American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1921-04-29
PAGE THREE

over the snow-laughed nj him at hrst
and ran him races that would usually
end in his falling headfrst into a ten
foot snowhank. She taught him how
To ski and more than once she would
ston in the middle of an earnest bit
OF pedagogy 10 find that he wasn't lis
tening at all. He would seem TO De
fairly ~devouring her with his eyes. de
ligatlng II" the play OF soft pinks and
reds In her cheeks, and drinking, as al
man drinks wine, the amazing change
OF light and shadow in her eyes.
She seemed TO blossom under his
gaze. Not one of those short wintert
DAYS went by without the discovery
of some new trait or little vanity to
astonish or delight hlm-sometimes
nm ~unlooked-for tenderness toward the
weak, often n sweet, untained philos-
ophy of life, or perhaps just a lower
ing Of her eyelids In which her eyes
would show lustrous through the
lashes, or some sweeping, exunerant
gesture s%tartlingly graceful.
Lennox wakened one morning with
the realization that this was one or
the hardest winters OF his experience
He began to be very glad OF the album
dant stores OF provisions that over
! crowded his pantry-savory hams and
bacons. dried v~enison, sacks of pota-
toes and evaporated vegetables, and.
OF course, canned goods pns count
ing. with the high fire roaring In the
CRATE. the season held nj ills for them
But sometimes, when the bitter cold
came down at twilight. and the moon
looked like a thing of Ice itself over the
snow. he began TO wonder how he
Wild creatures who wintered on the
Divide were faring. OF course most
of them we're o Wool, long since.
had grunted and mumhled his way
into a winter lair. But the wolves re-
NAMED, strange gray shadows on the
snow. and possibly a few OF the
harder smaller creatures.
More than once I'm those long win
ter nights their talk was chopped on
short by the song OF the pack on some
distant ridge. Sometime, when the
world ia old, possibly u man win be
born that can continue to talk and
Keen his mind on his words while the
wolf pack sings. But he Is certainly
an unknown quantity today. The cry
sets In vibration curious memory
chords, and for n moment the listener
sees In his mlnd's eye his ancient
| home IN an ancient world-Dnrkness
md Fear and Eyes shining about the
cave. II carries him back, and he
rnows the wilderness MS II really Ia;
wi 10 have such knowledge dries up
, u inclination TO talk, as O spongc
ps winter. OF course the picture
entirely plain. - e more a thing
, guessed NJ, a photograph in some dark
, part of an uuder-consciousness that
, has constantly grown more dim as the
? centuries have passed. Possibly some
time Il will fade out altogether; ana
q then a man may continue to discuss
n the weather while the Song from the
ridge shudders In Mt the Window bui
the world viii be quite cold by then
and no longer particularly interesting
!, And possibly even the wolves them
= selves will then be tanned TO play deaf
and speak pieces-which means TN
wilderness itself will be tanned. Fo'
v as long ms the wild lnsts, the pack VII
!, run through II In he winter. n
!. were here I'm the beginning. and II
spite OF constant war and consthn
hatred on the part OF men, they VII
:. be here In the end. The reason IL JUS
~ that they are the symbol OF the WI
derness itself, and the Idea OF IL cor
- tlnuIng 10 exist without them
w. strange thar that OF a nation withou
tu a flag.
II wasn't quite the same song tins
H. Dan had listened 20 In the first day
:. OF fan. II had been triumphant thei
~ and proud with the wilderness prld'
OF course II had been sad then. to-
but Il was more sad now. And II W q
.a stranger, too. and crept farther Uni
the souls OF It's listeners. II was n
~, song OF strength that couldn't ava
on against the snow, possibly OF cold ~
the despair and courage o. %starvatio
These three that heard II were inurs
20 the wilderness; but a moment WI
always needed after It's last note hf
died 10 regain their gnyety.
~ They're getting lean and they
10 getting savage" Lennon said OF
night. stretched on his divan bcfo
=" the fireplace. He was still unable
~ walk but the fractures were knittIl
'ru slowly and the doctor had promls'
Wy that the summer would find him we
'" @Tf we had n dog, ! wouldn't Off
much for his life. One OF these da
co. we'll find 'em in q big circle aroul
the ~h0use-nnd then wen have
open up with the rifles"
ces But this picture appalled, neither
nen bis two young listeners. No wolf pa
gen enn stand against three marksms
armed with rifles and behind oak
ind walls.