San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-27
Begin Here Today.

Bess Gilbert, Ned Cornct and. the
latters fiancee, Lenore Hardenworth,
are shipwrecked. They take refuge
on an island where they find man
named DOomsdorf, who promptly
makes the three his prisoners. He
tells them that the only other in
| habitant of the island is his Indian
wife.
The prisoners are allowed to build
| a cabin for themselves. Lenore is not
inclined to labor so she flatters
Doomsaurf and he allows her to re-
main with the squaw while he drives
Bess and Ned until they fall uncOn-
scOus.
Bess and Ned are given different
trapping routes. Together they plan
an escape from the island and. through
IGNORES treachery, Doomsdorf hears
of their arrangements. He follows
them out on the ice and forced
them back toward his cabin. Now go
on with the story.
They walked almost in silence. Ned
in front, then Bess, their captor bring
ing up the rear; strange death
march over those frozen seas.
The file trudged on. Ned led the
way unguided. The hours passed. The
dim shadow of the short crags
was laying its first shadows on the
snow as they stepped upon the snowy
beach.
1t was at<his point that Bess sud-
denly experienced an inexplicable
quickening of her pulse, an untraced
but breathless excitement that was
wholly apart from the fact that she
was nearing the cabin of her destiny.
The air itself seemed curiOusly hush
ed. electric. as If great storm were
gathering; the moment was poignant
with a breathless suspense. She could
not have told why.
A moment later Ned turned to her.
ostensibly to help her up the steep
slope of the beach. She saw with
amazement that his face was stark
white and that his eyes glOwed like
live Goals. Yet no message was con-
veyed 10 Doomsdorf. tramping be-
hind. 1t was only her own closeness
TO him. her love that brought her
soul to his. that told her of some far
anu ttIIllt NlislS liiul W as
at hand at last.
walk exactly in my steps," he
whispered under his breath. 1t was
only the faintest wisp of sound, no
louder than his own breathing: yet
Bess caught every word. She did not
have to be told that there was infinite
urgency behind the command. Her
nerves seemed to leap and witch; vet
outwardly there was no visible sign
that message had been passed be-
tween them.
Now Ned was leading up toward
The shore crags. into n little pass be-
tween the rocks that was the natural
cgresS from the beach on to the hills
behind. He walked easily. one step
after another in regular cadence: only
his glowing eyes could have told that
this instant had. bv light or circum-
tances beyond Bes' ken, become the
most crucial in his life. And il was
n strange and ironic thing that the
knowledge he relied on now. the facil
ity that might turn defeat into victory.
was not some finessp gained in his
years of civilized living. no cultural
growth from some great university far
~ lHP SOutn. out merely ONE Oh tHt
basic tricks of humble trade.
DoOmsdorf had told him. once. that
n good tranpcr must learn TO mark
his sets. Any square yard of terri
tory must be so identified. in the
minds eye, that the trapper can re-
turn. days later. walk straight to it
and know its every detail. Ned Cor
net had learned his trade. He was
a trapper; and he knew this snowy
pass as an artist knows his canvas.
He stepped boldly through.
Bess walked just behind. stepping
exactly in his tracks. Her heart
raced. 1t was not merely because the
full truth was hidden from her that
she walked straight and unafraid. She
would ALWAYS follow bravely where
Ned led. Now both OF them had
passed through the little. narrow gap
between lofty, snow-swept crags.
Domsdorf trudged just behind.
Then something sharp and calami-
tous as a lightning bolt seemed to