The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-12-20

ache-the v~astness, the all suff
cheney, the immense Sheasinah of tn
solitudes. With the gun lying acros
his arm he stepped cautiously t.
where the pheasant had flushed ant
peered about under the brush an
bushes.
AS his straining gaze searched will
extreme minuteness every leaf, Oh
glimpse of weed or bark or gras.
blade, gradually a grayish-brown spot
just where the bush of a fallen limt
lay along the side of a crumblins
log, began to take shape. He shifted
his position for a better view-the
gray-brown spot was gone.
He located it again, and as he
looked, slowly there grew out of the
blending colors of the copse the figure
Of a hen pheasant on the nest, so per
fectly harmonizing with the leaves
and brush among which she lowered
that only the very keenest eye could
have spied her out at all. A moment
he gazed. and slipped away as noise
leSsly as he had come.
LET 'er alone" he muttered when
at a safe distance. Let 'er think l
couldn't find 'er. She'll think if /
couldn't the fox can't, and he's her
greatest dread right now"
The trees were hardly leaved out
enough yet to conceal a man walking
carelessly through them, or fully keep
back the sun from peeping down
through the thick tangle of twigs and
coaxing forth flower and grass blade
from the quickening mold. The silver
sheath of the hickory buds had al
ready burst and sprung wide apart,
the delicate green of the crinkled,
newborn leaves appearing in sharp
contrast to the purple sheen lining
the REM scales. The oaks had begun
to thrust forth the tender tips of
their new foliage, investing the wax
ing forest with a tint of faint gray
ish red, as if to the infant leaves
some trace Of the birth blush still
chung.
Upon the floor of the woods spring
had already spread a carpet of infinite
color and design, new and bright and
still unsoiled-here a fancy spangled
pattern of spring beauties; there a
pattern of solid green where the may
apples opened their umbrellas to the
light, in readiness to shield the
flowers of white wax that were
soon to hover beneath their shelter
ing folds; and, draped over all, a
shimmering silver haze, the gracious
benedictiOn of the skies.
The man stopped before a crab
apple tree, the buds of which were
opened just enough to make one curl
)us to see more of the beautiful
mystery folded teasingly away within
he protecting scales. Already some
ices, pioneers of their tribe. fused
lbout the aromatic clusters of peep
ng color, gathering statistics on the
seasons honey crop.
A breeze stirred the trees, as If
he woods were taking a deeper
Jack lifted his shoulders and
illed his lungs with the nectar-laden
-ir. Warmed by the exuberance of
life that rustled and quivered and
hrilled around him there gushed up
yithin him the Jubilate of a man
vooed by the genial day into almost
primal ~closeness to nature. He
lropped the butt of the gun to the
caves, leaned lightly upon 1t and
stood listening to the dull droning of
the bees.
A flash of red famed through the
trees and stopped almost directly
above his head in the top twigs of a
hickory sapling and there swelled
out a wild burst of reckless melody
hat clothed the hickory with music
the opening buds clothed the crab.
apple tree with beauty.
:" thought so, OIL warcoat," the
nan muttered, ~glancing up. "You
know where she is, don't y'u?"
He stepped softly toward the crab
apple tree-the wild song-burst in the
hickory ceasing the instant he moved
and peered in through the gnarled
limbs and tangled twigs.
Snugged down among some drifted
lead leaves he found it, the treasure
hat inspired the cardinals song-a
built, deep little nest, and,
above its edge, a dark glossy
rest, some long tail feathers, a short,
leavy. reddish bill and a round gilt
.ering eve, black is a dewberry.
He let the limb he had bent aside
swing slowly back into place and
itole away.
"Alw'ys two" ran his thought
"a pair; mates-it's natures way.
peasants and cardinals and folks
all the same-though birds
nd beasts siw'ys run true. while
olks-sometimes-oh, we'll"
He walked away toward the west,
oming at length to where the up
ended abruptly in the line of
wooded bluffs that fell steeply to the
Ieep and winding scar Of Eagle
and the exact point where
he double trail had run plainest
he day before-a fact hat had
doubtless brought him just there.
lie bent a critical look upon the lout-