The daily Alaskan., 1922-03-23

' iNFI INN" NNN 'NltiA-H
 And this SollciUde. Dan rightly fig
 ured. was a good sign There was l only one objection 10 iL II resulted
 in an unmistakhle inference that she considered him unahIe Co takc care 2 of himSplf-nnd tlHt was The lasi
 thing on earth that he wanted her
 to think. Hp understood her well enough 10 know that her standards were ihe standards OC the mountains, valuinC strength and srlf-reliance above an things. He didn't stop to question why. every day. he trod so many weary miles tO be with her.
 She was as natural as a fawu: and many times she had quite taken away his breath. And once she did It liter ally. He didn't think that SD long ss death spared him he would ever be able to forget that experience. lt was her birthday. and knowing of it In time he had arranged for the delivery Of certain package dear tO a girlish heart, at her fathers house. In the tryStIng hour he had come trudginC over the hills with 1t. and few expert ences In his life had ever yielded such unmItIgutcd pleasure as the sight of her. glowing white and red. as she took Of ltS wrapping paper. It was jolly old gift. he recollpcred-and when she had seen It. she fairly Ipaped at him, Her warm, round arms around his neck, and The SoftpSt. lovcleSt lips In the world pressed his. But in those days he didn't have thp strength that he had now. He felt he could endure the same experience again with no embarrassment whatever His first lm- prrSSlon then. hes'deS nhoundinC in- credible aStouiShmput. was that she had quite knocked out his breath BUt let lt be said for him that he recov- cred with notable nrmDrnesS. His own arms he'd gone un and closed around her, and the girl had wrIgglcd free
 "Rur you mustn't do rhat!" she told him.
 "Eut, good Lord. grill You did It to mel 1S there ro 'usticc in womenT"
 "i'ut did it ro thank vou for this ! lovely gift For remembering me for heinz SD cood-aui cnnsfdcrate ! YoU haven't any cau>e fo thank nc" Ha had many serious difficulties in 1 thntlng lt out. And only one ron- cluslon l~us onta'nahre-,hat Snowhird ' kissed aS naturally as she did any { thing else. and rNn kiss meant exactly ! what she snfd r' did and no more.
 Buf 'hr fact remained that h" would have walked a good many miles far thcr lf nc thought there was any pos- . sihI'Ity ot rcroat.
 Eut all at once his fantasies were suddenly and rudc'y dtSnr''rd ny the intrusion or realities Dan had hern walEiug silently himself in thc pine . needles. As Lcnnoy had wondered at
 long ago ho knew how by instinct; and inStfnctive'y he practtced this at-
 taIumpDt as soon as he got our into
 the wild The creature he had h"a -rl 1 was fully one hundred yards distant yet Dan could hear him with entire ! nIalnurss. And for white he couldn't
 even guess what manner of thing jt
 night hc
 . A cougar that made so mUch noise
 would hr immediately expelled frnm
 the union A wolf mack. running hy
 sight. might cr1ck brush as freely;
 but a wolf pack wou'd also hay 10 ] wdrc rhe dead Nf cou~Sn ir m'ghr he
 an elk or a steer. and Sr'N more likely,
 a bear. He stood sr'll and listened. ] The sound grew nearer.
 ] Soon It hcnamp evident that fhe Crea- ture was either walking with two legs, ] or else was four-f0orrd animal put l ting two feet down at the same in-
 stant. Dan had learned to wait. He . stood perfectly still And gradually
 he came 10 the conclusion that he
 was listening to the fooualI of sn- other man.
 ! But It was rather hard tO imagine what a man might he doing on this lonely hin. Of course it might be a . deer hunter: but few were the valley
 sportSmcn who had penetrated to this far land. The foorfall was much foo
 heavy for Snowhird. The steps were | evidently on another trail that inter sected his own trail one hundred yards l farther up thr hin. He had only 10 1 stand still, and in an instant the man ] would come In sight.
 ! He took one step into the thiCketS, 1 prepared 10 conreal himself If it be- ! came necessary. Then he waited. Soon 1 the man stepped ont on the trail. ! Even at the distance Of one hundred
 yards, Dan had no difficulty whatever ! in recognizing him. He could not 1 mistake this tall. dark form the soiled, i slouchy clothes. the rough hair, the
 intent. dark features. IL was a mun J about his own age his own height, 1 but weighing fulIy twenty pounds
 more, and the dark, narrow eyes could belong 10 no one out Bert CranStou. ] He carried his rifle loosely In his arms.
 He stopped al rhe forks in the trail | and looked carefully ln all directions,