Evening star., 1924-07-28

Henry. an they'll have you an me
guessin' before this trips over"
Henry laughed deiantly. II amt
been trailed this way by wolves be-
fore. but I've gone through a whole
lot worse an kept my health. Takes
more'n a handful Of them pesky crit
ters to do for yours truly. Bill, my SON"
II don't know. l don't know" Bill
muttered ominously.
well. you'll know all right when we
pull into McGurry."
81 amt feelin' special enthusiastic"
Bill persisted.
You're off color, that's what's the
matter with you," Henry dogmatized.
What you need is quinine, an I'm
goin' to dose you up. stiff as soon as
we make McGurry.''
| the diagnosis, and lapsed into silence.
The day was like all the days. Light
came at nine o'clock. At twelve
o'clock the southern horizon was
| warmed by the unseen sun; and then
began the cold gray of afternoon that
| would merge, three hours later, into
| night.
1t was just after the suns futile
effort to appear that Bill slipped the
rifle from under the sled-lashings and
| said:
You keep right on, Henry, I'm goin'
to see what l can see."
YOU'D better stick by the sled" his
| partner protested. You've only got
three cartridges, an there's no tellin'
| what might happen"
who's croakin' now" Bill demanded
| triumphantly.
Henry made no reply. and plodded
on alone, though often he cast anxious
glances back into the gray solitude
| where his partner had disappeared. An
hour later. taking advantage OF the
cut-otfs around which the sled had to
CO. Bill arrived.
They're scattered an rangin' along
| WIDE" he said; ''keepin' up with US
an lookin' for game at the same time.
You see, they're sure Of us, only they
know the've. got to wait to get US.
up anythin' eatable that comes handy"
"You mean they think they're sure
Of u.s." Henry objected pointedly.
But Bill ignored him. Il seen some
of them. They're pretty thin. They
amt had bite in weeks. l reckon.
an there's so many Of EN- that that
! didn't go far. They're remarkable thin.
| Their ribs is like wash boards, an
their stomachs Is right up against their
baekbones. sa They're pretty n sas desperats'
yet. an then watch out"
, A few minutes later. Henry, who was
| now travelling behind the sled, emitted
| a low, warning whistle. Bill turned
and looked. then quietly stopped the
last bend and plainly into view. on the
very trail they had just covered, trot-
ted a furry, sinking form. Its nose
was to the trail, and it trotted with a
peculiar, sliding, effortless gait. When
they halted. it halted, throwing up its
nostrils that twitched as it caught and
studied the scent of them.
| IT'S the she-wolf," Bill whispered.
The dogs had lain down in the snow.
and he walked past them to join his
partner at the sled. Together they
watched the strange animal that had
pursued them for days and that had
already accomplished the destruction
Of half their dog-team.
| After a searching scrutiny. the animal
repeated several times, till 1t was a
short hundred yards away. 1t paused,
| head up, close by a clump Of spruce
trees, and with sight and scent studied
the outfit of the watching men. II
| looked at them in a strangely wistful
way, after the manner of a dog; but
in its wistfulness there there was none
of the dog affection. I was wistfulness
| bred Of hunger, as cruel as its own
fangs. as merciless as the frost itself.
1t was s,ssts,r large for a. wolf H. its Fauns
animal that was among the largest OF
| its kind.
| Stands pretty close to two feet an
half at the shoulders" Henry COM
mented. "An' I'll bet 1t amt far from
five feet long"
"Kind Of strange color for Q wolf. !"
was Bills criticism. II never seen a
red wolf before. Looks almost cinna-
mon to me-
| The animal was certainly not cinna-
mon -colored. Its coat was the true
<N~1~
gray, and yet there was to it faint
| reddish hue-a hue that was baf1ing,
that appeared and disappeared, that
was more like an illusion Of the vision,
now gray. distinctly gray, and again
| giving hints and glints Of q vague
redness Of color not classihable in
| teEms Of ordinary experience.
Looks for all the world Like biz