The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-10-20

and no financial resources except a
| few hundred dollars that he carried
in his pocket did not matter one way
or another. He was willing to spend
all the money he had; after it was
gone, he would take up some work in
| life anew.
He had a moments wonder at the
effect his departure would have upon
the financial problem that had been
his fathers sole legacy to him. He
| laughed a little as he thought Of it.
But the idea that others also-having
no business relations with his father
might be interested in this western
| journey of his did not even occur
| to him.
| But the paths men take, seemingly,
with wholly different aims, crisscross
and become intertwined much more
| than Bruce knew. Even as he lay in
his berth, the first sweet drifting of
sleep upon him, he was the subject
of discussion in far-distant noun
tain home; and sleep would not have
fallen so easily and sweetly if he
had heard it.
1t might have been different world.
Only a glimpse of it, illumined by the
moon, could be seen through the soiled
and besmirched window pane; but
| that was enough to tell the story.
There were no tall buildings. lighted
| by a thousand electric lights, such
as Bruce could see through the win
dows of his bedroom at night. The
| lights that could be discerned in this
strange, dark sky were largely I'M
| familiar to Bruce, because of the
smeke-clouds that had always hung
above the city where he lived. There
were just stars, but there were so
many of them that the mind was I'M
able to comprehend their number.
| There was also moon that cast
| little square of light, like fairy
| tapestry, on the floor. 1t was not such
a moon as leers down red and strange
through the smoke of cities. 1t was
vivid and quite white-the wilderness
moon that times the hunting hours
| of the forest creatures. But the patch
that it cast on the floor was obscured
in moment because the man who
had been musing in the big chair be-
side the empty fireplace had risen and
| lighted a kerosene lamp.
The light prevented any further
scrutiny of the moon and stars. And
what remained to look at was not
nearly so pleasing to the spirit. 1t
was a great, white-walled room that
would have been beautiful had it not
| been for certain unfortunate attempts
| to beautify it. There was a stone
fireplace. and certain massive, dust
covered chairs grouped about it. But
| the eyes never would have got to
these. They would have been held and
fascinated by the face and the form
of the man who had just lighted the
lamp.
30 one could look twice at that mas
sive physique and question its might.
He seemed almost gigantic in the yell
low lamplight In reality he stood
six feet and almost three inches, and
his frame was perfectly in proportion.
He moved slowly, lazily, and the
thought flashed to some great monster
Of the forest that could uproot a tree
with blow.
The face was huge, big and gaunt
of bone; and particularly one would
notice the mouth. 1t would be noticed
even before the dark, deep-sunken
eyes. 1t was a bloodhound mouth,
the mouth of man of great and ter
rible passions, and there was an I'M
mistakable measure of cruelty and
savagery about it. But there was
strength, too. No eye could doubt
that But it was not an ugly face,
| for all the brutality of the features.
1t was even handsome in the hard
mountain way. One would notice
| straight, black hair-the mans age
was about thirty-nine-long over rather
dark ears, and a great, gnarled throat.
The words when he spoke seemed to
come from deep within 1t.
| "Come in. Dave" he said.
In this little remark lay something
of the mans power. The visitor had
come unannounced. His visit had been
unexpected. His host had not yet
seen his face. Yet the man knew,
before the door was opened, who 1t
was that had come.
The reason went back to a certain
quickening of the senses that is the
peculiar right and property of most
men who are really residents of the
wilderness. This man was the son
of the wild as much as the wolves that
ran in the packs. Soft though it
was, he had heard the sound of ap-
preaching feet in the pine needles.
As surely as he would have recognized
the dark face of the man in the door
way, he recognized the sound as
Dawes step.
! The man came in, and at once an
observer would have detected an air
of Difference in his attitude Very
plainly he had come to see his chief
He was a year or two older than his
host, less powerful of physique, and
his eyes did not hold quite so straight
There was less savagery but more
cunning in his sharp features.
| He blurted out his news at once
"Old Elmira has got word down to
the settlements at last" he said.
There was no muscular response in
the larger man. Dave was plainly
disappointed. He wanted his news
to cause a stir. 1t was true however,
that his host slowly raised his eyes.
Dave glanced away.
what do you meanT the man de-
handed.
Mean mean just what said We
| should have watched closer. Bill