Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-05-28
CHAPTER IIl-continued.


The rains fell increasingly for seven
days: not a downpour but constant
drizzle that made the distant ridges
smoke. The parChed earth seemed TO
smack its lips. and little rivulets be-
gan to fall and tumble over the beds
Of the dry streams. All danger Of for
est fire was at once removed and
Snowbird was no longer needed as a
lookout on old Bald mountain. She
went to her own home, her companion
Il back to the valley; and now that his
sister had taken his place as house
keeper, Bill had gone down to the
lower foothills with a great part of
the live stock. Dan spent these rainy
days in toll on the hillsides, building
himself physically so that he might
pay his debts.
1t was no great pleasure. these
rainy days. He would have greatly
liked to have fingered in the square
mountain house, listening TO the quiet
murmur of the rain on the roof and
watching Snowbird at her household
tasks. She could, as her father had
said, make a biscuit. She could also
roll up sleeves over trim. brown arms
and with entire good humor do
i weeks laundry for three hard-wOrk-
ing men. He would have liked to sit
with her, through the long afternoons,
as she knitted beside the fireplace
10 watch the play of her graceful fin
gers and perhaps. now and then. to
touch her hands when he held the
skeins, But none of these things tran
gpired. He drove himself from day
light till dark, developing his body for
the tests that were sure to come.
The first few days nearly killed him
He over-exercised in the chill RAIN
and one anxious night he developed
all the symptoms of pneumonia. Such
q sickness would have been the one
thing needed to make the doctors
prophecy come true But with Snow
birds aid, and numerous hot drinks,
he fought 1t off.
She had made him go to bed, and
no human memory could be so dun as
30 forget the little, whispered message
that she gave him with his last spoon
fu Of medicine She said she'd pray
for him, and she meant it tOo-literal
entreating prayer that could not go I'M
heard She was mountain girl, and
her beliefs were those of her ances
rorS-simple and true and 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
Eipi- fo b,,+ bn inv
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,
ghcn the trimming and hewing into
I"c~foot lengths The blisters came
on his hands, broke and bled but
! dnal4 hardened into callosities. He
learned the most effective stroke to
hurl a shower of chips from beneath
The blade, His back and limbs hard
eAed from the handling of heavy wood
and the cough was practically gone,
Ills frame filled out. His face became
Farthy from constant exposure. He
gained in weight
One cloudy afternoon in early No
'enher found Silas Lennox cutting
wood on the ridge behind his house. It
YES still an open question with him
whether he and his daughter would
attempt to winter on the Divide Dan
oI course wanted to remain, vet there
were certain reasons, some very def
nlte and others extremely vague, why
s tte prospect Of the winter in the snow
h''ds did not appeal to the noun
@lneer. In the first place, all signs
POINTED to a hard season. Although
me fall had come late. the SHOWS were
exceptionally early. The duck fight
Na completed two weeks before its
usual time, and the rodents had dug
burrows unusually deep. Be
secs 700 many months Of snow weigh
a7"Fily upon the spirit. The wolf
Es sing endlessly on the ridges.
'ia many unpleasant things may hap
n 0n previous years. some Of the
aas GA the ridges below had human
'4 ants; this winter the whole re-
Tor nearly seventy miles across
curtains TO the foothills. would
" deserted by human beings.
the ranger station. twelve miles
steep ridge would soon be
OF course a few ranchers had
few miles beyond the river.
Wild cataracts did not freeze
coolest Of seasons, and there
ho bridges. Besides. most Of the
Il prosperous farmers wintered in
eTs. Only few more days
.he road be passable for his
q ana 10 time must be lost in max
q a~ decision.
n me SHOWS came In reality.
"as nothing 10 do but stay Sew
es across the uncharted ridges
'Fsh'es is an undertaking for
wen mountaineer has no
,s, II might be the wisest thing.
ivy all 70 load Snovhfrd and Da,