Vernon Parish Democrat., 1921-08-18
CHAPTER II-cOntinued.

And as for WhisperfoOt-the terror
that choked his heart with blood be-
gan to wear off in a little while. The
man lay so still in the thickets. Be
sides, there was a strange, wild smell
in the air. Whisperfoot's stroke had
gone home so true there had not even
been a fight. The darkness began to
lift around him, and a strange exulta-
tiOn, a rapture unknown before in all
his hunting, began to- creep into his
wild blood. Then, as a shadow steals,
he went creeping back to his dead.
Dan Failing had been studying ma
ture on the high ridges; and he went
home by a back trail that led to old
Bald mountain. The trail was just
a narrow serpent in the brush and
It had not been made by gangs of
labOrers, working with shovels and
picks. Possibly half a dozen white
men, in all, had ever walked along it.
1t was just the path Of the wild crea-
lures, worn down by hoof and paw
and cushion since the young days of
the world.
It was a roundabout trail home,
but yet it had its advantages. 1t took
him within two miles of Snowbird's
lookout station, and at this hour Of
day he had been particularly fortunate
in finding her at certain spring on
the mountain side. 1t was rather sin
gular coincidence. Along about four
ne would usually find himself wander
ing up that way. Strangely enough,
at the same time, 1t was true that
she had an irresistible impulse to go
down and sit in the green ferns beside
the same spring. They always seemed
to be surprised to see one another. In
reality, either of them would have
been considerably more surprised had
the other failed to put in an appear
ance. And always they had long talks,
as the afternoon drew to twilight.
"But don't think you ought to wait
so late before starting home" the girl
would always say. you're not
human hawk, and 1t is easier to get
lost than you think"
And this solicitude, Dan rightly fig
ured, was a good sign. There was
only one objection to it. 1t resulted
IN an unmistakble inference that she
considered him unable to take care
of himself-and that was the last
thing on earth that he wanted her
to think. He understood her, well
enough to know that her standards
were the standards of the mountains,
Valuing strength and self-reliance
above all things. He didn't stop to
question why, every day, he trOd so
many weary miles to be with her.
She was as natural as a fawn and
many times she had quite taken away
his breath. And once she did 1t liter
ally He didn't think that so long as
death spared him he would ever be
able to forget that experience. 1t was
her birthday, and knowing Of 1t in
time he had arranged for the delivery
of certain package, dear to girlish
heart, at her fathers house. In the
trysting hour he had come trudging
over the hills with it, and few expert
ences in his life had ever yielded such
unmitigated pleasure as the sight of
her, glowing white and red, as she took
OFF its wrapping paper. 1t was jolly
old gift, he recollected-and when she
had seen it, she fairly leaped at him.
Her warm, round arms around his
neck, and the softest. lOvellest lips in
the world pressed his. But in those
days he didn't have the strength that
he had now. BE felt he could endure