Evening star., 1923-07-22

At dawn Johnny, Geraldy fell into
heavy sleep. He was dreaming
when old Peter shook his shoulder.
Johnny Geraldy shifted at the air
as he had been commanded.
You smell. then, nothingT Peters
face was eager with longing for a
denial.
It was a long moment before
Johnny Geraldy answered. Yes" he
said.
DETER LAFFERTE stood up and
pushed open the door of the
shack. TT is due east" he said. "The
trail north would miss It." The two
men stood there a moment in silence
YES" Johnny said. the road north
would miss It," There was one thing
neither had said to the other, but that
thing was more real than the peril
Of the moment. Finally old Peter
raised his eyes to Johnny Geraldy
TT Is each mans right to decide
just how sweet life IL to him" He
stopped a moment. There was no
doubling the humility of his appeal.
But you did it once" he said finally
you did 1t on a wager to take a
girl to a dance. Now the village lies
In the track of the east wind, and
the east wind is faster than q man
on horseback" Already the little
animals scurried out from the UNDER
brush. gophers and chipmunks and
squirrels and foxes. See" he said,
they are flying, but they will not
be fast enough. There is only one
way to get the news to the village.
One way
Johnny Geraldy did not move. 1t
seemed as though he had become
rooted to that spot.
You are the only man who could
do this" The old man spoke the
words with the calmness of convic-
tion. You are the bravest man in
Grandes Forest. You can now be-
come its savior"
Still Johnny Geraldy did not move
At last had come the moment he had
prayed all his life would never ar
rive, that terrible moment when a
man must show to his fellows his
soul. Peter Lafferte," he said. 81
am not a brave man. That was luck
that other time. Just luck. 1t was
only q mistake. an accident that ]
went at all This time. II I go. It is
deliberate. It Is death"
Peter looked at him and shook his
head. "a man doesn't do a thing like
that by accident. Don't try to fool
with me-" he said. II am an old
vn,o ood <bara ava coyy,e a $h,o,,. <ho% 4
know"
So Peter Lafrerte would not believe
HIM. either!
Old Peter started down the path to
DEVILS creek. The canot was in a
shelter near the stream, boarded
away until the floods Of April. Peter
pushed back the underbrush and
pulled 1t out. Johnny Geraldy
watched him. but he made no move
to help. He was like a man who
sees the gallows lifted for him, black
against the sky. : At the edge Of the
stream Peter Lafferte dropped the
birch bark.
"If you don't get there said old
Peter, 81 shall tell all the world what
you attempted. If you do get there
his lips drew into a droll smile
you will tell all the world it was
just by accident. just luck"
r X
roHNNY GERALDY faced him final,
> ly and spoke. Turn your back,
he said. II want to go alone" Their
he flung out his arms together in ar
| agony Of pleading. "God," he whis.
| pered, make me blind. Make mt
blind" But the sunlight sparkled or
the waxy leaves of aspen. and the
| waves swirled and broke at his feet
| God" he said. "be merciful. Make
me so I cannot see"'
Old Peter. with his face still turned
away, stood waiting. ''There Is nj
time to pray" he said. Anyway. the
dear God knows what is in ou,
hearts"
Johnny Geraldy shut his eyes. II
q blundering panic OF haste he fell
| his way to the canoe, slid It into the
stream and threw himself into it. L
took a leap forward. then it shud
dered and seemed almost to stop
| Johnny Geraldy did not move; he lay
| there, face downward, his eyes dgh'
closed against the blackness. The cano
staggered forward again. Sometimes
It pitched him from side to side. some
times 1t jammed him forward unit