The Adair County news., 1922-11-07
The
Strength
OfthePineS|
eQpe
BY Edison Marshall
Author of
"The Voice of the Pack"
SdcS
Illustrations by Irwin Myers
Illustrations by Irwin Myers
Copyright by Little. Brown 3 C.

Both days of the journey home he
vFzskened sharply at dawn. The cool
ssgvSrning hours were the best for travel
TIE was of naturally strong physique
-=xEnsi although the days fatigued him Un
sUrcifully, he always wakened re
f4zeShed in the dawn. At noon he would
stop 10 lunch, eating a few pieces ut
-TSsfEey and frying single lapjack in
gE4s skillet. And usually. during thu
aEESoa test, ne would practice with his
Es=56e-
&3e knew that if he were to fight the
Farmers, skill with rife was an alb
Sa8ute necessity; such skill as would
have feIled the grizzly with one shot
ZnssSead Of administering merely flesh
wsS0nd, accuracy to take off the head
III % grouse at fifty yards and at the
zEne time, an ability to swing and
zRlsn the weapon in the shortest pOssi-
fIIse space of time The only thing that
5szss=zr1ed him was the realization that
he must not waste too many car
srB8ges EImira had brought him only
zE small supply.
LHe would walk all afternOOn-gOing
somewhat easier and resting more Of
EEzE than in the morning; and these
SNEars fine times that he appreciated a
sEfzgment of jerked venisOn. He would
<hEszt Just before nightfall and make his
',cHmp.
And the best hour of all was after
3iIE meal, as he sat in the growing
shadows with his pipe. At this hour
&H Felt the spirit of the pines as never
0Rssore- He knew their great, brood
insE sorrow, their infinite wisdom, their
Snk&Dressible aloOfnesS with which
siassy kept watch over the wilderness.
rnE smoke would drift about him in
a-SUzsShing clouds; the glow of the Goals
NaEESIed and warm over him. He could
a19lzsK then DiGe revealed some of its
Geszser mysteries TO him. And he be
lraI to glimpse the distant gleam of
'EsH greater truths, and sometimes il
Ssac1ed to him that he could almost
~czstSA and hold them. Always it was
%Saune message that the pines were try
anE ITO tell 'him-partly in words they
:T11e when their limbs rubbed tOgeth-
*s% Nzrtfy In the nature of great allie
zsyT sSf which their dark, impassive
7cefE1ES were the symbols. If he could
~aA1s see clearly! But it seemed to him
tRE passion blinded his eyes. More
=lAnii more he realized that the pines,
Ilss the stars, were living symbols Of
EsEzr1xzE powers who lived above the
SSSE&d, powers that would speak to
'sRaRiH they would but listen long and
2aafBently enough, and in whose creed
sdaE happiness.
The last afternoon he travelled hard.
E8sE wanted to reach Linda's house be-
6aHs nightfalI. But the trail was too
aRz for that. The twilight fell, to
f1lsaSE him still a weary two miles dis
Ta8Ek And the way was quite dark
SkRs2 ne plunged into the south pas
TFEH4of the Ross estates.
Han an hour later he was beneath
'7Itss Sentinel Pine. He wondered why
EIs1za was not waiting beneath it; in
his fancy, he thought Of 1t as being
scslks ordained place for her But per
EzzEEas' she had merely failed to hear his
F'eSEstepS. He called into the open
REsBC
>+Elnda," he said, 1--WE come back "
oFossDswsr reached him. The words
'41zrzg through the silent rooms and
>sz$seed back to him. He walked over
TEI1H threshold.
A chair in the front room was turned
SaEzT. His heart leaped at the sight
M 1T Linda" he called in alarm,
where are you? It's Bruce"
E9e stood an instant listening, a
r41zI fear creeping over him. He
<=zz1ed once more, first to Linda and
szsea to the old woman. Then he
zasaped through the doorway.
The kitchen was similarly deserted.
FErgn there he went to Linda's room,
F9sx coat and hat lay on the bed, but
SoeEe was no Linda to stretch her arm:
En- him. He started to go out the way
ze had come, but went instead to his
~Rgn room. A sheet of note-paper lay
>SH the bed.
1T had been scrawled hurriedly; but
although he had never received writ
TRn uTord from Linda he did not doubt
47zfE mat it was her hand:
@The Turner's are cOming-I caugh
"a glimpse Of them on the ridge. There
SBRoy use of my trying to resist, so II
zzlt for them in the front room anC
zzzybe they won't find this note. The.
Wzu take me to Simon's house, ant
II 1now from its structure that the!
U5H lock me in an interior room il
fI,ox Ioxr =,
zae nearest the north corner My on
z9peas that you will come at once t,
:Ee me-"
NBruce's eyes leaped over the page
Ehsnshe thrust it into his pocket H
spped through the rear door of tn
3Uuse, into the shadows.