Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-02-19
Pierre's Long Trail Led to Fortune.

Pierre's Long Trail Led to Fortune.
OF all fur-bearing animals, none is
so highly priced by the trapper and
patron as the silver fox Of the arctic
circle. So rare are they that hunters
do not devote themselves exclusively
to the pursuit, but the story OF Pierre
Baptiste OF that far country is Pc
culiarly thrilling, as il recounts how
one of these animals fell before his
trusty rife while he was on the trail
Of marauding bear which had been
devastating his traps. The Hunter
Trader-Trapper Of Columbus, O., tells
the story, as repeated by Robert E.
Hewes.
"When Pierre Baptiste swore to
trail Silver Tip down, he did so with
a full realization Of what he was
swearing to do. But the fiery blood
that ran in Pierre's veins when arous-
ed knew no cooling till justice was
done," says Mr.. Hewes. "And so
with his lips set firmly and a light of
determination burning in his eyes, he
took up the trail of Silver Tip-the
sworn Nemesis of that outlaw OF the
| North.
Two hours later Pierre stopped
The last blur of the timber line had
melted away behind him and on the
north and on all sides stretched in
terminable snow. Pierre was sweat.
ing from his superexertion and dur
ing the momentary rest his clothes
froze to boardlike stiffness. His legs
were dog-weary and even the weight
OF his rife seemed tons, but still the
bears trail led on and on into those
Codforsaken regions.
after a while, Pierre began TO Ioso
sense of time. He just plodded dog
sedly ahead, his eyes glued to the
bears trail. He knew he was getting
far, far into the arctic regions. That
bear should wander so far-again
he marveled.
Pierre halted, dropped to his knees
and stared at something. Hairs, he
saw, that the jagged edge of the ic.
had pulled from the bear as he clam
oered over-but they were white =
white as the snow itself! He, Pierre
baptlste, was trailing a bear that knew,
no boundary OF snow and ice. A chill
wind began to creep over the snow
wastes, and Pierre's snow-shoes SEEM
ed to be tugging to draw him down,
But had he not sworn to trail down
Silver Tip?
Within an eighth of mile, Pierre
saw something moving, a numbering
inquire Flooding over the snow, a figure
orown-haired and with a silver nose
and a splash of white on the belIv
as the snow-dragged. A smile Of
grim satisfaction cracked Pierre's
frosted features as he slipped off his
mitten and raised his rifle to his
shoulder.
AS Pierre pressed his cheek
against the stock of his rifle he though,
ne saw something out of the corner of
MS eye that made him turn. He low
cred his rifle and scanned the snou
held on all sides, but as far as ewes
could reach there stretched only the
white barrens. The only living thing
besides himself was that NUMBERING
oail OF brown. Something, the bares,
DIT OF glimpse, had drawn his atten.
'ion' but he saw no moving thing othe,
than the bear.
Eet ees so YER funny" muttered
Pierre, and prepared to raise his rife
oeterminedly. Then, on a ridge, and
the color Of the ice it moved against
ne saw something move. One mo.
ment he stared, and his keen eyes dis.
tlnguished the silver fox from its icv
background.
with steellike steadiiness Pierce
raised his rifle and sighted. A SOUR,
OF flame cracked the frosty air and
shattered the white silence into mil
non echoes. The next moment Pier
re was stumbling madly across the
snow to where growing red blotch
showed clearer than the fox. The
trapper fell to his knees by the dead
animal and examined it most reverent.
y, running his fingers through the
silky fur with the tenderness OF con-
noisseur Fortune Of fortunes! There
was not even a blemish; the bulle,
mad passed into the brain through the
eye"