The Belding banner-news., 1921-04-06

4
prccedes his leap. He had not forgot
tea the wild rapture of that moment
he had inadvertently sprung OH Iandy
| IIildreth-or how, after his terror had
died. he had come creeping back. He
| hunted his own way. waiting on the
trail and his madness was at its
height. He was not just Whisperfoot
the coward. that runs ar the shadow
Of tall form in the thickets. The
consummation was complete. and that
single experience of month before
had made Of him hunter of men.
| His muscles set for the leap.
So intent was he that his keen
senses didn't detect the fact that
| here was a curious echo To the girls
footsteps. Dan Failing had slipped
lcwn from his terrified horse and was
unnlng M the trail behind hcr pray
NJ that hc could be in time.
Snowbird heard the pat, pat of his
feet; hat AZ first she did not dare 10
! hope that aid had CONE 10 her. She
had thought of nan as on the far
away marshes; and her father, the
only other living occupant Of this part
OF the Divide might even now be ly-
ing dead I'M his house In her terror,
she had lost All power of interpreta-
tiCn of events. The sound might be
the cougars mate. or even the wolf
pack. Jealous Of his game Sobbing,
she hurried on into Whispcrfoot's am
hush.
Then she heard a voice, and IL seem
ed 10 be calling to her. "Snowbird-
I'm COMING. Snowbird." n mans strong
voice Was shouting. She whirled with
sob of thankfulneSS
~ that instant The cougar sprang.
Terrified though She was, Snow
birds reneXes had kept sure and true.
Even as the great cat leaped. long.
1.-THE shadow out OF the shadow. her
finger pressed back against the trigger
Of her pistol. She had been carry
ing her gun in front of her. and she
fired II, this last time. with no con
sciouS effort. IL was just last In
stinctive effort 10 defend herself
One other element affected the is
sue. She had whir'ed to answer Dams
CRY just ms The cougar left the ground
But she bad still been i'm range Tie
only effect was 10 lessen. IN some de-
gree the accuracy of the spring The
bullet caught the beast in mid-air;
hut even IL IL had reached its heart,
the momentum OF the attack was too
great 10 be completely overcome
Snowbird only knew that some vast.
resistless power had struck her. and
that the darkness seemed 10 roar and
explode about her
Hurled TO her face in the trail. she
did not see the cougar sprawl on the
earth beside her. The flame in the
lantern almost fiicked out as II fell
from her hand. then flashed up and
down. from the deepest gloom TO a
vivid glare with something Of the ef-
feet of lightning flickering in the sky.
Nor did she hear the first frenzied
thrashlng Of the wounded animal
Kindly unconsciouSness had fallen. OBJ
securing this and also the sight OF the
| great cat. in the agony Of its wound.
creeping with broken shoulder and
hared claws across the pine needles
toward her defenseless body.
But the terrible fangs were never
10 know her white flesh Some one
had come between. There was no
chance 10 shoot: Whisperfoot and the
girl were too near together for that
But one course remained; and there
70 no
In this most terrible moment of Dan
Failing's life. there was not even an
instants hesitation. He did not know
that Whisperfoot was wounded. He
saw the beast creeping forward in the
weird dancing light of the fallen Ian
tern, and he only knew that his flesh
not hers, must resist its rending tai
ons. Nothing else mattered. No 9TH
er consideration could come between.
1t was the test and Dams instincts
prompted coolly and well. He leaped
with all his strength The cougar
bounded into his arms. not upon the
prone body of the girl And she open
ed her eyes to hear a curious thrash
Ing in the pine needles, a strange grim
battle that. as the lantern flashed out,
was hidden I'm the darkness
And that battle. in the far reaches
Of the Divide, passed into legend. II
was the tale Of how Dan Failing his
gun Knocked from his hands as he
met the cougars leap. with his own
unaided arms kept the llfe-giving
breath from the animals lungs and
killed him i'm the pine needles. Claw
and fang and the frenzy of death
k could not matter at all.
Thus Failing established before all
men his right TO the name he bore.
And thus he paid one of his debts
life for a life. as the code Of the forest
has always decreed-and In the fire
Of danger and pain his metal was
tried and proven.
tTo BE CONTINUED