The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-11-18

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whole suurher, end OF iir sissic. \ ar
the klamath lakes. seemingly the
most Imposing Of all the fresh-water
lakes that the map revealed. he found
q city named klamath Falls. He put
the name down in his notebook.
The map showed q particularly
high. far-spreading range of noun
tains due west of the sity. OF course
they were the Cascades; the map said
30 very plainly. Then Dan knew he
was getting home. His grandfather
had lived and trapped and died In
these same wooded hills. Finally he
located and recorded the name of the
largest city on the main railroad line
that was adjacent to the Cascades.
The preparation for his departure
took many days. He read many books
on flora and fauna. He bought sport
ratio between the respective pleasures
of anticipation and realization. he did
not hurry himself. at all. And one
midnight he boarded west-bound
train.
He sat for long time in the vesti-
bule Of the sleeping car, thinking in
anticipation of this final adventure Of
his life. He was rather tremulous and
exultant as he sank down into his
berth.
He saw to It that at least a meas
ure of preparation was made for his
coming. That night a long wire went
out to the Chamber of Commerce Of
one Of the larger southern Oregon
cities. In 1t, he told the date of his
arrival and asked certain directions.
He wanted to know the name of some
mountain rancher where possibly he
might find board and room for the re-
mainder of the summer and the fall.
The further back from the paths Of
men, he wrote, the greater would be
his pleasure. And he signed the wire
with his full name: Dan Failing, with
a Henry in the middle, and a ZIP at
the end.
He usually didn't sign his name in
quite this manner. The people Of
Gitcheapolis did not have particular
ly vivid memories of Dams grandfa-
ther. But it might be that legend
of the gray, straight frontiersman who
was his ancestor had still survived in
these remote Oregon wilds. The use
Of the full name would do no harm.
Instead of hurting, it was a positive
inspiration. The Chamber of Com
merce of the busy little Oregon city
was not usually exceptionally inter-
ested in stray hunters that wanted a
boarding place for the summer. It's
business was finding country homes
for orchardists in the pleasant river
valleys. But it happened that the re-
cipient of the wire was one of the old
est residents, a frontiersman himself,
and it was one of the traditions Of the
Old West that friendships were not
soon forgotten. Dan Failing l had
been a legend In the old trapping and
shooting days when this man was
young. So 1t came about that when
Dams train stopped at Cheyenne. he
found telegram waiting him:
"Any relation to Dan Failing of the
Umpqua divide?"
Dan had never heard of the Ump-
qua divide. but he couldn't doubt but
that the sender Of the wire referred
to his grandfather. He wired In the
affirmative. The head of the Chamber
of Commerce received the wire, read
It, thrust 1t into his desk. and In the
face Of a really important piece Of
business proceeded to forget all about
1t. Thus It came about that, except
for one thing. Dan Failing would have
probably stepped of the train at his
destination wholly unheralded and un-
met. The one thing that changed his
destiny was that at a meeting Of a
certain widely known fraternal order
the next night, the Chamber Of Com
merce crossed trails with the Frontier
in the person Of another old resident
who had his home In the farthest
reaches Of the Umpqua divide. The
latter asked the former TO come up
for few days shooting-the deer be-
ing fatter and more numerous than
any previous season since the days Of
the grizzlies.
"Too busy. I'm afraid" the Cham
Der of Commerce had replied. "But
Lennox-that reminds me-. Do you
remember old Dan Failing?"
Lennox probed back into the years
for single instant. Strengthened out
all the kinks of his memory in less
time than the wind straightens out
the folds of a flag. and turned most
interested face "Remember him !" he
exclaimed. "I should say do" The
middle-aged man half-closed his pierc-
ing, gray eyes.
Listen. Steele" he said, II saw Dan
Failing make bet once. was just
kid. but l wake up in my sleep to
marvel at It. We had a full long
glimpse of a black-tail bounding up a
long slope. It was just spike-buck,