The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-04-02


always he awaited Young's order before
following. And once, when the girl
had crossed TO the Landing TO send a
telegram and was urgently wanted by
telephone, Kerry scrawled a note, gave
it to the dog and told him to find Nan.
He did, after much running here
and there and snuffling at the ground,
and it would have been difficult to de-
termine which was the more pleased,
girl or dog.
you'll finish tomorrow" Nan said,
looking over Kerry's shoulder. "Can
of the stuff northwest of Townline
lake?"
"You can get me-" he said with odd
soberness, ito try to do about any
thing you want DONE"
The words gave him a strange giddy
feeling.
"We'l go tomorrow morning, them"
she replied, overlooking his inference.
With a canoe on a trailer behind her
car, they drove to the end of the road
which gave access TO Townline lake.
Then they set off on that body of wa
ter to spend the day making a swift
reconnaissance of the country in which
Young was to work.
A family of ducks swan before them,
ruffling the placid surface. The moth
er's head was raised high, she uttered
low quacks of warning and the brood
clustered close about her As the cenoe
drew closer, the old one took wing and
the youngsters, doing their best, skit-
tered along the water, half flying, half
swimming, making a great TODD.
A little breeze arose and the lake,
which had lain like FURNISHED plate
of steel, was touched to life. Lobes
of light blue appeared, turned to in
digo, and ran together until the body
of water lay like a great sapphire,
flecked with emerald islands. An eagle
scared majestically above and as they
rounded a point a deer, having late
breakfast in the shadows, lifted its
head in quick alarm and Hoped noisily
for cover.
waters cold" Young remarked,
trailing hand.
Like ice! This lake is terribly deep
in the channels. The Indians say it
never gives up its dead, and Father
said that was probably so.'
Young's eyes held on Mans compe-
tent shoulders, watching their rhyth-
mic swing. Her voice came back to
him talking of the job, but he caught
only the music in it. Why, he told him
self, the thing that had made of him
wanderer was gone! He had at last
found an answer to his doubt of re-
sponsibility for running old Jack Snow
Knowing that, why wander farther:
Why not take root and here!
Surely Nan Downer was the most love
ly, the most -.
"We'll land here" she was saying.
breaking off this wild train of thought,
Il can see the corner stake. Father
had a survey made three years ago."
They landed. Nan produced a map.
and spread it on a log.
Here we are. Right here. This
creek-Otter-is alive with trout, and
beaver ponds make it splendid fiy-fsh-
ing, which, is what the sort of folks
who might buy will want. There are
bass and other fish galore in the lake.
One of the best yarding areas for deer
in the country runs right down into
Section Twelve, here. There are some
moose too, and plenty of grouse.
This happens" she continued, "to
be the northwestern corner of our
holdings. The road we used today is
the only one that comes close. There's
no one at all in the country beyond.
Tod West knows If like a book and
guess he's the only white man alive
who does"
Tod West. The name struck temper
within Young. Tod West, who had
ruined one he loved in boyhood; who
now sought to ruin one he perhaps
was TO love in maturity.
Little did Kerry reckon in that mo-
ment that Mans idle remark connect
ing West and that vast lonely country
beyond them would one day come back
to him, would pound in his ears with
the rush of fevered blood, that he would
fight fog of sickness and pain to re-
member it to remember that none
but Tod West knew those vast swamps
and untracked uplands!
They went on. A covey of half-grown
grouse fiuttered out of the way, not
particularly alarmed. A spotted fawn
ran before them and a spruce hen
stared stupidity from low limb. Bear
sign showed in the game trail and a
wolf had passed that way last night.
Off to the right sounded sudden ire
mendous crashing which could only
have been a moose, making away from
man, his worst enemy.
Here was an old burning where light
ming had started fire. Wild grasses
and firewood abounded and Young
stopped, watching bees work in the
| brilliant blossoms
ITO BE CONTINUED