The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1934-01-15
Chapter Al
DELIVERING ANGEL

r TNTIL he reached OLD Johns lake
~ up the Iskitimwah. the prospect
Of getting into his plane and whirl.
ing north had buoyed Curt up and
kept him going long after he had
gone dead on his feet. But he had
reached the limit of human endur-
ance, and the shock of finding him.
self hopelessly stranded through
Smash's truancy pushed him over
the limit. Stumbling under a pine
tree. he slumped down. almost in q
collapse, and dropped into the merci-
ful oblivion of sleep.
Tenn-Og began looking around
The cabin. reading signs--a crushed
nettle, footprints, broken twig
with wilted leaves. He announced
presently that Smash had not been
there yesterday or the day before
that. He had left three days ago.
To sit around and watch the sky
for plane that did not come was
more than Paul could bear. Wisely
he kept himself busy. While Tenn
Og went down the shore to small
stream where ptarmigan were chort-
ing among the cloudberry thickets.
ne drew out the canoe and gummed
It. freshened up the musty cabin and
chopped dead jackpine into fire
wood When Tenn-Og came back
with three ptarmigan. he cleaned
and dressed the birds. cooked them
and prepared a meal.
Near seven o'clock Curt woke up
Paul had supper ready. but Curl
could not force himself to eat. The
thought of Sonya drawing nearer
and nearer that headwaters lake
sent him tramping the landwash
again In distraction.
Paul and Tenn-Og made a two
pronged javelin, hardened the points
in the fire: and went down to a rock
iut to spear trout. AS Curt turned
once. he saw they had stopped fish
ing and were listening inte1tly. look
A few moments later he caught
a far-away hum, faint as a mos
1uito's song. 1t seemed to come
from nowhere in particular: but It
rapidly grew louder. deeper. and
changed to throaty drone. He 10
Gated it's direction, due south. and
whirled to look.
Out above lofty range hove a
glistening speck, shining in the slant
evening sun. Curt stood rooted in
his tracks, afraid that the growing
speck was a delusion and might
vanish. But ii came on and on. till
at last he distinguished the lines of
his plane.
For him that glistening plane had
all the splendor of delivering an
gel. From its height of ten thousand
feet it glided down and down
banked over the lake. leveled off,
touched and came taxying shore.
ward.
The three leaped into their canoe
and darted out to meet it.
AS they swung around the pro
peller and clambered upon a pom.
toon. Smash opened a panel and
tipped his cigarette into the water
"Hullo! Didn't keep you waiting.
did |. Curt? Darned sorry; but say.
you ought to see the dance pavilion
and the whole layout down there al
Lake Maria-uh-Why, what's the
matter. Curt?"
Curt glared at him tight-lipped,
sent the canoe spinning with a kick.
slammed open the door and climbed
into the cabin.
"fll take the controls. Get back
in the rear place; | want Tenn-Og
up front with me-"
LIE LIFTED the tank flaps and
1 glanced at the gauges. One.
third full! For a moment he was
tempted to throw Smash off on that
wilderness shore and let him get
out to Russian Lake afoot. If he
could. 1t was like Smash, with his
mind on Lake Marianne, to come of
with barely enough gas to return to
Tellacet.
There was plenty to reach the Lii
luar headwaters. but none to bring
the ship back south. When they
reached the lake they would have
no gas to maneuver with or get out
to civilization.
Taking off, he circled to five thou.
sand feet and started west, down
the Iskitimwah Fifteen minutes
later. as he sailed out over the river.
widening and the island of black
lilies, he saw Tenn-Og look down at
the country below and blink aston
ished eyes. Fifteen minutes-and
that same trip had taken six hard
canoe-hours that morningi
Intending to approach his goal
from the west in order to keep from
flying over the main band of Kloso-