The daily Alaskan., 1922-04-11

thp hardest winters or ms PNpefienCe' He began to be very glad of the alum dant stores of provisions that over crowded his pantry savory hams and hacons, dried veuiSon, sacks of pota' toes and evaporaled vegetables, and, of conrsp. cnuncd goods pust count ing. With the high fire roaring in the rrate. the season held no ills for them. But sometimes. when the bitter cold came down at twilight, and the moon looked Ikea thing of ice Itself over the snow. he began tO wonder how the r.ird creatures who wintered on the Divide were .farInE. or course most of them were gone. WnOf, long since. hnd grrmtrd and mumbled hlS way into a winter lair. But the wolves re. mulnrd. strange gray shadows on the snow. and possibly few of the hardirr smaller creatures.
 More than once m those long win ter nights their talk was chopped Off short by the song of the pack on some distant ridge Sometime, when the world is old. possibly a man will be born that can continue to tHlk and keep his mind on his words while the wolf pack sings. But he Is ccrtnInly an unknown quantity today. The cry sets in vibration curious memory chords. and for a moment the listener sees in hls minds eye his ancient home In an ancient world-DarkneS: md Fenr and Eyes shining about the cave. II carries him back, and he knows the wilderness as It rcnlly Is and to have such knowledge dries up aH inclination to talk. us sponge
 'rfps wutpr Of course the picture .'''~.'v rlnin. It Is more q thing guessed at a photograph In some dark part of an uuder-CunSCiuusncsS that has constantly grown more dim as the centuries have passed. Possibly some time lt will fade out altogether; and taen man may continue tO discuss the weather while the Song from the ridge ShudderS in at the windows. But the world will be quite cold by then, and no longer particularly interesting And possibly even the wolves them selves will then be tanned 10 play dead and speak picrcs-whIch means the wilderness itself will be tanned. For as long ns rhc wild lasts. The pack will run through It in the winter. They were here in the beginning, and In spite of conStan, war and constant hatred on The part of men. they will be here in the end. The reason Is Just that they are rhe symbol of the will drrness Itself. and the idea of It con tlnuing to exist without them Is stranger than that of nation without a flag
 II wasn't quite the same song that Dan had listened 10 In the first days of fall. It had been triumphant then, and proud with the wilderness pride. Of course 1t had been sad then, too, but it was more sad now. And it was stranger. too. and crept farther Into the souls Of Its listeners. lt was the song 0f strength that couldn't avail against the snow. possibly of cold and thp despair and courage Of starvation. These rhrre that heard 1t were inured to the wilderness; but moment was always needed after Its last note had died to regain their gayety.
 "They'rc gettIDg lean and they're getting savnge." Lennox said one night stretched on his divun before the fireplace. He was stlll unable 10 walk: but the fractures were knitting slowly and the doctor had promised that the summer would find him well. If We had a dog. [ wouldn't offer much for his life. One Of these days we'll find 'em In a hIg circle around the hnusc-and then we'll have to open up with the rifles"
 But this picture appalled, neither of his two young listeners. No wolf pack can stand against three marksmen, armed with rifles and behind oaken walls.
 Christmas came and passed, and January brought clear days and m ineffective sun shining on the snow. These were the best days of all. Every afternoon Dam and SnowbIrd would 70 out on their skis or on SnOwshoeS, unarmed except for the pistol that Snowbird carried in the deep pocket of her mackinaw. "But why nOt?' Dan replied to .LennOX'S objection. "She could Kill five wolves with five shots, or pretty near It. and you know well enough that that would hold 'em till We got home. They'd stop to eat the five. have hard enough time keep
 ing up with her as It is, without carry Ing a rifle" And LcnnOX was content Dan had told the truth when he said that five deaths or even fewer. would repel the attack of any wolf ri he had ever seen. There was just one troubling thought. He had heard, long ng0, and he had forgotten who had told him. that in the most severe win ters the wolves gather in particularly large packs; and a quality in the song that they had heard at night seemed 10 hpur 1t out The chorus had been exceptionally loud and strong, and he had been unable to pick out individual voices.
 .1.gTrr