The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-04-09
CHAPTER IX-Continued

Oll TIC S1OuL'l dllIdSlSu
he stopped and gently put down one
hand, palm cupped, and rising showed
Nan a bee crawling over his fingers.
Pig" he chided. He's loaded up
so heavily that he can't fly! Go on
Try it from here!" He waved his hand
and the bee took wing. going slowly and
grOggily, but with that aid finally max
ing successful attempt at fight.
He stopped over again, watching an
other busy worker.
Pretty fair Italians" he said. Not
pure; hybrids, but they look like right
good hOney-makers."
Are you. among other things, bee
expert?" Nan laughed.
mo, but once I had to live for
while with 81 old cOdger who kept 'em.
That was about the best time l had
when 1 was a kid. l got real chubby
with bees liked 'em. When l get
so old l can't ramble any more maybe
I'll settle down and keep 'em and let
'em keep me-"
SIS that the only plan you have?"
He Strengthened and looked at her so
intently that she flushed.
Maybe not" he said gravely. I'll
know before long"
Later they stood shoulder to shout
der, waiting for the compass to come
to rest that they might be certain of
precise directions, eyes of each on the
swinging dial. Mans breath was ca
ress for Kerry's cheek and his hands
began to tremble.
few days earlier he would have
laughed at this reaction but now he
simply moved without explanation and
placed the compass on boulder where
it would have stability.
THAT hemlock stub is due north"
SSH"
Young cut off her words with the low
warning, making no movement.
wait" he whispered. Something
coming. Hear it?'
The girl did not, at first, but after
a moment of strained listening nodded
her head silently.
Something was coming their way,
slowly, perhaps hesitantly. Then, as
a breath of breeze stirred the foliage,
from which the sounds came, that ap-
prOach became more rapid.
HoOf beats and scrapings of brush
and finally a queer, inquiring grunt or
two.
"Oh!" Nan whispered as it came into
view. "MOose calf! &. Why E. he's
coming up to u.s."
Indeed, it seemed as If the creature
would run them down. 1t came on,
head up, ears stiff, emitting a series of
low sounds, picking up it's feet awk-
wardly with the long, gangling legs;
great, dark eyes fast on those two
humans.
Why! He'll :" Nan caught at
Kerry's elbow as the calf kept on, never
slackening its pace and so close that
in another stride or two they might
have touched it.
But on the movement the animal
Swerved, half turned away, swung off
to the right and stopped facing them,
standing there all rigid attention and
wonder.
The short tail twitched, the nOstrils
Quirked. Young's elbow pressed Mans
hand warningly to his side. They stood
mOtiOnleSS as the moose continued to
stare at them, making those plaintive,
inquiring sounds.
Kerry could feel the girl tremble and
that sent a tremOr through his own
body.
He began to initiate the sound the
calf made and on that the creature
backed off few steps, seeming fright
ened. But when the man did not move
it resumed its own grunts, as if doing
its best to bridge the barrier between
species and talk.
What the dickens are your" he
seemed to be trying to say. where
do you come from? Why are you here?
Il never smelled or saw anything like
you two in all my born days! I'm kind
of afraid of you, but want to give you
good once-Over before hit for yonder
There's so much for a young Teller like
me to run across for the first time"
For over a minute the calf stood
there, using all its senses to size up
that man and that woman. And then.
probably as an instructive mistrust of
anything so widely at variance with
all its other young experience asserted
itself, began to back. The retreat at
first was orderly, a slow, backward
stepping. Then it turned sideways and
broke into a trot, went faster. Once
it stopped and cast an apprehensive
glance over its shoulder and after that,
dropped its ears and disappeared at
numbering but flowing trot.
why! Why, of all thingsr' breath
ed Nan, withdrawing her hand from
Young's arm.
The man laughed.
"Never saw it before!' he said But
in the woods, if you use your eyes, you
see plenty for the first time" He
laughed lowly.
His first encounter with man scent,
you see. He winded US from wherever
he was and curiosity made him come
our way. Likely, he's never been mo-
Tested in all his couple of months on
earth and so he doesn't know much
about fear.
Tough, isn't 1t, that every species
has its predator enemies and has to
start learning how to defend itself by
the law of claw and fang before it has
a good chance to enjoy such a swell
world?"
"Yes. It's tough" she replied and
looked with peculiar intimacy into
his face. There's so much to enjoy
If only all of us would!"
They started on and after a time
Kerry spoke bluntly the thing that her
last words had left in his mind.
The moose did me a favor. He
frightened you a little and made you