Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-01-10

He dropped the shell into the GIN
There was no time to raise the
weapon to his shoulder. He pointed
it instinctively toward the gray
throat. And the end of the barre
was against the bears flesh as he
pressed the trigger.
No human eye could follow the
lightning events of the next fraction
of a second. One instant, n the
three figures seemed all together;
Bill crouched with rifle held pointed
in his arms. Virginia behind him
the grizzly full upon them both.
The next. and Harold stood alone
in the snow and the silence-awed,
terrified, and estranged as IL in a
dream.
Except for three forms that lay
still, half-buried and concealed IN
the drifts, it was as If the adventure
had never occurred.
The bullet had gone true. It had
pierced the animals neck. breaking
the vertebrate of the spinal column.
and life had gone out of him as a
flame goes out in the wind.
Bill was first to move. He had re-
ceived only a glancing blow; the
drifts into which he had fallen We're
soft as pillows. He crawled over
to Virginia's side.
He seized her shoulders and shook
her gently.
instantly her eyes opened. Her
full consciousness returned to her
with a rush. She was not scratched,
not even shocked by the fall, and
she reached up quickly for Bits
hands. And instantly. with a laugh
on her lips, she sprang to her feet.
you killed him." she asked.
Hpoar'S all dpa1b he answered
cheerfully.
In the weeks they had been to-
gether, Bill had always been care
full never to try to show Harold IN
q bad light. 1t was simply an eX-
preston of the inherent decency OF
the man: he knew that Virginia
loved him, hat she had plighted her
troth to him, and al long as that
love endured and the engagement
stood. he would never try to shatter
her ideals in regard to him.
But Harold had a sickening and
ghastly fear of the sober query in
Bills eyes.
why did you give me an unload
ed gun and tell me 1t was full?'
Bill demanded. Except for a good
deal of luck there'd been a smile on
the face of the grizzly-but no Bill!
And by the way" he went on, as
he waited for his reply, Il don't re-
member hearing your gun go off
during the fray. You might explain
that, too"
II didn't shoot because I couldn't"
Harold replied, earnestly. "At first
You were between me and the bear
and then Virginia was. 1t all
happened so quickly that there was
nothing / could do. l can't imagine
why 1 forgot to reload the rifle. A
man can't Observation-Disclosures
thing. Thank God that it didn't
turn out any worse than it did"
Bill nodded; the girls face show
ed unspeakable relief. They gath
ered about the gray griZzled form
-Ln-the o
"Does this--help our food prob
lem any?" Virginia asked.
Except in an emergency-no.
He's an old, tough brute. Strong as
mink and hard as rock. II we don't
pick up some more game during the
day III hike over to my Twenty
three Mile cabin and get the sup
plies I've left over there. There's a
smoked caribou ham, among other
things. I'll bring back a b~ackload,
anyway"
Bill then announced he'd like to
find the grizzly's den. He felt sure
it was near
But Harold had very special and
particular reasons why such a course
appealed to him not at all. yes
and maybe find a couple of other
bears in there. in the dark and no
chance to fight. I'm not interested.
anyway. Go and look, il you like"
II will, if you don't mind. Do you
want to come, too, Virginia? There's
no danger-really there isn't. If
this had been an old she-bear we
might have found some cubs, but
these old males travel around by
themselves"
"We'l be back in a minute. Har-
old. And if you don't Mindful