Mighty
kind Of Mr.. Last Tenant to leave N
this firewood We amt 20 worse oil. !"
III We only had some food" Nrs.
Olson suggested.
~Foodi" Pete looked at her In A.
sumed surprise. ~Huhi What about
all that live stock got In the stable1
I've heard tell, ma'am, that broucho
tenderioin II favorite dish with them
there French chiefs that do the cook.
Ing. They kinder trim It up SOS it's
most a. good % frawg1 leg1."
Sheba had never before slept on
bare boards with . sealskin coat for q
sleeping bag. But she was very tired
and dropped or almost instantly.
Twice abe woke during the might, dis
turbed By the stiffness and the pain
Of her body. When she awakened for
the third time It was morning.
Il seemed to her that the hard, whip
sawed planks were pushing through
the soft nesh to the bones. Dhs was
cold. too. and crspt closer TO the Stout
0wedish woman lying besl6o hse. Pre-.
entity shs fsl1 asieep aeain TO the
sound Of ne bllssafd bowling outslde
When ahs waksnsd for the third time
it was morning.
In the afternoon the bliazard died
away. A. far % the sye could Gee.
Sheba looked out upon Q waste Of
snow. Her eyes turned from the desc.
lAtion without TO the bare and cheer.
LEES room In which they had found
shelter. In spite Of herself q little
shiver ran down the spine Of the girl.
Had she come into this Arctic soil.
tude TO nnd her tombf
Al soon ~ the storm had moderated
enough to let him 90 out with safety,
saltwater Pete had taken one Of the
horses for an attempt at trail break
ing.
'Me. Tn aftse that plum pudding.
I gotta get Q feed Of oats from the
stage for my bronchs too. The scenery
here u sure Ane, but it amt what
you would can nourishins. Huh!
Watch our s1oke when me and old
Baldface CT to bucking them drifts."
He had been gone two hours and the
dusk was already descending over the
white waste when eheaa vsntured out
to see what had become Of the stage
driver. But the cold was % bitter
that abe coon gave up the attempt 30
night her way through the drifts and
turned back to Tie cabin.
Some time later saltwater Pets
came stumbling into their Temporary
home. He WAS tagged to exhaustion
but triumphant Upon the table hs
dropped from the crook OF his numbed
arm two packages.
THE makings- for o Christmas din
ner," he said with grin.
Nrs. Olson thawed out the pudding
and the chocolates In the oven and
made . kind OF mush out Of some
oats Pete had saved from the horse
feed. They ate their one-sided meal
In high spirits. The freeze had saved
their lives. II It held clear till to-
morrow they could reach Smiths
crossing on the crust Of the snow.
saltwater broke up the chairs for
fuel and demolished the legs Of the
table, after which he lay down before
the stove and fell at once into q sod
den sleep.
Presently Mrs. Olson lay down on
the bed and began to snore regularly.
Sheba could not sleep. The boards
tired her bones and she was cold.
Sometimes she slipped into cat maps
that were full Of bad dreams. When
she wakened with start 1t was to find
that the fire had died down. She was
shivertng from lack Of cover. Out
city the girl replenished the fire and
lay down again.
When she Weakened with start it
was morning. A faint light sifted
through the single window Of the
snack. Sheba whispered to the older
woman that she was going out for a
little walk.
As she worked her way down the
gulch Sheba wondered whether the
news Of their loss had reached Ku-
siak. Were search parties out already
to rescue themf Colby Macdonald
had gone into the blizzard years ago to
save her father. Perhaps he might
have been out all night trying to save
her fathers daughter. Peter would 60,
Of course land Gordon Elliot. The
work in the mines would stop and
men would volunteer by scores. That
was one fine thing about the North.
u responded to the unwritten law
that man must risk his own life to
save others. %
From little knoll Sheba looked
down upon the top Of the stare three
hundred yards below her. and While