The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1921-04-15
The Voice of the Pack
By EDISON MARSHALL
BY EDISON MARSHALL

afternoon Dan and Snowbird would
go out ON their skis or on snowshOes.
unarmed except for the pistol that
Snowbird carried In the deep pocket
of her mackinaw. But why nOtT Dan
replied Ia LennOx's objection "She
could Kill five wolves with five shots.
| or pretty near il, and YOU know well
enough that that would hold 'em till
we got home. They'd stop to eat the
| five. ! have hard enough time keep
ing up with her as II is, without carry
ing q rifle" And Lennox was content.
Dan had told the truth when he said
| that five deaths or even fewer. would
repel the attack Of any wolf pack he
had ever seen, There was just one
troubling thought He had heard, long
ago, and he had forgotten who had
told him, that in the most severe win
tiers the wolves gather in particularly
large packs; and quality IN the song
that they had heard AT night seemed
| to bear it out. The chorus had been
exceptionally loud and strong, and he
had been unable to pick out individual
voices.
The snow was perfect for skiing.
| Previously their sport had been many
times Interrupted either by the fall of
fresh snow or thaw that had soft
| ened the snow crust; but now every
afternoon was too perfect to remain
indoors. They shouted and romped in
the silences, and they didNnot dream
but that they had the wilderness all to
| themselves The fact that one night
| LennoXS keen eyes had seen what
looked like the glow of camp fire
In the distance didn't affect this belief
of theirs AT all. II was evidently just
the phosphorus glowing In rotten log
| from which the winds had blown the
| snow.
Once or twice they caught glimpses
| of wild life: once grouse that had
| buried In the snow flushed from their
path and blew the snow-dust from its
wings: and once or twice they saw
snOwshoe rabbits bounding away on
fiat feet over the drifts But just one
day they caught sight of wolf. They
| were on snowshoes on particularly
brilliant afternoon late in January.
He was a lone male, evidently
straggler from the pack, and he leaped
! from the top Of tall thlcket that had
remained above the snow The man
and the girl had entirely different re-
actions. Dams first impression was
amazement at the animals condition.
| 1t seemed to be in the last stages OF
starvation: unbeievably gaunt. with
rib bones showing plainly even through
| the furry hide. Ordinarily the heavily
| furred animals do not show signs of
| famine; but even an inexperienced eye
| could not make mistake in this case.
| The eyes were red. and they carried
Dan back 10 his first adventure in the
Oregon forest--the day he had shot
the mad coyote. Snowbird thought of
| the beast only as an enemy. The wolves
| killed her fathers stock; they were
hrigands of the worst order; and she
shared the hatred of them that Is a
common trait of an primitive peoples.
| Her hand whipped back. seized her pis-
tol, and she fred twice at the fleeing
| figure
The second shot was q hit: both of
them saw the wolf go to its side. then
| spring up and race on. Shouting, both
| of them sped after him.
In few moments he was out of
sight among the distant trees. but they
| found the blood-trall and mushed over
the ridge. They expected at any mo-
ment 10 find him lying dead; but the
| track led them on clear down the next
canyon. And now they cared not at
| all whether they found him: IL was
simply n tramp In the out-of-doors: :
and both Of them were young with red
blood in their veins.
| But all at once Dan stopped In his
tracks. The girl sped on for six PAGES
before she missed the sound of his
snowshoes: then she turned TO find
him standing, wholly motionless, with
eyes fixed upon her.
1t startled her, and she didn't know
why A companion abruptly freezing
in his path, his muscles inert. and his
eyes filling with speculation, is always
startling. When this occurs II means
simply that a thought so compelling
and engrossing that even the half
unconscious physical functions. such
as walking, cannot continue. has come
into his mind. And II Is part Of the
old creed Of self-preservation to dislike
greatly to he left out on any such
thought as this, II danger IL present,
the sooner II Is identified the better.
what Is it," she demanded
He turned to her curiously intent.
How many shells have you in that
| pistOli"
She took one breath and answered
him. 1T holds FIVE. and | shot twice.
| haven't any others"
And ! don't suppose II ever oc-
CURED 10 you to carry extra ones in
your pocketT
Father Is always telling me to-snd
several, times 7 have. But I'd shoot
them away at target practice and for
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