The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-10-02

fear Of poomudorrs lash. but they
also shared deep and growing
Interest In tho wilderness about
them. The Wild nfe was am alb.
sorblng study In Itself They taught
each Other little tricks Of the trap,
per's trade. narrated tho minor ad,
ventures Of their daily toll. they
%ro OF mutual service In a hun.
nred dIffcroht ways No longer did
Ned so about his work In the
fllmsy clothes OF the city. out
~ the pclts he had dried she
helped 20 make him garments and
moccasins ~ warm and scy~icoahle
an her own. supplied thru an un.
expected hunt OF generosity on
poomsdorra part soon after their
arrival on the island They brought
their hardest problems Ia tho Forks
cabin and solved them together.
As the winter advanced upon
them, they found an increasing
need Of mutual help. The very
problem of living began TO demand
their best cooperation. Tho win.
ter was more rigorous than they
had ever dreamed IN their most
doHpairing moments. - that co.
operation was no longer a matter
% pleasure. but the stark issue
Of life itself The spirit. alone and
iriendloas. yielded quickly In such
times as these.
IL Got to be n mystery with them
after awhile. why they hadn't giy.
en- up long since. instead ~ play,
ing this dreadful. nightmare game
70 It's ultimate end Of horror and
death. Why were they such fools
as 20 Keep up the hopeless fight.
day after day thru tho intense
cold. bending their backs 10 the
killing labor when al any mo.
msnt they might lind rest and
poacef They did not have TO look
far Freedom was Just M their
feet Just 10 falL TO lie atm. and
tho frost would creep swiftly
enough into their veins Sleep
would como soon. tho delunion OF
warmth. and then DoOmsdorf'a lash
could never threaten them again.
hut they found no answer 10 the
question. II was a. II a power
beyond themselves was holding
them up. II was az II there was
debt to pay before they could
find rest.
Day AFTER day tho snow Hifted
down. ever laying deeper GOV.
erink over tho Island, bending
down the lambs OF the strong trees,
ooscuring ali things under thlS
cold lnfinity OF white. Tho traps
had TO be iaboriouaiy dug out and
react. again aud again. These were
tho days when tho old 'sourdOugh'
ON the mainland remained within
his cabin. merely venturlng TO the
door after fuel: but Ned and Bcss
knew no such mercy. Their fate
was 20 struggle on thru those ever
deepening drifia until they died
Driven by cruel master thcy
dared not rest even a day. walk
ing was no longer possible without
anowEhocs. and oven these sank
deep Ia the sof, drifts. the webs
filling with snow. 20 that to walk
mile was the most bitter. heart
breaking labor Yct their fate was
10 pillow on. one day upon another
strange. dim figures In the gray
whiriinE tiakcs-ths full. bitter dia
,Rncca between their eablnA Tt
try TO iIo out meant death. certain
and very soon. Moreover they
could not even move with their old
leisure. The days were constantly
shorter. Just n ray OF light between
great curtains OF darkness: and
only by muahlnE AZ the fastest poe.
sihls walking paee were they abls
TO mako II thru.
when tho skies cleared. an un.
dreamed Of decree Of cold took pos
session Of tho Land Seemingly
every tFickie OF moving water was
already frozen hard. the sea abel.
tered BY the lEinnd chain was an
infinity Of ice. Hnow.Hwept Rn was
tho rest Of Tho weary landscape,
bet now the breath froze on the
beard. and the eyclida ono upon
another. Tho fingers froxo In the
Instant that the fur gloves were
removed. and the hottest fires
could hardly warm the cabins. And
on these clear. bitter nights the
Northern Lights were an iusffnbls
glory In the sky.
A strange atmosphere Of unreal.
iiy began 10 cloud thetr familiar
world. They found u increasingly
hard 10 believe tn their own con.
seriousness. 10 convince themselves
the5 wern stfii struggling onward
instead Of lying lifeless in the
sas+. II was NIL dim like dream
--sncw and silence and emptiness,
and the Northern Lights lamben,
in the sky. And for n time this
was the only mercy that remained
Their perceptions were bluntcd
they we're hardly aware Of the
messages Of pain and torture that
tho nerves brought 10 the brain
Ana then. as ever. there camo a
certain measure Of resdjus,ment.
Their bodies built up TO endure
even such hardship as this. Ths
fact that the snow AZ last packed
was factor. too: they wcro able
10 skim over tho white crust al
pace even faster than the best
time they had made In early fall
They mastered the trapper's craft