Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-06-02


trigger"
ferent from the ealIowS did aim at
him.
"But you just lacked the CUTS 10 pull
the trigger
7 did, and J ain.t ashamed Of II
But besides--the SHOWS are here now,
and he won't be able to even get word
TO the valleys for aix months. If you
want him killed SO bad. do Il yonr.
SELF
This was thought indeed. On the
other hnrd. another murder might not
be rie,pssary. Months would pasa be
fore Tie road would be opened, and IN
the meantime Cranston would have n
thousand chances 70 steal back the
nrcusing letters file didn't believe for
an instant that the man Gibbs had
seen pns q detective. He had kept
too close watch over the roads for
That.
"A tnlI chimp. IN outing clothes
dnrk-haired and cleap-shavcnr'
@Ycs7-
wears tan hatf
'grhnt's the man,
u know him--nnd wish you'd
punctured him. That's Fniling--tte
tenderfoot that's been staying ut Len.
nox'a He's 0 innger.~
"lIe didn't look IKE no Hunger TO
me-
-Bui no matter about that--srs Just
ss thought And RI got 'em back
mark my little wortis.s
IN the mcaniime tho best thins TO
90 was 10 move az once 10 his winter
tripping grounds--a certnin neglected
region on tho lower levels % the North
Fork. n nj any time within the next
few weeks Dan should attempt TO
carry woni down 20 the settlements.
be would be certain 20 pass within
view OF his carlp. But he knew that
the chance Of Dan starting upon uny
such journey before the snow had
melted was not one IN a thousand. To
he caught IN the Divide IN ne winter
means 20 be showed IN ns completely
% the fnnuIts Of upper Greenland. Ne
word could pass except by man on
snowshoeA.
Yet II the chance did come, II tlie
house should be- left unRuarded. It
might pay cranston TO make an linz
mediate search. Dan would have no
reason for supposing that Cranston
suspected HIS possession OF the let.
ters: he would not DO particularly
watehfuI. and would probably pigeon
hole them unui spring IN Lennoxs
desk.
And the truth was TINT Crnnston
bad reasoned out the situation almost
perfectly. When Dan awakened n
The morning. and tho snsw lay already
a foot deep over the wilderness world,
be knew that he would have no chance
TO act upon slae Cranaton case until
the SHOWS melted IN the spring. So
be pushed all thought Of II ont o. his
mind and turned his attention 10 more
pleasant subjects II was true that he
read the documents over twice al he
lay IN bed. Then he tied them Into
neat packet and put them away where
they would DO quickly available. Then
he thrust his head ont Of the window
aud Let the great snowiiakes sift down
upon bis face. II was winter NJ last,
the season that he loved.
lie didn't stir from the house that
first day Of the storm. snowblsd and
he found plenty Of pleasant things to
do and talk about before the roaring
| fire kllnt hn built In the CRATE. He was
glad OF the great pile Of wo0d TINT
lay outside the door. II meant liRD u.
self, IN this season. Then Snowbird
led him 10 the windows. and they
watched the white drifts pile up ovsi
tie low underbrush.
When finally the snowstorrn ceased.
1--WE days later. the whole face Of the
wilderness was changed. The buck
brush was mostly covered, the fences
we're out Of sight; the forest seemed
clear. clean sweep Of white. broken
only BY an occasional tall thicket and
by the great. snow-coverad trees.
When the clouds blew away. and
the air grew clear. the temperature
began to fail. Dan had no way Of
knowing how low II went Thermome
tiers were not considered essential at
the Lennox home. But when his eye
lids CONCEALED with the frost. and his
mittens froze 10 the logs Of flrewcod
that he carried through the door. and
the pine trees exploded and cracked 10
the darkness. he was correct IN his
belief that II wns very. very cold.
nut he loved the cold, and the 81.
Ience and austertty that went with II
The wilderness claimed him as never
before. The rugged breed that were
his ancestors had struggled through
such seasons as this and pissed a love
Of them down through the years to
him.
When the Ice made Q crust over the
snow, he learned TO walk on snow
shoes. At first there we're panied
ankles and endless fioundering IN the
drifts. But between the fall Of fresh
snow and the thnws that softened the
crust, he slowly mastered the art.
snowbird- Dan never realized the
full Significance of her name until he
saw her flying with Incredible grace
over the snow--iaughed at him az first
ana ran him races that would usually
end IN his falling headflrst into a ten.
foot snowbank. She taught him how
to sld and more than once she would
stop IN the middle Of an earnest BIT
OF pedagogy to flnd that he wasn't ils-
tenlng 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
mnn drinks wipe. the amazing change