The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-05-08

Iandy Gibbs lived In tho deep for
est. the last place on earth no should
have lived, Il takes big men 10 SEQ
over the plno-tops 90 the wonder OF
the wilderness stars; but iandy was
very little, This smallness was Ia
his nature. which even IN these raw
Wilds Is much micro tragic thing
than smallncss og stntuFe-a petu-
lance. a delight in petty cruelty. a
giving way 60 fronEied rage that
had before now led him into serious
crime. all In a land whore all things
brood in sorrow, but aro never pctu.
liant. where cruelty. the omniprescnt,
never petty, but rather an unimpas-
stoned instrument OF the vast, slow
moving aims Of nature. Because this
Smsllness was In his thoughts. and
In a place behind his thoughts was
his soul. he was largely blind; and he
missed the deathless beauty that big.
ser men not only see, but smell and
hear and feel
The twilight dimmed him. one sum
mcr day. as he waited In a small COW
ort OF brush ON hillside above "A
tiny, thin pearl necklace Of noun
tain stream.
l.andy had a rugged wrcstlcr's
build - deep. thick chest. heavy
thighs: his arms were long. and TO
keep them In proportion. his thick.
strong. aueerly speekled hands were
short and blunt 4 hard triggcr-pun
was no bother TO that stubhy, power
illi indeS-nngcr with It's broken duh
red nail, lie had a round bullet
head. rather wide-aWake blue eyes
undistinguishcd features. and a blond
skin that had che same speckled app
pearanee rs his hands The short.
hristly hair on bis head was the
nameless hue OF wet straw.
He was standing very watchtul.
very attentive. His eyes were upon
what seemed 10 be a patch OF mud
that was half hidden In low ferns 20
yards down the stream. This was the
days work to I4andy. Tho patch OF
mud was n decr-lick--a place where
the wild things came for certain nat
ural salts in the rocks. Landy. after
years Of varied kinds Of lawlessneSs.
had taken 20 the pleasant occupation
Of poaehing deer FOR their hides He
was hide-h hunter only. and his urual
kin was around three deer a day.
He had heard the soft witch and
crack OF dcer's step in the brush:
and II was only a matter OF time IN
III the animal would come In 20 the
lick 10 be viewed along Landy's
sights He had posted himself 50
that his smell was blown away. The
eyes OF the wild creatures cannot or
dinarily interpret motionlcss forms:
and Landy stood like block OF wood.
The hushed. fartvc step drew
nearer. a brown shadow flickercd.
fading again In the farther shadows.
and soon Landy caught glimpse Of
a graceful lifted head. Wholly un.
suspecting. the doe WAS advancing
straight into his ambush.
Just as the deer stepped into tho
lick, just as Landy was drawing his
rifle to his shoulder. there occurred
the most astonishing interruption
Landy had not watched the HEX
alone. A competitor OF his in deer
staying. as relentless a hunter as he
himself. had made an ambush of the
brush cover just beside the lick,
Partly because the mans gaze had
been elsewhere. he had made the
stalk TO the lick unseen.
Landy had defeated his own ends
when he had concealed himself so
carefully. Otherwise. being one-tcnth
fEcnzied courage and nine-tcnths
coward. the second hunter would
have discerned his presence and put
several miles of mountain fastness
between them As II was. he waited
GREATNESS till the prey was just be-
side him: and then he bounced
There was no withstanding that
terrific leap. Cruel claws stretched:
ivory fangs made white streak as
they caught the pale Hight, and the
deer went swiftly to the earth And
LaTdy saw. with a yen Of rage. that
the failing hind paws were ripping
the deer's precious peIt to ribbons.
one glance at the round head. the
tawny coat the graceful feline form.
determined this rivals breed. The in
describable smart Of savagery and
blood-lust THAT the creature uttered
as he struck would have identified
him Just as surely in the darkness.
The fiendish kill-cry Of the great cats
was noted thru thousand square
miles Of unbroken forest. And It
sorrnd nnt orlIv al q rcfinf ,.ni,n 10,