The Belding banner-news., 1921-06-15

breath. Then, for a long time, there
was ii curious pounuing. lashing sound
In the evergreen boughs. IL seemed
merciless and endless.
But Dan got up az last in a strange,
heavy silence, and swiftly went to
work He took the rifle and filled it
with cartridges from Cranston's belt.
Then he put the remaining two boxes
Of shells into his shirt pocket The
supplies of food-the sack of nutri-
tious ierked venison like dried bark.
the little package of cheese. the boxes
of hard tack and one of the small
sacks of prepared fiour-he tied, with
a single kettle. into his heavy blan-
kets and flung them with the rifle upon
his back Finally he took the pair of
snow shoes from the floor. He worked
coldly, swiftly, all the time munching
at piece of jerked yenisOn. When he
had finished he walked To the door of
the lean-to.
IL seemed Ia Dan that CranSton whs-
pered family, from his unconscious
ness, as he passed: hut the victor did
not turn To look. The snow shoes
crunched away into the darkness. On
Ihe hill behind half dozen wolves
stragglers from the pack-frisked and
leaped about in curious way. A
strange smell had reached them on tile
wind. and when the loud. fearful steps
were out of hearing il might pay them
10 creep down, one by one, and investi-
gate its cause.
The gray circle about the fire was
growing inpatient. Snowbird waited to
the last instant before she admitted
this fact. But il is possible only so
long To deny the truth of thing that
all the senses verify, and that moment
for her was past.
She noticed that when she went to
her hands and knees, laboriously 70
cut piece Of the drier wood from the
rain-soaked. rotted snag that was her
principal supply OF fuel. every wolf
would leap forward only to draw back
when she stood straight again. She
worked desperately TO keep the tire
burning bright She dared not neglect
IL for a moment. Except for the single
pistol ball that she could afford 10 ex-
pend on tie wolves-of the three she
had--the fire WAS her last defense.
But was losing fight. The rain
Soaked wood smoked without flame,
the comparatively dry core with which
Dan had started the fire had burned
down. and the green wood. hacked with
such heart-breakinG difficulty from the
saplings that Dan had cut, needed the
most tireleSs attention To burn at all.
Her nervous vitality was flowing
from her i'm frightful stream. Too
long she had toiled without food in
the constant presence of da a;er, and
she was very near indeed TO utter ex-
haustion. But at the same time she
knew she must not faint. That was
one thing she could not do-to fall un-
conscious before the last of her three
cartridges was expended In the right
way.
Again she went forth to the sapling,
and this time il seemed to her that If
she simply tossed the AK through the
air. she could fell one Of the gray
crowd. But when she stopped to pick
il up--she didn't finish the thought.
She turned TO coax the fire. And then
she leaned sobbing over the sled.
whats the usel'f she cried "He
won't come back What's the use of
fighting any more?
There's always use of fighting" her
father told her. He seemed TO speak
with difficulty, and his face looked
strange and white. The cold and the
exposure were having their effect on
his weakened system and unconscious
ness was a near shadow indeed. But,
dearest-if ! could only make you do
what want you to-"
"WhatT
you're able TO climb tree, and If
you'd take these coats. you wouldn't
freeze by morning. If you'd only have
the strength" 4
And see you torn 10 pieces J"
I'm old, dear-and very tired-and
I'd crawl away into the shadows, where
you couldn't see. There's no use mine
ing words. Snowblrd You're brave
girl-always have been since little
thing, as God Is my Judge-and you
know we must face the truth. Better
one of us die than both. And / prom
ise-Tll never feel their fangs. And /
won't take your pistol with me either"
Her thought flashed to the clasp
hunting knife that he carried In his
pocket. But her eyes lighted, and she
bent and kissed him. And the wolves
leaped forward even at this.
We'll stay II out she told lin.
"We'll fight ID TO the last-just as Dan
would want us 10 do. Besides-it |
would only mean the same fate for
me, in little while. I couldn't cling
up there fo-cver-and Dan won't come
back"