Evening star., 1928-02-26
PIT HIS FEET RUSHING BLOW AND HE SURRENDERED

/ A RUSHING BLOW AND HE ST
horse plunged at the drifts with new
energy. Dave, afoot. had. at times
some difficulty in keeping pace with it
but he had already outlasted one
horse. and there was still endurance ir
the man.
After a while. the cold became en-.
durable. His feet were numb. but there
was some feeling in them. Fatigue
burned in the muscles of his legs anc
sides and back there was a hot fire o
fatigue under his shoulder blades. Hi.
head ached with it.
His face was cold. now. too; the winc
was at his back-he had not that Il
endure-but the very air had a white.
hot bite. so that his checks were
scalded with the frost. Now and then
almost automatically. he rubbed them
and rubbed his nose with his mitteneo
hand.
He was afraid he would freeze his
nose. and he gave some thought to
this fear. Weighing the probabilities
surveying the idea from every angle
remembering other men who had
frozen their faces. He decided that
a slight frostburn would not be bad
but he had known Of cases where cold
left a scar. and he hoped this would
not happen 10 him. So ne rubbed a;
his cheeks and his nose with his
mitten.
The right was dark and starlit: the
snow was white field under his feet
There were no shadows on 1t, so that
he could not easily detect the in
ecualities on its surface. Sometimes
striding on what seemed level. he
plunged into the flank Of q drift and
fell forward. catching himself with his
sound arm; sometimes he stepped into
a pit where eddying winds had scooped
out the snow.
| After while. he learned to avoid
these dangers by watching the horse
and the sleigh. When the animals S
feet and legs disappeared. he knew the
beast had plunged into a drift and ne
cap Of this treacherous light was :hs
fact that he could not foresee the
antics Of the sleigh Sometimes II
slid toward him. or away from him,
before he had any warning Once i:
did actually topple on It's side: and his
back cracked with the strain Of right
ing II again and adjusting the help
less bundle tied In place upon the scat
/ He began 10 take a drink of rum
himself. as often as he applied the
bottle 10 Perry's babbiing lips. The
sick man was talking more constantly
now: Dave thought. with grim salts
faction. that he was better: that h
would ike. At least, FOR 4
while.
COME miles short of his dcstins-
ton ne encountered the worst OBJ
staclc in all his course. A Hill half q
mile in length confronted him. The
road ran along under the edge ot =
cut bank. and snow had packed hard
In ii 20 great depth. Thsre were
/ open fields on either side. however,
and. after frlitleSS attempt 20 buck
/ the snow In the road, Hepper.on de-
c!ded 10 try these fields
| II was difficult TO turn the horse
around: he had 10 tug the sleigh back
/ rod or more. and this effort Sapprd
all but the faltering remnants of his
/ strength, III the open fields again,
where only narrow drifts covered the
hard packed ground sncw he stumbled
/ behind the sleigh up the hill. and, az
/ tines, ne was forced 10 hold OF or be
left behind
Toward the end. his fee, on the ran
| nerS he rode. and before the top Of the
hill was reached hc had fallen forward
/
! sohb.ns for breath, But when, a, the
| top. the horse stopped uncertainty. Dave
! recovered himself and resumed his task
once more
/ 1t was little later on that he no
/ ticed that there was no longer any feel
| Ing In his feet, He objected 10 this CON-
/ ditioN principally because II made ie ~
| much harder for hun to choose his
| footing. A frost bitten toe or two was
| no great matter. So long as he could
| protect his nose.
| Alone there III the night, under the
| calm. cold sars he gsinned to himself
| With faint appreciation Of the h0mcr
! Of this solicituae, Nose has always
/ took care Of me" he told himself
Why shouldn't l t,surc To look out for
it, No way to treat nose, anyway
Keeping II out on Night like this"
His noSe did him soNd service now,
III that he was able to forget his fexss
His thoughts clu,,S to this nose Of his;
he had desperate and aaadmisted
/, feeling that II he allowed himself ~
| think os ANYTHING else he would sur
render to the great wcarineSS that p>S.
S''SSed him, tie MAS afraid his purpose
would disintesrate, The universe II So
cruelty ready 10 overwhelm man. his
| Only salvation Is 10 enSroSS htaSe.f in
. bis own affairs, Even in his nssSs,
Inward the end he became Ssas,,y a
machine, ploddmg ON. fsouuaerins
| through Snow that reached 10 his knees,
to his thighs, ~ his waist, Tie felt lit
Tie. remembered nothing except the ne
eessity I feeding the spark Of tile in
trn'W With all cccasional sip oi RAM
for the rest, he merely endured.
A little after | ccleek In the as,9n.
ing ne came 10 the prison sateS ANA
they let HIM IN
ThRcu0h the later years et his lite
men sometimes said to old nAve
thai he had eeen teal to do what ne
did, that his monumental achievement
was u useless thtag
"tNNst YOU two nueets ee your stsht
hand" they would remind ,he old man
/ And YOU Amt sol whole tvsa IL
Your name, JuSt Your burned stubborn
ness, that's all II waS"
Dave MAS never Impatient with them.
ne Mas not man IN insist uIsan his
own opsaians, HE nSea ~ answer. IN
his mild rrm wAN Well pTee'hsy