Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-08-06

Of defeat of death, of heaven knows
what remorselessness with which this
grave giant would administer Justice
was upon him, ana lis heart seemed
TO freeze in his breast. Cravenly he
leaped for his knife on the blankets
below him.
Dan was upon him before he ever
reached it. He sprang as a cougar
spings, incredibly fast and with shat
tering power. Both went down, and
for a long time they writhed and srug-
gled in each others arms. The pine
boughs rustled strangely.
The dark, gaunt hand reached in
vain for the knife. Some resistleSS
power seemed to be holding his wrist
and was bending its bone as an Indian
bends bow. Pain dashed through him.
And then this dark-hearted man. who
had never known the meaning Of mer-
cy opened his lips to scream that this
terrible enemy be merciful to him.
But the words wouldn't come A
ghastIy weight had come at his throat
and his tortured lungs s0bbed for
breath. Then, for a long time, there
was a curious pounding, flashing sound
in the evergreen bougns. 1t seemed
merciless and endless.
But Dan got up at last, in a strange,
heavy silence, and swiftly went 10
work lie took the rifle and filed 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 Ike dried bark,
the little package of cheese. the boxes
of hard tack and one of the small
sacks Of prepared flour-he tied, with
a single kettle into his heavy blan-
kets and flung them with the rifle upon
mis- back. Finally he took the pair of
snow shoes from the floor He worked
cCldhy, swiftly. all the time mrnching
at q piece of terl,,6 venison. When he
had finished he walked to the door of
the lean-to
1t seemed to Dan that Cranston whis-
pered family, from his unconscious
ness, as he passed; but the victor did
not turn TO look. The snow shoes
crunched away into the darkness. On
the Hill behind a half dozen wolves
stragglers from the pack-frisked and
leaped about in a curious way. a
strange smell had reached them on the
wind, and when the loud, fearful steps
were out of hearing, 1t Nigh, pay them
to creep down, one by one and inyesti-
gate its cause.
The gray circle about The fire was
growing impatient Snowbird waited to
the last instant before she admitted
this fact. But 1t IS possible only so
long to deny the truth of a thing that
all the senses verify, and that moment
for her was past.
She noticed that when she went to
her hands and knees. iaboriously to
cut a 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 fire
burning bright. She dared not neglect
it for a moment Except for the single
pistol ball that she could afford TO ex-
pend on the wolyes-of the three shc
had--the fire was her last defense.
But 1t was n losing fight. The rain
soaked wood smoked without fame,
the comparatively dry core With which
Dan had started tie fire had burned
down, and the green wood, hacked with
such heart-breaking difficulty from the
sapIings that Dan had cut needed the
most tireiess attention TO burn at all.
Her nervous vitality was flowing
from her in frightful stream Too
long she had toiie'l without food in
the constant presence Of danger. and
she as very near indeed to utter OK
hausijon. But at the same time size
knew she must not faint That was
one thing she could not do-to fall un-
conscious before the last Of Ter three
cartridges was expended in the right
way.
again she went forth TO the saF.lhg.
and this time il seemed to her that #
size simply tossed the ak through fhe