San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-25

follow where he led. .,"yye'll have to
run for it," he whispered simply.
Fast as you. cam
Ned had taken in the situation,
made his decision, seized the parkas,
and guided Bcss through the dooi
! all in one breath; the drama of Le-
| progress in the glare of the North
ern Lights. Doomsdorf, standing back
to them, did not see the two slip out
the door, snatch up their sn0wsnoes
and fly. Otherwise his pistol would
have been quick to halt them. Almost
at once they were concealed. except
for their strange Pickering shadows
in the snow, behind the first fringe vi
stunted spruce.
Ned led her straight toward the
ice-bound sea-. He rallied ut once
that their least shadow of hope lay
in fast flight that might take them
to some inhabited island before DOoms-
dorf could overtake them; never in
giving him chase across bis own tun-
dras.
They, halted single instant in the
shelter Of the thickets, slipped on their
snowshOes, then mushetl as fast as
they could on to .tc beach. In scarce
ly q moment they were centu-ing out
on the ice-bcund wastes.
Doomsdorf encountered their tracks
as e reached the cabin door, and
higher ground just above the cabin.
But when he caught sight of the fugi-
tives, they were already out of eff
fective pistol range. He fired impo-
tently until the hammer clicked down
against an empty breach, and then,
still serseless with fury, darted down
to the cabin for his rifle.
But he halted before he reached
the door. After all, there was no
particular hurry. He knew how
many miles of ice-some of it almost
impassablc-lay between his island
and Tar island, far to the east. 1t
was not the journey for man and
woman, travelling without supplies.
There was no need Of sending his
singing lead after them. Cold AMI
hunger. il he gave them play, would
stop them soon enough.
He had, however, other plans. He
turned through the cabin door. spoke
to the sullen squad, then began 10
make preparations for a journey. He
took a cold-proof\ wolf-hide robe.
wrapped it in it 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 tie
days toll. she moved freshly and cas-
lily at first. Ned broke trail, sine
mushed a few feet behind. She hal
no sensation of cold; hardened TO
steel. her muscles moved like the slid
ing parts of wonderful machine. Tn. |
ice was wonderfully smooth as yet, |
almost like the first, thin. bay ice
frozen to the depth of safety. But al
ready the killing pace had begun 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 III
the sky, and the two fastened on in
the wan light of little moon that was
already falling toward the west. And
now she was made aware that the |
night was bitter cold. 1t was getting |
to her, in spite of her furs. But as
yet she gave no sign OF distress to |
Ned. Out of her love for him n new
strength was born--that sublime AMI
strength OF women that IS /
nearest to divinity Of anything upon
this lowly earth-and she knew that
it would hold her. up beyond the las,
limits of physical exhaustion. She
would not give way to unconscious
ness, 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 lifeless 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 |
wandering figures in the moonli'
snow. But Bess was not to carry hei |