Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-07-28

iiiVHISHtdiJ iSSt Ills SioahSS iioZS W
board-like stiffness. Pierre's legs
were dog-weary and even the weight
of his rifle seemed tons. But still the
bears trail led on and on into those
-forsaken regions. The trail,
Pierre's practiced eyes read, was new,
he must be not far behind the bear.
"Mon Dieu!" muttered Pierre. "Why
mus he come up here so far ?" And
strange uneasiness began to take pos
session Of Pierre. But there still
burned in his eyes that same light
"There ees surely a reason for heem
goin' so far" muttered Pierre again,
then added determinedly, "but, eet
mus be one of u.s." He gritted his
teeth and pushed on, a great mystery
in his mind.
After a while Pierre began to lose
sense of time. He just plodded dog
gedly ahead, his eyes glued to the
bears trail. Uneven contours of the
snow fields and ice ridges stuck
finger Of frosty warning at him. He
knew he was getting far, far into the
arctic regions. That a bear should
wander so far-again he marveled?
Then Pierre came to an ice hum
mock which the trail led UP and over.
On the ridge Pierre halted then drop
ped to his knees and stared at some
thing
Hairs, he saw, that the Jagged
edge of the ice had pulled from the bear
as he clambered over-but they were
white! White as the snow itself!
And there came to Pierre's mind the
stories Of the splash Of white on Sill
yer Tips stomach-which some had
thought to be snow; but now, Pierre
knew that he was following a bear
with strain of polar on him-those
white monsters whose homes are the
regions where no men live but tho
brown skin Esquimaux. That was
where Silver Tip went in the summer,
when the South grew too warm for
him.
He, Pierre Baptiste, was trailing
bear that knew no boundary of snow
and ice-a chill wind began to creep
over the snow wastes and Pierre's
snowshoes seemed to be tugging to
drag him down. But had he not sworn
to trail down Silver Tip? True, only
the snow and the wind had been wit
nesses to his swearing, but it could not
have been more binding had he sworn
before Father LeStel down at Gargam-
mon. Therefore it was that Pierre
stumbled on following that never end
ing gossamcr thread that spun a STREAK
of despair over the snow wastes into
the dim distance.
1t was an hour later and miles fur
ther that Pierre stopped before huge
ice hummock in an uneven stretch
of country that he knew must not be
far from the great ice sheet of Hud-
sons Bay. Some instinct prompted
Pierre to loosen the mitten OF his right
hand and gently try the action of his
rifle to make sure the cold had not
gunn.1 the 81 Then h. worked lid
~, ice ridge.
On the top Pierre halted. At first
he saw nothing, then, less than an
eighth of a mile away, he saw some
thing moving, numbering figure plod-
ding over the snow, 1 fgu-e brown
haired and with Silver Nose and
splash Of white on the Belly as though
snow-dragged. A smil2 of grim sat
isfaction cracked PieTrc's frosted
features as he slipped of his mitten
and raised his rife 20 his shoulder.
AS Pierre pressed his check against
the stock of his rifle he thought he saw
something out of the corner of his eve
that made him turn. He lowered his
rifle and scanned the snow fields on
all sides. But far as eyes could reach
there stretched only the white barrens.
The only living thing besides himself
was that numbering ball of brown.
Again Pierre raised rifle. But IS his
finger touched the trigger he lowered
the gun again. Something, the barest
fit of a glimpse, had drawn his atten-
ton. But he saw no moving thing
other than the bear.
"Eet ees so YER funnyw muttered
Pierre, and prepared to raise his rifle
determinedly. Then, on a ridge, and
the color of the ice it moved against.
Pierre saw something move. One mo-
ment Pierre stared, and his keen ewes