The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-10-17

iSttiIS.
Phillips neichbor continued IL
hold the boys hand III vicclikc
grip Now he leaned forward
saying:
Look here! Arc YOU going tc
cover our coin or am | to smoke
YOU up"
The groanS OF the gambler j,
sweet music in their cars" The
dealer shrugged reluctantly and
counted out four hundred and thirty
five dollars. which nc separated into
two piles.
A certain shame at his action
swept over Phillips when he felt his
companions grasp relax and heard
him say. Turn her over kid
This was diamond cut diamond
Of course nevertheless, it was a
low-down trick and
Pierce Phillips started. he exam
ined the interior Of the walnut shell
it, bcwildernen,, for he had lifted
it only to find it quito empty.
Every now and then | win little
one the dealer intoned, ,eravcly
pockctirg his winnings. ut onlN'
goes to show vow that the hand
"Damnation" exploded the man
at Phillips side. "Trimmcd Tor
three hundred. or Pm a soatv
As Pierce walked away some ono
fell into step with him; it was the
sullcn, black-browcd individual he
had seen at the trading post.
&c n %1,r,- fopl- ,.o, t,r - I.,,l,o 4
and ,hirty.-ivc. CHI You mus, be
rolling i'll coin the man observed.
Even yc. Pierce was more than
little dazed. do YOU know" said
nc, Il was sure had the right
SHELF
"Nhr. OF course you had the right
ono. The stranger laughed shortly.
They laid it up for YOU on purpose,
then hid Bridges worked a shift
when he held your hand. You can't
beat en-
Pierce halted. WAS hc--was
that fellow with the pack booster -
"Ccrtainly. They're all boosters
The Kid carries enough hay on his
back to feed a team. It's his bed.
I've been here week and ! know
en- The speaker stared in sur
prise at Phillips, who had broken III
to a hearty laugh. Look here! 4
little hundred and thirty-tivc must
be chicken feed to you. If you've
got any more to toss away, toss il
i'll my direction"
That's what makes it so funny.
You see. ! haven't any more. That
was my last dollar. Well. it serves
me right. Now | can start from
scratch and win on nv own speed"
The dark-browcd mar studied
Phillips curiously. "Noure Ger
tainly game" Tie announced. .
s'posc now you'll be wanting to sell
some of your outfit That's why I've
been hanging around that game. I've
picked up quite bit of stuff that
way, but I'm still short a few things
and I'll buy"
Il haven't a pound OF grub. l
came I'D second-class."
Huh! Then you'll so back
oh no. ] won't! I'm going on
70 Dawson There was a momcn-
tary silence. "You say you've been
here week? Put me up for the
night-until get a job. Will YOU"
The black-cyed man lcsitated, then
he grinned. you've got your nerve.
but-l'm blamed if | don't like it,"
said he. "Nly brother Jim is cook
ing supper now Suppose we go
over to the tent and ask him."
CHAPTER II
The headwatcrs OF tho Dyca
River spring from a giants punch
bowl. Three miles above timber
line the valley bottom widcns out
into tlinty field strewn with bould-
crs which i'll ages past have lost their
footing on the steep hills forming
the sides of the cup. Between these
bouldcrs a thin carpet Of moss is
spread, but the slopes themselves are
quite naked; they are scanned and
cracked and weather-beatcn. their
surfaces are split and shattered from
the play Of tho elements. High up
toward the crest Of one Of them
rides a glacicr-a pallid, weeping
sentinel which stands guard for the
great icc-caps beyond. Winter
SHOWS, summer fogs and rains have
washed the llillsides clean; they arc
leached out and they present a lifc-
less, forbiddins front to travellers.
In many places the granite fragments
which still cucumber them lie piled
one above another ii, such titanic
chaos as to discourage mans p,lny
efforts to climb over them. Never
theless, men have done so, and bv
the thousands. by the tcrs Of thou
sands. On this particular morning
an uncnding procession Of h,in,an
beings was straining up and over and
through the con fusion They lifted
themselves by foot aud by hand
where the slope was steepest they
crept on all-fours. They formed an
t,nbroken. threadlikc stream extend
ing from timberlinc to crest. each
Individual being dwarfed to micro
scopic proportions by the ST. Of Iii,
surroundings. They flowed acros.
the floor of the valley, then SLOWLY, /!
very slowly, they flowed I'D its al.
most perpendicular wall. Now tIicv
were lost to sight; again they reap
peared clamberins over glacier scars
or tojling up steep, rocky slides;
finally they emerged away up under
the arch of tfc sky. /,
Looking down from the roof al
the pass itself, the scene was doubly
impressive, for the wooded valley
lay outstretched clear to the sea. aIic
out Of it came that. long, wayerina
line of ants. They did, indeed. an.
pear to be ants. those men. as they
dragged themselves across the mead.
ow and up the ascent; they resem-
bfed nothing more than a file .oi
those industrious insects creeping
across the bottom and up the sides
Of batl-tub, and the likeness was
borne out by the fact that all car,
ried burdens.