The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-12-27
THE
SKYLINE
S:;p'R!'H!c:,E7:
Rp edison MARSHALL


ioFVat Inc WOLF crouChod beside
him; alert. watching his face for any
command. IL was wholly plain that
tho gaunt woods creature had accept.
ed him at once as his master: and
that tho bond between them. because
Of some secret similarity OF spirit
was already far closer than between
most masters and their peta
Ben rensed another side Of the for
est tonight because of his Unborn love
OF the waste places not often seen
Tho thickets were menacing. sinister
tonight Tho spruce cropt up 20 tho
skyline with darkness and mystery
no realized the eternal malevolence
that haunts their silent Businesses
They would have tricks In plenty e
play GA such as would iose their way
on their dusky traiisi on. they
would have no mercy or remorse for
any ono who was lost. out there. to-
night ben felt a heavy burden Of
dread
Even now. old Ezram might be
wandering. vainly. thru tho gloomy
whispering woods. ever penetrating
farther Into their merciless solitudce
And no homes smoked In tho clear
ingz. no camps glowed In the I'm
mensity OF the dask--out there This
was just tho beginning Of the forest
clear into tho shadow Of tho Arctic
Circle. where tho woodlands gave way
10 the weary wastes Of barrens
there was no break. no titled fields
or fishers Villages. only an occa-
ssonal Indian cncampment which no,
even wolf. running thru the night,
might find His supply Of food would
quickly be exhausted. fatigue would
break his valiant spirit hen planned
an extensive search for his tracks as
soon as tho morning light permitted
him TO sea
He missed the cid mans ccmrads-
ship With a deep and fsrvid longing
They had come 70 count on each
other. these past weeks II wasn't
alone infinite gratitude that he fei,
for him now. The thing wsnt toe
deep 20 tell Yet thsre was no uss
seeking for him tonight.
lie turned TO tho wolf ana dropped
his hand upon the animals shoulder.
Ferris started. than quivered IA
ecstasy. Il wish ! had your noss,
tonight. old boy" Ben told him. 'Td
ind that old buddy OF nina wish !
bad your eyes 90 sec In the dark.
and your legs to run Fsnrfs DO you
know where he fsY'
The wolf turned his wfld ewes
toward his masters face a. n he
were trying 10 understand
XIV
fmpeil.d by an urge within himself
Ben suddenly kncit beside his Iupinc
frfsnd He could not understand the
f1ood Of emotion. the vague sense of
impending and dramatic events THAT
stirred him 10 The auick. h only
knsw. with . kncwisdsS aim 70 IN
sptrAsssn. shAa tn Fsnyss ~ sns
snSwvr - his prveasm
Ths moment vs. miseu0 ~ vsRn
. quality u unrval1sy. N o. 80
ths moon. shininG tp0S11bpy q. M
ire sspa. shswsFfng dovn thru sns
little rffts b DE- vfshhoadans
nrsnchsa enchanting shs place ~ b.
the weaving Of . dream Ths moon
Madness caught MP Ben ma . llama.
snthraiiing him - never before. He
knsw that white sphsrs Of old Ana
al at once he realised that hsr~, q
his knees. was one who knew n too
with . knowledge ~ ancient ana a
infinite ~ his own Not for nothing
had the wolf breed lived their HIVES
beneath Il thru the long roll Of the
AGA IN rising ana It's setting had
regulated the hunting hours Of the
pack time without end: tn beams
had lighted the Gans trails whsrs the
gray band had bayed AFTER tho dcer !:
ITS iight had bsheid. since the world
was young. the rspturous mating Of
the old pack leader and HIS female.
Fcnrfs too know the moon madness:
but unlike Ben he had q means Of
expression Of the wonder and nys-
terry and vagus longing that thrilled
his Wild heart No man who has
heard the pack song 10 the moon
could doubt this fact. n IL q long.
melancholy wall. poignant with the
pain Of living. but n tells what man
can not
Ben knew. now. why he was q for
ester. woodsman famed even among
woodsnen- Most Of his fellows had
been tanned by civilization, they had
lived beneath roofs instead OF the
canopy OF heaven. and they had al
most forgotten about the moon Ben.
on the other hand. was . recurrence
Of an earlier type. inheritfng iittis