Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-04-30
CHAPTER I-Continued.


ankles and endless foundering in the
drifts. But between the fall of fresh
uow 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 tens
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
of some new trait or little vanity to
astonish or delight him-sometimes
an unlookedfor 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 wakened 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
came down at twilight and the moon
looked 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. Wool, long since,
had grunted and mumbled his way
into a winter lair. But the wolves re-
manned, strange gray shadows on the
snow. and possibly 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
and Fear and Eyes shining about the |
cave. II 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
part Of an under-consclousness that
has constantly grown more dim as the
centuries have passed. Possibly some
time 1t will fade out altogether; and
then a man may continue to discuss
the weather while the Song from the
ridge shudders in at the windows. But
the world will be quite cold by then,
and no longer particularly interesting
And possibly even the wolves them
selves will then be tanned to play dead
and speak pieces-which means the
wilderness itself will be tanned. For
rs long as the wild lasts, the pack VIII
'un through 1t In the winter They b
we're here in the beginning, and In
,pite of constant war and constant
hatred on the part Of men, they VIII
,e here In the end. The reason is just
hat they are the symbol of the will
lerness itself, and the idea Of 1t con-
inning TO exist without them Is
Granger than that Of nation without
flag.
II wasn't quite the same song that
IAN had listened to in the first days
f fall II had been triumphant then,
nd nroud with the wilderness pride.
VI course 1t had been sad then, too,
rt n was more sad now. And 1t was
tranger TOO. and crept farther into
he souls of its listeners. Ii was the
ony NJ strength that couldn't avail
gainst the snow. possibly Of cold and
no despalr and courage Of starvation.
'bese three that heard 1t were Injured
, the wilderness; but a moment was
lwsvs needed after its last note had
led to regain their gayety.
".rhey're getting lean and they're
citing savage Lennox said one
ight stretched on his divan before
70 areplace. He was, still unable to
alb Int the fractures were knitting
owiy and the doctor had promised
~ the summer would find him well.
n We had dog. wouldn't offer
uch for his life. One Of these days
ell find em in a big circle around |
"a house-and then we'll have to [
,en I'D with the rifles"
gut this picture appalled, neither Of
Z two young listeners. No wolf pack (
IN stand against three marksmen, /
med with rifles and behind oaken
ogia