Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-07-02
CHAPTER l-continued.

snow, he learned to walk on snow
shoes. At first there We're panied
ankles and endless foundering in the
drifts But between the fall of fresh
snow and the thaws that softened the
crust. he slowly mastered the art.
Snowbird-and Dan never realized the
full significance Of her name until he
saw her flying with incredible grace
over the snow-laughed at him at first
and ran him races that would usually
end in his falling headfirst into a ten
foot snowbank. She taught him how
10 ski and more than once she would
stop in the middle of an earnest bit
of pedagogy to find that he wasn't lis
tening at all. He would seem to be
fairly devouring her with his eyes, de-
lighting in the play of soft pinks and
reds in her cheeks, and drinking, as a
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 winter
DAYS went by without the discovery
astonish or delight hm--sometimes
an unlooked-for tenderness toward the
weak. often a sweet. untained philOs-
ophy of life. or perhaps just lower
ing Of her eyelids in which her eyes
would show lustrous through the
lashes. or some sweeping, exuberant
gesture startlingly graceful
Lennox Weakened one morning with
the realization that this was one of
the hardest winters of his experience.
He began to be very glad of the abun-
dant stores of provisions that over
crowded his pantry-savory hams and
bacons dried venison, sacks of pota-
toes and evaporated vegetables. and,
Of course, canned goods past count
ing. With the high fire roaring in the
crate the season held no ills for them.
But sometimes, when the bitter cold
game down at twilight, and the moon
boked like thing of ice itself over the
snow, he began to wonder how the
wild creatures who wintered on the
Divide were faring. OF course most
Of them were gone. Woof long since,
had grunted and mumbed 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 in those long win
ter nights their talk was chopped off
short by the song of the pack on some
distant ridge. Sometime, when the
world is old, possibly a man will be
born that can continue to talk and
keep 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 a moment the listener
sees In his minds eye his ancient
home In an ancient wOrld-Darkness
ard Fear and Eyes shining about the
cave. 1t carries him back, and he
knows the wilderness as 1t really Is;
and to have such knowledge dries up
all inclination to talk, as a sponge
dries water OF course the picture
isn't entirely plain. 1t is more a thing
guessed at, photograph in some dark
t"'' OF an under-conscIousness that
-'oS constantly grown more dim as the
teA.uILes nave passed. Possibly some
.,"e y VIII fade out altogether; and
.,s" man may continue TO discuss
the weather while the Song from the
Si,'ooefs IN at the windows. But
we word VIII be quite cold by then,
..,' 10 longer particularly interesting.
A'' possibly even the wolves t"km-
s7-.es will then be tanned to play dead
.o speak pieces-Which means the
..',''IleSs itself Will be tanned. FOR
s.. VIZ oS me WHO lasts the PACK VIII
~. -, 'auSh II IN me winter IheF
r,,. Iefe IN me hesinnlng ana IN
r,.-., VI constant war ana constant
$50 vi 'I'e part or men .they VIII
t.. .t Al li'e emu. Inc reason Is 3l-t
- .l.s5 are me symhoi OF me VIII
.r. '.seii' AMI tile laea OF T con
$3.50 - exist Wllhout mem y
o.- -'i'h lli't q hauon "lIhoal
wasn't quite the same song that
eaa listened to In the first days