Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1922-11-23

The grizzly watched him so, then
turned back to his questioning regard
Of the strange. dark figure that lay
SO prone In the grass in front. The
darkness dropped over him as the
moon went behind heavy patch Of
cloud.
And in that moment the Killer un.
derstood. He remembered now. Pos.
slbly the upright form Of Simon had
suggested 1t to him; possibly the wind
had only blown straighter and thus
permitted him to identify the troubling
smells. All at once memory flashed
over him-of a scene in a distant glen,
and similar tall figures that tried to
drive him from his food. He had
charged then, struck once, and one
Of the forms had lain very still. He
remembered the pungent, maddening
odor that had reached him after his
blow had gone home. Most clearly Of
all, he remembered how his claws had
struck and sunk.
He knew this strange shadow now.
It was Just another Of that tall breed
he had learned to hate, and 1t was sim
ply lying prone as his foe had done
after the charge beside Little river. In
fact, the still-lying form recalled the
other occasion with particular vivid
ness. The excitement that he had felt
before returned to him now; he re-
membered his disappointment when
the whistling bullets from the hillside
above had driven him from his dead.
But there were no whistling bullets
now. Except for them, there would
have been further rapture beside that
stream; but he might have 1t now.
The old hunting madness came back
to him. It was fair game, this that
lay so still in the grass. Just as the
body Of the calf had been and Just
as the warm body Of Hudson in the
distant glen.
The wound at his side gave him q
twinge Of pain. It served to make his
memories all the clearer. The lurid
lights grew In his eyes. Rage swept
over him.
But he didn't charge blindly. He re-
tanned enough Of his hunting caution
to know that to stalk was the proper
course. He moved farther out from
the edge Of the forest.
At that instant the moon came out
and revealed him, all too wildly, to
Bruce. The Killers great gray figure
in the silver light was creeping to-
ward him across the silvered grass.
When Linda left her house, her frst
realization was the need Of caution. Il
would not do to let Simon zee her.
And she knew that only her long train.
ing In the hills, her practice In climb.
ing the winding trails, would enable
her to keep pace with the fast-walking
man without being seen.
In her concern for Bruce, Linda had
comp: ely forgotten the events Of the
earlier part Of the evening. Wild and
stirring though they were. they now
seemed to her as incidents Of remote
years. nothing to be remembered In
this hour Of crisis. But she remem.
bered them wildly when, two hundred
yards from the house. she saw two
strange figures coming toward her be-
tween the moonlit tree trunks.
There was very little Of reality
about either. The foremost figure
was bent and strange, but she knew
that 1t could be no one but Elmira.
The second, however-half .obscured
behind her-offered no Interpretation
Of outline at all at first. But at the
turn Of the trail she saw both figures
in vivid profile. Elmirs was coming
homeward, bent over her cane. and
she led q saddled horse BY its bride
rein.
StIll keeping Simon In sight. Linda
ran swiftly toward her. She didn't
understand the deep awe that stole
ever her-an emotion that even her
fear for Bruce could not transcend.
There was ! quality 8 Mmira's faes
and posture that she had never ssen
before. Il vi u Il shs wedfs walking
In her. sleep. She came with such .
strange heavi1ess and lansuor, hsf
cane creeping through TIE pans needles
OF the trail n front. Che did not
saem 10 BE- aware Of LindaI approach
until the Eirl was only Tn fsst dc.
tant. Then she looked up, and Linda
saw the moonlight On her face.
she Saw something elss TOO. but shS
didn't know what Il MAS. Her own
eyes w1dsneh The hin Ups were
drooplnE. the eyes looked q Y abe
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