Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-05-28
CHAPTER IIi-continued.
- 2

- W.
The rains fell increasingly for seven
DAYS: not a downpour but a constant
drizzle that made the distant ridges
smoke. The parched earth seemed 10
smack its lips. and little rivulets be-
gan to fall and tumble over the beds
Of the dry streams. All danger Of for
est fire was at once removed, and
Snowbird was no longer needed as a
lookout on old Bald mountain. She
went to her own home, her companion
back to the valley; and now that his
sister had taken his place as house
keeper Bin had gone down to the
lower foothills with a great part Of
the live stock. Dan spent these rainy
days in toll on the hillsides, building
himself physically so that he might
pay his debts.
It was no great pleasure. these
rainy days. He would have greatly
liked to have fingered in the square
mountain house, listening to the quiet
murmur of the rain on the roof and
watching Snowbird at her household
tasks. She could, as her father had
said make a biscuit. She could also
roll up sleeves over trim. brown arms
and with entire good humor do
weeks laundry for three hard-work-
ing men. He would have liked to sit
with her, through the long afternoons,
as she knitted beside the fireplace
TO watch the play of her graceful fin
gers and perhaps, now and then. TO
touch her hands when he held the
Fkeins, But none of these things tran
gplred He drove himself from day
light till dark, developing his body for
the tests that were sure to come.
The first few days nearly killed him.
He over-exercised in the chill rain.
and one anxious night he developed
all the symptoms Of pneumonia. Such
q sickness would have been the one
thing needed to make the doctors
prophecy come true. But with Snow
birds aid, and numerous hot drinks,
be fought It off
She had made him 90 to bed, and
no human memory could be so dun as
20 forget the little whispered message
that she gave him with his last spoon
ful Of medicine. She said she'd pray
for him. and she meant It too-literal,
entreating prayer that could not go un-
heard. She was a mountain girl, and
her beliefs were those of her ances-
rorS-simple and true and wholly
without affectation. But he hadn't
relaxed thereafter. He knew the time
had come to make the test. Night
after night he would go to bed half
sick from fatigue. but the mornings
would find him fresh. And after two
weeks, he knew he had passed the
crisis and was on TIE direct road to
complete recovery.
Sometimes he cut wood in the for
est: first the Telling of some tall pine,
Jhen the trimming end hewing into
1wefoot lengths. The blisters came
On his hands, broke and bled, but
finally hardened into caIlosities. He
learned the most effective stroke to
hurl shower Of chips from beneath
The blade His back and limbs hard
eaed from the handling of heavy wood
and the cough was practically gone.
Ills frame filled out. His face became
s#arthy from constant exposure. He
gained in weight
One cloudy afternoon In early No
Fenber found Silas Lennox cutting
wood on the ridge behind his house. It
vas still an open question with him
whether he and his daughter would
attempt to winter on the Divide Dan
u course wanted TO remain. yet there
we're certain reasons. some very def
nlte and others extremely vague why
ne prospect Of the winter IN the snow
@as did not appeal to the noun
4ineer. In the first place, all signs
med TO q hard season. Although
me foil had come late. the SHOWS were
5&eeftionally early. The duck fight
completed two weeks before its
time, and the rodents had dug
burrows unusually deep Be
700 many months Of snow weigh
-7aFl!y upon the spirit The wolf
1S sing endlessly on the ridges.
a1a many unpleasant things may han
on previous years. some Of the
"a the ridges below had human
ants; this winter the whole re-
Tor nearly seventy miles across
autains 30 the foothills. would
deserted nv human beings.
me ranger station. twelve miles
q steep ridge. would soon be
or course a few ranchers had
few miles beyond the river.
a Wild cataracts did not freeze
'''aest Of seasons. and there
Fl" bridges. Besides. most Of the
prosperous farmers wiatered fn
Only q few more DAYS
Pc road be paSSable for his
70 tine must be lost In max
3eeision.
Ese SHOWS came In reality.
nothing 20 do but stay. Sew
across the uucbarted ridges
7oes Is an undertak king for
even uountaIneer has no
=. II might be the visast thing
R~rA