San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-19
Reein Here Today.

BpgIn Here lOudy.
Nod Cornet. his fiance. Lenore, and
Ross seamstress. are survivors of a
shipwreck. They take refuge on an ISL
and inhabited by a man named DoOms-
dorf and his Indian wife. The mas
fer of the island tells Ned and the
girls that they must be his slaves.
Jpnorc is too weak to do any work
so the burden falls entirely on the
shoulders of Bess and Ned.
The prisoners build cabin and
Doomsdorf gives them an old stove.
As soon as the cabin is completed
Ned and Bess are informed that they
are TO learn to be tarppers. Lenore
sa!lowed to remain with the squaw
and HELM her with the housewerk. Bess
and Ned are given separate routes.
The souaw starts BeSs on her way
and Docmsdorf instructs Ned. Now
90 on with the story.
The dam itself didn't appear to be
natural formation of rock. 1t locked
more like driftwood. but it was in
conceivable that mere drift could be
piled in this ordered way.
III must De al DtdfcI uiui, Hc odii.
You're right for once" Doomsdorf
agreed.
"A big beaver weighs about 80
pounds-and he's about the handiest
boy to trap the is. You'll wonder
what the purpose of these dams is.
As far as | can make out. simply to
keep the water at one level. You
know these little streams rise and fall
like the tides. They've learned. in a
few hundred thousand years of their
development, that it doesn't pay to
build a nice house and then have the
creek come UP and wash it away and
drown them out"
Doomsdorf explained that a trap
set on the house itself so alarmed
the animals that the entire colony
was likely to desert the dam. Instead,
the trap was set just below the sur
face of the water at a landins-a place
where the beaver went in and out OF
the water in tie course of their daily
work.
Doomsdorf still marched in his
easy, swinging gate, and ever it was
a harder fight to keep pace. Yet Ned
dared not lag behind. His masters
temper was ever uncertain in these
long. tired hours of afternoon.
Tired out, weakened, aching in
every muscle and not far from the alb
solute limit of exhaustion, Ned stag
gered to the cabin door at last. He
had put out all the traps he. "ad
brought from the home cabin; thence
his course lay along blazed trail
that skirted the edge of the narrow
timber belt. over the ride to the
Forks cabin. Doomsdorf entered
then in the half-light stood regarding
the younger man who had followed
him in.
Ned tried to stand erect. He must
not yield to the almost irresistible i'm
pulse to throw himself down on the
floor and rest. He dared not risE
Doomsdorf's anger; how did he know
what instruments of torture the lat
ter's satanic Ingenuity might con
trive in this lonely cabin! Nor was
his mood to be trusted tonight. His
gray eyes shOne with suppressed ex
element; and likely enough he would
be glad of an excuse for some diver
SION 10 pass tHc HOuTs pItdSdntit. l.
was very lonely and strange out here
in the open. in the full sweep OF thu
wind over the barren lands.
But Ned wasn't aware of Dooms
DORIS plans. The great blond MAJ
stretched his arms, yawnjng, but
toned his coat tighter about him. ant
turned to go. 'I'll see you in abou
five days." he remarked laconically:
Ned Weakened abruptly from hi
reverie. "You mean-you aren't go
ing to show me anything more?"
"I've shown you how to set you
traps, for every kind of an animal,
Doomsdorf said. "You ought to b
able to do the rest. BY the time 70,
come around, we'll likely have freez
| ing weather-that means you'll hav
to thaw out your animals before 20
| skin them.
Here and here and here"-he pause
to put in Ned's hand clasp hunt
/! ing knife. razor sharp, a small poke
hone to whet his tools, and a ligh
axe that had been hanging back 9