The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-01-20

NV N'AN AAEAtAh N8H WV ~ w. fffttl
OF incredible atrcnr and movement.
For all his mortal wounds. the short
distance between the bear ana the
girl seemed Co reoode with tragic
awif,nenu. Tho animals cries nng
thru the silent forest near and far
the Wild creatures paused Ia their
occupations 10 listen. Virginia also
stood her ground There wan no Use
10 flee. she merely stood straight. her
eyes casing along her pistol barrel.
firing shot after shot into the ami.
mails head. iiecauso u Was an auto.
matte. she was able Ca send home
the loads In rapid succession.
hut they were little. futile things.
with never the shocking power Ca
stop that blasting charge. Tier safety
stlll lay IN that Ia which she had
always trusted. tho same that had
been her. fort and her stronghold In
all their past adventures. nili saw
The griExiy change IN direction. his
response was instructive and instan.
ianeoua lie came ieaplng thru the
SNOW an II a great hand had hurled
him, all % his muscles contracting
In response 90 the swift. immplahle
command Of hls will For all the
burden ~ his nnowhhoen and the
depths OF the drifts. his leap was al.
most as fast as the griExiy'a own.
lie had but one realization. that the
girls tender flesh must never know
thona rendlng claws and fangs. lie
leapcd TO intercept tho charge with
his own body.
But his hand had found the shell
By now. dropped Il into the gun. and
a. iaAi distinctive effort. pulled
bark the lever that slide the cartridge
into the barrel. There was no time
To raise tho gun 10 hla shoulder. lie
pointed u tnatinc;iy~ly toward the
gray throat. And the end 81 the bar
rel wac against the bears flesh an he
pressed N. trigger.
No human ~. could follow the
lightning event. % tho next fraction
Of a second. All that occurred was
over and done in tho duration 81 one
hear. beat--bcfore tho shuddcr and
the explosion In tho air from tho
rifles report had passed away. one
instant. and the ,hr~~ figures seemed
all together. BIN crouched With rife
hcid pointed in his arms. virginia
behind him. the grizzly fun upon
them both. Tho next. and Harohi
stood alon. In the snow and tho ~.
lrncs - awed. terrified. and en-
s,rsnged as u In a dream
Exc~p, for thr.. forms tina, lay
wtili. haif'buriesi and concealed Ia The
drifts. II was a. u the adventure had
never occurred. The silence stretched
unbrokrn ia immensely had awai.
lowed and smothercd tho last echo
~ the rife report and the Frsrxiy's
roar There was no movement, seem.
ingiy no tife--only "a. drifts and the
winter forest and the futile sun. rhin.
Ing ds~n between the sno~. laden
trees.
Yet he knew vaguely wha, had &C.
currrd. The hnlle, had gon. true. II
had pierced the animals neck. break.
Ing tho vertrbrar OF tho spinal col.
umn. and life had gone gu, OF him
M a flame goes out In the wind. hut
u had come too late to destroy tho
full force 81 his charge. Elli had
been struck with some portion Of the
bears body as he fell and had been
hurried like a Iifclcsa doll into the
drifts. Virginia. too. had received
some echo Of that shock. probably
from nirs body as he shattered
down. Now All three lay half.hiddcn
In the snow. which q them lived
and which were dead Harold dared
not guess.
But he had no time 10 60 forward
and investigate before mn had
sprung TO his feet. Ito had received
only a CHANGING blow. the drifts into
which he had fallen wrr. soft az pli.
lows. In reality he had never even
Lost consciousness. stiil sub}ac, 10
the ono thought tina, had guided and
shaped his actions turnout tho ad
venture. he crawled over TO vlrEinia's
side.
No living man had ever seen his
face az white an 3, was now. His
eyes were wide with the image OF
horror: he didn', know what wounds
the dying bear Nigh, have inflicted
on the girl. There was no rend In
her white flesh. however. and his
eye kindled and his face bIazod when
he Jaw tina, she yet lived.
He didn't waste even n small part
Of his energies by futile pieadings
for her 10 waken. lie seized her
shoulders and shook her gently.
Instantly her eyes opened. Her
fun consciousness returned to her
with rushs She was not scratched.
not even shocked by the fall. and
she reached up quickly for BlIra
hands. Aud Instantly. with laugh
on her lips. she sprang 10 her feet.
You killed him." she asked
II was tho first breath she had
wasted. and no man might hold IL
agains, her. She had only 20 look
at the huge gray form in the drifts
to know her answer. Biii. because
he was a woodsrnan first. last. and
always, slipped additional shells into
Harold's rifle; then walked over 20
the bear. lie gazed down at It's film.
ing eyes.
Bears all dead" he answered
cheerfully And Yirginia's heart
raced and thrilled. and n delicious
cxaitatlon swept thru her. when she
glanced down at this woodHman's
hands. Big and strong and brown.
there was not tremor in their
fingers.
Then both OF them whirled in real
and supcrlative establishment. Some
one was speaking 10 them. Some one
was asking them II they were both
all right. II was strange voice.
one that they scarcely remembered !
ever hearing before.
But they saw at once the speaker
was Harold. lie had come with them /
today quite true. Both Of them had !
forgotten his existence.
XIX
In the weeks they had been 10.
gether, Bin had always been careful