The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-02-28

when 60 pack f0r the
men. And blink the light from time
10 time, SO we can place you.''
AIl right" agreed, as quietly
as ] could.
Cant you find her. Sandv?D I
said as ] stood with my fingers
hooked through his collar. For it
would be natural, / knew, for the
uog TO follow his owner. / let him
sniff at the pail as l held him trem-
bling against my knee. Then he
suddenly whimpered and broke
loose. And realized. as I stag
gered after him in the darkness,
that ] had failed to keep a part of
my promise. He was off.
! could hear his bell-like banks in
the cold night air as he uuartered
on from the woodland and crossed
q treeless slope that led to a bayfield,
as level as floor. 1t was a stretch
OF open land, could see, where
some homesteader the summer be-
fore had cut wild hay for his stock.
But Sandy, instead of racing after
MS master, seemed to be crisscross-
ing about this open floor windrowed
with its sun-shrunken snowdrifts.
He came back to me, barked twice
In my face, and was off again.
l followed him, as best I could.
wondering if his excitement was due
to a fox or even some larger ami
NAL prowling about in the gloom.
But ! found him, at the meadow
edge, with his nose buried in the
tumble of loose hay at the base of a
poled stack covered with a faded
tarpaulin. His bobbed tail, no
ticed, was going from side to side
like metronome.
! dropped down on my knees be-
side him, paving away the loose
hay. Then I suddenly stopped. I
shrank back, with a quick little cur
die OF nerve ends. For my bare
hand, pushing deeper, had come in
contact with warm fur.
l was sure Of that. And I was
equally sure that Sandy had smelled
out sleeping bear.
My one and only aim in life was
to get away from that stack and
hear the comfortable voices of
armed men about me again. I ran
stumbling across the drifted hay
Held, wondering as I went WHY I
could see no moving lights in the
distance.
Then my fight came to an end.
For realized that Sandy, who was
following me, did not approve of that
retreat. His sharp banks were
plainly meant for sounds of protest.
He even came and tugged at my
parka end, as though to drag me
back.
l stood there, in my weakness.
and hesitated. I must have stood in
the darkness for full minute, with
out moving. Then a second wind
OF courage took me slowly back to-
ward the stack.
1t wasn't easy to 60 back.
But shut my jaw and crept GIN
gerly forward, wondering how I
should defend myself If an aroused
wild animal numbered out at me.
My hand, I'm afraid, wasn't a very
steady one as thrust an exploring
arm into the little cave under the
stack shoulder, the cave where some
stray deer or perhaps moose had
been feeding during the deep cold.
1t was quite deep hollow. My
arm, in fact, went in up to the ell
bow. Then it went still deeper. It
went until could feel the warm
fur again. But, moment later. I
could feel something else. About it.
strangely enough, was wrapped a
coil or two of rope. And then /
realized the truth.
It wasn't sleeping bear: it was
the body of child in worn wolf
skin jacket. 1t was our lost Frieda.
She reused a little and emitted a
sleepy whimper or two as / caught
her up and held her to my breast.
A great surge of relief swept
through me as / heard. the sleepy
small voice complain: ''Ah ban so
hungry!"
"Of course you're hungry" said,
little drunk with excitement. And
both Sandy and the half-awakened
child must have thought that I'd
suddenly gone mad, for / managed,
in some way, to Chamber to the top
OF the stack and there, standing UP
in the darkness, shouted with all
my strength. I called and called
again. until an answering shout
came back to me.
They're coming, Frieda,'' said
as Sandy's voice belled out on the
cold night air.
Lander came first, little out Of
breath, pushing Sandy away from
him as he stopped over me.
''I've found her." said as strug-
gled to my feet in the loose hay.
''She's all right" But, with Frieda
in my arms, / wasn't sure of my
footing. And a sudden sense Of Sc
curity went through me as ] felt
Lander's long arm encircle my waist
and hold me up. He held me close
in under his wide shoulder, for just
a moment, in what ! accepted as a
silent gesture of gratitude.
"She's all right" he shouted back