The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-12-23

troll. He made himself remember. Yes
he had been cutting wood on the
hillside. and the shadows had been
long. He had been wondering wheth-
er or not they should 60 down to the
valleys.
He remembered now: the last blow
and the rolling log. He tried to turn
his head to look up to the hill.
He found himself wholly unable to
do It. Something wracked him in his
neck when he tried to move. But he
did glance down. And yes, he could
turn in this direction. And he saw
the great tree trunk lying twenty feet
below him. wedged in between the
young pines.
He was surrounded by broken frag-
ments of limbs. and 1t was evident
that the tree had not struck him a
full blow. The limbs had protected
him to some extent No man is of
such mold as to be crushed under the
solid weight of the trunk and live to
remember II. He wondered If this
were the frontier of death-the gray
ness that fingered over him. He
seemed 10 be soaring.
He brought himself back to earth
and tried again TO remember. OF
course. the twilight had fallen. 1t had
been late afternoon when he had cut
the tree. His hand stole along his
body; and then. for the first time. a
hideous sickness came upon him. His
hand was warm and wet when he
brought it up. The other hand he
couldn't stretch at all.
The forest was silent around him.
except a bird calling somewhere near
the house-a full voice. rich and clear,
and It seemed to him that it had a
quality of distress. Then he recognized
it. 1t was the voice of his own daugh-
ter. Snowbird, calling for him. He
tried to answer her.
1t was only whisper. at first. Yet
she was coming nearer; and her own
voice sounded louder Here, Snow
bird" he called again. She heard him
then: he could tell by the startled
tone of her reply. The next instant
she was at his side. her tears drop
ping on his face.
With tremendous effort of will he
recalled his speeding faculties. 81
don't think I'm badly hurt" he told
her very quietly. "a few ribs broken
and leg. But Wen have to winter
here on the Divide. 1Snowbird mine"
what does it matter. if you live?"
she cried. She crawled along the pine
needles beside him. and tore his shirt
from his breast. He was rapidly sink
ing into unconsciousness. The thing
she dreaded most-that his back might
he broken-was evidently not true
There were. as he said, broken ribs
and evidently one severe fracture of
the leg bone. Whether he had sus-
tanned internal injuries that would
end his life before the morning. she
had no way of knowing.
Ii At this point. the problem of saving
her fathers life fell wholly into her
hands. His broken body could not be
carried over the mountain road to
physicians in the valleys. They must
be transported to the ranch. 1t would
take them full day to make the trip,
even If she could get word to them at
once; and twenty-four hours without
medical attention would probably cost
her father his life. The nearest tele-
phone was at the ranger station.
twelve miles distant over n mountain
trail. The telephone line to Bald
mountain. four miles off, had been dfs-
connected when the rains had ended
the peril Of the forest fire.
1t all depended upon her. Bill was
driving cattle into the valleys. and he
and his men had In use all the horses
on the ranch with one exception. The
remaining horse had been ridden by
Dan to some distant marshes, and as
Dan would shoot until sunset. that
meant he would not return until ten
o'clock. There was no road for a car
to the ranger station. only rough
steep trail. and she remembered. with
a sinking heart. that one of BilI's mis-
sions In the valley was to procure
new lighting system. BY no conceiv-
able possibility could she drive down
that mountain road in the darkness
But she was somewhat relieved by the
thought that In all probability she
could walk twelve miles across the
mountains to the ranger station In
much less time than she could drive.
by automobile. seventy miles down to
the ranches at, the foothills about the
valley.
Besides. she remembered with
gladdening heart that Richards. one
OF the rangers. had been student at
a medical college and had taken a po-
sition with the forest service to re-
gain his health. She would cross the
ridge to the station. phone for a doc
tor in the valleys. and would return
on horseback with Richards for such
first aid as he could give. The only
problem that remained was that of
getting her father into the house.
He was stirring a little now. Evil
IDENTIFY consciousness was returning to
him. And then she thanked heaven