Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-01-02

NN"A
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 amer.
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
wallis became their crematory But Bill,
coming in from his traps, reached the
stable first, and there was nothing for
her to do but stand and watch with a
sickening self-reproach. He united
and dubbed 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 nte into the walls,
the horses struggled through the deep
drift, lunging desperately to gain a 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 it ixedly. He kept 81
lence 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,
ever close as she was to the intense
heat, it seemed an incredibly short
time till a glowing mound below the
snow level was all that remained "a
b~lack-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.
give 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 rife butt first in
the snow He walked over to it; Hazel
followed. When he stood, with the
rifle slung in the crook Of his arm, she
tried again to break through this silent
a%loofness 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
do?"
"Do? Huh" he snorted. IF I ever
have to die before my time, I 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
p%leadingly, but he was staring at the
horses, his teeth biting %neryously at
his under lip. Suddenly he blinked,
and she saw his eyes moisten. In the
same instant he threw up his rifle. At
the thin, vicious crack of it, Silk col
lapsed.
She understood then. With her hand
pressed hard over her mouth to keep
back the %hystcrical scream that threat
ened, she fe,t to the house. Behind
her the rifle spat forth it's s~taccato
message of death. For a few seconds
the mountains flung whlplike echoes
back and forth in q volley. Then the
sibilant voice of the wind alone broke
the stiffness.
Numbed with the cold, terrified at
the elemental ruthlessness of it all, she
th1,Ox, L0rSD1f M 11>~ nd l@~s5 $685.
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 in
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. He sat down
on the edge of the bed, and putting
his arm across her shoulders. turned
her gently so that she faced him.
."Never mind, little person." he whis-
pered. cts done and over. I'm sorry
j SluSIeu HC you tne way i ulO. ln0tS
a fool mans way-if he's hurt and
sore he always has to jump on some-
body else" .
"D-don't, BIZ" she cried forlornly.
II know it's my fault. I let the fire
almost 60 out. and then built 1t up
big without thinking. And I know
being sorry doesn't make any differ
ence But please-I don't want to be
miserable over 1t. Til never be care
less again.v
-c"All right; / won't talk about It,
hon." he said. IL don't think you VIII
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 IL
we make mistakes"
II see that" She shuddsred invol.
unfairly. "Tt's a grim country. It
frlghtens me-"
"Don't let It," he said tenderly. $50
long as we have II health and
strength we can win out, and be
stronger for the experience.v
stTINN, ann WI, Drncpoot In H. sn,i..