Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1933-01-05
CHAPTER XIII-Continued


him enough to get him upon the blan-
ketA She ran to her fire and piled
and piled wood on 1t until the flames
roared noisily and frightened every
thing about. She ran back to him
n knelt again and slipped her hand
inside his shirt, seeking his heart.
The deep chest was barely warmer
than death, the heart stirred only
family. But 1t did beat. She sought
the wound Brairs bullet had made
and found 1t In his side. There was
blood on her hands but she did not
notice 1t now. She found where the
bullet had entered and where 1t had
torn Its way 0uf through his flesh
She did not know II any vital organ
lay In that narrow span or II any
major artery had been severed or II
the rile-ball had merely glanced along
the RIBS and been detected by them;
she only knew that he had lost much
blood, that 1t must have gushed freely
while he strove with Sven BrodIe, and
that now 1t must be stopped utterly.
And then 1t was that Gioria's hands
achieved the first really important
work they had ever done In her life.
She tore bits away from her " un-
dergarments and made soft pads over
each wound; with their butcher knife
she cut a long strip from a blanket.
This she wound about his limp body,
making a long. tight bandage.
She got the boots of and felt his
feet she stopped over them until for
an instant she laid her cheek against a
bare foot 1t was like ice. She re-
called how he had ministered to her.
She heated a blanket and wrapped 1t
about his feet and ankles She heated
other blankets and put them about
him. The canvas at the caves mouth
had been torn down. she got It back
Into place to make II warmer for him.
She put fresh wood on the fire. She
FASTENED the coffee boiling all that she
could BY placing bits OF dry wood
close all about the pot.
She knelt at Kings side; she got
an arm under his shoulders and man.
aged to lift him a little: she rolled
up a blanket and pnt IL under his head
Then she brought the cup OF black
coffee She spilled rsoTe than went
Into his mouth but she was rewarded
by seeing the throat muscles contract
as invoIuntarily he swallowed. Thus,
patient and determined and very. very
gentle with him. she got several spoon
fuls OF coffee down him Thereafter
she let him lie back again while she
sought to plan cool-thoughtedly just
how she must care for him, just what
she could do for him.
There were scraps OF food left. She
began taking careful stock she found
d scrap of bread That had been
Knocked to the floor and kicked aside,
she picked 1t up and, carrying q torch
with her. began seeking any other
fallen morsels- In this search she
came ono to the hole In the floor
through which BrOdie and the others
had gone down into Gus Ingle's treas
ure-chamber. And at Its side she
found something which at this mo
ment was a thousand times more pre-
cious In her staring eyes than If 1t
had been so much solid gold Ii was
a great hunk OF fresh meat. Instant
Iy she knew how Ii had come here
King had killed his bear! That was
why he had returned tonight. He had
brought 1t here; had missed her had
dropped 1t here. And then? She
understood now, too. how he had
come SO Unexpectedly into the low
est cave. He had gone down
through this hole and had known
a passagewny which led on down. She
caught up the bear meat. carrying It
In both arms, and hurried back to her
fire.
For herself, since her own strength
must be kept up, she cooked a strip
OF the meat on the Goals. As the
night wore on. since she was deter
mined that King should not be chilled.
her fire consumed a great part OF the
wood. More wood must be brought,
tonight or In the morning She went
to the caves entrance and looked ont.
The everlasting whisper OF the pines.
that ancient hushed voice which
through the countless centuries has
never been still save when briefly
siienced by the snow; stsnich had borne
its message to Gloria when on that
first day she went with Mark King
Into the mountains, set chords vfhrat-
Ing softly In her bosom Insistently 1t
bore a message to her. such a message
rs from now on she would hear In the
quiet voices OF her little campfire. 1t
was the eternal cali OF the mother
earth that one like Gloria must hear
and harken to and understand before
she could set firm feet upon the ashes
of d vanquished self to rise to the true
things OF womanhood-
Benny and the Italian were still
alive and might be near? That did
moi in any way affect the fact that
there must be wood brought for Kings
fire She turned back for the rifle
and the rope. She saw that King had
NOT stirred. that he seemed plunged
In a deep. quiet sleep. She stood over
Mir, lacking dnwn ~ him xri+h hnr