The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-12-28
Continued from page y

TWO OF them llrt the TORN DO0y OF the
animal on to the back OF one Of the
horses, and ne watched DULY as the
horse plunged and wheeled under the
unfamiliar weight.
Simon spoke In the silence. but his
words seemed to come from far away.
"Quiet that horse or kill him." he
said softly. you can't drag the carr
cass with your rope-the Killer would
trace 1t II you did and maybe spoil the
evening for Bruce"
Strong arms sawed at the bits, and
the horse Quieted, trembling. For q
moment Bruce saw their white moon
lit faces as they stared down at him.
"What about q gag?" one OF the
men asked.
sNo. Let him shout II ne likes. There
is no one to hear him here"
Then the tall men swung on their
horses and headed back across the
fields. Bruce watched them DULY.
Their forms grew constantly more dim.
the sense Of utter isolation increased.
Then he saw the file pause, and it
seemed to him that words, too faint
for him to understand. reached him
across the moonlit spaces. Thea a
of the party turned or toward the
ridge. +
He guessed that 1t was Simon. He
thought the man was riding toward
Linda's home.
He watched until the shadows had
hidden them all. Then. straining up
ward, he tested his bonds. Heztugged
with tie full strength OF his arms, but
there was not the play OF an inch be.
tween his wrists. The Turner's had
done their work well. Not the slight
est chance Of escape lay In this quar-
ter.
He wrenched himself to one side,
then looked about him. The fields
stretched even and distant on n side.
but he saw that the dark forest was
but fifty yards away on the other. He
listened; and the little night sounds
reached him clearly. They had been
sounds, to rejoice In before|mpulses
to delightful fancies OF q fawn steal
inG through the thickets, or some OF
the Little People In their scurried.
tremulous business Of the night hours.
But lying helpless at the edge Of the
forest, they were nothing to rejoice
in now. He tried to shut Lis ears to
them.
He rolled again to his back and
tried to find peace for his spirit In tho
stars. There were millions Of them.
They were larger and more bright
than any time he had ever seen them.
They stood In their high places, wholly
Indifferent and impassive to all the
strife and confusion Of the world be-
low them: and Bruce wished that he
could partake of their spirit enough so
that he could rise above the fear and
bitterness that had begun to Cypress
him. But only the pines could talk to
them. Only the tall trees, stretching
upward toward them, could reach into
their mysterious calm.
His eyes discerned q thin 6lament
Of cloud that had swept up from be
hind the ridges. and the sight recalled
him to his own position with added
force. The moonlight. soft al 1t was,
had been q tremendous relief to him.
At least, 1t would have enabled him
to keep watch, and now he dreaded the
fall Of utter darkness more than he
had ever dreaded anything In his life,
1t was an ancient instinct, coming
straight from the young days Of the
world when nightfall brought the hunt
ing creatures to the mouth Of the cave,
but he had never really experienced II
before.
he watched with growing horror the
slow extension of the clouds. Finally
the moon swept under them.
The shadow fell around Bruce. Fox
the first time he knew the age.old ter
ror Of the darkness. He 40 longer
knew himself as one of a dominant
breed, master Of all the wild things 10
the world. He vas simply a living
creature In q grim and unconQuered
world, alone and helpless In the terror
OF the darkness.
Lit ulOOnlAeut 0AtCtAAGtCAy BLEW uhN
died as the moon passed in and out
of the heavier cloud patches. Winds
must have been blowing IN the higl
lanes Of. the air, but there vas nc
breath of them where Bruce lay. Tht
forests were silent, and the little rus
things and STRINGS that reached him
from time to time only seemed 70 &C
centuste the quiet.
He ~speculated on how many hours
had passed. He wondered II ne could
dare to hope that midnight had al
ready gone by and, through some al.
ver1ence from wilderness customs. the
grizzly had failed TO return to his
feast. 1t seemed endless hours since
he had re-entered the empty rooms OF
Linda's home. A wGve of hope crept
through, the whole hydraulic system Of
his veins. And then. as a sudden sound
reached him from the forests ut one
side, that bright wave OF hope turned
hIook rocadad and left only