The Jasper news., 1921-07-07
CHAPTER II-contlnusd.


100 yards farther. He didn't seem to
see the gaunt wolf that backed on
into the shadows as he approached.
He refused to notice that the pack
seemed to be steadily growing bolder.
Human hunters usually had guns that
could blast and destroy from a dis
tance; but even an animal intelll-
gence could perceive that these three
seemed to be without this means OF
infllcting death.
A wolf is ever so much more intelli-
gent than a crow-yet a crow shows
little fear of an unarmed man and Is
wholly unapproachable by boy with
a gun. The ugly truth was simply that
IN their increasing madness and ex-
citement and hunger, they were becom-
ing less and less fearful of these three
strange humans with the sled.
1t was not good place for camp.
They worked a long time before they
cleared little patch of ground of its
snow mantle. Dan cut a number of
saplings with his ax-and
built a fire with the comparatively
dry core of a dead tree. True, it was
feeble and Pickering, but as good as
could be hoped for, considering the
difficulties under which he worked.
The dead logs under the snow were
soaked with water from the rains and
thaws. The green wood that he cut
smoked without blazing.
mo more time to be lost" Dan told
Snowblrd. ut lies in your hands to
keep the fire burning. And don't leave
the circle Of the fire light without
that pistol in your hand"
You don't mean," she asked, unbe-
lieving, "that you are going to go out
there to fight Cranston-unarmedp
"Of course, Snowbird. You must
keep the pistol"
But II means death; that's all It
means. What chance would you have
against man with rife? And as
soon as you get away from this fire,
the wolves will tear you to pieces"
"And what would you and your IA
ther do, if / took 1t? You can't get
him into a tree. You can't build a
big enough fire to frighten them.
Please don't even talk about this mat
ter, Snowblrd. My minds made up.
think the pack will stay here. They
usually-God knows how-know who
is helpless and who isn't. Maybe with
the gun, you will be able to save your
lives" y
whats the chance of that?"
"YOu mlght-with one cartridge
kill one of the devils; and the others
but you know how they devour their
own dead. That might break their
famine enough so that they'd hold of
until l can get back. That's the prize
I'm playing for"
"And what If you don't get backT
He took her hand in one Of his, ant
with the other he earessed, for a sin
gle moment, the lovely flesh of hel
throat. The love he had for her spok'
from his. eyes-such speech as no hu
man vision could possibly mistake
Both OF them were tingling and breath
less with a great, sweet wonder.
"Never let those fangs tear tina
softness, while you live" he told her
gently. "Never let that brave old ma
on the sled go to his death with til
pack tearing at him. Cheat ZEN
Snowbird! Beat 'em the last minute
If no other way remains! Show 'er
who's boss, after all-of all this fol
est"
"You mean-T" Her eyes wideneC
81 mean that you must only spen
one of those three shells in fightin
off the wolves. Save that till the mt
ment you need 1t most. The othC
two must be saved-for somethin
else"
She nodded, shuddering an instar
at a menacing shadow that move
within GO feet of the fire.
"Then goodby, DAM" she told hin
And she stretched up her arms. eth
thing said-that day on the hillsit
doesn't hold any more"
His own arms encircled her, but I
made no effort to claim her lips. Lee
nox watched them quietly; in tn
moment of crisis not even pretendiT
to look away. Dan shook his head
her entreatlng eyes. at isn't just
kiss, darling" he told her soberly. "
goes deeper than that. It's a symbC
1t was your word, too, and mine; ar
words can't be broken, things being
they are. Can't I make you unde
standT
She nodded. His eyes burned. Pc
maps she didn't understand, as far
actual functioning of the brain WI
concerned. But she reached up
him. as women-knowing life in Il
concrete rrther than the abstract