Evening star., 1921-10-09

childhood and much Of her old
| physical resiliency and youthful dare.
deviltry remained. And the need was
terrible: not even her own people
Cora Mcbride took the kitchen
lamp and went upstairs. Lifting the
top of a leather trunk, she found her
, husbands revolver. With it was q
belt and hH1sser the tbe formse sa
over the back kitchen she unlocked
| Duncan's mackinaw and found her
own toboggan-cap. From corner
| behind some fishing rods she salvaged
pair of summer-dried snowsnoes:
| army haversack Duncan used as a
| game-bag. Its shoulder straps were
| broken, but a length Of rope suf1ced
i to bind it about her shoulders after
With this equipment she returned
below stairs. She drew on heavy
woollen stockings and buckled on
arctics. She entered the cold pantry
and packed the knapsack with what
supplies she could find at the hour.
| hunting knife or matches. In her
| blouse she slipped a household fash
lamp.
From the kitchen she called softly
| to her husband. He did not answer.
He was asleep. She must not waken
| him.
She blew out the kerosene lamp.
and went out through the shed door.
closing it softly behind her.
| An hour later found her far to the
that led up to the Harrison lumber
job She had meantime paid Dave
| Sheldon, a neighbor's boy, encount-
cred by his gate, to stay with Duncan
during her absence. which she ex-
She knew the woods. Intuitively she
| felt that if Ruggam was on Haystack
| mountain making his way toward
Lost Nation. he would strike for the
shacks of the Green Mountain Club or
trail, for he had no food. and provi-
sions were often left in these struc-
! lures by hunters and mountain hik-
ers. She would investigate each group
| of buildings. She had the advantage
of starting on the northwest side OF
Haystack. She would be working to-
| ward Ruggam, while the rest OF the
posses were trailing him.
She decided it must be midnight
| when she reached the ghostly build
useless to search these cabins. II Rug
gam had left the freight at Norwall
on the eastern side of Haystack at
: noon he had thirty miles to travel be.
fore reaching the abandoned quiet OF
the clearing.
The hours Of the night piled up.
The silent, muffling snowfall contin-
ued. And Cora Mcbride began to
sense an alarming WEAKNESS. 1t final
ly dawned upon her that her old
time vigor was missing, The strength
of youth was hers no longer.
The realization of her limitations
was accompanied by wild panic. She
was still many miles even from Blind
Brook Cabin, and her limbs were af1re
from the unaccustomed effort 'Tom-
~ 6o1 fnd -
cumbing to physical fatigue before
she had climbed as far as Blind
Brook.
Tuesday, the 2sth Of October, passed
with no tidings Of Ruggam,s capture.
The snowfall stopped in the early
morning. Sunrise disclosed the world
trimmed, from horizon to horizon In
fairy fluff. The sun scared higher, and
the day grew warmer. Eaves began
dripping during the noon hour, to
o'clock behind Bancroft's hill.
After the sunset came a perfect
evening. The starlight was magic.
Some time between 8 o'clock and
midnight-she had no way OF telling
exactly-Cora Mcbride reached the
Lyons clearing.
For over an hour she had hobb1ed
blindly. 1t was wholly by accident
that she had stumbled into the clear
ing. And the capture Of Ruggam had
diminished in importance. Warm
food, water that would not tear her
raw throat, q place to lie and recoup
her strength after the chilling winter
night-these were the only things
that counted now. When q snag
caught her snowshoe and tripped her
there was hysteria In her cry OF re-
sentiment.
A s she moved across from the tim
"A ber line her hair was revealed
fallen down; she had lost a. glove,
and one hand and wrist were cruelty
red where she had plunged them
several times into the snow to save
herself from falling upon her face.
ioy thong, of her right snoWShoe