Evening star., 1928-11-04

had to let him have it with the pistol,
and / think missed him clean. AT any
rate, he stood up and tipped the gun
out Of my hand with one paw and
graZed me with the other. He didn't
knock me down. tripped and lay still.
That and the sound of you running
toward the place saved me. He was
listening, and forgot me for a moment.
AS soon as he was on his way, went
after the pistol, but the rest happened
so quickly can't figure it out even yet"
X + \
A T last came the day of the house
warming. He stacked the wood
for their first fire with almost supersti-
tiouS care, and when dusk fell he struck
a match and handed it to her. BE
careful, there's strong draft" he cau-
toned with a touch of pride. She
laughed with a little quaver in her
voice and, shielding the fame with
her hand, she touched it to the birch.
Instantly the little room was alight,
warm and ruddy. Well into the night
they watched 1t, talking of many things
and staring into the embers with dreamy
eyes.
The next morning they worked with
fever of energy. By noon they had
| found a place for all their essential
possessions, and in the afternoon he
began on the contents of the cache.
Thus, little by little, they acquired
the craft of the wilderness. Yet one
terror abode always in his heart and
poisoned all his peace. He spent hours
trying to recollect the unapplied the
ories he had learned from medical books
during his training. He did not dare
lat I'D af,@I k--~
cause when he did there came memories
cold and shaking. AS the long Winter
was wearing along toward Spring, he
never returned to the cabin save with
bated breath and faSt-beating heart.
Then one morning when cutting wood,
he delayed even longer than usual in an
effort to trail an animal whose tricks he
did not know. It might be some great
cat, he thought. The track was evi-
IDENTIFY old. There was no prospect that
he could come up with such a quarry
save by many hours of tracking. After
following the trail idly for time, he
decided to give 1t up.
Suddenly he thought he caught a
sound. It was vague, distant, thin,
faint, wailing. He had heard that the
cry of the puma was like that-like the
cry OF young child. So he Sprang for
ward eagerly. But 10 minutes of breath
less stalking revealed nothing. He
turned abruptly and set off toward the
cabin. At the door he stopped short.
The blood left his face. A cry, thin and
faint, wailing cry!
A matter-of-fact business, after all,
this business of parenthood when you
came up with it. 1t was brutal buSi-
ness, yeS but who was he to complain
NJ aY0Rfi00c hot
happiness? The next day he looked
into her face as she rested and dreamed
in the freight and was content.
The days that followed brought
new order Of things. 1t was as if.
within the House of Life, Fred and
Eleanor had passed through a door and
into another and very different room
where the game of living changed itself
and its rules completely.
Again the days few by. Winter still
held through interminable weeks. and
yet its hold was breaking. The brook
became crazy torrent. The flood
rushed down upon the ice that glazed
the little lake, lifted it high on its arms
and finally tossed it over the cliff.
Il wouldn't like to be a trout" OBJ
served Eleanor as she watched it.
Fred had been looking down toward
the valley far below them. do you see
something move down there?" he asked.
Elk, perhaps?" she said.
''It'S the horses!" she cried ooh
on. and they seem headed this way"
He seized the glass, Jenkins old
cayuSe is at the head of the band" he |
said. eyes. they're coming sure. And
there's enough grass showing up here |
for them to feed on now"
Long after that the procession topped |
the rise. Get the sugar uuick!" mutt |
tered Fred. And the hobbies!"
Have you noticed the cayuse today?" |
ne asked, few days later "She acts |
as If there were something on her mind |
Look at her now"
why, Fred, that's the way she used |
to act when jenkins was away from |
camp. She always seemed to know |
when he was coming-remember?"
The cayuSe suddenly gave voice to a |
Shr1ll whinny. She shot over the rail |
OF the corral, landed in a cloud of dust J
and was on and out of sight over the |
ridge.
HAND in hand Fred and Eleanor set
u out for the ridge. And when they |
reached the top the trail lay before
them.
Jenkins. Ben Hilliard," he said.
That's Jenkins waving"
Suddenly Eleanor was sobbing con- |
vulsively as though she could never |
stop. /,
'Stop It'll" he said sharply.
"All right-all right" She said, swal- |
lowing hard. "Graciousl How does my !
hair look? And the baby must have a !
clean dress. Come on. They won't get /
here short OF Is minutes over the trail" |
I'D better wait here, hadn't ~"
mo. sirl You come and help" !;
Shortly afterward they again sped I'D
the slope. At the top they came face
to face with jenkins. Back of him
came young Hilliard
II knowed you'd pull through" cried
Jenkins But I'm sure relieved to find
I wasn't just guessin' Here's Ben Hill
lard. who helped tote your trunk at
the station"
The two dismounted and came on foot
into view of the cabin, smoke pouring
from chimney. Jenkins /
stopped in his tracks and measured the
two of them with his eye. "You did
that?" he roared. Ben, will you look
at it! And YOU and me come out here