The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-09-26
CHAPTER IX-Continued.

Il LOpCu lllu Tic ulShl
would restore my sight, and so, dis
missing the matter from my mind,
struggled up until at last 1 stood upon
the summit Of the hill. Far away, like
a thin, winding ribbon among the hills,
l saw the valley Of the Riviere dor.
Beneath me l saw Jacqueline wait
Ing, a tiny figure upon the snow. /
cast my eyes beyond her toward the
mist-wrapped tops Of the far Lauren
tians and the plains.
And a sense OF an inevitable fate
came over me as / perceived far away
a tiny, crawling ant upon the SHOWS
Simon Leroux's dog sleigh.
went back to the little, patient fig
ure that was waiting for me, and I
took up my pack again and told her
nothing. She stepped bravely out be-
side me, frozen, fatigued. but willing
because I bade her. She did not ask
anything Of me.
The sun dipped lower, and far away
I heard the howl OF the solitary wolf
again.
I gripped my pistols as we strobe
along.
We went on and on. The afternoon
was wearing away; the sun was very
low now and all Its strength had gone.
Courage, Jacqueline," l said, patting
her arm. 'The huts ought to be here
Her courage was greater than my
own. She looked up and smiled at me
The wolf crept nearer, and It's bowls
rang out with piercing stroke across
the silence. NY eyes ached so that /
could hardly discern the darkening
land, and the snow came down, not
steadily but in swirling eddies blown
on fierce gusts Of wind.
And suddenly raising my eyes de-
sparingly l saw the huts. There were
five Of them, and they had not been oc-
cupied for at least two seasons, for the
blackened timbers were falling apart,
and the roofs had been torn Off all but
one Of them, no doubt for fuel. The
wind vas whirling the snow wildly
around them, and II whistled through
the broken. rotting walls.
I flung my pack inside the rooted
one, and began tearing apart the tim
bers Of another to make a fire.
Jacqueline. opening the pack, began
the preparation Of our meal, which
consisted of some biscuits left from
the night before, when we had made
a quantity on the wood ashes. We
made tea over the roaring flames, and
sat listening to the VOLTS call and the
wind that drove our Are In gusts Of
smoke and flame.
I scooped out a bed for Jacqueline
inside the snow-flled hut and spread
II with the big sleigh robe. She lay
down In her fur coat. and I wrapped
the ends around her. I looked into her
sweet face and marveled at It's seren-
ity. Her eyes closed YEARLY.
A dreadful fear held me In its grip:
what II she never awoke? Some people
died thus in the snow. I raised the
sleigh robe and saw that the fur coat
stirred softly as she breathed.
At last, ont of the wild passions that
fought within me. decision was born.
/ would 30 on. because she had hidden
me. And I would be ready for Lee
~ and let him act as he saw flt. i
.oaded my pistols. l could do no more
than fight for ~Jacqueline, and with God
be the issue.
paul"
I must have been half asleep, for ]
came back to myself with a start and
sprang to my feet. Jacqueline had
risen upon her knees; she flung her
arms out wildly. and snddenly she
caught her breath and screamed. and
seood up and ran uncertainty toward
ne. with hands that CROPPED for me-.
She found me; / caught her. and she
pusheA ne from hsr an1ysAudAered
and stared Mt me In tAat ~sacertaia
dsubt that follows dseenas.
II An here. JecQusfins." mid.
with yeu-afw1yA an yoa an1 me
away. Remember Gat sv6a = 1eUn@,
ya~eQuee1ns."
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