San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-04
The Making Of
a Husband
Ann LiSle' s N e ~
Phase Of Jim and
Anne's Marital
Adventure
BY ANN Isle
Chapter 1O8.

want to walk. Wake up-and heii
me-"
Ny voice reused him somewhat
And SO half leaGfng, half dragging
him. 1 started forward, floundering in
and out of drifts. not daring to stol
and put on my snowshoes again
eager for nothing except to get jim
safely under shelter before he yielded
to his dangerous desire to sleep.
We've got to get to the Hedge.
row." kept saying. We've got to.
But the roads remained empt D,
There were no welcoming lights. And
then l heard n hideous sound. j had
never heard such noise before. But
with sick and lurching heart it came
TO me like a danger siGnal-a long
and fearful howl What was it:
Could it be the howl of wolf?
AS l staggered forward on the dark
ard unilluminated road, half dragging
Jim with me. floundering into drifts.
determined that Jim should go on
walking until his dazc wore off and
freezing was averted, that baying wal
was the last thing needed to make
mine a nightmare of horrors. J
stumbled along the unfamiliar road.
wondering if it were ten miles instead
of one to The Hedgerow.
Tho mournful howl of the wolf
sounded farther away. l wondered, il
wolf he was, he was on the trail Of
other poor travellers.
Suddenly I felt firmcr crust Gp
der my feet. ! staggered forward.
halfdazed with fear and cold anil
WEAKNESS. Jim sank out of my arms
and | think I must have begun IN
yield TO the sleep that means freez
ing. Then Il wild baying and bowling
sounded across my weary mind.
shuddercd and staggered TO nv
feet and tried to rouse Jim. He lid
rot STIR
Suddenly I realized that we wcr'
not on the rond to The Hcdgcrow II
I'll. When the tree sent its enormous
snowlade1 branch falling across nur
path. We had been heading due north
toward The Hedgcrow. Jim hai
flung me forward out of the way Ct
the branch which had cut us apart.
had gone around the big impedi-
r1ent to find Jim. And when | be.
turned and climbed around the branch
again.
Pm heading homc.- said with .
InOmentary sense of joy.
Then I realized that We were les
than half n mile from our house when
the tree fell. And I had been walk
ing for what seemed like an hour. Our
house had been left in darkness. We
must have passed it. There was q
branch of the road just below. | did
not know whether or not we had turn.
cd off there. Snow was falling again.
swirling so fast before the wind That
] could not see three feet ahead.
Again the wild bowling sounded.
! sent up another prayer. staggered
forward and crashed into wooden pail
ings. | ran my hand along them OK
perimcntallv. They felt familiar.
Gradually l became hopeful thin
;urc.
It's our fence" I cried, in tri.
umph.
We were almost at the gates of The
Birches. The packed snow felt
rrdcr my feet moment before marks |
he end of the trail cut by the slcdgc
that drove Jim and Arlcttc up from |
the village this morning.
When ] realized this | felt as il |
had new lease of life. | seized Jim
under the armpits and began walking
backward as I dragged him along after |
me. Step by step. I felt my tortuous
way. We reached the gate. We were
on the path. Only few moro yards
to 20 and we should be within the
shelter of our own home.
Then the howls which had so terri
fled me began sounding nearer and
nearer. ! saw n sudden shark of light |
approaching. The spark separated
and became two sparks. The sparks
wcrc green. Eyes. The eyes of a
hungry animal.
threw both my snow shoes at the
animal 1t turned and fled. Then
with one wild effort I dragged Jim
10 the steps. up tbem-bumping MS ]
went and onto the porch of The
Birchcs.
The animal had routed for mo-
rnent, yowlcd again and started for
ward. This time 7 lonscd the pack
from inns back and hurled it. 1t
must have struck the animals paw,
for it turned and limped away.
fumbled under the door-mat, found
the key. unlocked the door and got
Jim into the hall. just MS the animal
regained its courage and started for.
ward again, limping slowly. Looping
oddly and yowling again wildly as il
lcapcd toward the door. | flung the
big oak door to. boltcd it and stood
against 1t painting and aching with
fear and triumph.
And thcn-in the familiar reaches
Of homc--my car became a little more
finely attuned to foct. ] wasn't a
pioneer woman now fleeing from peril.
was Anne Harrison intent on the
task Of rcviving my bruised and half
frozen husband.
The animal outside flung itself
against the wood in desperate at
tempt 70 break down the barrier. II
clawcd and scratched. But I did not
care. The door would hold. The win.
dows were heavy and tightly locked.
If need be | could barricade myself
upstairs for the night. and 7 know
that lights and cracking fires would
tcrrify away the intruder. All that
counted was to revive Jim.
The frenzied animal at the front
door yowied again, bayed. moaned and
did not more than
half attend to what was going on. ]
did not stop to think that wolves do
not bark-that ii is only their civilized
~ the dog family that
bark. A barking dog WINS nothing to
me. for Jim's life was Mt stake. Per
haps a number Of things would be diff
fcrcnt II had stopped tn realize that
my wolf was dog-and dog in !