The daily Alaskan., 1922-03-28
 Copyright, 1920, Little, Brown oaupssy)
CHAPTER III

Dan Failing was really not badly hurt The quick. flashing blows had not done more thsn severely bruise fhp flesh Of his face: and the mists of unconsciousness that had been failing over him were more nearly the result of hIs own tremendous physical ex- ertIon. Now these mlsts were rising.
 "Go-go away" The girl was com mandlng. "I think you've killed him"
 Dan opened hls eyes to find her kneelIng close beside him, but still covering CraustOn with her pistol Her hand was resting on his bruised cheek. He couldn't have believed rhal hu- man face could be as white. while life sriII remained. as hers was then. An the lovely tints ths; bad been such a delight to him. the play of soft reds md browns. had faded as an after. glow fades on the snow.
 Dan's glance moved with hers to Cranston. He was standing easily at a distance Of a dozen feet; and except for the faIntest tremble all over his body. muscular reaction from the violence of his passion. he had enllre- ly regaiued his Self-COmpuSure. This was quite characteristic of the noun tain men. They share with the beasts a passion Of living that Is wholly un. known on the plains; but vel they have a certain quality of Imperturhabiiity known nowhere else. Nor is il limited to the uat.ve-hOrn mOuntainrerS. NO man who intimately knows a member of that curious, keen-eyed little army Of naturuliSts and bg-game hunters who go to the north woods every fall, as regularly and seemingly as mex orably as the waterfowl go in spring. can doubt this fact. They seem to have acquired from the silence and the Suows an Impregnatlon of that eternal calm and lmpertnrhahility that Is the wilderness Itself. Cronslon wasn't ln the least afraid. Fear IS usually a matter ot uncertainty. and he knew exactly where he stood.
 It Is extremely doubtful if a plains man would have possessed this knowl- edge. But a pluiuSmun has not the Knowledge of life Itself that the noun taineer haS simply because he does moi see it in the raNg And he has not half the intimate Knowledge of death. an absolute requisite Of self-com- posture. The mouu;aineer knows life in Its simple phases with little radi- ton or convention tO blur the vision. Death Is a very Intimate acquaintance that may be met In any snowdrift, on any rocky trail; and these conditions are very deadly to my deluSIuns that he has In regard tC himself. He ac- uuires an ability tu see just where he stands. and of course that means self possession. This quality had something Co do with the remarkable record that the mountain men, such as that mag nifcent warrior from Tennessee. made in the late war.
 CranStun knew exactly what Snow bird would do. Although or ulEUt4 order. she was a mountain creature, even as himself. She meant exactly what she said. If he hadn't climbed from Dams prone body, she would have shot quickly and very straight. If he tried to attack either of them now, her finger would press back before he could blink an eye, and she wouldn't weep any hys,erical tears over his dead body. It he kept his distance, she wouldn't shoot at all He meant to keep his distance. But he did know that he could insult her without dan ger to himself. And by now his lips had acquired their old curl of scorn.
 "Tn go, Snowbird," he said. "IlI leave you with your sissy. But guess