The Dolores star., 1921-05-06

calling to him, wakening insthcts
long smothered in cities, but sure ana
true as ever. II was the beginning
of regeneration. Voices OF the long
past were speaking to him. and the
Tailings once more had begun TO run
true TO form. Inherited tendencies
were in moment changing this weak
diseased youth into 4 frontiersman
and wilderness inhabitant such as MS
ancestors had been before him.
They were slipping along over the
pine needles, their eyes intent on the
trail ahead And then LennoN saw a
curious thing. lie b"held Dan sud
denly stop in the trail and turn MS
eyes toward heavy thicket that lay
perhaps one hundred yards TO their
right. For an instant he looked al
most like n wild creature himself. HIS
head was lowered, us II he were iis-
tening. His muscles were set ana
ready.
Lennox had prlded himself that he
had retained all the powers of his hve
senses, and that few men in the noun
tans had keener ears than he. 1et
It was truth that at first he only knew
the silence, and the stir and pulse or
his own blood. He assumed then that
Dan was watching something that
from his position. twenty feet behinc.
he could not see He tried to probe
the thickets with his eyes.
Then Dan whispered. Ever so soft
sound. but yet distinct in the ST.
Ience. There's something living In
that thicket."
Then Lennox heard It. too. AS they
stood still, the sound became ever
clearer and more pronounced. Some
living creature was advancing toward
them: and twigs were cracking be
meath It's feet. The sounds We're rath-
er subdued. and yet as the animal ap-
preached. both of them instlnctivefy
knew that they were extremely loud
for the usual footsteps of any of the
wild creatures.
what is it?" Dan asked quietly.
LennOx was so Intrigued by the
sounds that he was not even observ-
ant of the peculiar subdued quality
in Dams voice. Otherwise he would
have wondered at II. Tin free to
confess | don't know" he said. ITS
booming right toward US, like most
animals don't care to do. OF course
it may be human being. You must
watch out for that"
They waited. The sound ended.
G,rn niv,ip
ment without speech.
THAT was the dumdest thing !"
IennoX went on. "Of course 1t might
have been bear--you never know
what they're going to do. 1t might
have got sight of US and turned Off.
deer"
But then his words chopped square
ly off in his throat. The plodding ad-
vance commenced again. And the
next instant gray form revealed IT.
self at the edge of the thicket.
1t was GraycOat the coyote. half
blind with his madness, and des-
perate in his agony.
There was no more deadly thing In
all the hills than he. Even the bite
of a rattlesnake would have been well
coined beside his. He stood long
fexes that would have ordinarily
made him flee in abject terror were
thwarted and twisted by the fever of
his madness. He stared moment at
the two figures. and his red eyes could
not interpret them. They were simply
foes, for 1t was true that when this
racking agony was upon him. even
lifeless trees seemed foes sometimes.
He seemed eerie and unreal as he
gazed at them out of his burning eyes:
and the white foam gathered at his
fangs. And then, wholly without
warning, he charged down at them.
He came with unbelievable speed.
The elder Lennox cried once In warn
ing and cursed himself for ventur.
Ing forth on the ridge without gun.
He was fully twenty feet distant from
Dan; yet he saw in an instant his
only course. This was no time to
trust their lives to the marksmanshIp
OF an amateur. He sprang toward
Dan, intending to wrench the weapon
from his hand
But he didn't achieve his purpose.
At the first step his foot caught In a
projecting root, and he was shot to
his face on the trail. But long life
In the wilderness had developed Len
noX's reflexes to an abnormal degree
many crises had taught him muscle
and nerve control; and only for a
fraction of an instant. period of
time that few Instruments are fine
enough TO measure, did he lie supInely
upon the ground. He rolled on, into
position Of defense. But he knew
now he could not reach the younger
man before the mad coyote would be
upon them. The matter was out of
his hands. Everything depended on
the aim and self-control of the tender
foot.