The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-09-24
xxx

begging Tor her little lie even at the
cost of her lovers, showed not at all
in his white, set face. Whatever I'M
speakable despair came upon him at
this ruin of his ideals, this descrip-
ton of all his hopes, it was evidenced
neither in his actions nor in the
clear, cool quality of his thoughts.
No other crisis had ever found him
better disciplined. His mind seemed
to circumscribe the whole. dread sit
uation in an instant. He turned. met
Bess straightforward gaze, saw her
half-smile of complete understanding.
AS she leaped toward him, he snatched
up their two hooded outer coats, and
his arm half-encircling her, he guided
her through the door.
Whether or not she realized what
had occurred he did not know, but
there was no time to tell her now.
Nor were explanations necessary;
trusting him to the last she would
follow where he led. We'll have to
run for it," he whispered simply.
Fast as you can"
Ned had taken in the situation,
made his decision, seized the parkas,
and guided Bess through the door all
in one breath; the drama of IGNORES
tragic dishonor was still in progress
in the glare Of the Northern Lights.
Doomsdorf, standing back to them,
did not see the two slip out the door,
snatch I'D their snowshoes and fly
Otherwise, his pistol would have been
quick to halt them. Almost at once
~, cd their
strange Pickering shadows in the
snow, behind the first fringe of
stunted spruce.
Ned led her straight toward the
ice-bound sea. He realized at once
that their least shadow Of hope lay
in fast flight that might take them
to some inhabited island before
Doomsdorf could overtake them;
never in giving him a chase across
his own tundras.
They halted a single instant in the
shelter Of the thickets, slipped on
their snowshoes. then mushed as
fast as they could go onto the beach.
In scarcely a moment they were ven
turing out on the ice-bound wastes.
Doomsdorf encountered their
tracks as he reached the cabin door,
and guessing their intent, raced for
the higher ground just above the
cabin. But when he caught sight of
the fugitives, they were already out
of effective pistol range. He fired
impotently until the hammer clicked
Down against an empty breach, and
then, still senseless with fury. dart
&C down to the cabin for his rifle.
But he halted before he reached
particular hurry. He knew how
many miles of fce-some of il almost
impassable-lay between his island
ard Tar Island, far to the east. 1t
was not the journey for a man and
woman, travelling without supplies.
There was no need Of sending his
singing lead after them. Cold and
hunger. If he gave them play. would
stop them soon enough.
He had, however, other plans. He
turned through the cabin door, spoke
to the sullen squaw, then began to
make preparations for a journey. He
took a cold-proof wolf-hide robe,
wrapped it in a great sack of penn
mican. and made it into a convenient
pack for his back. Then he reloaded
his pistol, took the rifle down<from
the wall. and started forth down the
trail that Ned and Bess had made.
Tired though Bess was from the
days toll, she moved freshly and
easily at first. Ned broke trail. she
no sensation of cold; hardened to
steel, her muscles moved like the
sliding parts of a wonderful machine.
The ice was wonderfully smooth as
yet, almost like the first, thin, bay
ice frozen 10 the depth of safety.
But already the killing pace had be-
gun to tell. She couldn't keep it up
forever without food and rest And
| the brute behind her was tireless
remorseless as death itself.
The Northern Lights died at last in
the sky, and the two fastened on In
| the wan light of a little moon that
was already falling toward the west
And now she was made aware that
| the night was bitter cold. 1t was get
ting to her, in spite of her furs. But
as yet she gave no sign of distress
to Ned. Out of her love for him q
new strength was born-that sublime
and unnamable strength of women
that is nearest to divinity of any
thing upon this lowly earth-and
she knew that it would hold her up
beyond the last limits of physical ex.
haustion. She would not give way to
Inconsistencies, thus causing Ned to
stop and wait beside her till she died
None of these things would she do.
Her spirit scared with the wings OF
her resolve. Instead, her plan was
simply to hasten onto keep up the
pace-until she toppled forward life.
less on the ice. She would master
herself until death mastered her
Then Ned, hating but an instant to
learn the truth, could speed on alone.
Thus he would have no cause to wait
for her.
On and on through the night they
sped, over that wonderfully smooth
ice. never daring to halt; strange,
wondering figures in the moonlit
snow. But Bess was not to carry
her brave intent through to the end.
She had not counted on Ned's power
of observation. He suddenly halted,
turned and looked into her face.
1t was wan and dim in the pale
light; and yet something about its
deepening lines quickened his inter.
est. She saw him start; and with a
sin Gle cvl1a hla Of Goth