American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1922-08-24

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being of such proportions. 1t was
very stale and had been almost oblit-
Grated by many days of sun. Perhaps
he had been mistaken in thinking it
an imprint of a living creature. He
went to his knees to examine it.
But in n instant he knew that he
had not been mistaken. 1t was a
track not greatly different from that
of an enormous human foot; and the
separate toes were entirely distinct.
1t was a bear track, of course, but
n of such size that the general run
of little black bears that inhabited
the hills could almost use il for a den
of Information
He got up and went on-farther
toward Trails End. He walked more
swiftly now, for he hoped to reach
the end of Pine-Needle Trail before
nightfall, but he had no intention Of
halting in case night came upOn him
before he reached it. He had waited
too long already to find Linda.
Another hour ended the days sun
light. The shadows fell quickly, but
- q q iOhS llAAt yet ulllll
He yet might make the trail-end. He
gave no thought to fatigue. In the
first place, he had stood up remark
ably well under the days tramp for
no other reason than that he had al
ways made a point of keeping in the
best of physical condition. Besides.
there was something more potent than
mere physical strength to sustain
him now. 1t was the realization Of
the nearing end of the trail-a knowl-
edge of tremendous revelations that
would come to him in a few hours
more.
Already great truths were taking
shape in his brain he only needed a
single sentence of explanation to con-
meet them all together. He began
to feel a growing excitement and i'm
patience.
1t was quite dark now, and he
could barely see the trail. Fer the
erst time he began to despair, feeling
that another night of ~overpowerlng
impotence must be spent before he
could reach Trails End. The stars
began to push through the darkening
sky. Then, fainter than the CLEAN Of
a FREELY, he saw the faint light Of a
far distant camp fire.
His heart bounded. He knew what
vas there. 1t was the end of the
trail at last. And it guided him the
rest Of the way. When he reached
the top of a little rise in the trail. the
whole scene was laid out in mystery
below him.
The fire had been built at the door
of a mountain house-a log structure
of perhaps four rooms. The freight
played in it's open doorway. Some
thing beside it caught his attention,
and instinctively he followed it with
his eyes until it ended in an incred-
ible region of the stars. 1t was a
great pine tree, the largest he had
ever seen-seemingly a great sentinel
over all the land.
But the sudden awe that came oveE
him at the sight of 1t was cut short
by the sight of a girls figure in the
freight. He had an ~instant's sense
that he had cOme to the wilderness
heart at last, that this tall tree was
its symbol, that If he could under,
stand the eternal watch that 1t kept
over this mountain world, he would
have an understanding of all things
but all these thoughts were submerged
in the realization that he had come
back to Linda at last.
He had known how the mountains
would seem. All that he had behelt
today was just the recurrence OF
things beheld long ago. Nothing had
seemed different from what he haC
expected; rather he had a sense thai
a lost world had been returned t o him
and it was almost as if he had never
been away. But the girl in the fire
light did not answer in the least de,
gree the picture he had carried Of
Linda. q n n.
He remembered her as a blond
headed little girl with irregular fea
lures and a rather unreasonable al
J lowance Of LONELINESS. All the way
he had thought of her as a baby sis
ter-not as a woman in her flower
For a long second he gszed at her IL
speechless amazement.
Her hair was no longer blond
True, it had peculiar red lights wher
the freight shone through 1t; but hs
|, knew by the light of day it would b
deep brown. He remembered her as
an awkward little thing that was
hardly able to keep her feet under
her. This tall girl had the wilderness.
grace-which is the grace Of a deer
and only blind eyes cannot see II. He
dimly knew that she wore a khaki
colored skirt and a simple blouse OF
white tied with a blue scarf. Her
arms were bare in the fires CLEAN
And there was a dark beauty about
her face that simply could not be
denied.
She came toward him, and her
hands were open before her. And heI
lips trembled. Bruce could see then
in I'M freight