Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1921-12-02


II was only II whisper. nj first. Yet
she was coming nearer: and her own
voice sounded louder. Here Snow
blrd. he called again. She heard hin,
then: he could tell by the startled
tone of her reply The next instant
ping on his face.
with a tremendous effort OF Wiz he
recalled his speeding faculties. II
don't think I'm badly hurt" lee told
her very quietly. "A few ribs broken
and Il leg. But well have TO winter
here on the Divide. Snowbrd mine
What does it matter, If you livc?"
she cried She crawled along the pine
needles beside him. and tore his shirt
from his breast. He was rapidly sink
Ing into unconsciousness. The thing
she dreaded most-that his back might
There were, as ne said, broken ribs
and evidently one severe fracture OF
the leg bone. Whether he had sus-
tanned internal injuries that would
end his life before the morning. she
had no way of knowing
At this point the problem of saving
her fathers life fell wholly into her
hands. His broken body could not b.
carried over the mountain road to
physicians In the valleys. They must
be transported to the ranch. 1t would
take them full day to make the trip,
n co1tlI to
once; and twentyfour hours without
medical attention would probably cost
her father his life. The nearest tele.
phone was at the ranger station,
twelve miles distant over a mountain
trail The telephone line to Bald
mountain. four miles off. had been dis.
connected when the rains had ended
| the peril of the forest fire.
1t all depended upon her Bill was
| driving cattle into the valleys. and he
and his men had in use all the horses
on the ranch with one exception. The
remaining horse had been ridden by
Dan to some distant marshes. and as
Dan would shoot until sunset. that
meant he would not return until ter
o'clock. There was no road for a cal
to the ranger station only rough
steep trail. and she remembered. will
a sinking heart. that one of Bills mis-
sions in the valley was to procure q
new lighting system. BY no conceiv
| able possibility could she drive dowr
that mountain road in the darkness
But she was somewhat relieved by the
thought that in all probability sht
could walk twelve miles across TIN
mountains to the ranger station il
much less time than she could drive
by automobile, seventy miles down t.
the ranches at the foothills about thu
valley
Besides she remembered with
gladdening heart that Richards. on,
! Of the rangers. had been a student a
medical college and had taken a pc
sition with the forest service to re
gain his health. She would cross til,
ridge to the station. phone for Il doc
tor in the valleys. and would return
on horseback with Richards for sucl
first aid as he could give. The onl,
problem that remained was that o
getting her father into the house.
He was stirring a little now. Evi
IDENTIFY consciousness was returning +,
him. And then she thanked HEAVIER
that her father had taught her in tn,
days before careleSsness had com,
upon him. One of his lessons hat
been that of carrying an unconscious
human form-a method by which evei
woman may carry, for short dis
mately the method used in carryin.
wounded in No Mans Land: the bod
thrown over the shoulders. one arm
through the fork of the legs to TIL
wounded mans hand. Her father wa
not particularly heavy man. and sh
was an exceptionally strong youn
woman. She knew at once that thi
problem was solved.
The hardest part was lifting him 4
her shoulders. Only by calling upo
her last ounce of strength and tug
glng upward with her arms. was sh
able to do it. But II was fairly easy
In her desperation. to carry him dow
the hill. What rest she got she too
by leaning against n tree, the linn
body still across her shoulders
II was n distance OF one hundre
yards In all. No muscles hut thos
trained by the outdoors. no lungs Z,
cept those made strong by the moul
tain mir. could have stood that tes
She laid him on his own bed, ON IN
lower floor, and SET his broken limb
the best she could. She covered hin
up with thick, tleecy blankets, and sc
bottle of whisky beside the he,
Then she wrote II note to Dan an
fastened II upon one of the interlo
doors.
She drew on her hob. boots
needed sorely for the steep climb
and pocketed her pistol. She thrust
handful of jerkcd venlson into tn
pocket of her coat and lighted the lar
tern. The forest night had fallen. sol
and vibrant and tremulous. over tn
heads of the dark trees when sh