The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1921-05-06
Copyright. 1920. by Little. Brown 4 Co

Or ~ 'Ao tSAA 0IN
not let the necessity Of haste cost hin
his victory. He crept forward, step
by step, placing his ~snowshoes with
conSummate care. When he was one
hundred yards distant he saw that
Cranston's camp was situated beside
a little stream that flowed INTO the
river and that-like the mountaineer
he was-he had built a large lean-to
reinforced with snowbanks. The fire
burnedNat its opening. Cranston was
not in sight; either he was absent
from camp or asleep in his lean-to.
The latter seemed the more likely.
Dan made a wide detour, coming in
about thirty yards behind -he construc.
ton. Still he moved with incredible
caution. Never in his life had he ros.
Sessed a greater mastery over hi, ssh
nerves His heart leaped som awrat
fast in his own breast; but this was
the only wasted motion. 1t isn't easy
70 advance through such thickets with
out ever q misStep. without the rustic
of n branch or the crack of a twig.
Vel ain " tIit WIZ creatures ma ~
easy; but men have forgotten how in
too many centuries of cities and farms.
1t is hardly a human quality, and a
spectator would have found q rather
CHASTITY fascination in watching the
1.-the motions, the p~assionless face, the
hands that didn't shake at all. Bnt
there were no spcctators-unless the
little band of wolves. s~tragglers from
the pack that had gathered on the hills
behlnd-watched with lighted Y
Dan went down at full length upon
the snow and softly removed his snow
shoes. They would be only an impedi-
ment in the close work that was sire
10 follow. He slid along the snow
crust. clear to the mouth of the lean-to.
The moonlight poured through and
showed the interior with rather re-
markatie ~plainness. CranSton was
sprawl~G. half-sitting. half-lying on a
tree-bClgh pallet near the rear wall.
There was not the slightest doubt OF
the mnn's wakefulness. Dan heard
him str. and once-as if at the mem
- Va MS hC0d vi liS 1IN ptIOTt-lle
cursed n a savage whisper. Although
ee was facing the opening =. the lean
20. he was wholly of Dam,
rresenh. The latter had thrust his
head "a the side of the opening. and
il was in shadow. Craaston seemed
to be Watching the great, white snow
fields trait lay in front. and for a mo-
ment Tia was at loss to explain this
seeming vigil. Then he understood.
The white field before him was part
of the long ridge that the three OF
tf-hm would pass on their way to the
valleys. Cranston had evidently an
titlpated that the girl ard the man
would attempt to march Cut-even If
he hadn't guessed they would try to
tahe n helpless Lennox with them
anc he wished to be prepared for
emergencies. There might be sport TO
have with Dan, unarmed us he was.
And his eyes were full of strange con
lectures in regard to Snowhird. Both
would he exhausted now and helpless
Dams eyes encompassed the ROOM:
the plies of provisions heaped against
the wall, the now shoes beside the
pallet, but most of all he wished to
locate Cranston's rifle. Success or
failure hung on that. He couldn't
find 1t at first. Then he saw the gilt.
ter Of it's barrel in the moonlight
leaning against a grub box possibly
six feet from Cranston and 10 from
himself.
His heart leaped. The best he had
hoped fOr-for the sake Of Snowbird,
not himself-was that he would be
nearer to the gun than Cranston and
would be able to seize it first. But
conditions could be greatly worse than
they were. If Cranston had actually
had the weapon in his hands, the odds
of battle would have been frightful'y
against Dan. 1t takes a certain length
of time to seize, swing. and aim a IL
fie n Dan felt that while he would
be unable to reach it himself, Gran
stOn could not procure it either, with
out giving Dan an opportunity to leap
upon him. In all his dreams. through
the months of preparation. he had pic
tured it thus. 1t was the test at last.
The gun might be loaded. and Still
in these days of safety devices-un-
ready to fire; and the loss of Il frac-
ton of n second might enable Gram
ston to reach his knife. Thus Dan
felt justified in ignoring the gun alto
gether and trusting-as he had most
desired-tO a battle Of hands. And he
wanted both hands free when he made
his attack.
If Dan had been erect upon his feet,
his course would have been an imme-
date leap on the shoulders of his ad-
versary. running the risk of Cranston
reaching his hunting knife in time.
But the second that he would require
10 get to his feet would entirely offset
this advantage. Cranston could spring
up. too. So he did the next most dis
arming thing.
He sprang up and strobe into the
lean-to.