The Glenwood post. (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) 1897-current, 1921-01-22

to forget the little, whispered message
that she gave him with his last spoon
full Of medicine. She said she'd pray
for him, and she meant 1t toO-literal.
entreating prayer that could not 90 un-
heard. She was mountain girl. and
her beliefs were Those of her ances-
tors-simple and true ard wholly
without affectation. But he hadn't
relaxed thereafter. He knew the time
had come to make the test. Night
after night he would go to bed half
sick from fatigue. hut the mornings
would find him fresh. And after two
weeks, he knew he had passed the
crisis and was on the direct road to
complete recovery.
Sometimes he cut wood in the for
est: first the telling of some tall pine,
then the trimming and hewing into
two-foot lengths. The blisters came
on his hands, broke and bled, but
finally hardened into callosities He
learned the most effective stroke to
hurl shower of chips''from beneath
the blade His back and limbs hard
ened from the handling of heavy wood
and the cough was practically gone.
His frame filed out. His face became
swarthy from constant exposure. He
gained In weight.
One cloudy afternoon in early No
vember found Silas Lennox cutting
wood on the ridge behind his house. 1t
was still an open question with him
whether he and his daughter would
attempt to winter on the Divide. Dan
of course wanted to remain, yet there
were certain reasons, some very def
mite and others extremely vague, why
the prospect of the winter in the snow
fields did not appeal to the noun
taineer. In the first place, all signs
pointed to hard season. Although
the fall had come late, the SHOWS were
exceptionally early. The duck flight
was completed two weeks before its
usual time, and the rodents had dug
their burrows unusually deep. Be-
sides. too many months Of snow weigh
heavily upon the spirit. The wolf
packs sing endlessly on the ridges.
and mahy unpleasant things may hap
pen. On previous years.. some Of the
cabins on the ridges below had human
occupants: this winter the whole re-
gion. for nearly seventy miles across
the mountains to the foothills. would
be wholly deserted by human beings.
Even the ranger station. twelve miles
across steep ridge, would soon he
empty. OF course few ranchers had
homes few miles beyond the river.
but the wild cataracts did not freeze
in the coolest of seasons, and there
were no bridges. Besides. most of The
more prosperous farmers wintcred in
the valleys. Only few more days
would the road be passable for his
car; and no time must be lost in max
ing his decision.
Once the SHOWS came in reality,
there was nothing to do but stay. Sew
enty miles across the uncharted ridges
on snowshoes Is an undertaking for
which even mountaineer has no
fondness. 1t might be the wisest thing,
after all, to load Snowbird and Dan
into his car and drive down to the
valleys. The fall roundup would soon
be completed Bill would return for a
few days from the valleys with new
equipment to replace the broken light
Ing system on the car. and they could
avoid the bitter cold and snow that
Lennox had known so long. He
chopped at great log and wondered
what would suit him better-the COM
fort and safety of the valleys or the
rugged glory Of the ridges.
But at that instant, the question Of
whether or not he would winter on the
Divide was decided for him. And an
Instant was all that was needed. For
the period of one breath he forgot to
be watchful-and certain dread
Spirit that abides much in the forest
saw Its chance. Perhaps he had lived
too long in the mountains and grown
careless of them: an attitude that is