Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-23
y Short Story
Three in the North
BY ALMA and PAUL ELLERBE


TIVE snow was soft. Everything
Il was melting. The iclcles
hanging from the trees had drops
Of water on their points. The
weather had been ChanCeable
mild, with everything adrip. and
Their the Slow-returninc cold. hold
ing on relentleSsly until the whole
empty north-country world froze
again, as hard as steel and then,
The same thing over again.
But things were melting now,
Mat Ryder thought. with differ
ence. Yes. this was tho January
thaw. or he was no north country
woodSmAn. He breathed in the
good wide smell OF II. swinging
along how eWard with steady lifts
and thrusts Of the Snowshoes on
his long. strong legs, his heavy
rifle balanced easily across his
arm. He had been off making a
round ~ his traps. The bundle on
his back was skins. He and Hugh
had q couple OF shelters along the
circuit and he had spent the night
in one Of them.
RETURNING SOONER
lie was returning sooner than
ne had expected. He had planned
on being away for two nights.
But he was nearly as quick on his
feet now. with the skinning knife
TOO, as Hugh. The north woods,
he thought, had made man OF
him. The north woods and Hugh
together. HUgh was his brother.
"You are all right. I'll trust
you now to do anything I can
do"
Few people had risen from a
kings accolsde as proud as young
Mat Ryder when Hugh said that.
AS he approached the cabin
where the two of them lived. he
had the feel of IL. and of Hugh in
side of II: everything as neat as a
ship - plain - strong-useful. No
gadgetS. He couldn't have found
words 10 say how much he liked IL.
He had come 10 II from a'cluttered.
woman-ridden house two widowed
auntS and their three daughters:
he had never known his mother in
which. suddenly when his father
died there was no place for him,
and a town where there were no
new jobs for any one.
This was as different as the
moon. A mans home. His home
and Hugh's. He had never expected
10 feel himself on par with Hugh.
But he did now-almost. A fellow
might have gone 10 Wall street
and cleaned up a million and felt
less happy about II
=. At the top of the slope ahead
he'd be able 10 see the house. half
way across little level stretch
that was split in two parts by a
narrow gulch. full of frs and hem
locks, like green tide. The ground
fell away sheer on the gulch side,
which was the front, and there
Hugh had built the house two
stories high. though 1t was only
one in the back On the other side
OF the gulch was Drugoles place,
. but that would be hidden by trees.
Barton Drungole. Just the three OF
them, all trappers. alone in the
empty Winter-locked woods. The
boys mouth set a little. The north
woods stretching off in every direc-
ton, empty of people for God knew
how many miles. And nothing
. coming or going. ever, till Spring.
Under those circumstances, three
men had better be friendly.
Well. Mat thought, swinging his
legs with the regularity of pistons
and leaving one perfect lacey snow
shoe print after another behind
him. these three were. except when
the moody giant across the gulch
was drunk. Barton Drungole had
lived alone too long. That was
why, when he moved into the
empty cabin that some other trap
per had built and abandoned long
ago. Hugh was good 10 him.
81 know how a fellow gets
that way" Hugh said.