The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1921-03-04

voice sounded louder. "Hpre, Snow.
bird" he called again. She heard him
then: lie could tell ny the startled
tone Of her reply. The ext instant
she was at his side. her tears drop
ping on his face.
With q tremendous effort Of vii! he
recalled his speeding faculties. II
don't think I'm badly hurt" he told
her very quietly. "A few ribs broken
end a leg. Put wen have to winter
here on the Divide. Snowbird mine"
"What does It matter. II You iive?"
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-thnt his hack might
be hrokpn-was evidently not true.
There were. az he said. broken ribs
and evidently one severe fracture Of
the leg hone. Whether he had suS-
tanned Internal injuries that would
end his life before the morning. she
had no way Of knowing.
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
he transported to the ranch. II would
'aie them a full day to make TIE trip.
even II she could get word to them Mt
once: and twenty-four hours without
medica, attention would probably cost
her father his life. The near est tele-
phone vas at the ranger station,
twelve miles distant over n mountain
trail. The telephone line to Bald
mountain. four miles on. had been dis
connected when the rains had ended
the peril OF the forest fire.
It all depended upon her. Bin was
driving cattle into the valleys. md he
and his men had In use all the horses
on the ranch with one exception. The
remaining horse had been ridden hv
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 n rnnrh
steep trail and she remembered. with
a sinking heart. that one IT Rin's mis-
s'ons in the valley was TO procure a
new lighting system. Ry no conceive
able possibility could she drive down
that mountain rond In the darkness.
Put she uas somewhat relieved by the
thought that In all probability she
could walk twelve miles across the
Mountains IN tho Nu~,vnr station IN
much less time than she could drive,
nv automobile. seventy mites down II
The ranches at the foothills about the
valley.
rnS'des she remembered with a
giaddening heart that Richards. me
Of the g had been a student at
a medical college and bad taken q no
sition with the forest service TO re-
grin his health. She would cross the
ridge to the station. phone for a doc
tor in the valleys. and would return
IN horseback with Richards for snch
Hrsf MD IS he could give. The cn1v
problem that remained was that Of
getting her father into the house.
He was stirring q little now. Evi.
IDENTITY consciousness was returning to
him. And then she thanked heaven
for the few simple lessons in first aid
that her father had taught her In the
DAYS before carelpssness had come
upon him. One Of his lessons had
been that Of carrying an unconscious
human forms method by which even
q woman may carry. for q short dis
tance. a heavy man. II was approxi-
mately the method used in carrying
wounded in No Mans Land: the BODY
thrown over the shoulders. one arm
through the fork OF the legs to the
wounded mans hand. Her father was
moi q particularly heavy man. and she
was an exceptionally strong yonng
woman. She knew at once that this
problem was solved.
The hardest part was lifting him IL
her shoulders. Only by calling upon
her last ounce OF strength. and tug
ging upward with her arms. wMs she
able to do It. But II was fairly easy,
in her desperation. to carry him down
the hill. What rest she got she took
by leaning against q tree. the limp
body still across her shoulders.
II was q distance Of one hundred
yards In all. No muscles hut those
trained by the outdoors. no lungs ex-
cept those made strong by the noun
tain air. could have stood that test.
She laid him on his own bed. on the
lower floor. and set his broken limbs
the best she could. She covered him
up with thick. ieecy blankets. and set
q bottle Of whisky beside the he'd.
Then she wrote q note to Dan and
fastened 1t upon one Of the interior
doors.
She drew on her hoh-nailed bOoss-
needed sOrely for the steep climb
and ~lncketed her pistol. She thrust q
handful Of jerked venison into the
rOcket Of her cOat and lighted the lam
tern. The forest night had fallen, soft
and vibrant and tremulo6s. over the