The daily Alaskan., 1922-03-11


 girl if one ever lived, Perhaps you don't know the recent policy Of the forest service to hire women when they can hp obtained It was policy started in war times and kept up now because it Is economical and efficient She and a girl from college have a cabin not five miles from here on old Bald mountain. and they're doing look. out duty"
 Dan wondered intensely what look out duty might be. You see, Dan,' Lennox said in explanation. "the gov ernmcnt loses thousands of dollars every year by forest fire. A fire can be stopped easily if it is seen soon after ir smrrs. But let ir burn awhile, in this dry season. and ifs a rerror-a wall of flame that races through the forests and can hardly be stopped. And maybe you don't realize how enormous this region iS-literally hun drpdS Of miles across. We're the last outpOSt-rhpre are four cabins. 1T you can find them, In the first seventy miles back Co town. So they have Co put lOokoutS on the high points, and now they're coming tO the use of air planes so they can keep even better watch. Snowbird and a girl friend from college got iOhS this summer aS lookouts-alI through the forest serv- fee they are hiring women for the work. They are more viCilant than men. less inclined to take chances, and work cheaper. These two girls have cabin near a spring, and they cook their own food. and are making what Is big wages In rho mountains. I'm rather hoping sheW drop over for a few minutes '0nf~ht"
 Good Lori-dors she travel over thrsc hills in rhr darkUesS?"
 The mounrafueor lauchcd-a de- Wcntcd sound that came somewhat curfousry from thc bearded lips of the storm dark nnr "Dan. TU swear she's afraid or nothing tnat walks rho face of rhr carrh-and r isnf brrauSe she hasn't had nNnrrfoucc either. Shes fnud shot wi-N a pistol for one thing. Shes physically strong and every muscle Is hard as nails She used to have Snag roo-thr hest dog Tn an those mountains Snc'S a mountain girl rcU you: whoever wins her has cor to hc ano To tame her." The munnra.urnr lau-ho1 again.
 Tho cau ro supper came 'Non and Dan got his first sight of mountain food. Tnr~r wore no'arooS newly dur. mountain vegetables that wore crisp and cold. steak of peculiar shane. and a g~car howl of purple her rir> to no eaten vfrn >ugar and cream. Dan's appetite was nor as a rw'r nor- tlrurar'y good Rur evidently rhe long -.dr had a~nrsrd him Uo simply darr havc fhc moral courage 10 TO- fuSc whom the elder Lounoy hcaDrd his plate.
 Good heavens. ! cant cat an rhat,7 hc SaId. as if was passed 10 him BUt the others laughed and told him to takc hrnr'.
 Uc took heart. It was a singular thing. huf o' rhot frs, huc his sudden confidence ln his cu,utory ability al- mos, overwhelmed him. So hc cut himself a bite of the tender steak fully hn1F as ccncrous as the bites that RW was c0usv'gfng across fho table. And u~ first flavor simply filled him with delight
 "What is this mcst?" he asked. "Tvr certainly tasted fr before" "TU hct few dollars that ynu haven't if you'yc lived an your life In the Nf1Hc West" Lcuuov m. swcrcd. "Nayhc y0u've got what the scIen'ists call an inherited memory Of It. Tfs tho kind or meat your grand father used to live on-venlson."
 Soon after dinner LoDDoy led him out of the house for his first glimpse of thc hills in thc darkness. They walked together out tO the gate. across the first of tho wide nas- lures where at certain seasons, Len nOx kept his cattle. and at last they came ont upon 'ho frcc-covornd ridge. The moon was inst rising. They coU'd sec it casting a curious EIint over the very tlrs of 'he pines. But jt couldn't get down hc'wcrn them. They stood too close. too ta'' and thick for that, And for a moment. Dams only scnSa- ton was one of silence.
 'You have to stand St'U a moment, 10 really know anything" Lcnnoy told him.
 They both stood still Dan was as motlonIrss as that day In the park, long weeks before, when the squirrel had climbed on his shoulder. The first effect was sensation that thc silence was deepening around them. Tt wasn't really true. IT was simply that he had become aware oF tho little con- tinuous sounds of which usNally he was unconscious. and they tended to acccnruate the hush 0f thc night. He knew. just as an m0unfainecrs know, that tho wilderness about him was stirring and nu's'ng with life. Some of the sounds were Ouitc Cl"ar-an occasional stir of a nrhh'c or the crack Of twIC. and some, like the ta'ntest twjtchiDg Of leaves iO the brush not fen feet distant, could only be guessed