The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-01-20
THE SKYLINE
OF SPRUCE
BY EDISON MARSHALL
Copyright. is.a LITTLE. Brown q Company

Hen had takcn it. he had plainly
gone forth after fuel. Trees stood all
about the little glade. he couldn't
have gone far The Inference was
obvlouas whatever disaster had be
/ fallen him must have occurred within
a few hundred yards Of tho cave
Holding her torch high she went
20 the edge o. the glado and again
called into the gloom. There was no
repression IN her voice now. she
called rs loudly as ahe could. she
started 10 push on into the fringe OF
/ timber.
/ Rut at once she paused. holding
hard on her seif-controL II was folly
TO mako a blind search. To pcne-
trato the dark mystery OF the forest
with only this little light already
Pickering out-wouid probably result
In becoming lost herself Such a
course would not help nen's cause.
I Evidently no was lying within a few
hundred feet OF her. unconscious
perhaps dead---or he would have re-
piled TO her calf
Dead The thought sped an Icy
current turnout the hydraulic system
Of her veins
She was a mountain giri. and she
made no further false motiona She
turned at once 20 tho cave. and pillng
up her ktndiinE. butt q fire Just at
the mouth Of the cave. II was pro-
tectcd here In some degree from the
rain. and tho wind was right 20 carry
the smoke away. This fire would
serve 20 keep her direction and lead
her hack 70 the cavern.
Once morc shc ventured into the
storm. and gathering all the cut fuel
she could find. piled u on her fire.
The two spruce chunks that Ben had
cut for their rircnide seats were
placed a. hack logs Then she hunt
ed for pine knots taken from tho
scrub pines that grew IN scattering
ciumps among the spruce. and which
were laden with pitch.
| One OF thess knots she put In the
iron ran they used for frying. then
lighted H. Then she pushed into the
timber.
Holding her Hight hiRh she began
20 encircie the glade clear 20 tire
barrier OF the cliffs To the eyes o.
the Wild creatures thi. might have
been a acknowledgements picture;
the slight form Of the gfri. her face
bianched and her eyes wide and dark
In the narinE light. her srotesaue
torch and It's weird shadows. and then
rain sweeping down between. she
reached the cliff. then started hack.
making n wider circle.
Adding fr~ah fuel 20 the torch. she
peercd into every covert and exam
tined with minute care any human
shaped shadow in that eerfe world Of
shadows: but the long haif-circis
brought her back 70 tho cliff wall
without rvsuitz She was already vet
90 the akin, and her pine tnots were
nearly spent Ever the load Of dread
was heavier st her heart In the
hour or more sbe had s~srohed--ehe
bad no way Of estimating tfme-shs
had already 9ons fArthsr than Ben
usually won't for his f1el
And yst no teArs came: on2y N
rulndrops lay a her fAos and CURED
h~r DARK hair In ringssta But shs
rnss not give up ret II wHs hard Ia
hold her Shoulders straight. but she
must make ths hong circle once more.
with courage and strength sioh as
she had not dreamed she po.ses~sd
shs launched forward arnin- But
fatirus was breaking her now. Tte
tree roots tripped her faitarfrg feet,
tho branches ciutchcd 1T hcr a. rhs
passed II was hard 10 tell what ter
rftory shs had searched. or how far
ahe had gone. But when she was
halfway around. abe suddenly halted
motionless q. an image. ~ the edxs
Of the stream
The ficksrfng light revealed . trce
rreshiy cut. It's naked stump Eiesrn-
ing and its tall form lying prone
Yet beneath n shs shadows were Of
strange. unearthiy shape. and some
thing showed stark white thru ths
green foiiar.. Great branches
stretched over ~ like bars over q
prison window.
Just one curious dep sob rachel
her whole body. The iife-bsat. IN,
! mystery that IL being. seemed 70 stea
away from her. Her strength wiltef
and for an instant she could only
stand and gaze with fixed. unbaliev.
ing eyes But almost at once th'
unquenchabie fires Of her apirii
blazed up anew. She saw her task
and with a faith and steadfastnesl
! conformabie more TO the sun and th'
earth than 10 human frailty. hei
! muscles made instant and incredibI'
Response.