The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1921-03-11
CHAPTER llI-coutinued.

-t2-
The rains fen increasingly for seven
days: not a dOwnpour but a constant
drizzle that made the distant ridges
smoke The parehed earth seemed TO
smack its lips, and little riyulets be-
gan 10 fall aud tumble over the beds
NJ the dry streams. All danger of for
eat fire was at once removed. and
Snowbrd was no longer needed as
lookout on old Bald mountain. She
went to her own home. her companion
hack 10 the valley: and now that his
sister had taken his place MS house
keeper. Bill Ia 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.
II was no great pleasure. these
rainy days lie would have greatly
liked 10 have fingered In the square
mountain house. listening to the quiet
murmur OF the rain on the roof and
watching SnOwhird at her household
tasks. She could, rs her father had
said. mike biscuit. She could also
roll up sleeves over trim. brown arms
and with entire good humor do a
weeks laundry for three hard-work-
ing men, He would have liked to sit
with her through the long afternoons.
MS 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
skeins. But none of these things tran
snired. lie drove himself from day
light TIL dark, developing his body for
The tests that were sure to come.
The hrst few days nearly killed him.
lie over.excrcised in the chill rain.
and one anxious night he developed
nil the symptoms Of pneumonia. Such
a sickness would have been the one
thing needed to make the doctors
prophecy come true. But with Snow
birds mid. and numerous hot drinks.
he fought II off.
She had made him go to bed. and
no human memory could be so duh as
to forget the little. whispered message
that she gave him with his last spoon
FIJI of medicine. She said she'd pray
for him. and she meant II too--li;erai.
,entreating prayer that could not 60 I'M
heard. She was mountain girl. and
her beliefs were those Of her ances-
tors simple ann true and wholly
without affectation. But he hadn't
relaxed thereafter He knew the time
had eonr 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 wnsson the direct road to
complete recovery.
Sometimes ihe cut wood In the for
est first the Telling OF some tall pine.
then the trimming and hewlng into
two-foot lengths. The blIsters came
on his hands. broke and bled. hut
finally hardened into caiiosities. lie
learned the most effective stroke to
huri shower of chips from beneath
the blade. His back and limbs hard
ened from the handling of heavy wood
and the cough wss practically gOne.
his frame filed out. His face became
swartby from constant exposure. He
gained In weight.
One cloudy afternoon In early No
vember found SIlas Lennox cutting
wood on the ridge behind his house. II
was still an open question with him
whether he and his daughter would
attempt to winter on the Divide. Dan
Of course wanted to remain. yet there
were certain reasons. some very def
mite and others extremely vague. why
the prospect OF the winter In the snow
fields did not appeal to the noun
taincer. In the first place. all signs
pointed to hard season. Although
the fall had come late. the SHOWS were
exceptionally early. The duck flight |
was completed two weeks before It's
usual time. and the rodents had dug
their burrows unusually deep. Re
sides. too many months OF snow weigh |
heavily upon the spirit. The wolf |
packs sing endlessly on the ridges.
and many unpleasant things may hap |
pen. On previous years. some Of the
cabins on the ridges below had human |
occupants: this winter the whole re-
zion for nearly seventy miles acrnss
the mountains to the foothills. would |
be wholly deserted by human beings
Even the ranger station. twelve miles
across a steep ridge. would soon be
empty. OF course few ranchers had |
homes few miles beyond the river.
bat the wild cataracts did not freeze
IN the coldest OF seasons, and there
were no bridges. Besides. most Of the
more prosperous farmers wintered IN
the valleys. Only few more days
would the road be paSsable for his
car: and no time must be lost In max
lhg his decision.
Once the SHOWS came In reality.
there was nothing to DO but stay. Sew
enty miles across the uncharfesl ridges
On snowshocs is an undertaking for
which even a mountalneer has NJ
fondness Il might be the wisest thing.
after an 10 load SnOwhird and Dan |