The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-01-25

CONTINUED From Yesterday
XIV
Now that The fight was done, nifi
lay quite calm and peaceful In the
drifts. Tho palm Of the cold and the
wraok Of exhausted muscles were
quite gone.
lie was face 10 face with the fam
ing truth. and he knew his fate. TIE
North. deficd so long. had conquered
him at last II had been waiting for
him. lurking, watching its chance.
and with ia cruel agents. the bitter
cold and the amending snow. II had
crushed and beaten him down. lie
felt no resentment. He was glad that
the trial was over. Ho knew a deep.
infinite peace.
now. lie felt himself drifting. ana
the tide would never bring him back.
Ito stirred n little. putting his hands
In his armplta. his face resting on
bis elbow. The wind swept by. sob
hing: there In the shadow Of death
he caught lua TOPICS and lis messages
ms never before. lie was being swept
into space.
ON tho TRAN that no had made on
the out Journey. and which no had
tried 30 vainiy 10 follow back. Viz
Einia oame muahlng toward him.
Never before had her muscles re
spondei no ohcdicrtly TO her will.
she sped al a pace that she had never
travelled before. II was az II some
power above herself was bearing her
along, swiftly, easily. with never
q wasted motion. Sho Tilted III. nose
81 her Hnowahoes at just the right
angie. no more or lees. and ali her
muscles seemed 90 work In perfect
unison
The bitter cold 81 the early morn.
ing hours only made her blood flow
faster and gave her added energy.
She scarcely felt tho pack on her
back. The En0sshoe trail. however.
was 40 faint a. 10 be almost In
visible
Because tho snow had been firm
In thu. part % Bills journey. his
track was not 30 deep and the DRIFT.
ing snow had almost completely
filled u In fs~ places the track
was entirely ohseutcd. always there
were merely dim indentationn. II
she had started an hour later she
could not have followed IN. trail at
all, For all the day was clear. the
Wind s,lil whirisd nurTies Of dry
snow across her path.
Hut nhe didn't permit herself %
despair. IN need b. she told her
self. shs would follow him clear 10
tho Twenty three Mile cabin. The
tracks were ever more dim. but
surety they would BE- deeper again
where Biu had sneosn,sred the soft
snow.
II beam. increasingly probable.
however. that the trpcks would
completely lad. away before that
time. Soon the difficulty Of finding
the impr.ntA In the snow began 20
slarksn her gait To iose them
completely meant failure; shs could
not find her way IN these snowy
stretches unEuided. As morning
reached tts full. tho white wastes
seemed 70 stretch unhroksn.
Was tho wind blown snow roinx
10 defeat her purpose. after aiig
a great weight Of fear and dlsap.
pointmeni began 10 aHnail her. The
truth Of the matter was she had
come 70 an exposed slope. and the
tran had faded out under the snow
dust.
At first there seemed nothing 10
DO but turn back. II might ba pos.
sible. however. 20 crosa the ridge in
front: the valley beyond waa more
sheltered from the wind and sha
might pick up the trail again. Al
least shs could follow her own
tracks back. II she failed. She sped
swiftly on.
She had guessed right Standing
on the ridge top she could zee. far
off thru one of the treeless Rladcs
that are found 80 often in the
spruce forest the long path OF n
anowshos trail. Instincuvely she
followed u with her eyes.
Clear where the trail entered the
spruce thlcket. her keen eyes made
out a curious. black shadow against
the snow. For n single second she
eyed IL calmly. wondering what
manner Of wild creature Il might
be. Its outline grew more distinct
under her Intense gaze. and then
she cried out II was only a little
sound. half gasp and half a sob,
but 1t expressed depths Of terror
and distress never known 10 hor
before.
IL seemed Of her that sh,s coutd