The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-01-17

| and leaped forward. The AK bit deep
| ly at the base of the spine, an6 Percy
| Cuthfert felt all consciousness IF his
| lower limbs leave him. Then the clerk
fell heavily upon him, clutching him
| by the throat with feeble fingers. The
sharp bite of the ak had caused Cuth-
| fert to drop the pistol, and as his
| lungs painted for release he fumbled
aimlessly for it among the blankets.
Then he remembered. He slid hand
up the clerks belt to the sheath knife,
and they drew very close to each other
| in that last clinch.
Percy Cuthfert felt his strength leave
him. The lower portion of his body
was useless. The inert weight of
| Weatherbee crushed him-crushed him
| and pinned him there like q bear under
trap. The cabin became filled with
| a familiar odOr, and he knew the bread
| to be burning. Yet what did it mat
| ter? He would never need it. And
| there were all of six cupfuls of sugar
| in the cache. If he had foreseen this
he would not have been so saving the
last several days. Would the wind
vane ever move? 1t might even be
veering now. Why not? Had he not
seen the sun today? He would go and
see No; it was impossible to move.
He had not thought the clerk so heavy
| a man.
| How quickly the cabin cooled! The
| fire must be out. The cold was fore
| ing in. It must be below zero al
ready, and the ice creeping up the In
side of the door. He could not see it,
but his past experience enabled him
to gauge it's progress by the cabins
temperature The lower hinge must
be white ere now. Would the tale OF
this ever reach the world? How
would his friends take it? They would
read it over their coffee, most likely,
and talk it over at the clubs. He could
see them very clearly. "Poor old Cuth-
fert!' they murmured. "Not such a
bad sort of chap, after ALL He
smiled at their eulogies and passed on
in search of a Turkish bath. 1t was
the same old crowd upon the streets.
Strange they did not notice his moose
hide moccasins and tattered German
socks He would take a cab. And
after the bath shave would not be
! bad. No; he would eat first. Steak and
potatoes and green things-how fresh
if all was! And what was thatT
SQUARES of honey, streaming liquid am
Der! But why did they bring so much?
Ha. ha! He could never eat it all.
| Shine? Why, certainly. Ne put his
foot on the box. The bootblack looked
curiously up at him, and he remem-
bered his moose hide mOccasins and
went away hastily. e,
| Hank! The wind vane must be sure
| ly spinning. No; mere singing In his
| ears: that Was ala mere singing.
The ice must have passed the latch by
now. More likely the upper hinge was
covered. Between the moss chinked
| roof poles little points of frost began
to appear. How slowly they grew!
| No. not so slowly. There was new
one. and there another-two-three
| four-they were coming too fast to
count. There were two growing to-
SeLHeI, diIu IheIc q Ihiiu n"" J"AnOH
them. Why, there were no more spots!
They had run together and formed
sheet
Well, he would have company. Ii
Gabriel ever broke the silence of the
north they would stand together. hand
in hand, before the great white throne.
And God would judge them, God would
judge them!
Then Percy Cuthfert closed his eyes
and dropped off to sleep.