New Britain herald., 1923-09-26

would break first. They lay together
 In the snow. utterly silent. meIionless
 for all human eyes could see. theiI
 faces white with agony. every muscle
 ezertlng its full. terrific pressure,
 Ever poemsdorf's fingers closed more
 tightly at Ned's throat; ever kad's
 right hand drew slowly at the pistol
 at Doomsdorf's belt.
 Neither the gun nor the strangling
 fingers would be needed in moment
 more. The strain itself would soon
 shatter and destroy their mortal
 hearts. The night seemed to be
 falling before Ned's eyes: his familiar i snowy world was dark with the near
 Ing shadow Of death. But the pistol
 was free Of the holster now. and he
 was trying to turn it in his hand
 If took all the strength of his rec
 maining gfconsclousness to exert last. vital ounce of pressure. Then there was n curious low sound. muffled and dull as sounds heard in dream. And dreams passed over him. like waves over water. as he relaxed at last. breathing in great sobs, in the reddened drifts.
 Bess emerging into consciousness, crawled slowly toward him. He felt the blessing of her nearing presence even In his half-sleep. But Dooms- dorf. their late master. lay curiously inert, his foot still held by the cruel jaws of iron. A great beast-of- prey had fallen in the trap; and the killer gun had sped bullet, ranging up ward and shattering his wild heart.
 All this was just page in Hell Islands history. She had had one dynasty thousand thousand years before ever Doomsdorf made his first | track in her spotless snows: and all | that had been done and endured was | not more than ripple in the tides that beat upon her shores. With a new spring she came into her own again. Spring brought the Intrepid, sputtering through the new passages the foes; and the old island kings returned to rule before ever the masts of the little craft had faded and vanshed. in the haze.
 The Intrepid had taken cargo other than the usual bales of furs. The sounds of human voices were no more Q be heard in the silences, and the wolf was no longer startled, fear and wonder at his heart, by the sight of The traps were moss s-covered and lost, md the wind might rage the night through at the cabin window, and no ,ne would hear and no one would be lfraid.
 The savage powers of the wild held ,ndisputed sway once more, not again o be set at naught by these self | moving mortals with law unto themselves. Henceforth all law was hat of the wild, never to be ques- toned or disobeyed. l
 Even the squaw had gone on the intrepid to join her people in a dis ant tribe. But there is no need to ollow her, or the three that had aken ship with her. On the head ong journey south to spread the word f their rescue, of their halting at the rst port to send word and to learn hat the occupants of the second life oat had been rescued from Tzar ! sland months before, of Godfrey ornet's glory at the sight of his sons 5 ice and the knowledge of the choice e had made, of the light and shadow 2 their life trails in the cities of men, z lere is nothing that need be further ,rutinized. To Hell Island they ere forgotten. The windy snow slds knew them no more.
 Yet for all they were bitterly cruel, Id the wilds had been kind, too. hey had shown the gold from the ,oss. They had revealed to Ned e way of happiness-and it led him raight into Bess' arms. There he uld rest at the end of his days il there he found not only love and e. but the sustenance of his spirit, e soul of strength by which he lght stand erect and face the light. Thus they had found safe harbor ,ere the Arctic wind might never i'll them; hearth where such error
 dwelt in the dark outside could [ come in.
 THE END.